FILM 1892: SHOWGIRLS

FILM 1892: SHOWGIRLS

TRIVIA: When the film swept The 16th Annual RAZZIE Awards, Paul Verhoeven turned up in person to accept Worst Director and Worst Picture. He was the first director to ever turn up to collect the Award.

Pamela Anderson, Angelina Jolie, Vanessa Marcil, Denise Richards and Charlize Theronauditioned for the role of Nomi Malone. Richards would be cast in Paul Verhoeven's next film, Starship Troopers (1997).

Kyle MacLachlan denied rumours that he walked out of the premiere - "I sat there and suffered for the whole two hours".

Jenny McCarthy auditioned for the lead and was very much in the running until it was discovered that she couldn't dance.

The filmmakers wanted Madonna to play Cristal Conners and Drew Barrymore to play Nomi Malone. The name card Gaye takes off the mirror when she shows Nomi her table in the dressing room even says "Drew." Barrymore turned the film down because she was uncomfortable with the amount of nudity required.

This film enjoyed huge success in home video market in the United States, generating more than $100 million from video rentals and became one of MGM's top 20 all-time bestsellers.

Elizabeth Berkley was dropped by her agent after the film was released.

Jennifer Lopez told The Hollywood Reporter (2016) that the worst audition of her career occurred when vying for a part in this film.

After this film bombed at the box office and "swept" the 16th Annual RAZZIE Awards, MGM/UA attempted to re-market it as a "Midnight Cult Flick" à la The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). A new print ad, with a leopard-skin patterned background and prominently mentioning the film's seven RAZZIE "Wins" ran in several L.A. area newspapers, promoting midnight showings in West Hollywood in Spring, 1996. Clever though it was, this new marketing gimmick also failed at the time. However, since then, the movie has indeed enjoyed a significant degree of cult following, with fans showing up in Showgirls-themed attire at screenings of the movie. Several influential filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino, Jim Jarmusch and Jacques Rivette have professed their appreciation of the movie; screenwriter Joe Eszterhas and director Paul Verhoeven both claim that they frequently meet people who secretly admit that they loved the movie. The critical re-evaluation of the film even inspired author Adam Nayman to write the novel "It Doesn't Suck", in which he makes a case for the movie being an actual masterpiece.

Kyle MacLachlan used a body double.

FILM 1877: BOUND

FILM 1877: BOUND

TRIVIA: Gina Gershon recommended Joe Pantoliano for the role of Caesar.

When executives at some studios read the script, they told the Wachowskis that if they changed the character of Corky to that of a man, they would be interested. The siblings declined, saying "that movie's been made a million times, so we're really not interested in it."

Joe Pantoliano was instructed by the Wachowskis to watch The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) and base his Cesar character on Humphrey Bogart's Fred C. Dobbs.

The film was financed with the understanding that Jennifer Tilly was to play the role of Corky. The actress playing Violet dropped out of the project shortly before shooting began, however. At this point Gina Gershon became available to do the film. At first she was to play Violet; but since she was better suited to Corky, she and Tilly switched roles.

Jennifer Tilly named Violet as the best role she ever had.

Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly went fully nude for the main lesbian sex scene between Corky and Violet and they declined the use of body doubles.

The main sex scene set in Corky's apartment was filmed in one long shot. The Wachowskis believed that this would look more realistic than several shots edited together. Although it should have been a closed set, there were actually many people present, moving the walls of the set in order to allow full movement of the camera around the actors.

Gina Gershon's influences for her role were James Dean, Marlon Brando and Clint Eastwood.

This was Joe Pantoliano's first leading role in a film. It's also his favourite role.

The part of Violet was expected to go to Linda Hamilton.

CAMEO: Susie Bright: The noted sex author appears as the lesbian in the bar that Corky hits on before the lesbian cop arrives. The grey-haired woman in the next booth is Bright's ex.