Half Moon Street

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Movie
German title Half Moon Street
Original title Half Moon Street
Country of production UK , USA
original language English
Publishing year 1986
length 90 minutes
Age rating FSK 16
Rod
Director Bob Swaim
script Edward Behr , Bob Swaim
production Edward R. Pressman ,
Geoffrey Reeve
music Richard Harvey ,
Dick Walter
camera Peter Hannan
cut Richard Marden
occupation

Half Moon Street is a British - American thriller by Bob Swaim from the year 1986 . Its plot is based on the novel Doctor Slaughter by Paul Theroux .

action

Dr. Lauren Slaughter (Weaver) has a serious problem: the attractive academic works for the proverbial sandwich at the Anglo-Arab Institute in London , where her superiors and colleagues exploit her and rob her of expected career opportunities.

One day she received a video cassette from an anonymous sender with a report about the Jasmine Escort Service . There, pretty young women can allegedly easily earn a golden nose by accompanying wealthy business people to official occasions without requiring more intimate performance from them. Frustrated about her desolate job situation and her money problems, Lauren throws her scruples overboard and contacts the Jasmine agency. From now on she leads a double life: during the day she is still the respectable employee of the Anglo-Arab Institute and in the evening she transforms into an increasingly successful escort lady who, thanks to a combination of charm and intelligence, soon becomes the star of the Jasmine agency. Lauren calmly accepts that customers expect a little more for their money than mere company, although she soon notices that the boundaries between her two roles are beginning to blur dangerously.

The situation worsens when Lauren gets to know and love the well-known politician Lord Bulbeck (Caine). Bulbeck, who campaigns for peace in the Middle East , replied to Lauren's affection, but did not want to openly acknowledge her due to his social position and the delicate political situation, as she has now mutated into a more or less notorious call girl, which he compromises feels. Humiliated by Bulbeck's reluctance, Lauren forces him to show a real love affair: on the occasion of his birthday, he is supposed to visit her alone for the first time in the luxury apartment on Half Moon Street, which an Arab friend has made available to Lauren. But shortly before Bulbeck arrives there, Lauren receives an unexpected and undesirable visit: A casual acquaintance not only penetrates her by force, but also turns out to be a contract killer who is supposed to shoot Bulbeck and get her out of the way as an unpleasant eyewitness.

Lauren realizes with horror that she has been cleverly manipulated: her Arab friends are in fact the backers of the Jasmine agency and have only used them as bait to lure Lord Bulbeck into a deadly trap; a plot in which Lauren was assigned the role of pawn sacrifice from the start. Fortunately, Lord Bulbeck has long been under complete surveillance. The attack is prevented and Lauren is saved. But there is no happy ending.

background

The film was shot in London. It grossed $ 1.13 million in American cinemas .

Reviews

Roger Ebert wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times of November 7, 1986 that the " honesty " between the characters of Lord Bulbeck and Dr. Slaughter made the film " fascinating ". The characters' motives and feelings are " clear ". The end is " clichéd " and " not convincing ".

Rita Kempley wrote in the Washington Post on December 19, 1986 that Dr. Slaughter should be “ a woman of the 1980s ”, a jogger and an expert. However, she works for an escort agency commissioned by the men who are “ not looking for a woman, but an object ”. Sigourney Weaver offers " troubled exhibitionism " and is - like some of the other actors - miscast. The direction is " bad ".

Awards

Sigourney Weaver won a prize from the Festival Internazionale del Giallo e del Mistro Cinema Televisione Letteratura in 1987 , while Bob Swaim was nominated for a prize at the same festival.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Filming locations for Half Moon Street. In: Internet Movie Database . Retrieved December 22, 2011 .
  2. ^ Business Data for Half Moon Street. In: Internet Movie Database . Retrieved December 22, 2011 .
  3. ^ Roger Ebert : Half Moon Street. In: Chicago Sun-Times . November 7, 1986, accessed December 22, 2011 .
  4. ^ Rita Kempley: Half Moon Street. In: The Washington Post . December 19, 1986, accessed December 22, 2011 .