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Behind the Scenes of "American Psycho" |
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Other Articles |
Years
before it was considered as a viable film project, American Psycho
was the eye of a storm of controversy. The ultra-violent novel by author
Bret Easton Ellis (Less Than Zero) was so violently protested by
feminist groups in 1991 that the original publisher, Simon &
Schuster dropped the manuscript, which was later picked up by Vintage
Books. Continued mounting criticism, spearheaded by the Los Angeles
chapter of the National Organization for Women, was then focused on the
booksellers themselves. Most retailers, although supportive of
the author's First Amendment rights, were cowed into avoiding
prominent display of the book in most stores.
Yet the New York Times, among other critical defenders, hailed the story of a yuppie serial killer, who vents his homicidal rage against women and the poor. It has even been compared to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, inasmuch as it presents a monster for its time; and like the Frankenstein monster, American Psycho refused to stay dead. It resurrected the furious outcry from its earlier detractors in 1998 when trade papers announced that Leonardo DiCaprio, anxious to shed his heartthrob stereotype from Titanic, had signed to play the lead character in the film. The same women's groups then targeted DiCaprio for immediate attack. Within months, he bailed out of the project despite the promise of a whopping $21 million paycheck. This turn of events, however, pleased director Mary Harron (I Shot Andy Warhol), who co-wrote the adapted screenplay with Guinevere Turner, because the role was then given to Christian Bale, who was Harron's first choice for the part. The women filmmakers were admittedly mystified by the brouhaha. Harron points out, "in this story, the only sympathetic characters are women." Turner stresses, "American Psycho is very feminist." She surmises, "it's easy to believe that because the character is misogynist, the story is too." Final debate involved cuts mandated by distributors to ensure an "R" rating for theatrical release. Rent American Psycho now to see why it holds the distinction of being the most provocative film of recent years. |
