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'''''Brenda Starr''''' is a 1989 [[Adventure (genre)|adventure film]] based on [[Dale Messick]]'s comic strip, ''[[Brenda Starr, Reporter]]'' and directed by [[Robert Ellis Miller]]. It stars [[Brooke Shields]], [[Timothy Dalton]] and [[Jeffrey Tambor]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/7067/Brenda-Starr/overview|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|first=Janet|last=Maslin|title=Brenda Starr|accessdate=2013-10-28}}</ref>
'''''Brenda Starr''''' is a 1989 [[Adventure (genre)|adventure film]] based on [[Dale Messick]]'s comic strip, ''[[Brenda Starr, Reporter]]'' and directed by [[Robert Ellis Miller]]. It stars [[Brooke Shields]], [[Timothy Dalton]] and [[Jeffrey Tambor]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/7067/Brenda-Starr/overview|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|first=Janet|last=Maslin|title=Brenda Starr|accessdate=2013-10-28}}</ref>

⚫
The film was shot in 1986; however, it was not released for three years due to lengthy litigation over distribution rights.<ref>[http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,310335,00.html 'Brenda Starr' movie review], ''Entertainment Weekly''</ref><ref>{{cite news|title= Movie Deal Portrays BCCI as a 'Personal Piggy Bank' : Scandal: Involvement in 'Brenda Starr' film sheds light on firm's relationships with the rich and royal.|publisher= [[Los Angeles Times]]|date=1991-09-01|url= http://articles.latimes.com/1991-09-01/news/mn-2552_1_brenda-starr/3|accessdate=2012-06-09|first1=William C.|last1=Rempel|first2=Jeffrey L.|last2=Rabin}}</ref>


==Plot==
==Plot==
Line 59: Line 61:
*[[Sergio Kato]] as Cab Driver Jose
*[[Sergio Kato]] as Cab Driver Jose


==Production==
==Postproduction and release==
===Development===
⚫
The film was shot in 1986; however, it was not released for three years due to lengthy litigation over distribution rights.<ref>[http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,310335,00.html 'Brenda Starr' movie review], ''Entertainment Weekly''</ref><ref>{{cite news|title= Movie Deal Portrays BCCI as a 'Personal Piggy Bank' : Scandal: Involvement in 'Brenda Starr' film sheds light on firm's relationships with the rich and royal.|publisher= [[Los Angeles Times]]|date=1991-09-01|url= http://articles.latimes.com/1991-09-01/news/mn-2552_1_brenda-starr/3|accessdate=2012-06-09|first1=William C.|last1=Rempel|first2=Jeffrey L.|last2=Rabin}}</ref>
In 1981 it was reported [[Deborah Harry]] would star in a film version of the comic with George Hamilton as Basil St John.<ref>Tempo: Tower Ticker
Gold, Aaron. Chicago Tribune 30 Mar 1981: a6. </ref>


In May 1986 Brooke Shields was connected to the role which was made by a company called Mystery Men.<ref>Star tracks...
⚫
When the film was released in the United States in 1992, it bombed at the box office, making $30,000 in its first week.<ref>{{cite news|title= Weekend Box Office|publisher= [[Los Angeles Times]]|date=1992-04-21|url= http://articles.latimes.com/1992-04-21/entertainment/ca-436_1_box-office|accessdate=2012-06-09|first=David J.|last=Fox}}</ref> Negative reviews were blamed, and the film was pulled from theaters shortly after its theatrical distribution.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19920417&id=wxEVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SgMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3584,4937565] {{dead link|date=October 2013}}</ref>
Chicago Tribune 19 May 1986: 12. </ref>


The [[Bank of Credit and Commerce International]] reportedly had a role in the financing. "They were not people who had ever made a movie," screenwriter James Buchanan has said of Mystery Man's representatives. "They said things like, `On page 22, you will introduce a dream sequence.' That kind of thing. We just moved on... It's all just kind of a bad memory."<ref name="long">Long-delayed `Brenda Starr' finally opens to tiny audiences
John Horn. AP. Las Vegas Review - Journal19 Apr 1992: 2F. </ref> The film's principal backer, Sheik Abdul Aziz al Ibrahim, is a Saudi Arabian with ties to BCCI. He was said to be an avid fan of Shields.<ref name="long"/>

[[Delia Ephron]] worked on the script.<ref>INSIDE NEW YORK: [CITY Edition]
Michael Fleming, Ben Kubasik and Susan Mulcahy. Edited. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]23 June 1986: 6. </ref>

