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Before Night Falls (film)

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Wikipedia article




' 'Before Night Falls' ' is a 2000 American biographical drama directed by Julian Schnabel. The film is based on both the autobiography of the same name by Reinaldo Arenaspublished in English in 1993[http://www.cinetropic.com/before/index.html Before Night Falls] cinetropic.com.as well as Jana Bokov's 1990 documentary 'Havana'.

The screenplay was co-written by Schnabel, Lzaro Gmez Carriles and Cunningham O'Keefe. The film stars Javier Bardem (his international film debut, and who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor), Johnny Depp, Olivier Martinez, Andrea Di Stefano, Santiago Magill and Michael Wincott. The film had its world premiere at the 2000 Venice International Film Festival.

Plot



In the film, Arenas is born in Oriente in 1943 and raised by his single mother and her parents, who soon move the entire family to Holgun. After moving to Havana in the 1960s to continue his studies, Reinaldo begins to explore his ambitions, as well as his sexuality. After receiving an honorary mention in a writing contest, Arenas is offered the chance to publish his first work. Through his work and friendships with other openly gay men (such as Pepe Malas and Tomas Diego), Arenas manages to find himself.

The political climate in Cuba becomes increasingly dangerous, and in the early 1970s Arenas is arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting minors, and for publishing abroad without official consent. In the next decade, he is in and out of prison, attempting and failing to leave the country several times.

In 1980, Arenas finally leaves Cuba for the United States, starting a new life with his close friend Lazaro Gomez Carriles. A few years later, Arenas is diagnosed with AIDS, and after spending several years suffering he dies in 1990.

Cast



* Javier Bardem as Reinaldo Arenas

* Olivier Martinez as Lzaro Gmez Carriles

* Johnny Depp as Bon Bon / Lt. Vctor

* Hctor Babenco as Virgilio Piera

* Andrea Di Stefano as Pepe Malas

* Santiago Magill as Toms Diego

* John Ortiz as Juan Abreu

* Manuel Gonzlez as Jos Lezama Lima

* Francisco Gattorno as Jorge Camacho

* Marisol Padilla Snchez as Margarita Camacho

* Michael Wincott as Herberto Zorilla Ochoa

* Pedro Armendriz Jr. as Reinaldo's Grandfather

* Sean Penn as Cuco Sanchez

* Najwa Nimri as Fina Zorilla Ochoa

* Diego Luna as Carlos

* Cy and Olmo Schnabel as Reinaldo's classmates

* Vito Maria Schnabel as Teenage Reinaldo

* Lola Schnabel as Girl with keys

* Stella Schnabel as Valeria

* Jack and Esther G. Schnabel as Mr. and Mrs. Greenberg

* Olatz Lpez Garmendia as Mrs. Arenas

Production



Julian Schnabel got the idea of making 'Before Night Falls' immediately after making 'Basquiat'; however, it took four years to actually produce the film.[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1285/is_1_31/ai_68768267 Director Interview] Jan-April 2001.

Bardem spent one-and-a-half months in New York City with Arenas's best friend, Lazaro Gomez Carriles, taking two hours a day to study how Arenas walked and talked.

Reception



Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 73% approval rating based on 98 reviews and an average rating of 6.8/10. The site's consensus states: "An impressionistic, fragmented look at Reinaldo Arenas, 'Before Night Falls' imagery manages to evoke a sense of the writer's artistry, and Bardem's strong performance holds the film together. Finally, a biopic done well." Metacritic reports an 85 out of 100 rating based on 26 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

Roger Ebert gave the film 3.5 stars out of 4, stating, "One is reminded a little of the Marquis de Sade, as portrayed in 'Quills'. It was never simply what they wrote, but that, standing outside convention, taunting the authorities, inhabiting impossible lives, they wrote at all." Peter Travers from 'Rolling Stone' awarded the film a full five out of five stars, writing, "In uniting to honor Arenas, Bardem and Schnabel create something extraordinary."

Box office

The film opened in eight venues on December 22, 2000, and earned $85,230 in its first weekend, ranking #34 in the North American box office. The film received a wide release on February 23, 2001.

'Before Night Falls' grossed $4.2 million in the US and $4.3 million overseas for a worldwide total of $8.5 million from an estimated $20 million budget.

Accolades

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

|-

! Award

! Category

! Nominee(s)

! Result

|-

| Academy Awards

| Best Actor

| Javier Bardem

|

|-

| rowspan="3"| ALMA Awards

| colspan="2"| Outstanding Feature Film

|

|-

| colspan="2"| Outstanding Latino Cast in a Feature Film

|

|-

| colspan="2"| Outstanding Soundtrack or Compilation for Television and Film

|

|-

| American Film Institute Awards

| colspan="2"| Top 10 Movies of the Year

|

|-

| Awards Circuit Community Awards

| Best Actor in a Leading Role

| rowspan="4"| Javier Bardem

|

|-

| Boston Society of Film Critics Awards

| Best Actor

|

|-

| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards

| Best Actor

|

|-

| Chlotrudis Awards

| Best Actor

|

|-

| Faro Island Film Festival

| Best Film

| Julian Schnabel

|

|-

| GLAAD Media Awards

| colspan="2"| Outstanding Film Limited Release

|

|-

| Golden Globe Awards

| Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama

| Javier Bardem

|

|-

| rowspan="4"| Independent Spirit Awards

| colspan="2"| Best Feature

|

|-

| Best Director

| Julian Schnabel

|

|-

| Best Male Lead

| Javier Bardem

|

|-

| Best Cinematography

| Xavier Prez Grobet and Guillermo Rosas

|

|-

| Latin ACE Awards

| Cinema Best Actor

| rowspan="2"| Javier Bardem

|

|-

| Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards

| Best Actor

|

|-

| rowspan="3"| National Board of Review Awards

| colspan="2"| Top 10 Films

|

|-

| Best Actor

| Javier Bardem

|

|-

| colspan="2"| Freedom of Expression

|

|-

| National Society of Film Critics Awards

| Best Actor

| rowspan="4"| Javier Bardem

|

|-

| New York Film Critics Circle Awards

| Best Actor

|

|-

| Online Film & Television Association Awards

| Best Actor

|

|-

| Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards

| Best Actor in a Leading Role

|

|-

| rowspan="2"| Political Film Society Awards

| colspan="2"| Expos

|

|-

| colspan="2"| Human Rights

|

|-

| Russian Guild of Film Critics Awards

| Best Foreign Actor

| rowspan="4"| Javier Bardem

|

|-

| rowspan="2"| SESC Film Festival

| Best Foreign Actor (Audience Award)

|

|-

| Best Foreign Actor (Critics Award)

|

|-

| Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards

| Best Actor

|

|-

| rowspan="5"| Venice International Film Festival[https://web.archive.org/web/20080326185432/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/215445/Before-Night-Falls/awards Awards] nytimes.com.

| Golden Lion

| rowspan="3"| Julian Schnabel

|

|-

| Grand Jury Prize

|

|-

| OCIC Award Honorable Mention

|

|-

| Best Actor

| Javier Bardem

|

|-

| Rota Soundtrack Award

| rowspan="3"| Carter Burwell

|

|-

| rowspan="2"| World Soundtrack Awards

| Soundtrack Composer of the Year

|

|-

| Best Original Score of the Year

|

|}

Notes



References




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