Madonna and Director Susan Seidelman on the set of Desperately Seeking Susan. "She'll love it."Wow. 25 years ago Desperately Seeking Susan came out. I don't think there has been a movie before or after that I have been so excited for it's release. A life changing experience if you were fortunate enough to see it on the Big Screen - at the height of Madonna-Mania! Seriously, nothing has been like Desperately Seeking Susan and it never will be. It is, by far, the greatest Madonna movie. It's really what separated Madonna from her contemporaries - the role that made her immortal.
Actors search their entire career to get a role as defining as Susan was for Madonna. It was like Gloria Swanson landing Norma Desmond in Billy Wilder's Sunset Blvd. - a role she will forever be known for. For Swanson, Sunset Blvd. was a blessing for it was a comeback and much later in her career. For Madonna, Desperately Seeking Susan was almost a curse - for it was in the beginning of her career and she was so arresting and her presence so strong that she has really been unable to escape it. In fact, it was Gloria Swanson who said, "that corniest of all theatrical cliches - that on very rare occasions the actor actually becomes the part. Barrymore is Hamlet. Garbo is Camille. Swanson is Norma Desmond." Well, I will add to that..."Madonna is Susan." I still believe there is a role for Madonna that may come later, several generations away from Susan, that may have that same high level impact.
The Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas review, The Calendar Section still completely intact after 25 years, scanned especially for you all. The movie is mesmerizing. From the acting, cinematography, set design, script, humor, sexiness...just about everything in this movie is wonderful - no stone was left unturned in regard to detail. Every character down to the sax player (John Lurie from the Lounge Lizards), shown for millisecond through a window while Dez and Roberta are eating chinese food on the roof, was a fixture on the downtown New York scene at that time. Not only is the movie brilliant, it's also historical for these reasons never to be captured again in Hollywood History:
1. This is the first major motion picture in the history of Hollywood directed by a woman (Susan Seidelman), produced by two women (Sarah Pillsbury, Midge Sanford), about two women with the lead roles (Rosanna Arquette, Madonna) . It's a true feminist film and that was their demographic until Madonna's star blew up mid-production and she was known as 'the slut'. When production began for Susan, Madonna only had her first album out and although she was already the biggest and greatest star to have ever lived to me, Like a Virgin hadn't happened yet. Mid-production, her legendary bawdy performance of Like a Virgin at the 1984 MTV Music Awards happened and the album of the same name was released . Security was brought in because they were filming on the streets of New York and Madonna-Mania had hit. Historical fact: the feminists in those days, mainly Gloria Steinem, vocalized very loudly that Madonna was setting the women's movement back 30 years. The audience for Desperately Seeking Susan had changed before the movie was even finished. It was a character-driven, art house feminist film that suddenly had a mainstream appeal. Ms. magazine women and art farts weren't going anymore - Madonna was their nemesis. Camille Paglia wouldn't come around until a little later proclaiming Madonna as the 'future of feminism'. Even then, Camille wasn't on same page as the 'Germaine Greers' or 'Steinems' and this debate would continue well into the 1990's.
2. That particular time in New York City captured forever on celluloid. That New York scene has never been captured on film in the way it was in Desperately Seeking Susan. It's just a time but a very special time and the way director Seidelman, cinematographer Edward Lachman, and production designer Santo Loquasto created it was as if the viewer was living in the east village of New York City at the time. Everyone's been chasing that New York dragon but there is nothing like the first high. We could taste and smell it. So impressive was Loquato's work in capturing "that look" that he's been on virtually every Woody Allen film since. We are even invited into the Danceteria, the dance club made world famous by Madonna herself. So, thank God for the above mentioned for participating and capturing it properly.
Listen this can go on and on so, I'm going to add read more and any freak interested in more of my perpetual Madonna drivel, pictures, scans and personal Rosanna Arquette video from DSS screening can read on.
Ok, well all that history lesson bullshyt aside, I won tickets off KISS-FM to go to a pre-screening at the Director's Guild on Sunset Blvd. I took my friend and I was bursting with excitement. I was 14 years old and about to see My Hussy Goddess on the Silver Screen. We saw it, I thought it was the best motion picture I had ever seen. There was a raffle either before or after the film, I can't remember but what I do remember is that they were giving away a red satin jacket with the pyramid on the back. We were all given tickets and when they called the number I yelled, "That's Me!" I ran to the front to get my jacket even though they didn't really call my number. Haha!
The Jacket 25 years later!Then, in the Los Angeles Times, Daily News, school fliers, and on the radio, they were 'broadcasting' to see Madonna LIVE at the Desperately Seeking Susan premiere at the Plitt Century Plaza Theater in Century City on the Avenue of the Stars - so, my wonderful mother took me down there and I saw Madonna live for the very first time. I almost died. She was there, she was gorgeous, she was glowing - no shyt.
The Ad from the Los Angeles Times to see Madonna in person!
Orion Pictures wanted Madonna to go on Good Morning America to promote the film. Freddy Demann said "No Way." Instead they sent Rosanna Arquette to New York and the premiere was in Los Angeles. Rosanna was rightfully upset by this because nobody told her there was going to be a premiere.
It was also Rosanna who recommended Herb Ritts to do the promo shots that were not originally intended for the movie artwork - just press photos for various magazine - some of which I still have (Rolling Stone, Record Magazine) that were released months prior to film. It was Rosanna that introduced Madonna to Herb and said that she could see the gravitational pull between the two of them and then, of course, that he went on and was a part of creating the mythological Madonna.
Last month on February 18, I went to the American Cinematheque at Aero theater in Los Angeles and saw Desperately Seeking Susan on the big screen again for the first time in 25 years! It was just as good, if not better 25 years later. Rosanna Arquette was going to have a Q&A in between Scorceses's After Hours and DSS. It was fantastic on every level. She spoke and answered questions for a good 45 minutes. Producers Sarah Pillsbury and Midge Sandford came unexpectedly and joined the discussion. We were right in front and there was ROBERTA right in front of us. LEGENDARY! First they showed After Hours and then she spoke and stayed for DSS. I turned around and there she was, Roberta, watching one of the most important feminist films in the History of Motion Pictures, in which she starred, with her daughter. The most surreal moment is when we left. She was two feet in front of us as we were walking back to our car. She turned left, at the light and we crossed the street. There went Roberta Glass...it was fantastic.
Rosanna's Q & A - she said in those days she would assign her characters an astrological sign, yours truly asked her what sign Roberta was:
Rosanna's Q & A - she said in those days she would assign her characters an astrological sign, yours truly asked her what sign Roberta was:
Thanks to Alex for the Video. xo
