Wikipedia

Hollywoodland

This article is about the 2006 film. For the landmark in Hollywood, California formerly known as "Hollywoodland", seeHollywood Sign.For the themed area at Disney California Adventure, seeHollywood Land.

Hollywoodlandis a 2006 Americanmysterydrama filmdirected byAllen Coulterand written by Paul Bernbaum. The story presents a fictionalized account of the circumstances surrounding the death of actorGeorge Reeves(Ben Affleck), the star of the 1950s filmSuperman and the Mole Menand television seriesAdventures of Superman.Adrien Brodystars as a fictional character, Louis Simo, a private detective investigatingToni Mannix(Diane Lane), who was involved in a long romantic relationship with Reeves and was the wife ofMGMstudio executiveEddie Mannix(Bob Hoskins). Reeves had ended the affair and had become engaged to a younger woman, aspiring actress Leonore Lemmon (Robin Tunney).

Hollywoodland
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAllen Coulter
Written byPaul Bernbaum
Produced byGlenn Williamson
Starring
CinematographyJonathan Freeman
Edited byMichael Berenbaum
Music byMarcelo Zarvos
Production
company
Back Lot Pictures
Distributed by
Release dates
  • August 31, 2006(2006-08-31)(Venice)
  • September 8, 2006(2006-09-08)(United States)
Running time
126 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$14 million
Box office$16.8 million[1]

Development forHollywoodlandbegan in 2001 whenFocus Featurespurchased Bernbaum's script, titledTruth, Justice, and the American Way.Michael and Mark Polishwere set to direct withBenicio del Toroin the lead role, but Focus Features placed the film in turnaround toMiramax Filmsthe following year. Ultimately,Truth, Justice, and the American Waybecame a joint production between the two studios and filming commenced in May 2005, with veteran television director Coulter making his feature filmdirectorial debut.Due to copyright issues withWarner Bros.andDC Comics,the film was retitledHollywoodlandand released to generally positive reviews with high praise for Affleck's performance.

Plot

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In June 1959, Louis Simo, a sleazyLos Angelesprivate investigator, is spying on the wife of a man named Chester Sinclair to learn if she is having an affair. On a visit to his own ex-wife Laurie, Simo learns that his son is upset over the recent death of actorGeorge Reeves,having been found dead inside hisBeverly Hillshome with a gunshot wound to the head, which the police ruled as asuicide.

Simo learns from a former police colleague that the Reeves suicide has aspects that the police do not want to touch. Sensing the potential for making a name for himself, Simo begins investigating and notes several apparent conflicts with the official version of Reeves' death. He also bickers with Laurie over his failures as a father, particularly now when his son seems so troubled.

Eight-years earlier, Reeves, whose acting career has stalled since appearing inGone with the Wind,catches the eye of a beautiful woman and they end the night in each other's arms. In the morning, a newspaper photo reveals to Reeves that the woman isToni Mannix,the wife ofEddie Mannix,a fixer and the general manager ofMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer.Frightened that an affair with a studio boss' wife will destroy what is left of his career, Reeves is angry that Toni did not tell him. She claims to have an open relationship with Mannix and soon reminds Reeves not to worry about it. She also buys the impoverished Reeves a new house and car and lavishes him with jewelry and other luxuries.

Reeves lands the starring role in the television seriesAdventures of Superman,based on thecomic book superhero.The role makes Reeves famous and gives him a steady income, but he longs for more "serious" work and is uncomfortable with the public's stereotype of him as Superman. When a sneak preview of the war filmFrom Here to Eternityresults in snickers from the audience when Reeves is seen on screen, film executives attending the preview decide to drastically reduce his formerly prominent role.

As the years pass, Reeves also becomes embittered at being Toni's kept man and blames her for not using Mannix's influence to get him better roles. He barbecues his Superman costume to "celebrate" the program's cancellation in 1958. He also meets a young woman inNew York City,actress Leonore Lemmon, and leaves Toni for her. Toni, brokenhearted and furious, seethes at her "mistreatment" by Reeves.

Simo initially suspects that Leonore might have accidentally shot Reeves during an argument and imagines how the scenario might have played out. Simo is beaten at his home by thugs, apparently working for Mannix, who are trying to scare him off the case. This, and other evidence, leads Simo to suspect that Mannix was the one who had Reeves murdered. Simo also has a vision of how that killing would have occurred.