===Shooting===
Shields filmed it over her summer break from Princeton, where she was studying. The film was shot in Jacksonville, Florida. The budget was originally $15 million.<ref>DELAND MAN FLIES HIGH FOR MOVIE: [2 STAR Edition]
Sarah Oates of The Sentinel Staff. Orlando Sentinel; Orlando, Fla. [Orlando, Fla]07 Aug 1986: 7. </ref>

During filming, Timothy Dalton, who had the male lead, was cast as James Bond for ''The Living Daylights''.
Brooke Shields later recalled she "loved" making the film:
Brooke Shields later recalled she "loved" making the film:
{{cquote|I was so thrilled that it was happening. I think in hindsight the problem was that it was never backed by a studio. It was [[Menahem Golan | (Menahem) Golan]] and [[Yoram Globus|(Yoram) Globus]], and it was all sort of fishy to begin with. We also were the first of that kind of comic-book movie, and unfortunately it took seven years to get released, by which point ''[[Batman (1989 film)|Batman]]'' and ''[[Dick Tracy (1990 film)|Dick Tracy]]'' and every other superhero and cartoon-inspired movie had already come. We were originally going to be part of that first batch. I always thought it was unfortunate, because the idea and the cast were both so good. Timothy Dalton! But the direction fell short, and it got legally tied up, so to me it was such a shame. I think that movie could’ve been… It was really fun, and I thought it was unique. And I loved playing that character. She’s still one of my favorites.<ref name="av">{{cite web|url=https://film.avclub.com/brooke-shields-on-the-middle-jim-henson-and-bar-crawl-1798234346|website=AV Club|title=Brooke Shields on The Middle, Jim Henson, and bar-crawling with Tom Green|first=Will|last= Harris|date=October 17, 2012}}</ref>}}
{{cquote|I was so thrilled that it was happening. I think in hindsight the problem was that it was never backed by a studio. It was [[Menahem Golan | (Menahem) Golan]] and [[Yoram Globus|(Yoram) Globus]], and it was all sort of fishy to begin with. We also were the first of that kind of comic-book movie, and unfortunately it took seven years to get released, by which point ''[[Batman (1989 film)|Batman]]'' and ''[[Dick Tracy (1990 film)|Dick Tracy]]'' and every other superhero and cartoon-inspired movie had already come. We were originally going to be part of that first batch. I always thought it was unfortunate, because the idea and the cast were both so good. Timothy Dalton! But the direction fell short, and it got legally tied up, so to me it was such a shame. I think that movie could’ve been… It was really fun, and I thought it was unique. And I loved playing that character. She’s still one of my favorites.<ref name="av">{{cite web|url=https://film.avclub.com/brooke-shields-on-the-middle-jim-henson-and-bar-crawl-1798234346|website=AV Club|title=Brooke Shields on The Middle, Jim Henson, and bar-crawling with Tom Green|first=Will|last= Harris|date=October 17, 2012}}</ref>}}
==Delays in Release==
In December 1987 Shields' mother Terri said :I feel the film's not ready to be released. They need about $60,000 more to re-edit." She was also uhappy with the billing. "Brooke's name is not on top and it's supposed to be. That's in our contract." <ref>SHIELDS' MOTHER RAPS 'BRENDA STARR': [SPORTS FINAL, C Edition]
Beck, Marilyn. Chicago Tribune 17 Dec 1987: 16. </ref>


The release was delayed when the film got ensnared in legal entanglements involving video rights.

In February 1989 New World was bought by Pathe for $189 million.<ref>Parretti's Pathe To Buy New World For $138 Million
By Richard Turner. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]27 Feb 1989: 1. </ref>

Eventually Triumph Releasing Corp., a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment Co., agreed to release the film.

"I like the film," said Miller. I'm very pleased."<ref name="long"/>
==Reception==
==Reception==
===Box Office===
⚫
When the film was released in the United States in 1992, it bombed at the box office, making $30,000 in its first week.<ref>{{cite news|title= Weekend Box Office|publisher= [[Los Angeles Times]]|date=1992-04-21|url= http://articles.latimes.com/1992-04-21/entertainment/ca-436_1_box-office|accessdate=2012-06-09|first=David J.|last=Fox}}</ref> Negative reviews were blamed, and the film was pulled from theaters shortly after its theatrical distribution.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19920417&id=wxEVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SgMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3584,4937565] {{dead link|date=October 2013}}</ref>
===Critical===
The film received scathing reviews.
The film received scathing reviews.


