In the Cut (2003)

Director:

Jane Campion

Writers:

Jane Campion (screenplay) &
Susanna Moore (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

31 October 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Everything you know about desire is dead wrong.

Plot:

A New York writing professor, Frannie Avery (Ryan), has an erotic affair with a police detective (Ruffalo) investigating a murder in her neighborhood of a beautiful young woman...

Plot Keywords:

New York | Detective | Police Detective | Sex | Dirty Talk

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Pauline
Meg Ryan	...	Frannie
Micheal Nuccio	...	Frannie's Young Father
Allison Nega	...	Young Father's Fiancee (as Alison Nega)
Dominick Aries	...	Attentive Husband
Susan Gardner	...	Perfect Wife
Sharrieff Pugh	...	Cornelius Webb
Nick Damici	...	Detective Rodriguez
Heather Litteer	...	Angela Sands
Daniel T. Booth	...	Red Turtle Bartender
Yaani King	...	Frannie's Student
Frank Harts	...	Frannie's Student
Sebastian Sozzi	...	Frannie's Student
Zach Wegner	...	Frannie's Student (as Zack Wegner)
Mark Ruffalo	...	Detective Malloy
Patrice O'Neal	...	Hector (Baby Doll Bouncer)
Funda Duval	...	Baby Doll Bartender (as Funda Duyal)
Theo Kogan	...	Baby Doll Bartender
Sandy Vital	...	Baby Doll Dancer
Sharon Riggins	...	Baby Doll Dancer
Karen Riggins	...	Baby Doll Dancer
Nancy La Scala	...	Baby Doll Dancer
Ami Goodheart	...	Baby Doll Dancer
Panicker Upendran	...	Taxi Driver (as Upendran Panicker)
Kendra Zimmerman	...	Cafe Waitress
Michelle Hurst	...	Teacher at Frannie's School
Sunrise Coigney	...	Frannie's Young Mother
Hal Sherman	...	Forensic Detective
Dana Lubotsky	...	Laundry Room Murder Witness
Jacinto Taras Riddick	...	Detective in Precinct
Arthur J. Nascarella	...	Captain Crosley (as Arthur Nascarella)
James Firo	...	Detective Halloran
Cordell Clyde	...	Informer
Tim House	...	Baby Doll Bar Customer
Julius LeFlore	...	Cursing Motorist (as Julius Le Flore)
Vinny Vella	...	Concerned Bystander (as Vinny Vella Sr.)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kevin Bacon	...	John Graham (uncredited)
Michelle DiBenedetti	...	Street Walker (uncredited)
Angela Frye	...	Bride In Subway (uncredited)
Sein Gay	...	Patron #1 (uncredited)
Michael Ienna	...	Larry (uncredited)
Lou Martini Jr.	...	Sleazy Bar Patron (uncredited)
Max H. Maxy	...	Coffee clerk (uncredited)
Nicole Spruill	...	Girl at bar (uncredited)

Directed by
Jane Campion

Writing credits
Jane Campion		(screenplay) &
Susanna Moore		(screenplay)
Susanna Moore		(novel)
Stavros Kazantzidis		additional writer

Produced by
Ray Angelic	....	associate producer
Effie Brown	....	executive producer (as Effie T. Brown)
François Ivernel	....	executive producer
Nicole Kidman	....	producer
Laurie Parker	....	producer

Original Music by
Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson

Cinematography by
Dion Beebe

Film Editing by
Alexandre de Franceschi		(as Alexandre De Franceschi)

Casting by
Kerry Barden
Mark Bennett
Billy Hopkins
Suzanne Smith

Production Design by
David Brisbin

Art Direction by
David Stein

Set Decoration by
Andrew Baseman

Costume Design by
Beatrix Aruna Pasztor

Makeup Department
Rose Chatterton	....	assistant hair stylist
Lori Guidroz	....	key hair stylist
Neal Martz	....	key makeup artist
Neal Martz	....	special makeup effects artist
Sacred Schneidmiller	....	special makeup effects artist
Noriko Watanabe	....	makeup designer

Production Management
Joane Baptiste	....	assistant production manager
Gordon MacPhail	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Timothy Bird	....	first assistant director
Heather Grierson	....	second second assistant director
Laurie Parker	....	second unit director
Peter Thorell	....	second assistant director

