The Virgin Suicides (1999)

Director:

Sofia Coppola

Writers:

Jeffrey Eugenides (novel)
Sofia Coppola (written by)

Release Date:

12 May 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery

Tagline:

Love Sex Passion Fear Obsession

Plot:

A group of male friends become obsessed with a group of mysterious sisters who are sheltered by their strict, religious parents after one of them commits suicide.

Plot Keywords:

Suicide | Virgin | Obsession | Sex | Suburb

Awards:

3 wins & 11 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Mon. Nov. 23	5:05 AM	TMC
Wed. Dec. 2	11:30 AM	SHOW

Cast

James Woods	...	Mr. Lisbon
Kathleen Turner	...	Mrs. Lisbon
Kirsten Dunst	...	Lux Lisbon
Josh Hartnett	...	Trip Fontaine
Michael Paré	...	Adult Trip Fontaine (as Michael Pare)
Scott Glenn	...	Father Moody
Danny DeVito	...	Dr. Horniker
A.J. Cook	...	Mary Lisbon
Hanna Hall	...	Cecilia Lisbon
Leslie Hayman	...	Therese Lisbon
Chelse Swain	...	Bonnie Lisbon
Anthony DeSimone	...	Chase Buell (as Anthony Desimone)
Lee Kagan	...	David Barker
Robert Schwartzman	...	Paul Baldino
Noah Shebib	...	Parkie Denton

Also Known As:

Sofia Coppola's the Virgin Suicides (USA) (complete title)
The Lisbon Sisters (USA) (working title)
As Virgens Suicidas (Brazil) (Portugal) [pt]
Las vírgenes suicidas (Argentina) (video title) (Spain) [es]
Cri ultime (Canada: French title) [fr]
Das Geheimnis ihres Todes (Germany) (TV title) [de]
Il giardino delle vergini suicide (Italy) [it]
Las virgenes suicidas (Mexico) [es]
Przeklenstwa niewinnosci (Poland) (TV title) [pl]
Samoubistvo devica (Serbia) [sr]
The Virgin Suicides (Denmark) [da]
The Virgin Suicides (Austria) [de]
The Virgin Suicides - Verlorene Jugend (Germany) [de]
Virgin Suicides (France) [fr]
Virgin suicides - kauniina kuolleet (Finland) [fi]

MPAA:

Rated R for strong thematic elements involving teens.

Runtime:

97 min | Germany:90 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Portugal:M/16 | Malaysia:U | Iceland:L | Brazil:16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Canada:14A | Chile:14 | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:11 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

American Zoetrope

Trivia:

When the boys and girls are calling each other to play songs on the record player, they don't use the standard '555-' phone numbers used in television and film.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: One reporter states that Bonnie Lisbon is the youngest of the five. This is blatantly wrong, as she was fifteen years old (placing her smack in the middle of the five), but it can be chalked up to sloppy reporting.

Quotes:

Lady in car: Those girls have a bright future ahead of them. The other one was just going to end up a kook.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 4 luni, 3 saptamâni si 2 zile (2007)

Soundtrack:

End It Peacefully

Kept me quite still

I had been meaning to see The Virgin Suicides since I first heard it was being released to film, based on its 1993 book by Jeffrey Eugenides. I never got around to it until the other night when I rented it on video.

Oh. My. God. This film was beautifully done with its easy-on-the-eyes cinematography, the shades of colours, the portrayal of seasons, the flawless actors (all of them), the way they moved & spoke.

As in the book, this film is told as a memory of a group of boys' fascination & obsession with the lives of a group of very blonde sisters.

It's not your typical formula film & includes a wondrous soundtrack, to say the least, with hypnotic contributions by Air. It still lingers in my mind - the true mark of a great film, in my eyes.

The book, the film, the soundtrack: I recommend them all.