Before Night Falls (film)

Infobox Film
name = Before Night Falls


caption = Film poster
director = Julian Schnabel
producer = Jon Kilik
eproducer = Olatz Lopez Garmendia
Julian Schnabel
aproducer = Matthias Ehrenberg
writer = Cunningham O'Keefe
Lázaro Gómez Carriles
Julian Schnabel
Reynaldo Arenas "(memoir)"
starring = Javier Bardem
Johnny Depp
music = Carter Burwell
cinematography = Xavier Pérez Grobet
Guillermo Rosas
editing = Michael Berenbaum
distributor = Fine Line Features
released = 26 January 2001
runtime = 133 min.
country = USA
awards =
language = English / Spanish / Russian / French
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
amg_id = 1:215445
imdb_id = 0247196

"Before Night Falls" is a 2000 movie directed by Julian Schnabel. The screenplay is based on the autobiography of Reinaldo Arenas, which was published in English in 1993 [ [http://www.cinetropic.com/before/index.html Before Night Falls] cinetropic.com.] . The screenplay was written by Schnabel, Cunningham O'Keefe and Lázaro Gómez Carriles.

It stars Javier Bardem, who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor, Olivier Martinez, Andrea Di Stefano, Santiago Magill, Johnny Depp and Michael Wincott.

This was the second film of director Julian Schnabel, after Basquiat (1996). 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.] It had its world premiere at the 2000 Venice International Film Festival and its North American premiere at the 2000 Toronto Film Festival [ [http://www.reelviews.net/movies/b/before_night.html Review] reelviews.net.] .

ynopsis

In Cuba, after the Cuban revolution in 1959, gay Cuban poet and novelist Reinaldo Arenas (Javier Bardem) is arrested after two boys who have stolen from him accuse him falsely of sexual assault. [ [http://www.geocities.com/polfilms/beforenight.html Nomination] Review at Political Film Society.] . He later gets into trouble for having books written by him smuggled out of the country and having them published abroad. Thus for a decade he goes in and out of Cuban prisons [ [http://www.wsws.org/articles/2001/feb2001/befo-f16.shtml Film Reviews] wsws.org, 16 January 2001.] . He escapes from prison and tries to leave Cuba by launching himself from the shore on a tire inner tube. The attempt fails and he is rearrested. He helps other inmates to write letters to wives and lovers. He is forced to renounce his books and is released. In 1980 he is told that, as part of the Mariel Boatlift, he is allowed to emigrate because of being gay. After first suspecting this might be a trick, he succesfully claims gayness, and moves to Miami.

He is stricken with AIDS, and without health insurance, he kills himself in 1990 in New York [ [http://www.plume-noire.com/movies/reviews/beforenightfalls.html Review] plume-noire.com.] . A friend is present, he promises not to alert medical services. Moreover, he speeds up death by suffocation with a plastic bag.

Cast

* Javier Bardem - Reinaldo Arenas
* Johnny Depp - Lieutenant Victor/Bon Bon
* Olivier Martinez - Lazaro Gomez Carriles
* Andrea Di Stefano- Pepe Malas
* Sean Penn - Cuco Sanchez
* Michael Wincott - Herberto Zorilla Ochoa
* Najwa Nimri - Fina Zorilla Correa
* Héctor Babenco - Virgilio Pinera
* Olatz Lopez Garmendia - Reinaldo's Mother
* Vito Maria Schnabel - Teenage Reinaldo Arenas

Awards

* 2000: Venice International Film Festival: Silver Lion – Jury's special award: Julian Schnabel [ [http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/215445/Before-Night-Falls/awards Awards] nytimes.com.]
* 2000: Venice International Film Festival: Coppa Volpi (Best Actor): Javier Bardem
* 2000: National Board of Review Award for Best Actor:Best Actor: Javier Bardem [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0247196/awards Awards] imdb.com.]
* 2000:
* 2000: National Board of Review Awards: Freedom of Expression
* 2000: Political Film Society Award for Exposé
* 2000: Independent Spirit Awards: Best Actor: Javier Bardem [ [http://www.before-night-falls.com/frameset.html Awards] Official website]

References

External links

* [http://www.before-night-falls.com/ Official website]
*imdb title | id=0247196 | title=Before Night Falls
*rotten-tomatoes | id=before_night_falls | title=Before Night Falls
*mojo title | id=beforenightfalls | title=Before Night Falls