Cecil B. Demented
Short description
Cecil B. Demented is a 2000 satirical crime comedy written and directed by John Waters. By day, Sinclair Stevens runs a respectable movie theater; by night he leads a cult of underground filmmakers under the name Cecil B. Demented, dedicated to making movies outside Hollywood's commercial system. To complete his latest project, he and his followers kidnap Honey Whitlock, a pampered Hollywood star, and force her to act in their guerrilla production. As filming proceeds with real disruptions staged in public places, the actress gradually comes to embrace the outlaws' cause.
The film stars Melanie Griffith as Honey Whitlock and Stephen Dorff as Cecil, with Alicia Witt, Adrian Grenier, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Lawrence Gilliard Jr. among the credited cast of 36. It was produced by Mark Tarlov, Joseph M. Caracciolo Jr. and John Fiedler, and was made in the United States and France by Polar Entertainment and Le Studio Canal+.
Released on August 2, 2000 and running 88 minutes, the film arrived more than a decade into Waters's career, following Pecker and preceding A Dirty Shame. Made for about 10 million dollars, it returned roughly 2 million worldwide. It holds a 6.3 rating from around 18,000 votes on IMDb and a 6.4 from roughly 300 votes on TMDB, suggesting a modest but lasting audience for this later entry in his filmography.
What's left behind the scenes
- The kidnapping of Honey Whitlock, who subsequently joins her captors, resembles what happened in real life to Patty Hearst in the 1970s. Hearst has appeared in all of John Waters' films since the filming of 'Cry-Baby' (1990).
- The chairman of the Baltimore Film Commission (a non-profit organization that acts as a liaison between the film industry and Baltimore authorities) appeared in one of the scenes. He appeared on screen as an extra, choking on oysters that Cecil B.'s non-conformists were forcing them to eat.
- Director and screenwriter John Waters decided to make this film when the online publication Film Threat Magazine pitted its readers against the audience of Premier Magazine.
- Maggie Gyllenhaal personally selected Jonathan Fioreucci from the extras for the final scene.
- The role played by Kevin Nealon was originally written for Michael J. Fox.
- Shortly before work on the film began, an interview with director and screenwriter John Waters was published in the press, in which he was called 'Mad Cecil B.' Waters liked the expression.
- During filming, many members of the creative team fell ill. Several, including Melanie Griffith, were diagnosed with pneumonia.
- According to director and screenwriter John Waters, Melanie Griffith once fell and suffered a facial injury on set. For one of the remaining important scenes, they had to use a stunt double and film her from behind.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
