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Boogie Nights

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Boogie Nights
File:Movie VHS boogie nights.png
Directed byPaul Thomas Anderson
Written byPaul Thomas Anderson
Produced byPaul Thomas Anderson
Lawrence Gordon
StarringMark Wahlberg
Burt Reynolds
Julianne Moore
Don Cheadle
John C. Reilly
William H. Macy
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Heather Graham
Distributed byNew Line Cinema
Release dates
October 10th, 1997
Running time
156 min.
SpracheEnglisch
Budget$15,000,000 (estimated)

Boogie Nights is a 1997 film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. It follows a young porn star as he enters the pornographic film industry in the late 1970s and deals with the highs and lows of success. The film is loosely based on the life of John Holmes, although the protagonist is depicted as being considerably younger than the actor.

Plot

Template:Spoilers The film depicts the pornographic film industry of the late 1970s and early 1980s as seen through the life of a young porn star, Dirk Diggler, who is played by Mark Wahlberg. This film details how he was discovered by porn director Jack Horner, played by Burt Reynolds. This character was based on the life of William Margold. It then shows how Diggler enters the business, his rise to stardom, and his eventual downfall, partly due to cocaine-induced paranoia and having become an arrogant "star". It ends with his reconciliation with Horner.

Dirk's rise and fall serves as a way to explore a number of characters and the fashions and foibles of the late 1970s and early 1980s. All the characters experience a variety of highs and lows as the plot intertwines the stories of Jack, Amber, Buck, Rollergirl, and Dirk.

Jack discovers a young Eddie Adams working in a nightclub and shortly after recruits him into the industry. Eddie adopts the moniker Dirk Diggler and quickly becomes a porn celebrity, winning several adult film awards and spending his earnings on clothes, shoes, a new apartment, and his most prized possession, a "competition orange" Corvette.

In a lengthy sequence, the film moves from one character to another showing the audience their attempts and failures to make lives for themselves after they have left Jack's adult film family. Jack himself becomes rather redundant in his porno empire after his main source of funding, the Colonel James, is imprisoned for pederasty, and his new source of funding insists upon shooting on the lower-cost videotape and using amateur actors. Jack dislikes the lower-quality videotape format and becomes bored with the films that are now being produced without the effort of script, character development, or direction. Jack tries a new angle to revitalize his career, employing Rollergirl to ride around with him in a limousine enticing random strangers to have sex with her on film. The ploy goes very badly when the man they choose at random knows Rollergirl from high school and insults her. She and Jack beat him severely and leave him bleeding on the street.

Amber finds herself in a nasty custody battle with her former husband over their child. The court determines that she is unfit to be a mother.

Buck Swope marries another porn star, Jessie St. Vincent, who, shortly thereafter, becomes pregnant. After being denied a loan to open a stereo store, Buck stops at a donut shop and is caught up in a robbery. In a strange twist of fate, the clerk, thief, and a gun-wielding customer who tries to stop the robbery all wind up dead and Buck escapes with the money the thief would have otherwise stolen.

Dirk becomes addicted to cocaine and has a violent falling out with Jack during a shoot. He and Reed leave to pursue their dream of forming an early-80s rock band. However, they are unable to pay for their studio recording time. Dirk tries to prostitute himself but is assaulted by a gang of thugs. Dirk and Reed, along with their mutual friend, Todd (Thomas Jane), attempt to scam an associate, Rahad Jackson (Alfred Molina), into purchasing a half-kilo of baking soda, which they claim is cocaine. During the deal, Todd attempts a much larger robbery and is subsequently killed during the ensuing gunfight. The incident is loosely based on the real life Wonderland Murders. Dirk and Reed barely escape the house alive. Shortly after this incident, Dirk returns to Jack's house and the two reconcile. Dirk re-enters the porn industry and most of the characters appear to be living in Jack's house, their version of a family.

Background

In the audio commentary of a DVD release of the movie, Anderson states that the character of Dirk Diggler is loosely based on real-world porn star John Holmes, with the character Rahad Jackson (played by Alfred Molina) based on Eddie Nash. Anderson was inspired by the 1989 Rolling Stone article "The Devil and John Holmes". The character of Dirk Diggler mentions Holmes and his porn alter ego Johnny Wadd during a scene in the film. Paul Anderson stated in the audio on the DVD release that he was inspired after seeing the film "Exhausted" written, produced and directed by Holmes' friend Julia St. Vincent. St. Vincent's relationship is portrayed in Boogie Nights by Julianne Moore -- particularly in a scene where she produces a documentary film about Dirk Diggler.

Awards

The film was nominated for 3 Oscars. Burt Reynolds was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a porn film director. Julianne Moore also received a nomination for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as maternal porn star, Amber Waves. Paul Thomas Anderson was nominated for Best Screenplay.

Trivia

  • The title is taken from a disco song of the same name performed by Heatwave released in 1977.
  • The name of Amber Waves was also used to portray a Porn Star in an episode of the sitcom Night Court
  • When the character of Buck Swope talks about "the TK-421 special modification" while trying to sell a stereo, it is a reference to the name of the Imperial Stormtrooper with the bad transmitter in Star Wars.
  • Leonardo DiCaprio was Anderson's first choice to play Dirk Diggler, but DiCaprio chose instead to star in James Cameron's Titanic. DiCaprio stated in 2004 that he wishes he'd chosen Boogie Nights instead. Samuel L. Jackson was Anderson's first choice to play the role of Buck Swope, but according to Anderson, Jackson said he "didn't get it." Don Cheadle was cast instead.
  • There is a deleted scene--not found on either versions of the DVD--in which Dirk Diggler's nemesis, Johnny Doe, is high and drunk; and, while speeding down a street, runs into Dirk's parents' car, killing all three.
  • The most well-known scene from the film occurs at the end, when Dirk Diggler takes his large penis out of his pants and talks to it, while standing in front of a mirror. For years afterward, star Mark Wahlberg has been asked if that were his actual penis. It was, in fact, a prosthetic.
  • The song "The Touch" sung by Mark Wahlberg's character when he tries to become a singing star was originally created for the 1986 Tranformers movie. It was performed by Stan Bush. When Transformers: The Movie was released on DVD there is even mention of this in an interview with the film's composer; where he states he was very surprised that it was used in another movie. He even called Stan Bush to let him know about it.
  • Movie theaters had more refunds at this film than others at the time because people didn't know the film was about a fictional pornstar, they assumed it was about the 70's rock and roll era.

