LOST GIRLS (Douglas R. of USA)
Written and Directed by Terry Gilliam
Based on the Graphic Novel by Alan Moore
Produced by Terry Gilliam and Jeremy Thomas
Cinematography by Nicola Pecorini
Edited by Lesley Walker
Music by Lady Gaga
Cast:
Abbie Cornish ... Wendy
Lady Gaga … Dorothy
Famke Janssen … Alice
Bruce Davison … Mr. Redman
Shelley Duvall … Mrs. Redman
Brendan Fletcher … Peter
Jude Law … “Papa”
Malcolm McDowell … “The Captain”
John Waters … Mr. Cunning
Tagline: “Drink your tears, cry all night, take a step back and kiss the feet.”
Synopsis: Three different women. Three different histories. While staying the night at a very expensive resort hotel called Hotel Himmelgarten, the three women cross paths with one another and eventually begin to grow infatuated with one another’s sexual escapades from when they were teenagers.
Alice (Famke Janssen) shares stories about her wealthy father (John Waters) from years before who molested her for years in front of a mirror before sending her into a private school where she began an extensive affair with the school headmaster called Mr. Redman (Bruce Davison) and engages in wild S&M practices with him in front of the very mirror she has kept since her childhood rapes with her father. Mr. Redman’s neurotic wife (Shelley Duvall) studies witchcraft and begins to plot a spell/murder on the girl as she stalks and becomes infuriated by the sexual kinks going on between her husband and his student.
Dorothy (Lady Gaga) tells of how she first discovered masturbating at the age of sixteen during a cyclone. Living on a farm, she begins to have sexual fantasies about her father’s workers and eventually creates an entire scenario where she can’t control herself from getting involved in sexual escapades with whatever she comes across, living or dead. Eventually, she finds herself having sex with her “Papa” (Jude Law), a psychologist that was assigned to her for her split personality disorder.
And then there is Wendy (Abbie Cornish) who can recall the brutal beatings and rapes of her two younger brothers when she was younger. They were killed. She eventually finds the location of their killer – a male prostitute named Peter (Brendan Fletcher) who, besides having aggressively piercing yellow eyes, begins to entice her. As she tries to seduce and murder him, she can’t help but get carried away in his highly adventurous lifestyle serving as a creature of the nightlife. They eventually form a passionate affair until Peter’s pimp “The Captain” (Malcolm McDowell) makes the two perform on stage in a rendition of a violent rape that causes Peter to slit his own throat in front of the audience that included The Captain and hundreds of masked strangers.
As the three get carried away in their stories, World War I begins to pulsate outside of the hotel corridors and royalty as all three women find themselves thoroughly engaged in one another. During a passionate, organic orgy – German soldiers raid the building and begin to brutally murder everyone in sight as they lit the location on fire. As the fire scorches and the smoke rises, the three climax simultaneously as Alice’s mirror is smashed by a soldier who sees a vision of blood bleeding from his eyes as he looks into it. Three different women. Three different histories. Sharing a death from a wave of gunfire.
Press Section: Based on the highly controversial pornographic graphic novel written by Alan Moore (the same guy that brought us “Watchmen”, “From Hell”, and “V for Vendetta”), divisive auteur Terry Gilliam has delivered another exceptionally divisive film with his adaptation of “Lost Girls” – a two-hour visually-spectacular musical piece that recalls films like “Tommy”, “Evita”, and “Pink Floyd – The Wall” in terms of being a cinematic marriage of music and cinematic imagery. Whether good or bad, the entire cast sings their heart out in ways that are original and hypnotic as they deliver songs (written by Lady Gaga) with enough character heart to give chills. What comes through is a film that embraces the artist Lady Gaga while telling a complex three-way narrative that delves deep into drawing parallels between sexuality and political downfall.
The three lead performances are all stunning, ranging from Famke Janssen’s collected and delicate Alice to Lady Gaga’s overtly theatrical and damaged Dorothy and arriving at Abbie Cornish’s flamboyant and twitchy Wendy. All three women are brave enough to bare all, both physically with their bodies and then emotionally with their voices and body language. They create pathos and conflicts within their characters that are difficult to shake off. The fact that director Gilliam makes these adult women play both their older and younger selves is an effective commentary on ageism that is both rightfully distracting and chillingly alienating.
The film is a beautifully cold and disgusting concoction of imagery that ranges from symbolic to voyeuristic. For example, during the character of Dorothy’s first time masturbating – Gilliam treats the viewer to an extended sequence (nearly twenty minutes in length) of her fantasy as she slowly escalates to her very first orgasm. In this world, she is surrounded by a world of characters (also played by Lady Gaga) who spread their legs, sexually attack or entice, and ultimately infuriate her with an exotic anger as they sing raunchy, playful songs that connect self-stimulation to narcissism and the hunger for self-attention. This is one example of brilliant casting of Lady Gaga in this role, as she brilliantly and surprisingly creates a deft character arc that has shocked many critics. Not unlike Ann-Margaret’s Oscar-nominated work in “Tommy”, Gaga has the motherly role in the picture but doesn’t hog the spotlight. She’s deft when needs to be, campy when she needs to be, and then genuinely humble when she needs to be. Life-imitating-art-imitating life creates a meta-physical look into her character.
