Naked Lunch (1991)

Country of Origin: Canada / UK / Japan
Year of Production: 1991
Running Times: 115 mins
Format: colour 35mm
Ratio: 1.85:1
Sound: Dolby

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Film Trustees Ltd / Naked Lunch Productions / Nippon Film Development and Finance, Inc / Recorded Picture Company / The Ontario Film Development Corporation / Téléfilm Canada
Producer: Jeremy Thomas
Co-Producer: Gabriella Martinelli
Associate Producer: Herschel F. Rubin
Production Manager: Marilyn Stonehouse
Production Coordinator: Deborah Zwicker

SCRIPT
Script: David Cronenberg
Novel: William S. Burroughs

DIRECTION
Director: David Cronenberg
1st Assistant Director: John Board
2nd Assistant Director: Terry Gould
3rd Assistant Director: Simon Board
Trainee Assistant Directors: Michael Burke, Cassandra Cronenberg

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Peter Suschitzky
Camera Operator: Peter Suschitzky
Steadicam Operator: Ted Churchill
2nd Assistant Camera: Arthur Cooper
Focus Puller: Marvin Midwicki
Gaffer: Scotty Allan
Generator Operator: Duane Gullison
1st Electrician: Michael McDonald
2nd Electricians: Harold D. Stroud, Ian Bibby
Electricians: David Willetts, John Botelho, Kevin Murphy, Michael Auger, Mike Ruggles, Nigel Draper, Owen Taylor, Steve Morrison, Steve Myers, Tom Durnan
Rigging Spark: R.D. Gaal
Best Boy Electric: Sam Bojin
Key Grip: Mark Manchester
Grips: Colin Jones, Malcolm Nefsky, Tracy Shaw
Dolly Grip: David Hynes
Best Boy Grip: Hugh Brule
Rigging / Daily Grips: Alex Dawes, Blake Balentine, David Zimmerman, Gregory Palermo, Kent Columbus, Ronald G. Paulauskas
Stills: Attila Dory, Brian Hamill
Camera Trainees: Adam Suschitzky, Lisa Pilcher
Video Assistants: David J. Woods, James Storie
Colour Timer: Christopher Severn

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: Ronald Sanders
1st Assistant Editor: Michael Rea
2nd Assistant Editors: Bernadette Kelly, Patricia Lamskin, Peter Watson
Post-Production Supervisor: Michael Saxton
Post-Production Coordinators: Michael Rea, Sandra Tucker
Assistant Post-Production Coordinator: Benjamin Tucker
Cutter: Evan Ayotte

MUSIC
Music: Ornette Coleman, Howard Shore
Songs: Russell / James / Pepper (Vaya Con Dios); Ornette Coleman (Write Man; Bugpowder; Midnight Sunrise; Ballad; Intersong); Thelonius Monk (Mysterioso)
Songs Performed By: Les Paul, Mary Ford (Vaya Con Dios); The Ornette Coleman Trio (Write Man; Bugpowder; Ballad; Intersong); Ornette Coleman and The Master Musicians of Jajouka (Midnight Sunrise)
Orchestrator: Homer Denison
Conductor: Howard Shore
Music Supervisor: Ray Williams
Music Recording Engineer: Alan Snelling
Assistant Music Recording Engineer: Samantha Swan
Music Editor: Suzana Peric
Assistant Music Editor: Nic Ratner
Copyist: Vic Fraser

SOUND
Sound Mixer: Bryan Day
Boom Operators: Michael Lacroix, Layne Harris
Re-Recording Mixers: David Appleby, Don White, Peter Maxwell
Assistant Sound Editors: Judy Kemeni, Richard Harkness, Sean Kelly, Susan Maggi
Dialogue Editors: Dale Sheldrake, Richard Cadger, Tony Currie, Wayne Griffin
Sound Effects Editors: David Evans, Jane Tattersall
Foley Recordist: Lou Solakofski
Foley Artist: Andy Malcolm
Foley Assistant: James A. Gore
Cable Person: Henry Embry

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Christine Hart
Assistant Make Up: Judy Murdoch, Marilyn O'Quinn, Marlene Aarons
Hair: Carmen MacDonald, Lucy Orton, Rhoda Ancill, Veronica Ciandre
Costume Designer: Denise Cronenberg
Costume Supervisor: Brenda Gilles
Seamstress: Julie Jones
Wardrobe Assistants: Ann Henshaw, Silvio Berti

