Poison (film)

Poison
DVD cover
Directed byTodd Haynes
Screenplay byTodd Haynes
Based onThree novels
by Jean Genet
Produced by
Starring
  • Edith Meeks
  • Larry Maxwell
  • Susan Gayle Norman
  • Scott Renderer
  • James Lyons
Narrated byRichard Hansen
CinematographyMaryse Alberti
Edited by
Music byJames Bennett
Production
companies
Distributed byZeitgeist Films
Release dates
  • January 11, 1991 (1991-01-11) (Sundance)
  • April 5, 1991 (1991-04-05) (United States)
Running time
85 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$250,000[2]
Box office$787,280[3]

Poison is a 1991 American science fiction drama horror film written and directed by Todd Haynes, starring Edith Meeks, Larry Maxwell, Susan Gayle Norman, Scott Renderer, and James Lyons.

Composed of three intercut narratives inspired by the novels of Jean Genet, the gay themes in Poison marked an emerging "queer new wave" in cinema.

Narratives

Three stories intertwine throughout the film, named in the closing credits:[4]

  • Hero: A seven-year-old shoots his abusive father and then flies away, depicted in the style of a 1980s tabloid television news magazine.
  • Horror: A scientist isolates the "elixir of human sexuality" and, after drinking it, is transformed into a murderous leper, portrayed in the style of a psychotropic 1960s sci-fi horror B movie.
  • Homo: A prisoner finds himself attracted to another inmate, reunited after meeting as youth in a juvenile facility, with scenes alternating between a gritty prison film and recollections evoked as pastoral fantasy.

Cast

Segment: Hero

  • Edith Meeks as Felicia Beacon
  • Millie White as Millie Sklar
  • Buck Smith as Gregory Lazar
  • Anne Giotta as Evelyn McAlpert
  • Lydia Lafleur as Sylvia Manning
  • Ian Nemser as Sean White
  • Rob LaBelle as Jay Wete
  • Evan Dunsky as Dr. MacArthur
  • Marina Lutz as Hazel Lamprecht
  • Barry Cassidy as Officer Rilt
  • Richard Anthony as Edward Comacho
  • Angela M. Schreiber as Florence Giddens

Segment: Horror

  • Larry Maxwell as Dr. Graves
  • Susan Gayle Norman as Dr. Nancy Olsen
  • Al Quagliata as Deputy Hansen

Segment: Homo

  • Scott Renderer as John Broom
  • James Lyons as Jack Bolton
  • John R. Lombardi as Rass
  • Tony Pemberton as Young Broom
  • Andrew Harpending as Young Bolton
  • John Leguizamo (credited 'Damien Garcia') as Chanchi

Release

After a world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 11, 1991,[5] Zeitgeist Films acquired distribution rights,[6] giving Poison a limited release starting April 5, 1991.[7]

Reception and legacy

The film received generally positive reviews. It currently holds a 79% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 24 reviews, with a weighted average of 7.4/10. The site's consensus reads, "Claustrophobic and quirky horror, this is a decently dirty debut for director Todd Haynes".[8]

Controversy

The film was not without controversy as culture wars conservatives like Senator Jesse Helms and head of American Family Association Rev. Donald Wildmon denonuced the "explicit porno scenes of homosexuals involved in anal sex".[9][10]

Awards and nominations

References

  1. ^ "Poison (18)". British Board of Film Classification. 1991-08-15. Retrieved 2013-07-05.
  2. ^ Holden, Stephen (November 8, 1998). "Focusing on Glam Rock's Blurring of Identity". The New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  3. ^ Poison at Box Office Mojo
  4. ^ Transcendent Transgression: Looking Back at Todd Haynes’ “Poison” - sundance.org
  5. ^ Lim, Dennis (November 5, 2010). "When 'Poison' Was a Cinematic Antidote". The New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  6. ^ Herandez, Eugene (June 26, 2008). "Zeitgeist Films at 20 Years: Building a Boutique Brand". Indiewire.com. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  7. ^ Canby, Vincent (April 5, 1991). "Review/Film; 'Poison,' Three Stories Inspired by Jean Genet". The New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  8. ^ Poison at Rotten Tomatoes
  9. ^ On the Margins: Todd Haynes’s Poison|Current|The Criterion Collection
  10. ^ Senses of Cinema

External links

Awards
Preceded by Sundance Grand Jury Prize: U.S. Dramatic
1991 		Succeeded by