Dressed to Kill (1980)

Director:

Brian De Palma

Writer:

Brian De Palma (written by)

Release Date:

25 July 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

The Latest Fashion In Murder

Plot:

A mysterious, tall, blonde woman, wearing sunglasses murders one of a psychiatrist's patients, and now she's after the prostitute who witnessed it.

Plot Keywords:

Apartment | Psychiatrist | Elevator | Murder | Death

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

Michael Caine	...	Doctor Robert Elliott
Angie Dickinson	...	Kate Miller
Nancy Allen	...	Liz Blake
Keith Gordon	...	Peter Miller
Dennis Franz	...	Detective Marino
David Margulies	...	Dr. Levy
Ken Baker	...	Warren Lockman
Susanna Clemm	...	Betty Luce
Brandon Maggart	...	Cleveland Sam
Amalie Collier	...	Cleaning Woman
Mary Davenport	...	Woman in Restaurant
Anneka Di Lorenzo	...	Nurse (as Anneka De Lorenzo)
Norman Evans	...	Ted
Robbie L. McDermott	...	Man in Shower
Bill Randolph	...	Chase Cabbie
Sean O'Rinn	...	Museum Cabbie
Fred Weber	...	Mike Miller
Samm-Art Williams	...	Subway Cop
Robert Lee Rush	...	Hood #1
Anthony Boyd Scriven	...	Hood #2
Robert McDuffie	...	Hood #3
Frederick Sanders	...	Hood #4
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Wendell Hauser
Tony Devon	...	Man in Museum (uncredited)
William Finley	...	Voice of Bobbi (uncredited)
Erika Katz	...	Girl in elevator (uncredited)
Mark Margolis	...	Patient at Bellvue Hospital (uncredited)
Lisa Peluso	...	Museum Girl (uncredited)
Jerry Schram	...	Building Tenant (uncredited)

Directed by
Brian De Palma

Writing credits
Brian De Palma		(written by)

Produced by
Samuel Z. Arkoff	....	executive producer
Fred C. Caruso	....	associate producer (as Fred Caruso)
George Litto	....	producer

Original Music by
Pino Donaggio

Cinematography by
Ralf D. Bode		(as Ralf Bode)

Film Editing by
Gerald B. Greenberg		(as Jerry Greenberg)

Casting by
Vic Ramos

Art Direction by
Gary Weist

Set Decoration by
Gary J. Brink		(as Gary Brink)

Costume Design by
Gary Jones
Ann Roth

Makeup Department
Joseph Cranzano	....	makeup artist
Bob Grimaldi	....	hair stylist (as Robert Grimaldi)
Robert Laden	....	special makeup
Tony Lloyd	....	makeup artist: Mr. Caine (as Anthony Lloyd)

Production Management
Fred C. Caruso	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William Eustace	....	second assistant director
Paula Mazur	....	dga trainee
Michael Rauch	....	first assistant director
Robert Rothbard	....	second second assistant director

Art Department
Gilbert Gertsen	....	chief carpenter
William Kane	....	property master
William Lowry	....	construction grip
Paul J. Wilson	....	assistant props

Sound Department
Ed Abele	....	boom operator
John H. Bolz	....	sound mixer (as John Bolz)
Peter Ilardi	....	sound recordist
Lowell Mate	....	assistant sound editor
Michael Moyse	....	sound editor
Dan Sable	....	supervising sound editor
Dick Vorisek	....	sound re-recording supervisor
Jean Fraser Wardle	....	assistant sound editor (as Jean Wardle)
Randall Coleman	....	apprentice sound editor (uncredited)

Stunts
Steve James	....	stunts
Victor Magnotta	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Holly Bower	....	still photographer
Marc Hirschfeld	....	first assistant camera
Jack Kennedy	....	dolly grip
Ed Quinn	....	key grip
Michael Stone	....	camera operator
David Wagreich	....	second assistant camera
James C. Walsh	....	best boy (as James Walsh)
William Ward	....	gaffer

Casting Department
Sylvia Fay	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Greg Fauss	....	costumer: men
Alba Schipari	....	costumer: women

Editorial Department
Ray Hubley	....	assistant film editor
Maria Iano	....	assistant film editor
Bill Pankow	....	associate film editor
Wende Phifer Mate	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
Todd Kasow	....	music editor
Natale Massara	....	conductor
John Moses	....	musician: clarinet (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Tom O'Brien	....	transportation captain (as Thomas O'Brien)