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Creature Maker: Mark Siegel
Animatronics Engineer: Brian Dewe
Animatronics Technicians: Carol Bauman, Conrad Itchener, Danny Wagner, Dave Isaac, David Wiezer, Guy Hudson, Harold Weed, James Hynemar, James Pennington Kent, Joel Friesch, Lauren Vogt, Mark Siegal, Michael Wick, Michelle Lyman, Paul Theren, David Wiezer, Tim Lidstone, Valerie Sofranko, Victoria Lewis
Floor Special Effects: Ted Ross
Mechanical Supervisor: Kelly Lepowski
Mold Supervisor: Wim van Thillo

VISUAL EFFECTS
General Manager (CWI): Mark Walas
Business Manager: Scott Walas

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Carol Spier
Designer: Stephan Dupuis
Art Director: James McAteer
1st Assistant Art Director: John Dondertman
3rd Assistant Art Director: Benno Tutter
Naked Lunch Logo Designer: Mia Matson
Set Decorator: Elinor Rose Galbraith
Assistant Set Decorator: Danielle Fleury
Lead Set Dresser: Clive Thomasson
Set Dressers: Arlindo Vicente, Gareth Wilson, John Morrison, Paula Deresti, Peter P. Nicolakakos
Set Dresser Trainee: Carlos Caneca
Property Master: Douglas Harlocker
Assistant Property Master: Christopher Geggie
Propsman: Ron Dickie
Prop Builders: Howard Munford Choice, Pamela Gibson
Construction Coordinator: Joe Curtin
Construction Trainee: Paul Bannister
Head Carpenter: Ian Fraser
Assistant Head Carpenters: Denis Perrier, Sabri Lariani
Carpenters: Allan Meuse, Brian Clancy, Brian Lumley, Bruce Sweezie, David Melrose, Gordon Becker, Joe Madziak, John Keenan, Kevin Curtin, Michael Hyde, Murray Keith, Myles Roth, Rick Marshall, Steve Haines
Assistant Carpenters: George Kocuba, Lorelee Godden, Marlene Chapelle
Painting Supervisor: Gregg Olsson
Scenic Painters: Jacqui Hemingway, Pat Shatka, Rossana DeCampo, Warren Quigley
Key Scenic Artist: John Bannister
Scenic Artists: Jak Oliver, Janet Cormack, Otto Fondan
Labourer: Mark Wood

MISCELLANEOUS
Script Supervisor: Dug Rotstein
Accountant (Canada): Teri Spasov
Accountant (UK): Hazel Crombie
Assistant Accountants: Beverly Ross, Deb Geaghan
Bookkeeper: Mary Margaret Gibbons
Construction Bookkeeper: Terry Redman
Financial Controller: Ron Swinburne
Project Supervisor: James Isaac
Production Secretary: Lesley Clark
Production Office Assistant: Stephen Scott
Assistant to David Cronenberg: Sandra Tucker
Assistants to Jeremy Thomas: Jocelyn Cousins, Julie Oudot, Sevilla Delofski
Assistants to Peter Weller: Janet Riggs, Michelle Mundy
Assistants to Gabriella Martinelli: Evangeline Griego, Lori Greenberg
Assistant to Ray Williams: Roz Wyllie
Director's Observer: John Martins-Mantiega
Transportation Coordinator: Michael Curran
Driver Captain: Mark Van Alstyne
Head Driver: Eldie Benson
Drivers: Ed Bowman, Steve Sacrob, Brian Cole, Jerome McCann, John van Noord, Mac Day, Nick Schefter, Oliver Steins, Ron Coles
Construction Driver: Doug Rice
Animal Wrangler: Rick Parker
Insect / Centipede Wrangler: James Lovisek
Unit Publicist: Prudence Emery
Technical Advisor: Jon Berg
Purchasing Agent: Connie Angland

LOCATIONS
Location Manager: Michael Brownstone
Location Assistant: Will Hoddinott

CASTING
Casting: Deirdre Bowen
Extras Casting: Eleanor Lavender
Extras Casting (Interzone): Youssef Abedalnour

CAST
Peter Weller (Bill Lee)
Judy Davis (Joan Frost / Joan Lee)
Ian Holm (Tom Frost)
Julian Sands (Yves Cloquet)
Roy Scheider (Doctor Benway)
Monique Mercure (Fadela)
Nicholas Campbell (Hank)
Michael Zelniker (Martin)
Robert A. Silverman (Hans)
Joseph Scorsiani (Kiki)
Peter Boretski (creature voices / exterminator 2)
Yuval Daniel (Hafid)
John Friesen (Hauser)
Sean McCann (O'Brien)
Howard Jerome (A.J. Cohen)
Michael Caruana (pawnbroker)
Kurt Reis (exterminator 1)
Justin Louis (exterminator 3)
Julian Richings (exterminator 4)
Jim Yip (The Chink)
Claude Aflalo (Forgeman)
Laurent Hazout, Joe Dimambro (Interzone boys)
Denardo Coleman, Ornette Coleman, Barre Phillips (The Ornette Coleman Trio)

Stand-Ins: Helene Leblanc, John Picard

PLOT SUMMARY

Bill Lee is a writer who accidentally shoots his wife while suffering from writer's block. Addicted to the bug powder his late wife was also ingesting, Lee begins to hallucinate wildly and imagines himself a secret agent working for a race of strange creatures.

