The Black Dahlia
Promotional Poster
Directed by	Brian De Palma
Produced by	Art Linson Rudy Cohen Moshe Diamant
Written by	Novel: James Ellroy Screenplay: Josh Friedman
Starring	Josh Hartnett Aaron Eckhart Scarlett Johansson Hilary Swank Mia Kirshner Rose McGowan
Music by	Mark Isham
Cinematography	Vilmos Zsigmond
Editing by	Bill Pankow
Distributed by	Universal Studios (USA only)
Release date(s)	15 September 2006 (USA)
Running time	121 min.
Language	English
Budget	$40 million (reported)
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

The Black Dahlia is an Academy Award-nominated 2006 film directed by Brian De Palma. It is based on the novel of the same name by James Ellroy, which was based on the murder of Elizabeth Short. The Black Dahlia had its world premiere as the opening film at the 63rd Venice Film Festival on August 30th. The film's wide release was on 15 September 2006. Image File history File linksMetadata Black_dahlia_ver264. ... Brian De Palma (born James Giacinto DePalma on September 11, 1940 in Newark, New Jersey) is a prolific, and controversial American film director. ... Art Linson (b. ... James Ellroy (born Lee Earle Ellroy on March 4, 1948 in Los Angeles, California) is an American writer. ... Josh Friedman (born 1967) is an American screenwriter best known as the writer of the 2005 adaptation of H.G. Wells War of the Worlds. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Aaron E. Eckhart (born March 12, 1968) is a Golden Globe nominated American film actor. ... Scarlett Johansson (born November 22, 1984) is an American actress. ... Hilary Ann Swank (born July 30, 1974) is a two-time Academy Award-winning American actress. ... Mia Kirshner (born January 25, 1975) is a Canadian actress who works in movies and television series. ... Rose Arianna McGowan (born September 5, 1973)[1] is an American actress known for her role as Paige Matthews in The WB television series Charmed and the cult-classic The Doom Generation. ... Mark Isham (born September 7, 1951 in New York City) is an American trumpeter, synthesist, and composer. ... Vilmos Zsigmond (born June 16, 1930) is a Hungarian-American cinematographer. ... Bill Pankow is an American film editor who was born in New York City in 1952. ... Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios), a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is one of the major American film studios that has production studios and offices located at 100 Universal City Plaza Drive in Universal City, California, an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County between Los Angeles... is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... // Please note that following the tradition of the English language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the United States and Canada in 2006; because they may have made most of their income in a later year, they may not be the top-grossing... Brian De Palma (born James Giacinto DePalma on September 11, 1940 in Newark, New Jersey) is a prolific, and controversial American film director. ... The Black Dahlia is a neo-noir novel by James Ellroy taking inspiration from the true story of the murder of Elizabeth Short. ... James Ellroy (born Lee Earle Ellroy on March 4, 1948 in Los Angeles, California) is an American writer. ... Elizabeth Short, better known as the Black Dahlia, is a murder victim, born July 29, 1924 and died January 15, 1947. ... The 63rd Venice International Film Festival opened on August 30, 2006 with Brian De Palmas The Black Dahlia and closed September 9, 2006. ... is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

Background

The Black Dahlia shooting on location in Hollywood, June 2005. Black Angel is on the marquee.

The movie was originally in pre-production with David Fincher attached as director and Mark Wahlberg attached to play Lee Blanchard. Wahlberg was forced to drop out due to scheduling conflicts with The Brazilian Job. Fincher originally envisioned "a five-hour, $80-million mini-series with movie stars."^[1] Image File history File linksMetadata Black_Dahlia_Film_Shoot. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Black_Dahlia_Film_Shoot. ... ... Black Angel is a 1946 black-and-white film noir based on the novel by Cornell Woolrich. ... Pre-production is the process of preparing all the elements involved in a film, play, or other performance. ... David Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American music video and film director known for his dark and stylish portraits of the human experience. ... The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ... Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor, and television producer. ... The Brazilian Job is a sequel to the 2003 film The Italian Job. ...

When De Palma became director, he replaced Wahlberg with Aaron Eckhart shortly before shooting began in April 2005.^[2] Aaron E. Eckhart (born March 12, 1968) is a Golden Globe nominated American film actor. ...

This film was shot in Los Angeles, California and in Pernik, Bulgaria. Nickname: Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: , State California County Los Angeles County Settled 1781 Incorporated April 4, 1850 Government  - Type Mayor-Council  - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa  - City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo  - Governing body City Council Area  - City  498. ... Overview of the city Pernik (Bulgarian: ) is a city in western Bulgaria with a population of 91,883 as of 2006. ...

James Horner was originally on board the project but in February, 2006, it was reported that Mark Isham had replaced him.^[2] James Roy Horner (born August 14, 1953) is an American composer of orchestral and film music. ... Mark Isham (born September 7, 1951 in New York City) is an American trumpeter, synthesist, and composer. ...

Synopsis

The film follows two detectives in 1940s Los Angeles as they investigate the murder of Elizabeth Short (Mia Kirshner), known as the Black Dahlia. In a subplot to the movie, the two detectives, Dwight "Bucky" Bleichert (Josh Hartnett), and Lee Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart) are caught in a love triangle with Kay Lake (Scarlett Johansson). Lee and Bleichert become obsessed with the murder and it gradually consumes their lives, as they try to uncover an intricate plot that reaches far beyond the average murder, and into the depths of an urban underworld rife with pornography, femmes fatale, corrupt policemen, and criminals, a wildly graphic storyline set against the backdrop of the Black Dahlia murder. Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... Mia Kirshner (born January 25, 1975) is a Canadian actress who works in movies and television series. ... Elizabeth Betty Short (29 July 1924 – 15 January 1947), was an aspiring actress, today better known as the Black Dahlia. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Aaron E. Eckhart (born March 12, 1968) is a Golden Globe nominated American film actor. ... A love triangle refers to a romantic relationship involving three people. ... Scarlett Johansson (born November 22, 1984) is an American actress. ...

