The Funeral (1996)

Director:

Abel Ferrara

Writer (WGA):

Nicholas St. John (written by)

Release Date:

1 November 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

One family, one murder, too many lies.

Plot:

New York City, the 1930s. A powerful crime family is caught in a lethal crossfire between union organizers and brutal corporate bosses...

Plot Keywords:

Violence | Murder | 1930s | Family Relationships | Murder Victim

Awards:

2 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Christopher Walken	...	Ray Tempio
Chris Penn	...	Chez Tempio
Annabella Sciorra	...	Jean
Isabella Rossellini	...	Clara Tempio
Vincent Gallo	...	Johnny
Benicio Del Toro	...	Gaspare
Gretchen Mol	...	Helen
John Ventimiglia	...	Sali
Paul Hipp	...	Ghouly
Victor Argo	...	Julius
Gian DiDonna	...	Ray Sr. (as Gian Di Donna)
Dmitri Prachenko	...	Sentieri (as Dmitry Prachenko)
Paul Perri	...	Young Ray
Gregory Perrelli	...	Young Chez
Joey Hannon	...	Middle Chez

MPAA:

Rated R for strong crude sex scenes, strong violence and language.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:MA | Canada:18A (Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | South Korea:18 | Finland:K-16 (video premiere) | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:18 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

C&P Productions

Goofs:

Continuity: When Johnny is dead in his coffin, his neat hair becomes messy between shots.

Quotes:

Jean: Aren't you ashamed of yourself?
Ray Tempio: I'm not ashamed of nothing. I didn't make the world.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Independents' days (1997)

Soundtrack:

Gloomy Sunday

You don't know what you're missing . . .

An intelligent, moving drama that doesn't spell everything out for the audience. Instead, it relies on thought, humanity, perception. This movie has a tight, intelligent screenplay, concise direction, beautiful and moving performances by all the cast members, and is not to be seen by anyone who rents from Blockbuster or thinks hollywood does movies best. If you want to be amused, rent 'men in black'. If you want to have a mental/spiritual/emotional experience that is worth more than the $3.50 you spent, get 'the funeral'. Check out Jonathan Demme's cousin Bobby as the priest (one of the few humans I've heard talk who could do it with such moral authority or believability) and Chris Penn's singing. Oh Yeah! Seriously, it's a tight, focused story without an ounce of fat on it. It moves, it strikes like a viper at the values many of us may find dear and IT TAKES NO PRISONERS. And that means you. It reminds me of reservoir dogs, except it's much less cool and much more intelligent.