Boxing Helena

Infobox Film
name = Boxing Helena


caption = original movie poster
director = Jennifer Lynch
producer = Philippe Caland
writer = Philippe Caland (story)
Jennifer Lynch
starring = Sherilyn Fenn
Julian Sands
Bill Paxton
Kurtwood Smith
Art Garfunkel
music = Graeme Revell
cinematography = Bojan Bazelli
Frank Byers
editing = David Finfer
distributor = Orion Pictures
released = United Kingdom:
June 18, 1993
United States:
September 3, 1993
runtime = 107 min
country = United States
language = English
budget =
imdb_id = 0106471

"Boxing Helena" is the 1993 debut feature film by Jennifer Lynch, daughter of David Lynch. The film stars Julian Sands and Sherilyn Fenn as the eponymous Helena.

Tagline

"A deep, dark obsession that bares a woman's body and a man's soul."

Plot

Nick Cavanaugh (Sands) is a lonely Atlanta surgeon obsessed with Helena (Fenn). After she is injured in a grievous hit-and-run motor vehicle accident in front of his home, he kidnaps and treats her in his house surreptitiously, medically amputating both of her legs. Later, he amputates her healthy arms as well.

Though Helena is the victim of Nick's kidnapping and mutilation, she dominates the dialogue with her constant emasculating ridicule of him for all of his shortcomings.

After some time living together she becomes lonely and returns his affection.

The film finishes with Nick waking up, and realising the whole events of the film were a dream.

Cast

*Sherilyn Fenn as Helena
*Julian Sands as Dr. Nick Cavanaugh
*Bill Paxton as Ray O'Malley
*Kurtwood Smith as Dr. Alan Palmer
*Art Garfunkel as Dr. Lawrence Augustine
*Betsy Clark as Anne Garrett
*Paul Chuckle as Joe Welsh
*Nicolette Scorsese as Fantasy Lover/Nurse
*Meg Register as Marion Cavanaugh
*Bryan Smith as Russell
*Marla Levine as Patricia
*Kim Lentz as Nurse Diane
*Lloyd T. Williams as Sam the Clerk
*Barry Chuckle as Graeme the Anaesthetist

Critical reaction

The film was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival. However, the media critically mauled it on its release. "Helena" is also remembered for the legal battle that ensued when first Madonna, then Kim Basinger backed out of the title role—Basinger was eventually slapped with a jury verdict for over eight million dollars. [ [http://www.ew.com/ew/report/0,6115,310562_7_0_,00.html "Unarmed And Dangerous: Jennifer Lynch loses Madonna, Basinger, gains Fenn for "Boxing Helena"."] "Entertainment Weekly". Issue 119. May 22, 1992.] [cite web
url=http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=1:121285
title="Boxing Helena"
work=Allmovie] This caused Basinger to enter bankruptcy, although the verdict was set aside on appeal in 1994. [cite web
url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000107/bio
title="Kim Basinger - Biography"
work=IMDb
accessdate = 2007-09-08] The film also won for "Worst Director" for Lynch from the Golden Raspberry Awards. Although the film was a huge box office bomb since it was originally released, the film has since earned a cult following among fans.

Music

The movie appeared using different versions of the music score. Especially known is the music during the scene where Helena showers in a fountain, while a party crowd watches. The original movie-release has Graeme Revell's music in the foreground, based on the "Love Theme" used sparsely elsewhere in the movie, with vocals by Bobbi Page. It's the only appearance of this Revell composition in its entire form. When the film was released on DVD, this part of the soundtrack was replaced by "Fountain Song" performed by Wendy Levy. The reason for this change is unknown to the public.

Miscellaneous

*Fenn had previously worked with Lynch's father, David Lynch, in a small role in "Wild at Heart" (1990) and cult-status TV series "Twin Peaks" (1990-91) as femme fatale Audrey Horne.
*Much of the film was filmed in the Atlanta mansion of famed defense attorney Ed Garland.
*The Misfits song "Helena" chronicles this story, and opens with the lyric "If I cut off your arms and cut off your legs, would you still love me anyway?" continuing in the same vein. [ [http://www.misfitscentral.com/misfits95/songname.php Misfits website] ]

ee also

*Amputee fetishism

References

External links

* [http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=1:121285 "Boxing Helena"] at Allmovie
*
* [http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/movies/b/boxing.html "Boxing Helena", A Film Review] by James Berardinelli
* [http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2asit_original-fountain-song-boxing-helen Scene with Deleted music-score piece]