Abbie Cornish is also thoroughly magnificent in her part – portraying the character of Wendy with enough vulnerability to project her vengeful hunger and masochistic cravings believably without making her character shift feel completely out of the realm of possibility. Her character is the smallest of the three in terms of screentime, but Cornish delivers her all in a very ballsy recollection of memories and fantasy that feels different from the other leads, but stylistically correct within the realm of the entire production.
The supporting cast is composed of a frantic amount of dedicated veteran and method actors who deliver what is needed with gusto and memorability. Most specifically Malcolm McDowell’s performance of the pimp called “The Captain”; a part that seems he was born to play as McDowell spews out filthy and darkly comical puns that make you question whether to laugh or not. He’s sick, vile and unapologetically morbid – a disgusting creature that still remains entirely entertaining. And then Shelley Duvall’s comeback role as a twisted, mentally-damaged wife who practices witchcraft is unintentionally funny – but intentionally so. She’s uncomfortably funny, but very much unforgettable – and somehow sympathetic – in the end.
Terry Gilliam’s direction is absolutely flawless in terms of his approach to Alan Moore’s material. It’s not as pornographic as the source (however, still quite explicit), and it’s not completely faithful, but it’s a highly ambitious marriage of art (many of the film’s art direction is inspired from the works of surrealist artist such as Dali and Magritte), music (Lady Gaga’s tunes from her discography and then original work - a scene featuring her previously released track "Bloody Mary" during the final orgy sequence is terrifyingly melancholic), and literature (allusions to “Peter Pan”, “Alice in Wonderland”, and “The Wizard of Oz”) that connect back to erotica (pornographic films like “Behind the Green Door”, “Through the Looking Glass”, and “The Beast”) and then to Freudian principles before falling all into place as a parable of Nazism. The film has divided many, but there’s no doubt that there has been universal praise to Terry Gilliam’s ambitious direction and the performances (most specifically Gaga, Cornish, McDowell, and Duvall). It’s certainly not going to be forgotten as it picks up an enticing cult following.
Awards Consideration
Best Picture
Best Director – Terry Gilliam
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Actress – Lady Gaga
Best Supporting Actor – Malcolm McDowell
Best Supporting Actress – Abbie Cornish (Leading at Golden Globes)
Best Supporting Actress – Shelley Duvall
Based on the Graphic Novel by Alan Moore
Produced by Terry Gilliam and Jeremy Thomas
Cinematography by Nicola Pecorini
Edited by Lesley Walker
Music by Lady Gaga
Cast:
Abbie Cornish ... Wendy
Lady Gaga … Dorothy
Famke Janssen … Alice
Bruce Davison … Mr. Redman
Shelley Duvall … Mrs. Redman
Brendan Fletcher … Peter
Jude Law … “Papa”
Malcolm McDowell … “The Captain”
John Waters … Mr. Cunning
Tagline: “Drink your tears, cry all night, take a step back and kiss the feet.”
Synopsis: Three different women. Three different histories. While staying the night at a very expensive resort hotel called Hotel Himmelgarten, the three women cross paths with one another and eventually begin to grow infatuated with one another’s sexual escapades from when they were teenagers.
Alice (Famke Janssen) shares stories about her wealthy father (John Waters) from years before who molested her for years in front of a mirror before sending her into a private school where she began an extensive affair with the school headmaster called Mr. Redman (Bruce Davison) and engages in wild S&M practices with him in front of the very mirror she has kept since her childhood rapes with her father. Mr. Redman’s neurotic wife (Shelley Duvall) studies witchcraft and begins to plot a spell/murder on the girl as she stalks and becomes infuriated by the sexual kinks going on between her husband and his student.
Dorothy (Lady Gaga) tells of how she first discovered masturbating at the age of sixteen during a cyclone. Living on a farm, she begins to have sexual fantasies about her father’s workers and eventually creates an entire scenario where she can’t control herself from getting involved in sexual escapades with whatever she comes across, living or dead. Eventually, she finds herself having sex with her “Papa” (Jude Law), a psychologist that was assigned to her for her split personality disorder.
And then there is Wendy (Abbie Cornish) who can recall the brutal beatings and rapes of her two younger brothers when she was younger. They were killed. She eventually finds the location of their killer – a male prostitute named Peter (Brendan Fletcher) who, besides having aggressively piercing yellow eyes, begins to entice her. As she tries to seduce and murder him, she can’t help but get carried away in his highly adventurous lifestyle serving as a creature of the nightlife. They eventually form a passionate affair until Peter’s pimp “The Captain” (Malcolm McDowell) makes the two perform on stage in a rendition of a violent rape that causes Peter to slit his own throat in front of the audience that included The Captain and hundreds of masked strangers.
