The Million Dollar Hotel
Short description
The Million Dollar Hotel is a drama-thriller set in a rundown Los Angeles hotel of the same name, a former grand establishment now home to a community of marginal figures, including addicts, thieves, drifters and artists. When a young man named Izzy falls to his death from the roof, the case is treated as a possible suicide. Because Izzy was the son of a wealthy media figure, Detective Skinner is assigned to investigate, and his inquiry brings him among the hotel's strange residents. Among them are Eloise, a woman several of the men desire, and Tom Tom, a gentle and childlike guest devoted to her. Skinner must work out what actually happened and who, if anyone, is responsible.
Wim Wenders directed the film, his thirteenth feature in chronological order, following Buena Vista Social Club and preceding To Each His Own Cinema. The screenplay was written by Nicholas Klein and Bono, who also collaborated on the story and music; Wenders produced with Bruce Davey and Nicholas Klein. Mel Gibson plays Skinner, with Milla Jovovich as Eloise and Jeremy Davies as Tom Tom, alongside Peter Stormare, Amanda Plummer and Bud Cort among a credited cast of twenty-six.
Made for about 8 million USD and shot in Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States, the film has a rating of 5.9 out of 10 on TMDB from roughly 380 votes, indicating a mixed response from viewers.
What's left behind the scenes
- The idea for the film came to Bono, the lead singer of U2, while filming the music video for 'Where the Streets Have No Name' on the roof of a liquor store in Los Angeles in the mid-1980s. This is the same roof from which Tom Tom jumps in the movie. U2 themselves appear in the film in the hotel lobby, which is hardly surprising—their music is featured in all of Wim Wenders' films, starting with the 1991 sci-fi drama 'Until the End of the World'.
- Because her character walks barefoot throughout the entire movie, Milla Jovovich spent two months walking barefoot before filming began to get used to it.
- Filming was initially intended to begin in 1992. The cast for this version of the film included Gary Oldman and Winona Ryder.
- Tim Roth was initially cast as Tom Tom, but his involvement in other projects prevented him from dedicating enough time to filming; consequently, he played the minor role of Izzy. The actor's name was not even mentioned in the credits.
- The film was shot inside and in front of the hotel of the same name. Filming was interrupted by periodic police raids and shootouts on the street, as well as a suicide attempt within the hotel itself. To top it all off, the hotel was infested with rats.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