Art Department
James J. Archer	....	set dresser (as Jimmy Archer)
Robert Barnett	....	camera scenic artist
Stephen Barth	....	journeyman scenic (as Steve Barth)
Nils Benson	....	graphic designer
James Boniece	....	construction grip
Daniel Boxer	....	property master (as Dan Boxer)
Eric Bryant	....	art department assistant
Frances Catalano	....	best boy construction grip (as Francis L. Catalano)
Joan Finley	....	set dresser (as Joan Finlay)
Gerard Fiore	....	construction grip (as Gerard J. Fiore)
Brian Friedman	....	art intern
Steven Gamiello	....	set dresser (as Steve Gamiello)
Jonathan Graham	....	key construction grip
James Hoff	....	journeyman scenic
Tim Jackson	....	greensperson
Miguel Jimenez	....	stage construction electrician
Roberto Jiménez	....	key construction electric (as Roberto Jimenez)
Dierdre Kane	....	assistant property master
Lisa Kennedy	....	journeyman scenic
Ricky King	....	construction production assistant (as Rick King)
Gordon Krause	....	key shop craftsman
Rob Landoll	....	scenic shop person
Loren Levy	....	set dresser
Jim Lillis	....	set dresser
Elizabeth Linn	....	charge scenic
James Maiello	....	shop craftsman (as James A. Maiello)
Addy McClelland	....	art department coordinator
Rebecca Meis DeMarco	....	shopper (as Becca De Marco)
Nick Miller	....	construction coordinator
Don Nace	....	scenic foreman (as Don 'Happy' Nace)
Dana Neuwirth	....	on-set dresser
Michael O'Dell Green	....	journeyman scenic (as Michael Green)
Morgan Pitts	....	assistant property master
Mike Platarote Jr.	....	set dresser
James Sadek	....	shop craftsman foreman
Amy Safhay	....	head greensman
Elliot Schimel	....	construction production assistant (as Elliot Schimmel)
Elaine Schindler	....	journeyman scenic
Klaus Schreiber	....	construction grip
Beth Solin	....	journeyman scenic
Bruce Swanson	....	set dresser
Dick Tice	....	lead man
Ray Tintori	....	art intern
Andrew M. Velechenko	....	shop craftsman (as Andrew Velenchenko)
Inbal Weinberg	....	art intern

Sound Department
Brian Basham	....	adr recordist
Ron Bedrosian	....	adr mixer
Nick Breslin	....	dialogue editor
Benjamin Cheah	....	sound effects recordist
Mark DeSimone	....	adr mixer
Jeanne Gilliland	....	additional boom operator
Dino Herrmann	....	sound recordist
Ken Ishii	....	production sound mixer
Michael McMenomy	....	sound department intern
Peter Miller	....	sound designer
Linda Murdoch	....	dialogue editor
Martin Oswin	....	sound re-recording mixer
Andrew Plain	....	sound supervisor
Jeff Pullman	....	additional boom operator
Schavaria Reeves	....	boom operator
Blair Slater	....	foley supervisor
Mario Vaccaro	....	foley artist
Mark Ward	....	sound effects editor
Andy Wright	....	assistant re-recording mixer
Marc Hayes	....	adr recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Drew Jiritano	....	special effects supervisor
Neil Ruddy	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Andy Brown	....	visual effects supervisor
Jonathan Dixon	....	digital liaison
Sarah Dowland	....	visual effects producer
Rebecca Dunn	....	digital compositor
Ben Malter	....	digital artist
Murray Pope	....	visual effects executive producer
Dane Rapaport	....	systems administrator
Robert Sandeman	....	digital effects supervisor
Anthos Simon	....	digital effects producer
Robert Sullivan	....	video operations supervisor: Animal Logic
Henry Yekanians	....	scanning and recording
Ben O'Brien	....	digital compositor (uncredited)