Other crew
Edward Crocitto	....	location coordinator (as Ed Crocitto)
Jean De Niro	....	production assistant
Joy Glaccum	....	stand-in: Angie Dickinson and Michael Caine
Gary Hill	....	assistant: Brian Depalma
Sam Irvin	....	assistant: Brian De Palma
Gail Kearns	....	assistant: Mr. Litto
Shirley Marcus	....	production office coordinator
Danny Matalon	....	production assistant
Martha Pinson	....	script supervisor
Jeffrey Silver	....	location manager
Rachel Ticotin	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• Filmways Pictures
• Cinema 77 Films (as Cinema 77/Film Group)
• Warwick Associates

Distributors

• Filmways Pictures (1980) (USA) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1982) (USA) (TV)
• Europa Film (1980) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Union Générale Cinématographique (UGC) (1981) (France) (theatrical)
• Orion Pictures Corporation (1982-1998) (worldwide) (all media)
• Warner Home Video (1988) (USA) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Image Entertainment (1994) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1998-) (worldwide) (all media)
• Sandrew Film & Teater (1998) (Sweden) (VHS)
• GoodTimes Home Video (1999) (USA) (VHS)
• Carlotta Films (2000) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
• GoodTimes Home Video (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (Europe) (2002) (UK) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Ambassador Film Distributors (198?) (Canada) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (Brazil) (DVD)
• CEL Home Video (19??) (Australia) (VHS)
• Flashstar (Brazil) (VHS)
• RCV Home Entertainment (199?) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Star Video (19??) (Australia) (VHS)
• Vestron Video (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)

Other Companies

• Cinemobile System  locations
• Hastings Sound Editorial  sound effects
• John Springer Associates Inc.  public relations
• Sylvia Fay Casting  extras casting
• Optical House, The  titles and opticals
• Trans / Audio  sound re-recording

Runtime:

105 min | USA:104 min (R-rated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Singapore:R21 | USA:R (cut) | Portugal:M/16 | Brazil:14 | USA:X | Netherlands:16 | Italy:VM14 | South Korea:18 | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Canada:R | Finland:K-18 | France:-16 | Norway:18 (1981) | Peru:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | West Germany:18 | Ireland:18 | UK:X (original rating)

Filming Locations:

162 East 70th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Filmways Pictures

Trivia:

In the late 1970s, Brian De Palma wrote a screenplay based on Gerald Walker's article "Cruising", but was unable to obtain the rights to the material. Cruising, the story of a series of brutal murders in the gay New York underworld, was subsequently adapted and directed by William Friedkin, while De Palma fashioned some of the elements from his own Cruising screenplay into Dressed to Kill. Both films were released, to great controversy (and after numerous battles with the MPAA to avoid X ratings), in 1980.

Goofs:

Continuity: Liz's hair is dry when she comes out of the shower.

Quotes:

Voice of Bobbi: [on Elliott's answering machine] This is Bobbi. You won't see me anymore, so I thought I'd have a little session with your machine. Oh Doctor, I'm so unhappy. I'm a woman trapped inside a man's body--and you're not helping me to get out! So I got a new shrink, Levy's his name, he's gonna sign the papers so I can get my operation. Oh...I borrowed your razor...and--well, you'll read all about it. Some blonde bitch saw me, but I'll get her.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (2005)

She's Dressed To Kill You

When people ask me why do I like movies so much, I usually respond, "have you seen the art-gallery sequence in De Palma's Dressed to Kill?" That scene alone, pretty much represents everything I want to see in a film. If I was a film director, that would be the kind of thing I'd like to do. "Pure cinema" is one way of describing that sequence, and it is truly amazing to see how director De Palma's entire movie works at the same high artistic frequency of that scene. It is a dream-like movie, clever as hell, and with more zest and intelligence than a dozen films put together. I think the movie raises an important point that will always be a topic of heated discussion: could a movie rely solely on technique and still be considered an artistic success? The film has no message to speak of, acting is great but it is at the service of the style, and the script is short on logic. De Palma's movie makes a really good case that style, when handled properly, can sustain a feature length film. Sure, Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson, Nancy Allen and Keith Gordon give superlative performances, but this is a director's movie all the way to the fadeout. It is a sensational demonstration of the possibilities of the film medium. I won't tell you what Hitchcock movie the film pays homage to (I don't want to spoil any surprises), but I think De Palma transcends the story's arc, and he manages to create a film that pretty much summarizes his entire career. Not for the faint of heart!