Blue Sunshine (film)
Blue Sunshine | |
---|---|
Directed by | Jeff Lieberman |
Written by | Jeff Lieberman |
Produced by | George Manasse |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Don Knight |
Edited by |
|
Music by | Charles Gross |
Distributed by | Cinema Shares International |
Release date |
|
Running time | 95 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $550,000[1] |
Blue Sunshine is a 1977 American
Over the years, the film attracted a cult following,[2][3][4] and was released on special edition DVD by Synapse Entertainment in 2003. It has been shown at many film festivals since.[5]
Plot
During a party, Frannie Scott (Richard Crystal) croons the jazz standard
Jerry is wrongly accused of the murders and goes on the lam, trying to gather evidence to prove his innocence, helped by his friends Alicia Sweeney (
Jerry schemes to prove that Blue Sunshine is causing homicidal psychosis by finding a past user of the drug who is still living and can be tested for
Cast
- Zalman King as Jerry Zipkin
- Deborah Winters as Alicia Sweeney
- Mark Goddard as Edward Flemming
- Robert Walden as David Blume
- Charles Siebert as Detective Clay
- Ann Cooper as Wendy Flemming
- Ray Young as Wayne Mulligan
- Alice Ghostley as O'Malley's Neighbor
- Stefan Gierasch as Lieutenant Jennings
- Richard Crystal as Frannie Scott
- Bill Adler as Ralphie
- Barbara Quinn as Stephanie
- Adriana Shaw as Barbara O'Malley
- Bill Sorrells as Ritchie Grazzo
- Jeffrey Druce as Junkie
- Brion James as Tony
Production
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Reception
Fawn Krisenthia of Cult Reviews wrote:
The movie gets a thumbs-up since quirky (Jeff) Lieberman directs. You know you are entering Lieberman’s world when the very movie title is spoken by his parrot. I imagine that Lieberman had a checklist for his 70s style movie, things that were popular at the time. For example, random car chase? Check. Discothèque? Check. Conspiracy theory? Check. Obligatory ‘This movie is based on true events’ disclaimer at the end of the film? Check.[4]
Budd Wilkins of Slant Magazine gave the film two and a half stars out of five and called it "an unjustly neglected genre classic that delivers a deft fusion of horror-movie tropes, social satire, and cult-film weirdness."[7]
In the Shot at the end of 1976 and into early 1977, the influential film gradually amassed an eclectic but hardcore following over the years. Its champions include Gremlins filmmaker Joe Dante and even the late critic Andrew Sarris, who praised “Lieberman’s directional talent” and the film’s “intriguing premise” when Blue Sunshine screened on TV in 1982.[5]
Film critic Matt Johns has written that while he overall liked the film, the ending lacked resolution. Using his popcorn bag system, he awarded the film five out of five bags.[7]
See also
References
- ^ Smith, Richard Harland (2013-05-10). "Blue Sunshine". Turner Classic Movies. TCM Underground. Archived from the original on 2014-12-17. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
- ^ Nelson, Michael Curtis (2011-10-26). "People Lose Their Hair -- and Their Minds -- in 'Blue Sunshine'". PopMatters. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
- Comingsoon.net. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
- ^ a b Krisenthia, Fawn. "Blue Sunshine". Cult Reviews. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
- ^ a b Abrams, Simon. "The 'Sunshine' Cult: Jeff Lieberman's Far-Reaching Rays at Anthology". The Village Voice. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
- AllMovie. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
- ^ a b Wilkins, Budd (2011-09-20). "Blue Sunshine". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2017-11-01.