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Sliver (film)

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Sliver
Theatrical release poster
Directed byPhillip Noyce
Screenplay byJoe Eszterhas
Based onSliver
by Ira Levin
Produced byRobert Evans
Starring
CinematographyVilmos Zsigmond
Edited by
Music byHoward Shore
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release dates
  • May 19, 1993 (1993-05-19) (Westwood premiere)
  • May 21, 1993 (1993-05-21) (United States)
Running time
107 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$40 million[1]
Box office$116.3 million[2]

Sliver is a 1993 American erotic thriller film starring Sharon Stone, William Baldwin, and Tom Berenger. It is based on the Ira Levin novel of the same name about the mysterious occurrences in a privately owned New York high-rise sliver building.[3] Phillip Noyce directed the film, from a screenplay by Joe Eszterhas.[4] Because of a major battle with the MPAA (which originally gave the film an NC-17 rating), the filmmakers were forced to make extensive reshoots before release which necessitated changing the killer's identity.

The film was released theatrically on May 21, 1993, by Paramount Pictures. While it topped the U.S box office it underperformed domestically, it was a huge hit overseas however. Sliver, like many erotic thrillers of the time, found great success in the home video market,[5][6] and was the 8th most rented film in the United States for 1994.[7]

Plot

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Carly Norris, a beautiful book editor and divorcee in her mid-30s, moves into the exclusive New York City sliver building "113". She meets other tenants including Zeke, a video game designer; Jack, a novelist; Vida, a fashion model who moonlights as a call girl; and Gus, a professor of videography at New York University. They tell Carly that she bears a striking resemblance to Naomi Singer, the previous tenant of her apartment who fell to her death from her balcony.

After running into Zeke numerous times, Carly invites him to her housewarming party. Soon afterwards, they begin a sexual relationship. Meanwhile, Jack starts stalking Carly and warning her about Zeke who he says is "sick". He also points out that Zeke's deceased mother, a soap opera actress named Thea Manning, bears a resemblance to Carly. As Jack's behavior becomes more erratic, Gus dies in the shower under suspicious circumstances and Vida is murdered, with police suspicion falling on Jack for her death after Carly discovers him in the stairwell with her corpse.

Zeke reveals to Carly that he is the owner of 113, which he bought with his inheritance from his wealthy father. As owner of 113, Zeke has installed a comprehensive video surveillance system throughout the building, allowing him to spy on all of the tenants from his own secret surveillance room. Through deduction and eventually one of Zeke's secret recordings, Carly learns that Jack killed Naomi in a crime of passion.

Jack was jealous of Zeke, who had sexual relations with both Naomi and Vida. Jack attacks Carly in her own apartment, and she accidentally shoots him dead. Angry at Zeke for withholding evidence in Naomi's murder, and jealous of his liaisons with Naomi and Vida, Carly destroys Zeke's surveillance room, tells him to "get a life", then leaves.

Cast

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Production

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Location

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In the film, the tall and narrow sliver building is located at 113 East 38th Street in Manhattan, placing it at 38th Street and Park Avenue. The actual building used in the film is known as Morgan Court, located at 211 Madison Avenue New York, one block west and two blocks south of the fictional address.[1] The building has since become a condominium development. It was built in 1985 and has 32 floors. While the movie made use of the building's courtyard, the lobby was a Los Angeles film set.[1]

Original ending

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In the film's original ending Zeke, instead of Jack, turns out to be the killer. After the police assume Jack to be the murderer Carly and Zeke burn the videotapes. Soon afterwards they wed atop the Sliver building. On their honeymoon they fly a helicopter over a Hawaiian volcano where Carly reveals that she knows he is the killer. She tells him she still has the tape of him murdering Gus in the shower and that "it's safe", implying she is willing to cover up his crimes and that she has found the excitement missing from her previous marriage. With their seatbelts off and Carly videotaping the scenery Zeke lowers the aircraft into the volcano as they both laugh gleefully. The scene then cuts to Zeke's surveillance room where the televisions display nothing but static. The end credits roll and leave the audience to decide whether they survive.[8] The shooting of the final scene resulted in the crashing of the helicopter.[1] After an investigation the pilot's certificate was temporarily suspended. The footage shot during the flight was destroyed.[3] Preview audiences disliked the idea of Carly turning immoral, so the ending was re-written and re-shot, to the one used in the final release.[3]