Characters

Eddie Adams/Dirk Diggler - A handsome but dimwitted high school dropout with a 13-inch penis who is recruited into the porn industry by director Jack Horner. He changes his name to Dirk Diggler and becomes an instant success in the porn world. In the 1980s he gets hooked on cocaine and after a dispute with Jack leaves his studio. Dirk is the central character in the story and the one who has the greatest effect on all the other characters.

Jack Horner - A successful director of pornographic films. He meets Eddie Adams in a nightclub in Reseda, California, and convinces him to consider a career in adult cinema. He's a wise, kind and fatherly figure who knows a lot about his craft. In the Ed Wood tradition, Jack sees himself as a serious filmmaker and artist.

Maggie/Amber Waves - Female actress in Jack Horner's stable of pornstars. She's a cocaine addict and also has serious emotional issues - these are the main reasons she's lost the custody of her son to her ex-husband. Amber's son is never seen in the movie and the closest he comes to her is an unsuccessful attempt to call her. She falls in love with Dirk soon after meeting him and essentially takes him on as a new son. Her care is not always beneficial, however, and she introduces Dirk to cocaine. Later he becomes addicted to drugs.

Rollergirl - A very attractive high school dropout who never takes off her roller skates. Rollergirl, like Dirk, is not particularly intelligent but has found her place as a frequent costar in Jack's movies. She is 'adopted' by Amber as a daughter after Dirk leaves Jack's studio to pursue other interests.

Reed Rothchild - A veteran of the industry, Reed becomes Dirk's best friend. Reed is an egocentric who, like many others in the film, is not very bright. He and Dirk create and star in their own porno series in the late 70s, get hooked on cocaine at the same time, and leave Jack's studio at the same time.

Buck Swope - A black stereo salesman and pornstar. Buck relentlessly tries to find a fashion style that suits him, and ends up showcasing some of the wilder forms of dress of the 1970s and 1980s. He marries fellow porn star Jessie St. Vincent and she soon becomes pregnant. During the 80s, Buck tries to open his own stereo store, but his loan application is turned down by the bank because of his ties to pornography.

Scotty J. - A shy, fat, nerdy member of Jack's filming crew. Scotty J. works menial positions behind the camera, mostly as boom operator. He's gay and falls in love with Dirk the first time he sees him. Scotty idolizes and emulates Dirk and at one point during a drunken stupor even tries to kiss him, but gets rejected.

Kurt Longjohn - Jack's sardonic director of photography/camera operator and editor.

Little Bill - Jack's meek assistant director. Little Bill has no real self-esteem due to his shy nature and his pornstar wife (played by real life porn starlet Nina Hartley ), who spends most of her time overtly sleeping with other men. On New Year's Eve 1979, Little Bill shoots his wife and one of her boyfriends, and then kills himself.

Jessie St. Vincent - A female pornstar who joins Jack's crew after Dirk becomes famous. She and Buck Swope discover a mutual love of sunrises, and fall in love.

Becky Barnett - A black pornstar. She costars with Dirk in several movies, then quits the industry when she gets married.

The Colonel James - Fat, Old Man who is seen frequently with young petite women. He is eventually arrested for the possession of Child Pornography and is therefore seen to be a pedophile. This effectively cuts off the supply of funds for Jack Horner's Films. He is shown at the end of the film being assualted by a fellow prisoner.

Floyd Gondolli - Another producer. Prior to The Colonel's arrest he tries to convince Jack to start shooting his movies on videotape, but Jack refuses. After the arrest, Jack has nobody to go to for funding except Floyd, and Floyd will only fund video projects. As a result, Jack starts shooting his movies with video.

Todd Parker - A friend of Reed's. He's a stripper at a nightclub, but also supplies cocaine for Reed and Dirk. In a drug deal gone bad near the end of the film, Parker is shot and killed by Rahad Jackson.

Rahad Jackson - An eccentric drug dealer who spends most of his time listening to mix tapes and smoking crack cocaine. He lives in an affluent part of town and will buy drugs from anyone. Todd, Reed, and Dirk try to sell him fake cocaine with disastrous results. This character is based on real-life gangster Eddie Nash.

Cosmo - A young Chinese male-companion of Rahad Jackson. He appears briefly, setting off firecrackers making Todd, Reed, and Dirk nervous.

Maurice T. Rodriguez - Owner of the nightclub where Dirk initially worked as a busboy and where Jack and his stable of porn actors and crew members hang out. He is also a wanna-be porn star, spending a great deal of the time trying to persuade the other characters in allowing him a chance to appear in one of Jack's films. Jack eventually casts him in an on-screen role: merely as a bartender with only a few words of dialogue.

Soundtrack

Two soundtracks of this film were released, the first in 1997 and the second in 1998.

Boogie Nights: Music from the Original Motion Picture

Boogie Nights 2: More Music from the Original Motion Picture

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