Puzzle of a Downfall Child (1970)

Director:

Jerry Schatzberg

Writers:

Jerry Schatzberg (story) and
Carole Eastman (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

16 December 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Lou Andreas Sand, a once famous model, recalls her past as she tries to make success in the modeling world of New York...

Plot Keywords:

Model | Photographer | Castanets | Rape | Child Molestation

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe.

Cast

Faye Dunaway	...	Lou Andreas Sand
Barry Primus	...	Aaron Reinhardt
Viveca Lindfors	...	Pauline Galba
Barry Morse	...	Dr. Galba
Roy Scheider	...	Mark
Ruth Jackson	...	Barbara Casey
John Heffernan	...	Dr. Sherman
Sydney Walker	...	Psychiatrist
Clark Burckhalter	...	Davy Bright
Shirley Rich	...	Peggy McCavage
Emerick Bronson	...	Falco
Joe George	...	1st Man in Bar
John Eames	...	1st Doctor
Harry Lee	...	Mr. Wong
Jane Halleran	...	Joan
Susan Willis	...	Neighbor
Barbara Carrera	...	T.J. Brady
Sam Schacht	...	George

Directed by
Jerry Schatzberg

Writing credits
Jerry Schatzberg		(story) and
Carole Eastman		(story) (as Adrian Joyce)
Carole Eastman		(screenplay) (as Adrian Joyce)

Produced by
Frank Caffey	....	associate producer
John Foreman	....	producer

Original Music by
Michael Small

Cinematography by
Adam Holender		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Evan A. Lottman		(as Evan Lottman)

Casting by
Shirley Rich

Art Direction by
Richard Bianchi

Set Decoration by
Hubert J. Oates

Costume Design by
Terry Leong
Roland Meledandri		(costumes: men)

Makeup Department
Colleen Callaghan	....	hair stylist (as Coleen Callaghan)
Robert Phillipe	....	makeup artist (as Robert Philippe)

Production Management
James Inch	....	unit manager
Roger M. Rothstein	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Martin Miller	....	second assistant director
Robert Schneider	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Murray P. Stern	....	scenic artist (as Murray Stern)

Sound Department
Bill Gramaglia	....	sound mixer (as William Gramaglia)
Sanford Rackow	....	sound editor
Dick Vorisek	....	rerecordist (as Richard Vorisek)

Camera and Electrical Department
Adger W. Cowans	....	still photographer (as Adger Cowans)
Robert Dolan	....	gaffer
James Finnerty	....	key grip
Emmanuel Metaxas	....	assistant camera (as Manny Metaxas)
Dick Mingalone	....	camera operator (as Richard Mingalone)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Joseph W. Dehn	....	wardrobe
Mariette Pinchart	....	assistant costume designer
Tauhma Seid	....	wardrobe
Jo Ynocencio	....	costume design supervisor

Editorial Department
Craig McKay	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Michael Small	....	conductor

Transportation Department
Raymond Hartwick	....	transportation (as Ray Hartwick)

Other crew
Nancy Hopton	....	script supervisor (as Nancy Tonery)
Shari Leibowitz	....	production secretary
Neil A. Machlis	....	production associate (as Neil Machlis)
Anne St. Marie	....	technical consultant

Production Companies

• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1970) (USA) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Sear Electronic Music Production  electronic music programming

Also Known As:

"I kryfi zoi enos mannequin" - Greece (transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title)
"Palapeli" - Finland
"Portrait d'une enfant déchue" - France (imdb display title)

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

USA:R

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

When being interviewed about the film by documentarians Ted Demme and Richard LaGravanese (for their film A Decade Under the Influence (2003)), co-star Roy Scheider expressed in a flustered manner, "I had never been involved in a film project that spent so much time studying how a woman drinks her tea!"

Quotes:

Lou Andreas Sand:I like your hair like that. All the men nowadays are growing their hair long. It's fabulous... *but*, you all look like Jesus! So how will we know him when he arrives?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Decade Under the Influence (2003)

Great Dunaway Performance

Faye Dunaway has always been my favorite actress and this movie provides a great showcase for her talents. She plays a very neurotic model who cannot even trust her own memories. The movie is done in a non-narrative style that was fairly common in the 1970s, with events shown out of order, and that device is used very effectively to portray the protagonist's instability. This is one of the overlooked movies from a period that produced many great and challenging films; I don't believe it's ever even been on video.