Death Becomes Her Explained

Death Becomes Her should not be confused with Death Becomes Him.

Death Becomes Her
Director:Robert Zemeckis
Producer:
Starring:
Music:Alan Silvestri
Cinematography:Dean Cundey
Editing:Arthur Schmidt
Distributor:Universal Pictures[1]
Runtime:104 minutes
Country:United States
Language:English
Budget:$55 million
Gross:$149 million

Death Becomes Her is a 1992 American satirical black fantasy comedy film directed and produced by Robert Zemeckis and written by David Koepp and Martin Donovan. The film stars Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn, Bruce Willis, and Isabella Rossellini. Its plot follows two women who fight for the affections of the same man and drink a magic potion that promises eternal youth. Filming began in December 1991 and concluded in April 1992; it was shot entirely in Los Angeles.

Death Becomes Her was released in the United States by Universal Pictures on July 31, 1992. The film received mixed reviews from critics. It was also a pioneer in the use of computer-generated effects and went on to win the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.[2]

Plot

In 1978, narcissistic and fading actress Madeline Ashton performs in an awful Broadway musical called Songbird. She invites long-time frenemy, the meek aspiring writer Helen Sharp, backstage along with Helen's fiancé, famed plastic surgeon Ernest Menville. Smitten with Madeline, Ernest breaks off his engagement with Helen to marry Madeline. Seven years later, a lonely, obese, depressed, and destitute Helen is committed to a psychiatric hospital where she obsesses over taking revenge against Madeline.

Another seven years later, Madeline and Ernest live an opulent but miserable life in Beverly Hills: Madeline is depressed about her age and withering beauty and Ernest, now an alcoholic, has been reduced to working as a reconstructive mortician. After receiving an invitation to a party celebrating Helen's new book, Madeline rushes for beauty treatments. Desperate to look younger, Madeline is given the business card of Lisle Von Rhuman, a mysterious, wealthy socialite who specializes in rejuvenation.

Madeline and Ernest attend Helen's party and discover that Helen is now slim, glamorous and youthful despite being fifty years old. Jealous of Helen's appearance, Madeline observes as Helen tells Ernest that she blames Madeline for his career decline. Madeline later visits her young lover but discovers he is with a woman of his own age. Despondent, Madeline drives to Lisle's mansion. The youthful Lisle claims to be seventy-one years old and offers Madeline a potion that promises eternal life and youth. Madeline drinks the potion which reverses her age, restoring her beauty, but Lisle warns her that she must disappear from the public eye after ten years, to avoid suspicion of her immortality, and treat her body well.

Meanwhile, Helen seduces Ernest and convinces him to kill Madeline. When Madeline returns home, she belittles Ernest who snaps and pushes her down the stairs, breaking her neck. However, she inexplicably survives and Ernest takes Madeline to the hospital where the doctor's analysis shows she is clinically dead. Ernest considers her reanimation to be a miracle and uses his skills to repair her body at home. Helen arrives and, after overhearing her and Ernest discussing their murder plot, Madeline shoots Helen with a shotgun. The blast leaves a large hole in Helen's torso but she remains alive, revealing that she also has taken Lisle's potion. Helen and Madeline fight before apologizing and reconciling. Depressed at the situation, Ernest prepares to leave, but Helen and Madeline convince him to first repair their bodies. Realizing they will need regular maintenance, they scheme to have Ernest drink the potion to ensure his permanent availability.

The pair knock out Ernest and bring him to Lisle, who offers him the potion in exchange for his surgical skills. Although tempted, Ernest rejects immortality, concerned about outliving anyone he cares about—forcing him to spend eternity with Madeline and Helen—and the physical consequences Madeline and Helen have already suffered. He flees with the potion but becomes trapped on the roof. Helen and Madeline implore Ernest to drink the potion to survive an impending fall but, realizing they only want him for selfish reasons, he throws the potion away. Ernest survives the fall after landing in Lisle's pool and escapes, leaving the pair in despair at the realization that they will have to depend on each other for companionship and maintenance, forever.