Allegations about Robert Evans' behavior

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In her 2021 memoir The Beauty of Living Twice, Stone alleged but did not name a producer who, in her career, had told her to sleep with a costar in a film; in 2024, on The Louis Theroux Podcast, Stone revealed the producer to be Robert Evans, further stating that Evans had wanted Stone and Baldwin to have sex in order to "have chemistry onscreen" and it would "save the movie", alleging that Evans had told her that "the real problem is that I was such a tight-ass," while Stone refused.[9][10][11] Baldwin later attacked these allegations on social media, claiming that Stone had "a crush" on him, and to have "so much dirt on" Stone and sarcastically asking if he should write a book to "tell the many, many disturbing, kinky and unprofessional tales about Sharon".[12][13] At least one entertainment blog derided the posts as "a bizarre, misogynistic rant" and "dripping with hatred for Stone", while noting that Janice Dickinson, whom Baldwin had claimed said Stone had expressed interest in him, had denied his claims.[14]

Release and reception

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The film premiered on May 19, 1993, at Mann National Theatre in Los Angeles.[1] It was released two days later, on May 21, and received negative reviews from critics. Review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 18% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 28 reviews, with an average rating of 3.8/10. The site's critics consensus reads "Sliver is an absurd erotic thriller with technobabble and posits prime Sharon Stone as a professional book nerd."[15] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 38 out of 100 based on 21 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[16]

The main criticisms were that the film provided little in the way of compelling thriller elements,[17] the script diluted the plot of the novel,[18] the characters were underdeveloped,[19] and the actors were not on form.[20] Critics argued that compared to Sharon Stone's role as a femme fatale in Basic Instinct the year prior, her portrayal in Sliver as a passive character who has to be "lured into sexual intrigue" is unconvincing.[17][21] The Austin Chronicle stated, "There's no suspense, no drama, no tension, no logic. It makes you appreciate all the craft that went into Basic Instinct".[20]

Criticism was also directed at the handling of the recurring themes of voyeurism and surveillance.[20] Peter Rainer of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "There’s no emotional pull to the neo-Gothic world in 'Sliver,' where people connect up by video monitor and computer with occasional forays in the flesh. It’s no news that we like to watch. But first you must give us something worth watching."[21] Lastly, many critics also singled out the editing and ending, calling the latter hasty and unconvincing.[22][21] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "C−" on a scale from A+ to F.[23]

MPAA ratings issues

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Director Phillip Noyce claimed he had to make 110 edits to the film in order to avoid an NC-17 rating by removing the display of male frontal nudity.[24] However, when Paramount released the unrated version to video there was no male frontal nudity included.[25]

Box office

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The film debuted at No. 1 at the box office making $12.1 million in 2,093 theaters.[26] By the second week the box office taking dropped to No. 6.[27] Sliver eventually grossed $36.3 million domestically[28] and $87.6 million internationally to a total of $123.9 million worldwide.[2]

Home media

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When originally released on VHS, the film was released in both its theatrical R-rated version and an unrated version which restored the cuts made by the MPAA. In March 2006, to coincide with the theatrical release of Basic Instinct 2, which starred Stone, Sliver was released on DVD.[29] Only the unrated cut was made commercially available, but the R-rated cut was distributed for rental. Although the film was theatrically shown in the 2.35 aspect ratio, the DVD features a matted, 2.10 aspect ratio transfer. In 2013, the R-rated cut was released on Blu-ray, sourced from the same 2.10 aspect ratio HD master used for the DVD release.[30]

In 2024, Vinegar Syndrome, under license from Paramount, announced an Ultra HD Blu-ray release of the film as part of their annual Black Friday sales event, featuring a new director-supervised 4K restoration of the unrated version presented in its original 2.35 theatrical aspect ratio. The alternative scenes from the R-rated cut are also included as a bonus.[31]

