On December 24 1987, Madonna began filming Bloodhounds Of Broadway, co-starring Matt Dillon, Jennifer Grey & Randy Quaid and directed by Howard Brookner.
Tag Archives: Movies
Today in Madonna History: November 19, 1993
On November 19 1993, the movie Dangerous Game premiered in New York City. Madonna shared top-billing with co-stars Harvey Keitel & James Russo in director Abel Ferrara’s gritty and experimental film about film-making. It was one of the first productions by Maverick Pictures, the film arm of Madonna’s multimedia company that was born in partnership with Warner Bros. the previous year. In some countries, the film was released under its original title, Snake Eyes, which could not be used in the U.S. due to a previous trademark on the name.
Given Maverick’s production involvement, it is perhaps unsurprising that the film’s credits include some names that should be familiar to many Madonna fans:
- Madonna’s longtime manager and founding partner in Maverick, Freddy DeMann, as executive producer
- Madonna’s assistant at the time, Missy Coggiola
- her frequent costume designer, Marlene Stewart
- her stylist, Hiram Ortiz–who not only styled her for the film but also appears as her stylist onscreen
- Madonna’s then-future manager, now the late Caresse Henry–at the time an assistant to DeMann
- songs by Maverick-signed music groups Proper Grounds & UNV
- Madonna’s eldest brother, Anthony Ciccone, as locations production assistant
Unhappy with Ferrara’s final cut of the film–which was reported to have been drastically altered from the movie that had been pitched to the actors–Madonna did not attend the premiere and, in Ferrara’s view, killed the movie’s shot at achieving wider distribution after badmouthing it in the press. Ironically, Ferrara noted, the reviews of Madonna’s strong performance in the film (which was certainly more natural, raw & vulnerable than any of her previous big-screen appearances) are among the best she had received as an actress at the time.
Dangerous Game was re-released on Blu-ray in North America on November 17, 2015 by Olive Films. It includes both the theatrical and the “unrated” versions of the movie.
(Note: the clips used in the short preview above are from a low-resolution, compressed rip from DVD and do not represent the superior quality of the new high definition Blu-ray edition of the film.)
Today in Madonna History: August 18, 2002
On August 18 2002, the official poster for Swept Away was released.
The film Swept Away, starring Madonna and directed by her husband, Guy Ritchie, would open on October 11 2002 in US theatres. The movie was initially titled Love, Sex, Drugs, and Money, and was based on the 1974 Italian film Travolti da un Insolito Destino Nell’Azzurro Mare D’Agosto. Adriano Giannini and Bruce Greenwood also starred in the film. In the film, Madonna played a socialite stranded on an island with a handsome, Communist sailor (Giannini).
Today in Madonna History: April 18, 1985
On April 18 1985, Desperately Seeking Susan hit number-five at the U.S. box office, bringing its total U.S. gross to $8,488,528 to date at the time (it would eventually earn over $27,000,000 at the box office). The film had screened in 760 theaters across the country for the week ending April 18th.
Today in Madonna History: March 22, 1996
On March 22 1996, Girl 6 was released in the US.
Girl 6 is an American film by director Spike Lee about a phone sex operator. Madonna has a cameo in the film, as a strip club/phone sex owner.
Girl 6 earned mostly mixed-to-negative reviews during its release.
The film was not a box office success.
Today in Madonna History: November 22, 2002
On November 22 2002, the twentieth James Bond film, Die Another Day, was released by MGM. Die Another Day was the fourth and last film to star Pierce Brosnan as James Bond.
Die Another Day was directed by Lee Tamahori. The film marks the James Bond franchise’s 40th anniversary. The series began in 1962 with Sean Connery.
The title song for Die Another Day was written and performed by Madonna, who also had a cameo in the film as Verity, a fencing instructor.
Madonna’s cameo as Verity:
Theatrical Trailer:
Today in Madonna History: July 8, 1991
On July 8, 1991, Madonna began filming A League Of Their Own, starring Tom Hanks and Geena Davis, directed by Penny Marshall.