Cronenberg was always onto a loser with this one, but only he would have had the courage and vision to even attempt it. Less an adaptation of Burrough's novel (which really is unfilmable) than it is an eccentric bio-pic with elements taken from the book, the film contains just enough of Cronenberg's signature touches to keep the interest, but like the novel, it's hard going with little reward at the end of it. Being Cronenberg, it's worth a look, but it's very far from his best.

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Laserdisc Distributors: Pioneer (PLFEB 30781); CBS Fox (5614-80)

Australia
Rating: M

Finland
Rating: K-16

France
Rating: -12

Germany
Rating: 16

Hong Kong
Rating: III

Norway
Rating: 15

Sweden
Rating: 15

Switzerland
Rating: 16

UK
Rating: 18

USA
Rating: R

1991
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards, USA
Best Screenplay (David Cronenberg) - winner

New York Film Critics Circle Awards
Best Screenplay (David Cronenberg) - winner
Best Supporting Actress (Judy Davis) – winner (also for Barton Fink (1991))

1992
Berlin International Film Festival, Germany
Golden Berlin Bear (David Cronenberg) - nominated

Fantasporto
International Fantasy Film Award Best Film (David Cronenberg) - nominated

Genie Awards, Canada
Best Achievement in Art Direction / Production Design (Carol Spier) - winner
Best Achievement in Cinematography (Peter Suschitzky) - winner
Best Achievement in Direction (David Cronenberg) - winner
Best Motion Picture (Gabriella Martinelli, Jeremy Thomas) - winner
Best Overall Sound (Peter Maxwell, Bryan Day, David Appleby, Don White) - winner
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Monique Mercure) - winner
Best Sound Editing (Richard Cadger, Wayne Griffin, David Evans, Jane Tattersall, Andy Malcolm, Tony Currie) - winner
Best Achievement in Costume Design (Denise Cronenberg) - nominated
Best Music Score (Howard Shore) - nominated
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Peter Weller) - nominated

National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA
Best Director (David Cronenberg) - winner
Best Screenplay (David Cronenberg) - winner

1993
London Critics Circle Film Awards, UK
Actress of the Year (Judy Davis) – winner (also for Barton Fink (1991) and Husbands and Wives (1992))

1991
January
21: Canada – filming begins

December
27: USA – limited theatrical release

1992
February
Day Unknown: Germany – shown at the Berlin International Film Festival
Day Unknown: Portugal – shown at the Fantasporto Film Festival

March
11: France – theatrical release

April
30: Germany – theatrical release

June
4: Australia – theatrical release

August
7: Sweden – theatrical release

October
16: Finland – theatrical release

1994
June
Day Unknown: USA - laserdisc release (Pioneer (PLFEB 30781))

David Cronenberg and William S. Burroughs invite you to lunch.

Exterminate all rational thought.

The book was banned. The film should never have been made. Too late.

Alaston lounas – Finnish title
El almuerzo desnudo – Spanish title
O Festim Nu – Portugese title
Le festin nu – French title
Golo kosilo – Slovenian title
Meztelen ebéd – Hungarian title
Nagi lunch – Polish title
Naken Lunch – Norwegian title
Il pasto nudo – Italian title

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
David Cronenberg: I Have to Make the Word be Flesh (1999)
Naked Making Lunch (1992)

MAGAZINES

Première April 1992 p.15 (France)
review (by Jean-Jacques Bernard)

Studio March 1992 p.17 (France)
review (by Catherine Wimphen)

NEWSPAPERS

Diário de Notícias 27 November 1999 p.63 (Portugal)
review

Svenska Dagbladet 7 August 1992 (Sweden)
review (Tekniskt välgjord men berättelsen ansträngd by Hans Schiller)

KEYWORDS

addiction; adultery; africa; anthropomorphism; bars; book into film; bazaars; bisexuality; cafes; centipedes; cockroaches; diners; drugs; exterminators; giant insects; guns; hallucinations; homosexuality; hypodermic needles; impostors; insects; interrogations; lesbianism; new york; paranoia; parrots; secret agents; sex; subways; surrealism; talking animals; transvestitism; typewriters; voodoo; writers

Last Updated: 1 January, 2009