A married man's one-night stand comes back to haunt him when that lover begins to stalk him and his family.A married man's one-night stand comes back to haunt him when that lover begins to stalk him and his family.A married man's one-night stand comes back to haunt him when that lover begins to stalk him and his family.
- Nominated for 6 Oscars
- 10 wins & 24 nominations total
- Ellen Gallagher
- (as Ellen Hamilton Latzen)
- Fuselli
- (as Sam J. Coppola)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaGlenn Close still has the knife she used in the movie hanging in her kitchen, stating: "It's beautiful, made of wood and paper. It's a work of art! And it's nice for our guests to see it. It lets them know they can't stay forever."
- GoofsWhile Dan is in his attic study listening to a tape, Beth can be seen reflected in the window, waiting just out of shot for her cue.
- Quotes
Telephone Operator: Operator. May I help you?
Alex Forrest: Operator, I've been trying to get 555-812-9212? The recording says its been disconnected.
Telephone Operator: Just a moment please.
[pause]
Telephone Operator: I'm sorry, the number's been changed to an unlisted number.
Alex Forrest: Operator, this is a real emergency .You need to give me that number.
Telephone Operator: I'm sorry. We're not allowed to give out that information.
Alex Forrest: Well, fuck you!
Telephone Operator: My place or yours?
[Alex slams phone]
- Crazy creditsBarbara Harris is sometimes credited under the name Barbara Iley. In the final credits here, under 'Party Guests,' she is credited under both names.
- Alternate versionsIn the network version shown on TNT in the scene where Alex phones Dan at 2:13 a.m., there is additional dialogue between Dan and Beth after Dan hangs up the phone that is not in the theatrical/DVD version. Beth asks, "Who in the hell was that?" Dan says that it was a client calling and that this happens when you're a lawyer (being called at odd hours). Beth says that it's the middle of the night, still wondering why someone would call at 2:15 a.m. Dan justifies this by saying it's only 11:00 or so in L.A.
- SoundtracksSelections from Puccini's Madama Butterfly
Music by Giacomo Puccini (as Puccini)
Performed by Mirella Freni, Luciano Pavarotti, and Christa Ludwig
Conducted by Herbert von Karajan (as Herbert Von Karajan)
Courtesy of London Records, a division of Polygram Classics, Inc.
Don't get me wrong, it's a great movie, probably the best thriller from the '80s, but being so immersed in the hype did took away the fun that everyone gossiped about opening weekend in 1987. In fact, Fatal Attraction, was the first of its kind that spawned countless "romantic" thrillers since. It's mystifying to think of the ways the world of thrillers has changed since the origin of the genre, but in other way stayed exactly the same. Same plot formula, same twists, different style, different noise levels. The bottom line is most haven't gotten much better than this.
Glenn Close has said that she doesn't view her character, Alex as the villain in the story. That's typical of an actor playing the antagonist in a film because actors have to justify their characters as human beings to be able to portray them successfully. But I am actually taking the actor's side this time. I felt an enormous amount of empathy towards Alex. She's a lonely woman, she's really lonely, and that's the cause of all her malicious actions that follow. In ways she was the victim. Close embodies Alex, making the loneliness enough for the viewer to link themselves to, but not too much to overwhelm the viewer. When the script calls for Close to be overt, man, does she bring it, though.
My favorite performance, maybe even over Close's, was Anne Archer. Knowing she got an Academy Award nomination prior to watching the film, I assumed she'd get a scene to cry and throw a fit and that's what scored the nomination. She does well in that scene I anticipated, but I think she's exceptional from start to finish. Warm, when need be. Sorrowful, when need be. Douglas is the trio-member who doesn't stick out as often, but when his moment finally comes for the character to shine, you realize he was shining the entire time, we just didn't notice.
The killer aspect of Fatal Attraction is the directing from Adrian Lyne. Lyne layers fear on top of characters, not the plot necessarily, but the fictitious characters themselves. A particularly wicked moment of direction involves a telephone ringing. The telephone is what we're focusing on, but Lyne keeps the audience's engagement with the telephone on whether Archer's character will answer it and what Close's might say to her. Lyne takes his time and builds real suspense that often results in a misleading outburst of intensity. Lyne also makes the intelligent decision to let the sex scenes happen, but not to let them define the film. He puts the characters, the story, and most importantly, the suspense ahead of the raunchy sex scenes.
The film editing is crisp, pinpointed directly at Lyne's vision of the suspense. It keeps the film tantalizingly alive. The film is aided by a piercing score the scorches the suspense volumes louder than it had a right to be. Although moving the story along at a nice-pace is the ultimate intention of the thriller, symbolism can be found such as the shot of Douglas leaving Close's apartment the morning after the affair, adding to the basic, almost-generic message of the film: don't cheat. The ending isn't the original ending, though it's one heck of a conclusion and a heart-pounding thrill fest that shouldn't be controversial. The original ending is a sterling, twisted scene as well, but it's one that's not nearly as exciting as the final ending.
Originality is lacks in Hollywood today, but Fatal Attraction remains as an original roller coaster jolt, which other films have adapted and cheapened to make a few bucks. They know it works with the audience so why not? That being said, the script is really good. The dialogue is coated with richness, while still being realistic (they speak the way people actually speak in the real world). There are tons of twists packed into the screenplay, many of which pay off. The ones that don't work as well feel awkward and downgrade the flick a tad, but nothing that can stop the reputation of the thriller.
Being the first of its kind cannot be easy, but Fatal Attraction maintains the respect and class of it's massive reputation. It's filled with startling twists, great acting, and a director reaching shocking heights of the suspense genre. It's worth seeing for the terrifying finale which has stood the test of time extremely well. As much as I appreciated the technical elements, I wish I wasn't so familiar with it before actually seeing it which would've allowed myself to be swept up in its madness. Maybe this is a flashing light that we shouldn't familiarize ourselves with something so much that it becomes too late to fathom the art in its purest state.
Rating 8.5/10
Grade: A
- RyanCShowers
- Jun 11, 2013
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Affairs of the Heart
- Filming locations
- 135 Mianus River Road, Bedford, New York, USA(exteriors: Gallagher country-house)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $14,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $156,645,693
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $7,602,740
- Sep 20, 1987
- Gross worldwide
- $320,145,693
- Runtime1 hour 59 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1