Taglines: Obsession. Lies. Desire. Lust…
Original Sin movie storyline. A noir mystery set in the exotic world of Cuba in the late 1800s. Luis Antonio Vargas, a wealthy coffee merchant, arranges a marriage through the mail but discovers that the woman who arrives to share his house is an imposter with an eye on his fortune.
When he arrives at the docks to meet Julia Russell, he is amazed to find that she is not the simple woman he was expecting. Though happier than he ever imagined, the surprises continue until the story takes a fateful turn. This is the story about the dangerous and sometimes lethal power of love.
Original Sin is a 2001 erotic thriller film starring Antonio Banderas, Angelina Jolie, Thomas Jane, Jack Thompson, Gregory Itzin, Allison Mackie, Cordelia Richards, James Haven and Mario Iván Martínez. It is based on the novel Waltz into Darkness by Cornell Woolrich, and is a remake of the 1969 François Truffaut film Mississippi Mermaid. The movie was produced by actress Michelle Pfeiffer’s production company, Via Rosa Productions.
About the Story
Original Sin is set in the late 19th century Cuba during the Spanish rule, and flashes back and forth from the scene of a woman awaiting her execution by garrote while telling her story to a priest, to the actual events of that story.
Luis Vargas (Antonio Banderas) sends for American Julia Russell (Angelina Jolie) from Delaware to sail to his country Cuba to be his mail-order bride. Julia alights from the ship, looking nothing like the photos she had sent prior to her voyage. Julia explains she wants more than a man who is only interested in a pretty face and that is why she has been deceptive—substituting a plain-looking woman’s photo in place of her own picture.
Luis also admits to a deception; he has been misleading her into believing that he is a poor clerk in a coffee export house, instead of being the rich owner of that coffee export house. On hearing this, Julia says that they both have something in common and that is that both are not to be trusted. But they assure each other that they would make efforts in understanding and trusting each other in life. Luis and Julia wed in the church within hours of her setting foot in Cuba. Luis falls desperately in love with his new wife, and they passionately make love.
Meanwhile, Julia’s sister Emily has been trying to contact her, worried about her after such a long trip to a strange land. She sends an emotional letter to Julia asking about her welfare. Luis forces Julia to write back, fearing that if Julia continues to ignore Emily’s letters, Emily will assume something terrible has befallen her sister and she might send the authorities to check on her welfare. Holding off as long as possible, Julia finally pens a letter to her sister.
In order to assure that his wife has everything she wants, Luis adds Julia to his business and personal bank accounts, giving her free rein to spend as she pleases. Luis discovers that Julia has taken nearly all of his fortune and then teams up with a detective, Walter Downs (Thomas Jane), hired by Emily to find her real sister Julia. Walter arrives from Wilmington and tells Luis that he would like to see Julia on the coming Sunday.
Luis informs Julia about this and she gets upset. Emily arrives in Cuba to meet Luis, and shows the letter Julia wrote to her. She informs Luis that she believes Julia to be an impostor and that her sister may be dead, and that the impostor may be working with someone. The two set out together looking for her.
Luis finds Julia and discovers she is actually working with Walter and that she and Luis are staying at the same hotel. Luis believes she loves him and lies to Walter, but when confronted, a fight breaks out and Luis shoots Walter. Julia coldly tells Luis to go and buy them tickets home, but the minute he leaves, Walter gets to his feet; he had loaded the gun with blanks. Julia appears to love Luis, but Walter has too much control over her, so she continues to work for him as she and Luis run off to live in secret, with the supposedly dead Walter in pursuit. Walter turns out to be Julia (Bonny’s) old lover and partner Billy.
Original Sin (2001)
Directed by: Michael Cristofer
Starring: Antonio Banderas, Angelina Jolie, Thomas Jane, Jack Thompson, Gregory Itzin, Allison Mackie, Cordelia Richards, James Haven, Mario Iván Martínez
Screenplay by: Cornell Woolrich, Michael Cristofer
Production Design by: David J. Bomba
Cinematography by: Rodrigo Prieto
Film Editing by: Eric A. Sears
Costume Design by: Donna Zakowska
Set Decoration by: Beth A. Rubino
Art Direction by: John R. Jensen, Jorge Sainz
Music by: Terence Blanchard
MPAA Rating: R for strong sexual content and some violence.
Distributed by: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release Date: August 3, 2001
Views: 775
