Taglines: Long live guerilla film making!
Cecil B. Demented movie storyline. In Baltimore, guerrilla filmmaker Cecil B. Demented leads a band of cinema revolutionaries who kidnap Honey Whitlock, a bitchy and aging movie star of big-budget froth. Cecil wants her in his movie, a screed against Hollywood they film during blitzkrieg attacks on a multiplex, a Maryland Film Commission press conference, and the set of a “Forrest Gump” sequel.
He insists on celibacy; the cast and crew channel sexual energy into the production. With a family-values coalition, aggrieved Teamsters, and the police on their trail, Cecil needs help from porno, kung-fu, and drive-in audiences. What about Honey? Will she bolt or refuse to act? Or will she hit her marks and light up the screen?
Cecil B. Demented is a 2000 American black comedy film written and directed by John Waters. The film stars Melanie Griffith as a snobby A-list Hollywood actress who is kidnapped by a band of terrorist filmmakers; they force her to star in their underground film. Stephen Dorff stars as the eponymous character and leader of the group, with Alicia Witt, Adrian Grenier, Michael Shannon, and Maggie Gyllenhaal co-starring as the rest of his gang of filmmakers, each of whom bear tattoos of various independent directors’ names, including Otto Preminger, Kenneth Anger, Sam Peckinpah, David Lynch, Herschell Gordon Lewis, Spike Lee, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Pedro Almodóvar, and Andy Warhol.
The film, whose title (also the name of Dorff’s character) alludes to legendary director Cecil B. DeMille, is loosely based on the 1974 kidnapping of Patricia Hearst; Hearst has a cameo role. As with all of Waters’ films, it was shot in Baltimore, Maryland. The film was given a limited theatrical release on August 11, 2000 by Artisan Entertainment.
About the Story
Honey Whitlock is a Hollywood A-list actress whose public persona is that of a sweet and considerate woman, but who is actually profane, unreasonable, and demanding. While in Baltimore to attend a premiere, Honey is kidnapped by the manic film director, Cecil B. Demented, and his band of misfit, Andy Warhol–worshiping artists who have branded themselves “kamikaze filmmakers”, going by the group name “SprocketHoles”. Each of the SprocketHoles has infiltrated the staff of the theater where the premiere is to take place; they subsequently kidnap Honey as she concludes her remarks on stages. In the ensuing mayhem, the group escapes.
Honey is taken to an abandoned movie theater where she is kept captive. Honey is introduced to Cecil’s crew of followers, each of whom wears a tattoo of a noted filmmaker and reveals unique, individual quirks. Cecil explains that he wants to make his masterpiece film and needs Honey to star as the lead. At first she resists, shooting scenes with no emotion, but when Cecil demands better results, Honey gives an over-the-top performance in the film’s opening scene which pleases him. Apart from the first scene, Cecil, Honey and the crew roam around the city filming scenes at real (unapproved) locations, often involving innocent bystanders in the process.
The group’s first location is a luncheon being hosted by the Baltimore Film Commission. The group crashes the event and Cecil orders Honey to jump off the roof of a nearby building, which she does without safety measures. A gunfight ensues between Cecil’s crew and the police. As gunfire is exchanged, Rodney the hairdresser is killed and Cecil is wounded. Honey uses the opportunity to turn herself in to the authorities and they take her away in a police car, but she is retrieved by the film group soon after.
As Honey seems to become more comfortable with her situation, possibly developing Stockholm syndrome, she watches a television special discussing her disappearance. Persons who knew her, including her ex-husband, are interviewed and come clean about how mean-spirited she was in daily life. Honey now realizes that her desire to escape would only lead her back to Hollywood, where she is hated for being rude. She resists the idea of joining Cecil’s followers but changes her mind and declares herself “Demented forever”, burning a brand into her arm and officially joining the motley crew.
Cecil B. Demented (2000)
Directed by: John Waters
Starring: Melanie Griffith, Stephen Dorff, Alicia Witt, Adrian Grenier, Erika Auchterlonie, Mink Stole, Ricki Lake, Kevin Nealon, Patricia Hearst, Michael Shannon
Screenplay by: John Waters
Production Design by: Vincent Peranio
Cinematography by: Robert M. Stevens
Film Editing by: Jeffrey Wolf
Costume Design by: Van Smith
Set Decoration by: Barbara Haberecht
Art Direction by: Rob Simons
Music by: Basil Poledouris, Zoë Poledouris
MPAA Rating: R for strong crude sexual content, violence, language and drug use.
Distributed by: Artisan Entertainment
Release Date: August 11, 2000
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