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| Thriller – A Cruel Picture |
Theatrical release poster |
| Directed by |
Bo Arne Vibenius |
| Produced by |
Bo Arne Vibenius |
| Written by |
Bo Arne Vibenius |
| Starring |
Christina Lindberg
Heinz Hopf |
| Music by |
Ralph Lundsten |
| Release date(s) |
Cannes Film Festival:
May 1973[1]
United States:
5 June 1974
Sweden:
30 October 1974 |
| Running time |
107 min. (Full uncut)
82 min (US cut)
104 min (Vengeance Edition) |
| Country |
Sweden |
| Language |
Swedish |
Thriller – A Cruel Picture (Swedish: Thriller – en grym film, also known as They Call Her One Eye, Hooker's Revenge and Thriller) is a 1973 Swedish exploitation film in the "rape and revenge" genre written and directed by Bo Arne Vibenius.
It tells the story of a mute young woman who is being forced into
heroin addiction for which she has to work as a prostitute, and her
revenge on the men responsible.
The film was marketed as the first film ever to be completely banned in Sweden, although the one that actually was first was Victor Sjöström's The Gardener from 1912.[2] It has received a cult following and was one of the inspirations behind Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, specifically the character of Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah).
The story is about a girl, Frigga/Madeleine (Christina Lindberg),
who is sexually assaulted during her childhood and the trauma makes her
mute. When she becomes older, she accepts a ride from a man who makes
her a heroin addict, and then becomes her pimp. At one point, she is stabbed in the eye (a scene for which the director, to much controversy, used an actual cadaver)
for refusing a client. She starts saving up money to buy weapons and
take classes in driving, shooting, etc. to finally take revenge.
- Christina Lindberg as Madeleine
- Heinz Hopf as Tony
- Despina Tomazani as the lesbian girl
- Per-Axel Arosenius as Madeleine's father
- Solveig Andersson as Sally
- Björn Kristiansson as the addict
- Marie-Louise Mannervall as woman in village
- Hildur Lindberg as woman in village
- Marshall McDonagh as karate teacher
- Pamela Pethö-Galantai as Madeleine as a child
- Hans-Eric Stenborg as sex buyer
- Stig Ström as sex buyer
- Gunnel Wadner as Madeleine's mother
Vibenius himself appears in a short scene, as a food vendor.
[edit] Release
The original running time was 107 minutes. After being banned by the
Swedish film censorship board, it was cut down to 104 minutes and then
86 minutes, but still banned. It was finally released after being cut
down to 82 minutes. In the United States it had also been cut to 82
minutes.
[edit] Home media
In 2004 and 2005, Synapse Films released two versions of Thriller on DVD.
Thriller: They Call Her One-Eye (Vengeance Edition): This
edition, released on August 30, 2005, contains all of the action scenes
that were cut from the original theatrical cut. This version is more
accessible, however, it contains scanty bonus material (a theatrical
trailer) and an exclusive essay in the liner notes. Widescreen, spoken
languages Swedish and English, with available English subtitles. Running
time is 104 minutes.
Thriller – A Cruel Picture – (Limited Edition): This edition of Thriller,
released on September 28, 2004, contains the film in its entirety, as
well as all of the violence that was cut from the original version.
Bonus Features include two trailers, THRILLER: A CRUEL LAB MISTAKE,
which documents a lab accident that cost the director two days worth of
footage, a photo gallery of Christina Lindberg posing nude during the
shooting of Thriller, as well as a look at the entire film in 40
seconds. Widescreen, Spoken languages English and Swedish, with
available English subtitles. Running time is 107 minutes.
[edit] Controversy
Vibenius directed the movie under the pseudonym Alex Fridolinski. In
the marketing materials the two names share credit for story. He later
attempted to prevent Thriller from being released on DVD by bringing a lawsuit against Synapse Films,
claiming they did not have the rights to the film. Synapse produced
legal documentation to show that they had acquired the assets to the
company that held Thriller as one of its properties, and thus owned the film for the remainder of the original contracted period.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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