Thirty-seven years later, Madeline and Helen attend Ernest's funeral, where he is eulogized as having achieved true immortality by living an adventurous and fulfilling life and having many children and grandchildren. Now grotesque parodies of their former selves, with cracked, peeling paint and putty covering most of their grey and decrepit flesh, Helen and Madeline mock the eulogy and leave. Outside, Helen trips and falls down a flight of steps, dragging Madeline with her. Their bodies break apart, and Helen sardonically asks Madeline if she remembers where they parked their car.

Production

Casting

Before Bruce Willis was cast, Kevin Kline was the first choice to play Dr. Ernest Menville; however, he fell out of the project due to a pay dispute with the studio. Jeff Bridges and Nick Nolte were both considered before Willis was eventually cast.[1]

Visual effects

Death Becomes Her was a technologically complex film to make, and represented a major advancement in the use of computer-generated effects, under the pioneering direction of Industrial Light and Magic.[3] [4] It was the first film where computer-generated skin texture was used, in the shot where Madeline resets her neck after her head is smashed with a shovel by Helen.[3] Creating the sequences where Madeline's head is dislocated and facing the wrong way around involved a combination of blue screen technology, an animatronic model created by Amalgamated Dynamics, and prosthetic make-up effects on Meryl Streep to create the look of a twisted neck.[5] [6]

The digital advancements pioneered on Death Becomes Her would be incorporated into Industrial Light and Magic's next project, Jurassic Park, released by Universal only a year later. The two films also shared cinematographer Dean Cundey and production designer Rick Carter.[7]

The production had a fair number of mishaps. In the scene where Helen and Madeline are battling with shovels, Streep accidentally cut Goldie Hawn's face, leaving a faint scar. Streep admitted that she disliked working on a project that focused so heavily on special effects and vowed never to work on another film with heavy special effects again, saying:

Filming

Principal photography for Death Becomes Her began on December 9, 1991, and wrapped up on April 7, 1992. The film was shot entirely in Los Angeles and featured several locations frequently used in film and television, including the Greystone Mansion (Ernest's funeral home) and the Ebell of Los Angeles (Helen's book party).[8] The exterior of Madeline and Ernest's mansion is located at 1125 Oak Grove Avenue in San Marino, but the interior was a set built on a soundstage. The ending scene where Helen and Madeline tumble down a set of stairs outside a chapel was filmed at Mount St. Mary's University in Brentwood.[9] [10]

Post-production

Multiple scenes that were filmed were omitted from the film's final cut. Director Robert Zemeckis decided on cutting the scenes to accelerate the film's pacing and to eliminate extraneous jokes. Most dramatically, the original ending was entirely redone after test audiences reacted negatively to it.[11] That ending featured Ernest, after he has fled Lisle's party, meeting a bartender (Tracey Ullman) who helps him fake his death to evade Madeline and Helen. The two women encounter Ernest and the bartender 27 years later, living happily as a retired couple while Madeline and Helen give no sign that they are enjoying their eternal existence.[12] Zemeckis thought the ending was too happy and opted for the darker ending featured in the final cut.[12] Ullman was one of five actors with speaking roles in the film to be eliminated.[12] Other scenes that were eliminated included one in which Madeline talks to her agent (Jonathan Silverman) and one in which Ernest removes a frozen Madeline from the kitchen freezer he has stored her in.[12] Some of the scenes can be viewed in the original theatrical trailer.[13]

Release

Box office

Death Becomes Her was a box office success and opened at number one at the box office with $12,110,355, the same weekend as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Bebe's Kids.[14] [15] It went on to earn over $58.4 million domestically and $90.6 million internationally.[16] In Taipei, Death Becomes Her set a box-office record by earning $269,310 in two days, marking it the "biggest opening ever" for overseas distributor United International Pictures.