Accolades

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Award Category Subject Result
Golden Raspberry Awards[32] Worst Picture Robert Evans Nominated
Worst Director Phillip Noyce Nominated
Worst Screenplay Joe Eszterhas Nominated
Worst Actor William Baldwin Nominated
Worst Actress Sharon Stone Nominated
Worst Supporting Actor Tom Berenger Nominated
Worst Supporting Actress Colleen Camp Nominated
Stinkers Bad Movie Awards[33] Worst Picture Won
Worst Actress Sharon Stone Won
MTV Movie Awards Most Desirable Male William Baldwin Won
Most Desirable Female Sharon Stone Nominated

Soundtrack

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Main article: Sliver (soundtrack)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Sliver at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
  2. ^ a b "UIP 25th Anniversary". Variety. September 11, 1995. p. 66.
  3. ^ a b c Dowd, Maureen (May 30, 1993). "FILM; Bucks and Blondes: Joe Eszterhas Lives The Big Dream". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 18, 2017. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  4. ^ Dretzka, Gary (October 26, 1997). "Beyond 'Sliver'". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on September 15, 2012. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
  5. ^ Willmore, Alison (April 8, 2022). "Erotic Thrillers Owe Everything to Home Viewers". Vulture. Archived from the original on April 12, 2022. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  6. ^ Hunt, Dennis (November 26, 1993). "National Video Rentals : 'Sliver' Full of Rental Sex Appeal". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  7. ^ "Billboard's year-end ranking of the top video sales and rentals between Dec. 4, 1993 and Nov. 26, 1994". UPI. December 29, 1994.
  8. ^ Hicks, Chris (May 29, 1993). "WITHOUT 'SLIVER' OF A CLUE, MYSTERY ENDS POORLY". Deseret News. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  9. ^ Badshah, Nadeem (March 12, 2024). "Sharon Stone names producer who 'told her to sleep with co-star'". The Guardian. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  10. ^ Sharf, Zach (March 12, 2024). "Sharon Stone Says 'Sliver' Producer Robert Evans Told Her to Have Sex With Co-Star Because 'Then We'd Have Chemistry' and 'That Would Save the Movie'". Variety. Archived from the original on March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  11. ^ Walsh, Savannah (March 12, 2024). "William Baldwin Wonders Whether Sharon Stone Still Has "a Crush on Me"". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on March 14, 2024. "He's running around his office in his sunglasses explaining to me that he slept with Ava Gardner [his The Sun Also Rises costar] and I should sleep with Billy Baldwin, because if I slept with Billy Baldwin, Billy Baldwin's performance would get better, and we needed Billy to get better in the movie because that was the problem," Stone said on Tuesday's episode of The Louis Theroux Podcast. (Vanity Fair has reached out to Baldwin's rep for comment.) According to Stone, Evans's thinking was, "If I could sleep with Billy, then we would have chemistry onscreen, and if I would just have sex with him then that would save the movie. And the real problem in the movie was me because I was so uptight, and so not like a real actress, who could just fuck him and get things back on track. And the real problem is that I was such a tight-ass," she recalled. Sliver was Stone's follow-up to 1992's Oscar-nominated Basic Instinct, during which Stone says she had a markedly different experience. "I didn't have to fuck Michael Douglas," Stone said. "Michael could come to work and just know how to hit those marks and do that line, and rehearse and show up. Now all of a sudden I'm in the 'I have to fuck people' business." In her 2021 memoir, The Beauty of Living Twice, Stone said that the actor-approval clause of her contract was often ignored. "They cast who they wanted. To my dismay, sometimes. To the detriment of the picture, sometimes," she wrote. At times, the Oscar nominee would think, "You guys insisted on this actor when he couldn't get one whole scene out in the test.… Now you think if I fuck him, he will become a fine actor? Nobody's that good in bed," Stone wrote, adding, "I felt they could have just hired a costar with talent, someone who could deliver a scene and remember his lines. I also felt they could fuck him themselves and leave me out of it." Stone wrote that she did not follow Evans's alleged directive, and was labeled "difficult" for it. "Naturally I didn't you-know-what my costar; he was baffled enough without me confusing him some more," she wrote. "But he did make a few haphazard passes at me in the upcoming weeks, I'm sure spurred on by this genius."