Stunts
Ray Abbott	....	stunt driver
Jeff Galpin	....	stunt driver
Julius LeFlore	....	stunt coordinator (as Julius Le Flore)
Tina Mckissick	....	stunt driver
Lucas Pena	....	stunt driver
Jodi Michelle Pynn	....	stunt double: Frannie
Jimmy P. Wong	....	stunt driver (as Jimmy Wong)
Amy Yanagisawa	....	stunt driver (as Amy Yanagiasawa)
Peter Epstein	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Bill Almeida	....	best boy electric
Robert M. Andres	....	key grip (as Robert Andres)
Alison Barton	....	grip
Noah Baumbach	....	special still photographer
Angela Bellisio	....	camera loader
Braden Belmonte	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera
Nils Benson	....	camera operator
Nils Benson	....	director of photography: second unit
Jim Bridges	....	still photographer (as James Bridges)
Tony Campenni	....	dolly grip
Maureen Duffy	....	grip: second unit
Carlos Omar Guerra	....	first assistant camera (as Carlos Guerra)
Lotte Hansen	....	special still photographer
Gary Hildebrand	....	generator operator
Gary Hildebrand	....	rigging gaffer
Peter Marzulli	....	lamp operator
Markus Mentzer	....	camera intern (as Markus Metzer)
Tim Metivier	....	first assistant camera
Melissa O'Brien	....	first assistant camera: second unit
John Panuccio	....	key rigging grip (as John Pannuccio)
Christopher Raymond	....	camera loader
Chris Skutch	....	best boy grip
Darrin Smith	....	lamp operator
Mark van Rossen	....	electrician
Hannes Vartianen	....	camera intern
John Velez	....	gaffer
Richard Yacuk	....	best boy rigging grip
Mel Cannon	....	grip (uncredited)
Peter Colavito	....	electrician (uncredited)
Chris Drechsler	....	electrician (uncredited)

Casting Department
Kerry Barden	....	casting
Mark Bennett	....	casting
Lori Eastside	....	extras casting
Billy Hopkins	....	casting
Caitlin McKenna-Wilkinson	....	adr voice casting
Suzanne Smith	....	casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Laura Downing	....	wardrobe supervisor
Chrystaline Gain	....	wardrobe department intern
Camille Loftus	....	wardrobe department intern
Frederica Nascimento	....	wardrobe department intern
Rosa Navarra	....	wardrobe department intern
Claire Pacacha	....	wardrobe department intern
Alexis Scott	....	assistant costume designer
Robert Teszar	....	wardrobe supervisor (as Robert Tesar)
Mitsuno Yokoo	....	seamstress

Editorial Department
Rodrigo Balart	....	first assistant editor
Greg Chapman	....	negative matcher
Olivier Fontenay	....	color grader
Lara Ford	....	editorial coordinator
David Hollingsworth	....	telecine colorist
Katie Mcquerrey	....	first assistant editor: New York City

Music Department
Burt Bacharach	....	composer: song "The Look of Love"
Kjartan Kjartansson	....	music editor
Laurie Parker	....	music supervisor
Julie Pearce	....	music editor
Amanda Street	....	music consultant

Transportation Department
Mike Easter	....	transportation co-captain
Kenny Gaskins	....	transportation captain
Bobby Marsh	....	driver

Other crew
Julie Adams	....	dialect consultant: Ms. Meg Ryan
Leslie Adler	....	assistant: Meg Ryan
Tara Andrus	....	production secretary
Laura Lynn Baker	....	set production assistant
Joane Baptiste	....	assistant production coordinator
Andrew Baseman	....	office assistant
Kevin Berman	....	consultant
Keith Bethea	....	set production assistant
Stacey Burgay	....	office production assistant
Michael Chenevert	....	set production assistant
Mary Cybulski	....	script supervisor
Cherien Dabis	....	assistant to producer
John B. Finn	....	post-production accountant
Kathryn C. Galberth	....	production assistant
Daniel Garrison	....	set production assistant
Nick Gehling	....	set intern
Tim Gehling	....	set production assistant
Cristina Goldstein	....	assistant to executive producer
Sean Hogan	....	production accountant
Meera Lawrence	....	assistant to director
Robert A. Levine	....	unit publicist
Sam Lisenco	....	pre-production coordinator
M.J. Magbanua	....	production coordinator
Chris Marsh	....	assistant location manager
Steve McAuliff	....	animal wrangler
Patrick McDonald	....	key set production assistant
Paola Morabito	....	assistant to director
Frank Murray	....	assistant accountant
Valerie Nolan	....	office production assistant
Currie Person	....	location assistant
Griz Pomirska	....	assistant to director
Gregory Routt	....	location supervisor (as Greg Routt)
Henri Sann	....	set production assistant
Elliot Schimel	....	production assistant
Colin Snapp	....	set intern
Daniel Tresca	....	location assistant (as Dan Tresca)
Mimi Turner	....	location scout
Gayle Vangrofsky	....	location manager
Elizabeth Verghese	....	post-production accountant
Jane L. Watson	....	set production assistant
Susanna Wyatt	....	head of physical production: Pathé Pictures
Michael K. Reynolds	....	chef (uncredited)