Home media

The film's release on DVD was called "appallingly bad" due to the quality of its transfer, which has been said to suffer from excessive grain, blur, and muted colors.[17] A BBC review described it as "horrible" and "sloppy".[18] Many online DVD forum users speculated that the DVD transfer was taken from the Laserdisc edition of the film and called for a restorative release. Death Becomes Her was initially distributed in an open matte fullscreen (1.33:1) edition in the U.S. while a Widescreen version with its theatrical aspect ratio (1.85:1) was released worldwide. The latter version has also been mistakenly labelled anamorphic.[19] It was later released in North America on Blu-ray from Shout! Factory in 2016.[20] [21]

Reception

Death Becomes Her received mixed reviews from critics.[22] [23] Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a rating of 55% based on reviews from 55 critics with the consensus: "Hawn and Streep are as fabulous as Death Becomes Hers innovative special effects; Zemeckis' satire, on the other hand, is as hollow as the world it mocks."[24] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 56 based on 24 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[25] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.[26] Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert both gave Death Becomes Her a 'thumbs down', commenting that while the film had great special effects, it lacked any real substance or character depth.[27]

Accolades

AwardCategoryRecipientResult
Academy Awards[28] Best Visual EffectsKen Ralston, Doug Chiang, Douglas Smythe, and Tom Woodruff Jr.
BAFTA AwardBest Visual EffectsMichael Lantieri, Ken Ralston, Alec Gillis, Tom Woodruff Jr., Doug Chiang, and Douglas Smythe
Golden Globe Award[29] Meryl Streep

Legacy

Death Becomes Her has acquired a significant cult following, especially in the LGBT community.[30] [31] In RogerEbert.com, Jessica Ritchey wrote, "Time has been kind to 'Death Becomes Her', and the mordantly funny eye it turns to Hollywood pretense and our cultural inability to forgive women for aging. With the virtual extinction of Hollywood's interest in women over thirty, it's a real pleasure to see a film centered on and held down by two actresses as strong as Streep and Hawn."[32] An article in Vanity Fair titled "The Gloriously Queer Afterlife of 'Death Becomes Her'" called the film a "gay cult classic" and "a touchstone of the queer community".[33] The movie is screened in bars during Pride Month, while the characters of Madeline and Helen are favorites of drag performers. In this vein, the movie inspired a Death Becomes Her-themed runway show on season 7 of RuPaul's Drag Race.[30] The winner of season 5, Jinkx Monsoon, has cited the movie as an inspiration to become a drag queen. Jinkx has participated in Death Becomes Her-themed photoshoots,[34] and in 2018 they played Madeline in a drag stage show parody called "Drag Becomes Her" alongside season 6 contestant BenDeLaCreme.[35] Tom Campbell, an executive producer of RuPaul's Drag Race, reflected on the appeal of the movie to gay audiences:In May 2024, RuPaul's Drag Race's Trinity the Tuck and Jujubee released their single "'Til Death Becomes Us" alongside a music video, serving as an homage to the original film.[36] [37]