  12. ^ Parkel, Inga (March 13, 2024). "Billy Baldwin attacks Sharon Stone's claims that she was pressured to sleep with him". The Independent. Archived from the original on March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  13. ^ Walsh, Savannah (March 12, 2024). "William Baldwin Wonders Whether Sharon Stone Still Has "a Crush on Me"". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  14. ^ Ulatowski, Rachel (March 14, 2024). "Billy Baldwin Lashes Out at Sharon Stone With a Disgusting Misogynistic Rant". The Mary Sue. Archived from the original on March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024. However, Baldwin's ego was severely hurt by the insinuation that his acting wasn't top-notch. He was inordinately triggered by Stone's brief mention of him, as evidenced by his unhinged X rant in which he claims Stone is lying because she has "a crush" on him and "is still hurt after all these years" because he supposedly rejected her. Baldwin goes on to claim that she told her friend Janice Dickinson that she would make him fall for her. On top of that, he claimed he demanded to choreograph an intimate scene in Sliver so he "wouldn't have to kiss Sharon" during it. He also appeared to threaten Stone, writing "I have so much dirt on her it would make her head spin. […] Wonder if I should write a book and tell the many, many disturbing, kinky and unprofessional tales about Sharon?" X users were taken aback by the post, as it is dripping with hatred for Stone. She merely hinted that he struggled on Sliver and he thought that warranted hitting back with a post essentially saying he's repulsed by her? He also couldn't come up with a more original defense than the typical misogynistic delusion that any woman who doesn't sing his praises must be a jaded lover? Meanwhile, Dickinson has already spoken out and stated that he's outright lying—Stone never made any statement to her about being interested in Baldwin.
  15. ^ "Sliver (1993)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on March 13, 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  16. ^ "Sliver Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  17. ^ a b Maslin, Janet (May 22, 1993). "Review/Film; Peeping Tom's Guide To Modern Voyeurism". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  18. ^ Salisbury, Mark (January 1, 2000). "Sliver". Empire. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  19. ^ "Sliver". Variety. January 1, 1993. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  20. ^ a b c Baumgarten, Marjorie (May 28, 1993). "Movie Review: Sliver". Austin Chronicle. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  21. ^ a b c Rainer, Peter (May 22, 1993). "MOVIE REVIEW : Erotic Thriller 'Sliver' Leaves a Lot to Be Desired". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 2, 2019. Retrieved December 24, 2010.
  22. ^ Gleiberman, Owen (June 4, 1993). "Sliver". EW.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  23. ^ "Home - Cinemascore". Cinemascore. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  24. ^ Cagle, Jess (May 21, 1993). "The troubled making of Sliver". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  25. ^ Bergeson, Samantha; Foreman, Alison (May 31, 2024). "'Sliver' Is Mandatory Midnight Movie Viewing for Any 'Basic Instinct' Fan". IndieWire. Archived from the original on June 1, 2024. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  26. ^ Fox, David J. (May 24, 1993). "Stone Gets a 'Sliver' of Box Office but Not a Runaway". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
  27. ^ Fox, David J. (June 1, 1993). "Sly's Back in Peak Form at Box Office". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
  28. ^ "Sliver (1993) - Box Office Mojo". IMDb. Archived from the original on December 16, 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
  29. ^ "Sliver (Unrated Edition)". Amazon. Archived from the original on August 19, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  30. ^ "Sliver Blu-ray". blu-ray.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  31. ^ "Sliver". Vinegar Syndrome. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  32. ^ "1993 RAZZIE Nominees & "Winners"". The Official RAZZIE Forum. Archived from the original on February 17, 2010. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  33. ^ "Past Winners Database". The Envelope at LA Times. Archived from the original on January 5, 2007. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
[edit]
Awards
Preceded by Stinker Award for Worst Picture
1993 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards 		Succeeded by
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