Differences between the novel and film

• In the novel, Bleichert loses the fight to Blanchard legitimately despite having arranged with gamblers to throw the match in exchange for cash with which to place his senile father in a nursing home. In the film, he appears to actually take the dive by dropping his defenses in the corner, allowing Blanchard to deliver the ferocious knockout combination.
• The romance between Bleichert and Kay Lake is dramatically streamlined in the film; in the novel, they are married and eventually separated during the time that the case comes to a resolution.
• In the novel, Bleichert succumbs more explicitly to the obsession with the Dahlia that Lee exhibited; this is understated in the film, though still suggested in several scenes. One notable difference along these lines is that at one point in the novel Bleichert hires a prostitute and has her dress up as the Black Dahlia; this scene is absent from the film.
• In the film, the Sprague family is renamed the Linscott family.
• The subplot involving Fritz Vogel (who appears as a bit character in the film) and his son Johnny Vogel (who is absent from the film) is entirely excised. The corresponding subplot involving the false confessors and Bleichert's brief suspicion of Johnny Vogel as the Dahlia killer is accordingly missing as well.
• Due in part to the removal of the Vogel subplot, Bleichert's relationship with police captain Russ Millard is diminished in the film. In the novel, Millard assists Bucky during the resolution of the case toward the end; in the film, Millard never appears during this time.
• In the novel, Lee's confrontation with Bobby DeWitt occurs in Mexico, not in Los Angeles as it does in the film, and the culmination of the conflict is discovered later by Bleichert when he tracks Lee's movements to Mexico and investigates his whereabouts. In the film, Bleichert is present for this incident and it occurs in Los Angeles: attacked by Madeleine, Lee and Georgie Tilden (who wanted to kill Lee) fall over the railing and die.
• In the novel, Bleichert's recognition of the significance of The Man Who Laughs painting occurs because the painting is located at a neighbor's house, Jane Chalmers, who is not present in the film. In the film, the painting is in the Linscott residence. As such, the manner in which Bleichert deduces the identity of the killer is markedly different in the film.
• In the novel, Bleichert confronts and kills Georgie Tilden at the murder site, but never directly confronts him in the film.
• In the film, Ramona Linscott commits suicide; she does not in the novel.
• In the novel, the incident between Bleichert and Ramona occurs when they are alone together; the film combines this confrontation with Bleichert's questioning of Emmett and Madeleine.
• In the novel Bleichert arrests Madeleine while he kills her in the film.

The Man Who Laughs is a novel by Victor Hugo, originally published in April 1869 under the French title LHomme qui Rit. ...

Reaction

Despite being highly anticipated by many, the film was panned by critics. At Rottentomatoes.com, the film scored a rotten rating of 35 percent. Many critics said it was over the top and that the last half-hour in particular was excruciating. On Yahoo! Movies, the film scored a "C" from users. The film only made 12 million dollars after its opening weekend. Common complaints are that the movie was disjointed, lacked continuity, plot, or substance, and that much of the film was inappropriate given the supposed subject matter.^{[citation needed]} A number of critics noted as preposterous the supposed close resemblance between Mia Kirshner and Hilary Swank, which is repeatedly referenced in the film. Rotten Tomatoes (http://www. ... This article or section should be merged with Yahoo! Yahoo! Movies provides information on current movie theater releases, including showtimes, critical reviews and general popular opinion. ...

The film was recently nominated for an Academy Award for its cinematography.

Box Office

The film opened Friday, 15 September 2006, in 2,226 theaters. It came in second place over its opening weekend, with an estimated $10 million gross box office. As of 26 October 2006, after six weeks in theaters, it has grossed only $22,545,080.^[3] is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... October 26 is the 299th day of the year (300th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

Cast

This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Aaron E. Eckhart (born March 12, 1968) is a Golden Globe nominated American film actor. ... Scarlett Johansson (born November 22, 1984) is an American actress. ... Hilary Ann Swank (born July 30, 1974) is a two-time Academy Award-winning American actress. ... Mia Kirshner (born January 25, 1975) is a Canadian actress who works in movies and television series. ... Mike Starr (born Michael William Salvatore July 29, 1950 in Queens, New York) is an Italian-American actor. ... Rose Arianna McGowan (born September 5, 1973)[1] is an American actress known for her role as Paige Matthews in The WB television series Charmed and the cult-classic The Doom Generation. ... Fiona Shaw as Aunt Petunia in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. ...

References

1. ^ "2 men, 1 obsession: the quest for justice"
2. ^ ^{a b} Trivia for The Black Dahlia
3. ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=blackdahlia.htm

External links

• Official Movie Site
• The Black Dahlia at the Internet Movie Database
• Detailed Summary of the Film
• Brian De Palma a la Mod
• A Dark Moment in the Harsh Hollywood Sun - New York Times, February 5, 2006
• SoundtrackNet's First Listen of Mark Isham's score to The Black Dahlia
• Review at Being There
• Review and notes/trivia at the Alternative Film Guide
• Review at CriticalMess.net