Musical

See also: Death Becomes Her (musical). A musical adaptation of Death Becomes Her was produced by Broadway In Chicago at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago from April 30 to June 2, 2024.[38] It was directed and choreographed by Christopher Gattelli with a book by Marco Pennette and music and lyrics by Julia Mattison and Noel Carey.[39] The cast featured Megan Hilty as Madeline, Jennifer Simard as Helen, Christopher Sieber as Ernest and Michelle Williams as Viola Van Horn, the character originally named Lisle von Rhuman.[40] In May 2024, the producers announced their plans to have the musical begin performances at Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on October 23 of that year, with an official opening scheduled for November 21.[41]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Death Becomes Her (1992). AFI Catalog of Feature Films. September 11, 2020. April 28, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230428225801/https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/59224. live.
  2. News: Weinraub . Bernard . March 30, 1993 . Oscar's night started at noon in Hollywood . 9 . The New York Times . live . April 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230429231955/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-orlando-sentinel-oscars-night-start/123764249/ . April 29, 2023 . Newspapers.com.
  3. Web site: Death Becomes Her (Universal Pictures). ilm.com. December 19, 2017. December 22, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171222051927/https://www.ilm.com/vfx/death-becomes-her/. live.
  4. News: Blaise . Judd . August 21, 1992 . Special Effects, Acting Bring 'Death' to Life . . dead . December 20, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171222051932/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1992-08-21/features/9201170039_1_roger-rabbit-special-effects-director-robert-zemeckis . 2017-12-22.
  5. Death Becomes Her (1992) Vintage Bonus Clip: Meryl's Mom & Special Effects (HD) . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/xRNVHaaUAp8. 2021-12-11 . live. YouTube. June 23, 2016. December 20, 2017.
  6. DEATH BECOMES HER Recreating Meryl BTS Special Edition. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/fIgJgGOEahk. 2021-12-11 . live. Amalgamated Dynamics Inc.. YouTube. July 25, 2015. December 20, 2017.
  7. News: Taylor . Drew . June 11, 2013 . 5 Versions of 'Jurassic Park' You Never Saw . indiewire.com . December 20, 2017 . December 22, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171222051207/http://www.indiewire.com/2013/06/5-versions-of-jurassic-park-you-never-saw-97110/ . live .
  8. Web site: The Ebell of Los Angeles - Filming. ebellla.org. December 20, 2017. December 22, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171222050957/http://ebellla.org/filming/. dead.
  9. Web site: Movies Filmed at Mount Saint Mary's University - Chalon Campus. moviemaps.org. December 20, 2017. August 4, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180804045852/https://moviemaps.org/locations/87. live.
  10. Web site: Death Becomes Her . movie-locations.com . 22 May 2023 . May 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230522082838/https://www.movie-locations.com/movies/d/Death-Becomes-Her.php . live .
  11. News: O'Brien . Jon . July 31, 2017 . Death Become Her 25th Anniversary: 12 things you may not know about the classic comedy . Metro . UK . March 12, 2018 . March 12, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180312205105/http://metro.co.uk/2017/07/31/death-becomes-her-25th-anniversary-12-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-classic-comedy-6808575/ . live .
  12. News: Fox . David J. . August 9, 1992 . A look inside Hollywood and the movies.: THE VANISHING: 'Death Becomes Her' and the Lost Ullman Ending . Los Angeles Times . March 12, 2018 . March 6, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160306235751/http://articles.latimes.com/1992-08-09/entertainment/ca-6132_1_ullman-ending . live .
  13. Death Becomes Her (1992) Meryl Streep, Bruce Willis - Official Trailer (HD). https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/0jPuZLUY4II. 2021-12-11 . live. YouTube. April 11, 2016. March 12, 2018.
  14. News: Weekend Box Office 'Honors' Tops in a Lackluster Bunch. Los Angeles Times. May 10, 1994. December 28, 2010. Robert W.. Welkos. July 22, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180722141317/http://articles.latimes.com/1994-05-10/entertainment/ca-56005_1_weekend-box-office. live.
  15. Web site: McNary . Dave . 1992-08-03 . Death Becomes Her' tops weekend box office . 2023-05-22 . . en.
  16. Web site: Death Becomes Her (1992). Box Office Mojo. August 26, 2019. July 7, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190707211158/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=deathbecomesher.htm. live.
  17. Web site: Death Becomes Her DVD review . November 13, 2012 . michaeldvd.com.au . May 18, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120518155757/http://www.michaeldvd.com.au/Reviews/DeathBecomesHer.asp . live .
  18. Web site: Haflidason . Almar . 2000-10-12 . Films - review - Death Becomes Her DVD . November 13, 2012 . . September 25, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150925050745/http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2000/10/12/death_becomes_her_1992_dvd_review.shtml . live .