Thanks
Kevin Bacon	....	thanks (as Kevin Bacon III)
Harvey Keitel	....	thanks (as 'Mayor' Harvey Keitel)
Nicole Landaw	....	thanks
Gwyneth Paltrow	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Pathe Productions (presents) (as Pathé Productions Ltd)
• Pathé Pictures International
• Red Turtle

Distributors

• Screen Gems (2003) (USA) (theatrical)
• A-Film Distribution (2004) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• GAGA (Japan) (theatrical)
• Humax Pictures (Japan) (theatrical)
• Monopole-Pathé (2003) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Senator Film (2004) (Germany) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Films (Spain)
• Columbia TriStar Films de Argentina (Argentina)
• Columbia TriStar (2004) (Brazil) (DVD)
• EuroVideo (2005) (Germany) (video)
• LK-TEL (2004) (Argentina) (DVD)
• LK-TEL (2004) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Nexo
• Pathé Distribution (UK)
• Pathé
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF)
• United King Films (Israel)

Special Effects

• Atlab (digital optical effects)
• Animal Logic (visual effects)

Other Companies

• Magno Sound  adr recording
• Post Factory NY  post-production facilities
• Soundelux  adr recording

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexuality including explicit dialogue, nudity, graphic crime scenes and language.

Runtime:

119 min | Canada:113 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

Australia | USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS

Certification:

Brazil:18 | Iceland:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Norway:18 | South Korea:18 | Netherlands:16 | Singapore:R21 (cut) | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Ireland:18 | Italy:VM14 | Japan:R-18 | Spain:18 | UK:18 | USA:R (original rating) | USA:Unrated (uncut director's edition) | Philippines:R-18

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Pathe Productions

Trivia:

The unrated version is notorious for a scene where fellatio is witnessed by Meg Ryan's character, although it was later revealed in the film commentary that the actress was using a dildo.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Det. Malloy first meets Frannie, he says the day of the murder was Saturday the 15th. Later, when Frannie is in the car with Malloy and his partner, the partner says the date of the murder was the 11th.

Quotes:

Pauline: You oughta go... just for the exercise you should go!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Favouritism: Julian Clary's Showbiz Hissy Fits (#1.6)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)

Mediocre film; amazing sound design and nude scene

"In the Cut" features solid acting and a nice color scheme but is mostly unremarkable in terms of story, script and visuals. Savvy viewers will recognize most of the plot elements and characters from other recent thrillers. The film does, however, have two remarkable elements: an amazing 5.1-channel sound mix and a nude scene that is notable not for its pornographic or fantasy-fulfilling qualities but for its stark realism.

Anyone who appreciates film sound should watch (or rather, listen to) "In the Cut" because it's one of the few existing films that uses 5.1-channel sound for more than SFX gimmicks or making sure the Dolby Digital logo appears on its DVD case. The film creates real ambiance and mood with its sound mix, which helped suck me into the story world and get a sense of the characters' environment. I first noticed this when Frannie descends the stairs in the restaurant (just before she sees the mysterious villain). As she walks through the noisy crowd and down the stairwell, the conversations, bustling and other background fade from the front to rear channels and mix with her footsteps as she descends. This, to me, is much more elegant use of 5.1-channel surround than sticking a few whizzing noises in the rear channels when a spaceship flies off the top edge of the frame. "In the Cut" makes full use of its available channels, which is more than 99% of high-budget films can say.

The other piece of the film that stuck with me was the nude scene with Frannie and Malloy that follows their inevitable hook-up. It's so rare to see a Hollywood nude scene that features characters just lounging with nothing on and in such an unromantic setting. It's especially amazing with an established star like Meg Ryan. There are no mysterious L-shaped sheets to hide their bodies but there is also no sense that Campion left them nude to attract voyeurs to her film. The characters don't assume erotic poses; they simply act as if they've already seen what they have to show each other, as most people do after sex. I don't often praise realism in films, especially stupid thrillers, but this scene stood out as much as the excellent sound design. If only the rest of the film could live up to those standards.