Revision as of 22:45, 8 July 2019

Brenda Starr
U.S. theatrical release poster
Directed byRobert Ellis Miller
Written byNoreen Stone &
James D. Buchanan (screenplay)
Jenny Wolkind (aka Delia Ephron) (screenplay)
Noreen Stone &
James D. Buchanan (story)
Dale Messick (characters)
Produced byMyron A. Hyman
Starring
CinematographyFreddie Francis
Peter Stein
Edited byMark Melnick
Music byJohnny Mandel
Distributed byTriumph Releasing Corporation
Release dates
May 15, 1989 (France)
April 15, 1992 (USA)
Running time
93 min
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$16,000,000[1]
Box office$67,878

Brenda Starr is a 1989 adventure film based on Dale Messick's comic strip, Brenda Starr, Reporter and directed by Robert Ellis Miller. It stars Brooke Shields, Timothy Dalton and Jeffrey Tambor.[2]

The film was shot in 1986; however, it was not released for three years due to lengthy litigation over distribution rights.[3][4]

Plot

Mike is a struggling artist who draws the Brenda Starr comic strip for a newspaper. When Brenda comes to life and sees how unappreciated she is by Mike, she leaves the comic. To return her to her rightful place and keep his job, Mike draws himself into the strip.

Within her fictional world, Brenda Starr is an ace reporter for the New York Flash. She is talented, fearless, and smart, and she is a very snappy dresser. The only competition she has is from Libby Lipscomb, the rival paper's top reporter.

Brenda heads to the Amazon jungle to find a scientist with a secret formula, which will create cheap and powerful fuel from ordinary water. There, she must steal the formula from her competition and foreign spies.

Cast

Production

Development

In 1981 it was reported Deborah Harry would star in a film version of the comic with George Hamilton as Basil St John.[5]

In May 1986 Brooke Shields was connected to the role which was made by a company called Mystery Men.[6]

The Bank of Credit and Commerce International reportedly had a role in the financing. "They were not people who had ever made a movie," screenwriter James Buchanan has said of Mystery Man's representatives. "They said things like, `On page 22, you will introduce a dream sequence.' That kind of thing. We just moved on... It's all just kind of a bad memory."[7] The film's principal backer, Sheik Abdul Aziz al Ibrahim, is a Saudi Arabian with ties to BCCI. He was said to be an avid fan of Shields.[7]

Delia Ephron worked on the script.[8]

Shooting

Shields filmed it over her summer break from Princeton, where she was studying. The film was shot in Jacksonville, Florida. The budget was originally $15 million.[9]

During filming, Timothy Dalton, who had the male lead, was cast as James Bond for The Living Daylights. Brooke Shields later recalled she "loved" making the film:

I was so thrilled that it was happening. I think in hindsight the problem was that it was never backed by a studio. It was (Menahem) Golan and (Yoram) Globus, and it was all sort of fishy to begin with. We also were the first of that kind of comic-book movie, and unfortunately it took seven years to get released, by which point Batman and Dick Tracy and every other superhero and cartoon-inspired movie had already come. We were originally going to be part of that first batch. I always thought it was unfortunate, because the idea and the cast were both so good. Timothy Dalton! But the direction fell short, and it got legally tied up, so to me it was such a shame. I think that movie could’ve been… It was really fun, and I thought it was unique. And I loved playing that character. She’s still one of my favorites.[10]

Delays in Release

In December 1987 Shields' mother Terri said :I feel the film's not ready to be released. They need about $60,000 more to re-edit." She was also uhappy with the billing. "Brooke's name is not on top and it's supposed to be. That's in our contract." [11]

The release was delayed when the film got ensnared in legal entanglements involving video rights.

In February 1989 New World was bought by Pathe for $189 million.[12]

Eventually Triumph Releasing Corp., a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment Co., agreed to release the film.

"I like the film," said Miller. I'm very pleased."[7]

Reception

Box Office

When the film was released in the United States in 1992, it bombed at the box office, making $30,000 in its first week.[13] Negative reviews were blamed, and the film was pulled from theaters shortly after its theatrical distribution.[14]

Critical

The film received scathing reviews.

