Maidstone (1970)

Directed by

Norman Mailer

Genre

independent film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 46m

Rating

4.2 of 10 from 12 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A famous film director runs for president while his friends and relatives gather and talk about possibly assassinating him. The director's brother keeps asking him for money.

chaoticunpolishedunpredictableexperimentalrawdisorientingtense

What happens

Maidstone is a 1970 American independent drama film written, produced and directed by Norman Mailer. It stars Mailer, Rip Torn and Ultra Violet. The film focuses on a famous film director Norman Kingsley, who runs for president while a group of friends, relatives, employees and lobbyists gather to discuss possible assassination plots against him. The title refers to a private country club in East Hampton, New York. Maidstone began production in 1968 and was not completed until 1970. Production occurred over five days at various East Hampton estates. The original footage was 45 hours long, but after the editing process the producers came up with a 110-minute film. It took them three weeks to edit. The film cost $200,000 to produce, causing Mailer to sell part of his interest in The Village Voice. The film would eventually bankrupt Mailer before completion. While producing his latest film about a brothel, Kingsley's brother Raoul continues to cling to him for his money. Maidstone was shown in a select few theaters in 1971. A DVD was released in France in 2006. This led to a number of public screenings at that time, but until then the film remained in obscurity. These limited screenings may have lessened its potential direct influence on future films. Critical reviews were generally negative. Maidstone uses the Norman Kingsley character to critique media, politics, and the counterculture of the 1960s, but its misogynistic and racist treatment of women is often seen as reflecting Mailer himself sparked lasting feminist criticism and controversy. The film is now famous for the improvised fight scene between Mailer and Torn. Torn struck Mailer in the head with a hammer, Mailer's scalp opened up, and a vicious fight ensued. Torn energetically strangled Mailer and bit off a small chunk of Torn's ear until the fight was broken up by Mailer's wife Beverly Bentley. The fight, in which the actors called each other by their real names, made it into the film. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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