As the three get carried away in their stories, World War I begins to pulsate outside of the hotel corridors and royalty as all three women find themselves thoroughly engaged in one another. During a passionate, organic orgy – German soldiers raid the building and begin to brutally murder everyone in sight as they lit the location on fire. As the fire scorches and the smoke rises, the three climax simultaneously as Alice’s mirror is smashed by a soldier who sees a vision of blood bleeding from his eyes as he looks into it. Three different women. Three different histories. Sharing a death from a wave of gunfire.
Press Section: Based on the highly controversial pornographic graphic novel written by Alan Moore (the same guy that brought us “Watchmen”, “From Hell”, and “V for Vendetta”), divisive auteur Terry Gilliam has delivered another exceptionally divisive film with his adaptation of “Lost Girls” – a two-hour visually-spectacular musical piece that recalls films like “Tommy”, “Evita”, and “Pink Floyd – The Wall” in terms of being a cinematic marriage of music and cinematic imagery. Whether good or bad, the entire cast sings their heart out in ways that are original and hypnotic as they deliver songs (written by Lady Gaga) with enough character heart to give chills. What comes through is a film that embraces the artist Lady Gaga while telling a complex three-way narrative that delves deep into drawing parallels between sexuality and political downfall.
The three lead performances are all stunning, ranging from Famke Janssen’s collected and delicate Alice to Lady Gaga’s overtly theatrical and damaged Dorothy and arriving at Abbie Cornish’s flamboyant and twitchy Wendy. All three women are brave enough to bare all, both physically with their bodies and then emotionally with their voices and body language. They create pathos and conflicts within their characters that are difficult to shake off. The fact that director Gilliam makes these adult women play both their older and younger selves is an effective commentary on ageism that is both rightfully distracting and chillingly alienating.
The film is a beautifully cold and disgusting concoction of imagery that ranges from symbolic to voyeuristic. For example, during the character of Dorothy’s first time masturbating – Gilliam treats the viewer to an extended sequence (nearly twenty minutes in length) of her fantasy as she slowly escalates to her very first orgasm. In this world, she is surrounded by a world of characters (also played by Lady Gaga) who spread their legs, sexually attack or entice, and ultimately infuriate her with an exotic anger as they sing raunchy, playful songs that connect self-stimulation to narcissism and the hunger for self-attention. This is one example of brilliant casting of Lady Gaga in this role, as she brilliantly and surprisingly creates a deft character arc that has shocked many critics. Not unlike Ann-Margaret’s Oscar-nominated work in “Tommy”, Gaga has the motherly role in the picture but doesn’t hog the spotlight. She’s deft when needs to be, campy when she needs to be, and then genuinely humble when she needs to be. Life-imitating-art-imitating life creates a meta-physical look into her character.
Abbie Cornish is also thoroughly magnificent in her part – portraying the character of Wendy with enough vulnerability to project her vengeful hunger and masochistic cravings believably without making her character shift feel completely out of the realm of possibility. Her character is the smallest of the three in terms of screentime, but Cornish delivers her all in a very ballsy recollection of memories and fantasy that feels different from the other leads, but stylistically correct within the realm of the entire production.
The supporting cast is composed of a frantic amount of dedicated veteran and method actors who deliver what is needed with gusto and memorability. Most specifically Malcolm McDowell’s performance of the pimp called “The Captain”; a part that seems he was born to play as McDowell spews out filthy and darkly comical puns that make you question whether to laugh or not. He’s sick, vile and unapologetically morbid – a disgusting creature that still remains entirely entertaining. And then Shelley Duvall’s comeback role as a twisted, mentally-damaged wife who practices witchcraft is unintentionally funny – but intentionally so. She’s uncomfortably funny, but very much unforgettable – and somehow sympathetic – in the end.
Terry Gilliam’s direction is absolutely flawless in terms of his approach to Alan Moore’s material. It’s not as pornographic as the source (however, still quite explicit), and it’s not completely faithful, but it’s a highly ambitious marriage of art (many of the film’s art direction is inspired from the works of surrealist artist such as Dali and Magritte), music (Lady Gaga’s tunes from her discography and then original work - a scene featuring her previously released track "Bloody Mary" during the final orgy sequence is terrifyingly melancholic), and literature (allusions to “Peter Pan”, “Alice in Wonderland”, and “The Wizard of Oz”) that connect back to erotica (pornographic films like “Behind the Green Door”, “Through the Looking Glass”, and “The Beast”) and then to Freudian principles before falling all into place as a parable of Nazism. The film has divided many, but there’s no doubt that there has been universal praise to Terry Gilliam’s ambitious direction and the performances (most specifically Gaga, Cornish, McDowell, and Duvall). It’s certainly not going to be forgotten as it picks up an enticing cult following.
Awards Consideration
Best Picture
Best Director – Terry Gilliam
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Actress – Lady Gaga
Best Supporting Actor – Malcolm McDowell
Best Supporting Actress – Abbie Cornish (Leading at Golden Globes)
Best Supporting Actress – Shelley Duvall