Simo's original client, Sinclair, murders his wife, having grown impatient waiting for Simo's report. A guilt-plagued Simo gets drunk, then visits his son's school, where his inebriation scares the boy. Simo visits Reeves' manager, Arthur Weissman, who has a home movie that Reeves shot in order to promote some wrestling work. Reeves' sadness and disappointment with his life are evident in the footage. Simo's final imagined variation on Reeves' death concludes with the actor committing suicide. This is the most vivid of the three scenarios, and Simo imagines himself in the upstairs bedroom, watching it unfold.

Each of the scenes imagined by Simo begins with Reeves playing a guitar and singing "Green Eyes (Aquellos Ojos Verdes)"in Spanish for his house guests. After each of the three imagined renditions, Reeves says good night to his guests, then retires to his bedroom upstairs, just before the gunshot.

Reeves' quest for success and Simo's realization of parallels to his own existence cause the detective to reevaluate his life. Simo watches another home movie, this one of himself and Laurie and their son in happier days. He goes to Laurie's house wearing a suit and tie, greeting his son hopefully.

Cast

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Production

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Focus Featuresacquired a spec script written by Paul Bernbaum in December 2001 titledTruth, Justice, and the American Way.They courtedMichael and Mark Polishto direct,[2]withDiane Laneattached to costar,[3]but Focus placed the film inturnaroundin June 2002.Miramax Filmspicked up the rights and hoped for the Polish brothers to begin filming that year withBenicio del Toroas the potential lead,[4]a role also considered forJoaquin Phoenix.Kyle MacLachlanwas in the running to play George Reeves, after an audition and having worked with the Polish brothers onNorthfork,[5]whileHugh Jackman,Colin FirthandMark Ruffalowere reportedly the top contenders.[6][7]However, the Polish brothers were replaced with television directorAllen Coulterover creative differences.[8]

Filming was delayed to April 2004, and Del Toro was still attached to the lead role, pending script revisions.Ben Affleck,Dennis QuaidandViggo Mortensenwere added to the list of actors under consideration for George Reeves, alongsideSharon StoneandAnnette Beningfor Toni Mannix.[9]The film was finally greenlit when the project moved back to Focus Features in 2005, andHoward Korderwas brought on to do an uncredited rewrite of Bernbaum's script.[10]

Adrien Brodywas cast as Louis Simo and Affleck eventually won the supporting role of Reeves. He sawTruth, Justice, and the American Wayas an opportunity to disassociate himself from the many big budget action films he had been starring in. It marked his first leading or supporting role in a film in two years. "I was really unhappy finding myself perpetually in the sights of paparazzi cameras and in the gossip magazines. This character was broken, but he’s also the archetype of all those kinds of guys I had played — the actual, real version, which is damaged and somehow unhappy and trying to be something other than what he is. And to me that made it infinitely more interesting."[5]Affleck watched all 108 episodes of theAdventures of Superman,met withJack Larson,the actor who portrayedJimmy Olsenin the TV show, read various books about Reeves' life and death, and gained 20 pounds to closely resemble the actor with contact lenses and subtle use of facial prosthesis. In addition he listened to hours of Reeves' voice on CD so he could get the same intonations and timbre.[11]Filming began in Toronto, Canada in May 2005.[12]

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Focus Features was forbidden from showing theSuperman 'S'in promotional materials.

During its production,Hollywoodlandwent through many rounds of getting clearance fromWarner Bros. Picturesto use different aspects of Reeves' Superman persona to reflect the actual nature of his career.Time Warneris the parent company of both Warner Bros. andDC Comicsand has the final say in the depiction of characters relating to their properties.

The film's first title wasTruth, Justice, and the American Way,Superman's well-known patrioticcatchphrase,but Warner Bros. threatened legal action unless the film's title was changed so as not to associate the classic slogan with Reeves' death—especially since Warner Bros. was banking the filmSuperman Returns,which was released a few months earlier in June 2006. The filmmakers changed the title toHollywoodland,not as a reflection of the ailingHollywood Sign,but in reference to the milieu of "movieland". The film makers wished to use the familiar filmed opening ofAdventures of Supermanin context withinHollywoodland,but Warner Bros. refused to license clips from the show. The film recreated the show's opening and substituted a re-recorded version of the opening theme.[11]

Historical liberties

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Hollywoodlandtakes liberties with events for dramatic purposes. Several events and places are condensed to fit into the film, including:

  • The film states that if the first season ofAdventures of Supermanwas successful, they would film in color the second season. The series did not film in color until the third season.
  • During a personal appearance at a children's Western show, George Reeves meets a boy with a loaded gun, who almost shoots bullets at him. Reeves talks him into giving up the gun by saying that they would bounce off him, but hurt innocent bystanders. Although Reeves repeated this story himself, researchers have never been able to find anything to corroborate the story.[13][14]
  • The depiction of Reeves' scenes inFrom Here to Eternitysuffering audience derision at a test screening (and subsequent cutting of all of his scenes) is part of a mostly false urban legend. No such test screening took place, and the finished film purportedly includes all of Reeves' scenes that were present in the original shooting script. Reeves’ name does not appear on the supporting cast credits page, giving rise to the implication his presence, if not his role, was somewhat diminished. Despite the premise that the role of Maylon Stark was pared down, no alternate cuts of Reeves in the film have ever been proven to exist.[13][15][16]

Reception

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Critical response

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On thereview aggregatorwebsiteRotten Tomatoes,the film holds an approval rating of 68% based on 186 reviews, with an average rating of 6.5/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "More than a movie star murder mystery,Hollywoodlandtakes it slow in order to reveal the intriguing details of the rise and fall of superstar fame. "[17]According toMetacritic,which assigned a weighted average score of 62 out of 100 based on 33 critics, the film received "generally favorable reviews".[18]

Ben Affleck earned theVolpi Cupfor Best Actor at theVenice Film Festivalfor his portrayal of George Reeves.[19]He was also nominated for theGolden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture,but lost toEddie Murphyfor his performance inDreamgirls.Hoskins and Lane were also applauded for their performances. Critics atThe Wall Street JournalandVanity FaircalledHollywoodlanda possibleAcademy Awardcontender, but the film received no Oscar nominations.

Box office

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Hollywoodlandgrossed $14.4 million in the United States and $2.4 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $16.8 million.[1]

The film grossed $6 million in its opening weekend, finishing second at the box office.

The film made $9.1 million in DVD rentals and a spot in the top ten DVD sales for its first three weeks of release.[20]

Accolades

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Award Category Recipient(s) Result
Golden Globe Awards Best Supporting Actor Ben Affleck Nominated
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards Best Supporting Actor
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Best Supporting Actor
Saturn Awards Best Supporting Actor Won
Hollywood Film Awards Supporting Actor of the Year
Venice Film Festival Best Actor
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actor Nominated
Best Cinematography Jonathan Freeman Nominated

References

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  1. ^ab"Hollywoodland (2006)".Box Office Mojo.RetrievedAugust 19,2016.
  2. ^Charles Lyons (2001-12-13)."Polish brothers set Reeves bio".Variety.Retrieved2014-10-05.
  3. ^Matt Hurwitz (2006-12-12)."Diane Lane, 'Hollywoodland'".Variety.Retrieved2014-10-05.
  4. ^Michael Fleming (2002-06-13)."M'Max shows 'Way'".Variety.Retrieved2014-10-05.
  5. ^abPaul Cullum (2007-01-19)."Ben Affleck, 'Hollywoodland'".Variety.Retrieved2014-10-05.
  6. ^Jim Vejvoda (2002-08-23)."Travolta, Fraser, or MacLachlan as Superman?".IGN.Retrieved2014-10-09.
  7. ^Stax (2002-08-30)."Jackman as Superman?!".IGN.Retrieved2014-10-09.
  8. ^Kristopher Tapley (2006-08-20)."The (Tinsel) Town That Ate Superman".The New York Times.Retrieved2014-10-09.
  9. ^Jim Vejvoda (2003-12-18)."Neo or Aragon as Superman?".IGN.Retrieved2014-10-09.
  10. ^Justin Change (2005-05-04)."Kathleen Robertson, Robin Tunney".Variety.Retrieved2014-10-05.
  11. ^abJeffrey Ressner (2006-09-08)."Who Owns Superman?".Time.Retrieved2014-10-09.
  12. ^Justin Chang (2005-05-11)."Bob Hoskins, Lois Smith, Dash Mihok".Variety.Retrieved2014-10-05.
  13. ^ab"Hollywoodland Movie True Story - Real George Reeves TV's Superman".ChasingtheFrog.com.
  14. ^Donald, Elizabeth. "SuperGeek",Belleville News-Democrat,6 June 2007
  15. ^Variety,17 August 2006
  16. ^Cathy Schultz, PhD.,History in The Movies.University of St. Francis, 2006
  17. ^"Hollywoodland (2006)".Rotten Tomatoes.Fandango Media.RetrievedJune 19,2021.
  18. ^"Hollywoodland Reviews".Metacritic.Fandom, Inc.RetrievedJune 17,2021.
  19. ^Michelle Kung (2006-09-20)."Ben Strikes Again!".Entertainment Weekly.Retrieved2014-10-09.
  20. ^Rentrak Corporation, 3-3-2007.[full citation needed]
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