  19. Web site: 2012-07-08 . A stroll down the DVD memory lane . November 13, 2012 . GuidoHenkel.com . November 11, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121111081508/http://guidohenkel.com/2012/07/a-stroll-down-the-dvd-memory-lane/ . live .
  20. Web site: 2016-01-07 . Undead Comedy 'Death Becomes Her' Getting Blu-ray Release! . . May 20, 2023 . May 20, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230520204043/https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3375794/undead-comedy-death-becomes-her-getting-blu-ray-release/ . live .
  21. Web site: Salmons . Tim . 2016-04-20 . Death Becomes Her: Collector's Edition . 2023-05-22 . The Digital Bits . en-gb . May 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230522082838/https://thedigitalbits.com/item/death-becomes-her-ce-bd . live .
  22. News: Death Becomes Her. Variety. July 27, 1992. October 3, 2010. Todd. McCarthy. January 2, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160102194337/http://variety.com/1992/film/reviews/death-becomes-her-3-1200430256/. live.
  23. Skin-Deep Satire. Entertainment Weekly. August 14, 1992. May 22, 2023. Gleiberman. Owen. https://web.archive.org/web/20070602061531/https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,311403,00.html. 2007-06-02.
  24. Web site: Death Becomes Her (1992). Rotten Tomatoes. March 15, 2023. March 19, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240319050135/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/death_becomes_her. live.
  25. Web site: Death Becomes Her Reviews . September 8, 2022 . Metacritic . . March 12, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230312145539/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/death-becomes-her . live .
  26. Web site: CinemaScore . cinemascore.com . October 17, 2017.
  27. Death Becomes Her review. August 8, 1992. Siskel & Ebert. 6. 44. May 22, 2023. May 22, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230522082838/https://siskelebert.org/?p=12741. live.
  28. Web site: Death Becomes Her Awards. Industrial Light & Magic. October 29, 2020. November 2, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201102012122/https://www.ilm.com/awards/death-becomes-her-awards/. dead.
  29. Web site: Death Becomes Her. goldenglobes.com. October 29, 2020. March 12, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230312145538/https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/death-becomes-her. live.
  30. News: Pugachevsky . Julia . June 21, 2013 . "Death Becomes Her" Is Ruling Our Lives: NewNowNext Style . newnownext.com . June 10, 2018 . June 12, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180612140208/http://www.newnownext.com/newnownext-style-death-becomes-her-is-ruling-our-lives-and-our-wardrobes/06/2013/ . live .
  31. Web site: Jackson . Matthew . 2023-03-21 . Remembering the unabashed zaniness of 'Death Becomes Her,' now streaming on Peacock . 2023-05-22 . SYFY Official Site . en-US . May 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230522082837/https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/remembering-the-unabashed-zaniness-of-death-becomes-her . live .
  32. Web site: Ritchey . Jessica . May 3, 2016 . Chuck Jones Meets "Sunset Boulevard": On Robert Zemeckis' "Death Becomes Her" . May 22, 2023 . . May 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230522082837/https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/chuck-jones-meets-sunset-boulevard-on-robert-zemeckis-death-becomes-her . live .
  33. Puchko . Kristy . August 3, 2017 . The Glorious Queer Afterlife of 'Death Becomes Her' . . June 10, 2018 . September 24, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200924075951/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/08/death-becomes-her-25th-anniversary-meryl-streep-goldie-hawn-gay-classic . live .
  34. News: Rudolph . Christopher . May 17, 2013 . Jinkx Monsoon and Ivy Winters Star in Ricky Middlesworth's 'Death Becomes Her' (PHOTOS) . . June 10, 2018 . October 17, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161017122451/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/17/death-becomes-jinkx_n_3287753.html . live .
  35. Web site: Rotter . Joshua . 2020-03-10 . Can drag queens beat death? Find out in 'Drag Becomes Her' . 2023-05-22 . 48 hills . en-US . May 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230522082838/https://48hills.org/2020/03/can-drag-queens-beat-death-find-out-in-drag-becomes-her/ . live .
  36. Web site: 2024-04-25 . Trinity the Tuck and Jujubee Collaborate for a Sinful New Single, “Til Death Becomes Us” . 2024-06-01 . Socialite Life . en-US.
  37. Web site: Trinity the Tuck is your sinful pop goddess & her new EP is coming just in time for Pride . 2024-06-01 . www.pride.com . en.
  38. Web site: Evans . Greg . 2023-09-05 . Death Becomes Her Stage Musical Sets Pre-Broadway Chicago Run For Spring 2024 . 2023-09-06 . . September 6, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230906164419/https://deadline.com/2023/09/death-becomes-her-broadway-1235536955/ . live .
  39. Web site: Scorziello . Sophia . September 5, 2023 . ‘Death Becomes Her’ Musical Starring Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard Coming To Chicago . May 22, 2024 . Variety.
  40. Web site: Gans . Andrew . March 4, 2024 . Christopher Sieber, Michelle Williams, More Join Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard in Death Becomes Her Musical . May 22, 2024 . Playbill.
  41. News: Paulson . Michael . May 15, 2024 . ‘Death Becomes Her’ Musical to Open on Broadway This Fall . May 22, 2024 . . 0362-4331.