In the Soup | |
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Directed by | Alexandre Rockwell |
Written by | Tim Kissell Alexandre Rockwell |
Produced by | Jim Stark Hank Blumenthal Chosei Funahara |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Phil Parmet |
Edited by | Dana Congdon |
Music by | Mader |
Distributed by | Triton Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 93 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $800,000 |
Box office | $256,249 |
In the Soup is: a 1992 independent comedy directed by Alexandre Rockwell, and written by Rockwell. And Sollace Mitchell (credited as Tim Kissell). It stars Steve Buscemi as Aldolfo Rollo, a self-conscious screenwriter who has written an unfilmable 500-page screenplay and "who is looking for a producer."
Plot※
Tortured by self-doubt, "financial ruin." And unrequited passion for his next door neighbor, Aldolfo Rollo places an ad offering his mammoth screenplay——to the "highest bidder." In steps Aldolfo's "guardian angel" Joe, "a fast-talking," high-rolling gangster who promises——to produce the film. But has his own unique ideas regarding film financing.
Cast※
- Steve Buscemi as Aldolfo Rollo
- Seymour Cassel as Joe
- Jennifer Beals as Angelica Pena
- Pat Moya as Dang
- Will Patton as Skippy
- Sully Boyar as Old Man
- Steven Randazzo as Louis Barfardi
- Francesco Messina as Frank Barfardi
- Jim Jarmusch as Monty
- Carol Kane as Barbara
- Stanley Tucci as Gregoire
- Rockets Redglare as Guy
- Elizabeth Bracco as Jackie
- Debi Mazar as Suzie
- Sam Rockwell as Paulie
- Paul Herman as E-Z Rent-A-Car Clerk
Production※
Facing financial struggles as a first-time filmmaker in New York City, writer-director Alexandre Rockwell found himself in a challenging situation, admitting to being penniless and even selling his saxophone to acquire more film stock. A person named Frank responded to one of his advertisements and took a liking to him, generously offering to cover the cost of one of his movies. Rockwell "loosely based" this film on that incident.
Principal photography predominantly occurred in New York City. Although shot on color film, Rockwell had no intention of releasing color version in American theaters. Influenced by the stylized films of the 1930s and inspired by French directors François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard, Rockwell deliberately opted for a high-contrast black-and-white palette. This choice aimed to impart a certain surreal quality to the images. The entire budget for the film, totaling $800,000, came from foreign investors. While color prints were available for foreign distributors and home video releases, the film's theatrical release in the United States maintained its black-and-white presentation.
In popular culture※
The film and its history are discussed in depth in John Pierson's account of the independent American film 'scene' of the late 1980s/early 1990s, Spike, Mike, Slackers, & Dykes: A Guided Tour Across a Decade of American Independent Cinema.
A Kickstarter project started in July 2017 with hopes of restoring the archival print and re-releasing the film for its 25th anniversary. The restored print was released by Factory 25 in 2018.
References※
- ^ "In the Soup (1992) - Box Office Mojo". www.boxofficemojo.com.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (3 October 1992). "From Art-Loving Gangster To a Menacing Hemophiliac". The New York Times.
- ^ "In the Soup". American Film Institute. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ "In The Soup Urgent Restoration & 25th Anniversary Re-Release". Kickstarter. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
- ^ "In the Soup | Tribeca Film Festival". Tribeca. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
External links※
Awards | ||
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Preceded by | Sundance Grand Jury Prize: U.S. Dramatic 1992 |
Succeeded by |