Owen Gleiberman, of Entertainment Weekly, graded the film with an F, stating that Brenda "... comes off as a giggly (if spectacularly elongated) high school princess" and that Brenda Starr "is so flaccid and cheap-looking, so ineptly pieced together, that it verges on the avant-garde. I suspect they won't even like it in France."[15]

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film an equally negative review, writing, "There's been so much negative insider buzz about Brooke's 'Brenda' that you might be harboring a hope that the damned thing turned out all right. Get over it. 'Brenda' is not as bad as the also-rans that Hollywood traditionally dumps on us before Labor Day... it's a heap worse."[16]

Janet Maslin of The New York Times commented, "This would-be comic romp is badly dated in several conspicuous ways. Its cold war villains are embarrassingly outré (even allowing for the film's 1940's look, in keeping with the peak popularity of Brenda Starr as a comic strip heroine)... most dated of all is Brenda herself, the "girl reporter" who worries chiefly about not running her stockings or breaking her high heels, and who in one scene actually uses a black patent leather handbag as a secret weapon."[17]

Pamela Bruce of The Austin Chronicle was highly critical of the film: "After gathering dust for five years, some studio executive decided that there just isn't enough dreck in the world and decided to unleash Brenda Starr upon us poor, unsuspecting mortals."[18]

Home video

The film was released on both VHS[19] and DVD[20] formats.

The DVD version is available for purchase in two variations; one for all regions and another for region 2. The film is presented in Full Frame, 1.33:1 format, with English Dolby Digital Stereo sound.[21]

References

  1. ^ "'Brenda Starr' Looks Like Bad News at the Box Office". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2012-06-09.
  2. ^ Maslin, Janet. "Brenda Starr". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-10-28.
  3. ^ 'Brenda Starr' movie review, Entertainment Weekly
  4. ^ Rempel, William C.; Rabin, Jeffrey L. (1991-09-01). "Movie Deal Portrays BCCI as a 'Personal Piggy Bank' : Scandal: Involvement in 'Brenda Starr' film sheds light on firm's relationships with the rich and royal". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-06-09.
  5. ^ Tempo: Tower Ticker Gold, Aaron. Chicago Tribune 30 Mar 1981: a6.
  6. ^ Star tracks... Chicago Tribune 19 May 1986: 12.
  7. ^ a b c Long-delayed `Brenda Starr' finally opens to tiny audiences John Horn. AP. Las Vegas Review - Journal19 Apr 1992: 2F.
  8. ^ INSIDE NEW YORK: [CITY Edition] Michael Fleming, Ben Kubasik and Susan Mulcahy. Edited. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]23 June 1986: 6.
  9. ^ DELAND MAN FLIES HIGH FOR MOVIE: [2 STAR Edition] Sarah Oates of The Sentinel Staff. Orlando Sentinel; Orlando, Fla. [Orlando, Fla]07 Aug 1986: 7.
  10. ^ Harris, Will (October 17, 2012). "Brooke Shields on The Middle, Jim Henson, and bar-crawling with Tom Green". AV Club.
  11. ^ SHIELDS' MOTHER RAPS 'BRENDA STARR': [SPORTS FINAL, C Edition] Beck, Marilyn. Chicago Tribune 17 Dec 1987: 16.
  12. ^ Parretti's Pathe To Buy New World For $138 Million By Richard Turner. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]27 Feb 1989: 1.
  13. ^ Fox, David J. (1992-04-21). "Weekend Box Office". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-06-09.
  14. ^ [1] [dead link]
  15. ^ "Movie Review: Brenda Starr". Entertainment Weekly. 1992-05-01.
  16. ^ "Rolling Stone Movies | Movie Reviews". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 2012-06-28.
  17. ^ Maslin, Janet (1992-04-19). "Review/Film; Shields As Intrepid Reporter". The New York Times.
  18. ^ Bruce, Pamela. "Film Listings: Brenda Starr". The Austin Chronicle. Archived from the original on June 13, 2006. Retrieved December 15, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ "Brenda Starr [1989] [VHS]: Brooke Shields, Timothy Dalton, Tony Peck, Diana Scarwid, Charles Durning, Jeffrey Tambor, Eddie Albert, June Gable, Kathleen Wilhoite, Robert Ellis Miller: Amazon.co.uk: Video". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-06-28.
  20. ^ "Brenda Starr [DVD]: Amazon.co.uk: Brooke Shields, Timothy Dalton, Tony Peck, Diana Scarwid, Nestor Serrano, Jeffrey Tambor, June Gable, Charles Durning, Kathleen Wilhoite, John Short, Eddie Albert, Mark von Holstein, Robert Ellis Miller, Alana H. Lambros, John D. Backe, Michael Tadross, Dale Messick, James D. Buchanan, Jenny Wolkind, Noreen Stone: Film & TV". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-06-28.
  21. ^ "Brenda Starr (PG)". BigPond Movies. Archived from the original on May 31, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1986-08-07/news/0240260122_1_cring-jacksonville-movie-being-filmed

External links

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