ABEL FERRARA

AKA: Jimmy Boy L; Jimmy Laine; Born: 1951-07-19 Birth place: Bronx, New York Nationality: American Profession: screenwriter, songwriter, director, editor http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/participant.jsp?spid=61080&apid=0

Biography A prolific, driven writer-director known for his highly atmospheric, stylized portraits of an ultra-violent, crime-ridden New York City, Abel Ferrara works on a metaphorical and allegorical level exploring the battle between good and evil. Aided by his screenwriting partner Nicholas St. John (and other collaborators who comprise his filmmaking family), he depicts essentially an evil world that contains the hope for salvation. Ferrara starred in his first feature, the exploitation flick "Driller Killer" (1979), on which he also served as editor and songwriter under the pseudonym Jimmy Laine. He followed with the cult hit "Ms. 45/Angel of Vengeance" (1980), about a retribution-seeking rape victim, in which he played one of the rapists (again credited as Jimmy Laine). His next three features did little to advance his reputation. Despite a good cast, "Fear City" (1984) repelled viewers as overly gratuitous and "Cat Chaser" (1989) never made it to the theaters, but "China Girl" (1987) exhibited Ferrara's tremendous trademark energy along with over-the-top violence and perhaps deserved more respect than it received. Ferrara proved his mainstream mettle in an association with TV producer Michael Mann, beginning with his direction of two episodes during the first season (1984-85) of NBC's "Miami Vice", which led to his helming the critically-acclaimed two-hour pilot of "Crime Story" (NBC, 1986). Although Ferrara's wife Nancy walked out on the premiere of "King of New York" (1990) because of its treatment of women, the film attracted more interest than any of his features to that time, helped by the presence of screen heavyweights Christopher Walken, Wesley Snipes and Laurence Fishburne. 1992 marked the release of Ferrara's ambitious "Bad Lieutenant", starring Harvey Keitel in a tour de force performance in this relentless character study of a disillusioned NYC cop descending into a colorful hell of drugs, alcohol, and corruption when the brutal rape of a nun forces him to confront personal issues of faith and redemption. Long-time writing partner St. John, a devout Catholic, refused to work with Ferrara on the picture due to its blasphemous images but was back on board for the next four flicks.

For his next two films, Ferrara found himself out of low-budget waters for the first time. Madonna's $4 million salary alone for 1993's "Dangerous Game" (originally given the more interesting title "Snake Eyes") could have financed two Ferrara films and swelled the budget to $12 million. An unconventional account of the process of filmmaking, also starring Keitel and James Russo, it received decidedly mixed reviews, but at least it got a wide release. His 2

sci-fi thriller, "Bodysnatchers" (1994), the second remake of Don Siegel's 1956 classic "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", suffered inexplicably at the hands of Warner Brothers. Although favorably reviewed at several major film festivals, the studio mysteriously shelved it for a time and marketed it pitifully upon its release. Consequently, the $20 million picture did relatively little business when finally exhibited and helped make Ferrara an even more resolute independent filmmaker and foe of the studios.

Refusing to be compromised by money matters, Ferrara returned to the low-budget viscerality of his early work with "The Addiction" (1995), on the surface a tale of vampirism. Filmed in black and white, it is really a theological tale probing the corrupt human condition while allowing Lili Taylor's character a way out through Jesus Christ. He continued in the same vein with the 1930's gangster piece "The Funeral" (1996). Christopher Walken, the oldest of three brothers, wrestles with a Catholic conscience at odds with his need to revenge his younger brother's death. Chris Penn turned in a riveting portrayal of the insane middle brother and Isabella Rossellini, Annabella Sciorra, Vincent Gallo and Benicio del Toro all contributed notable performances to a movie of hypnotic intensity rooted in the behavioral nuances of the characters. For "The Blackout" (1997), Ferrara temporarily abandoned his usual NYC locale for a warmer Miami but returned to New York where Matthew Modine, comfortably settled in domestic stability with his girlfriend Claudia Schiffer, must confront the trace memories of a murder he committed during an alcoholic blackout 18 months before in Miami.

Family DAUGHTER: Endira Ferrara. Adopted. DAUGHTER: Lucy Ferrara. Adopted. 3

Companion COMPANION: Marla Hanson. Model, actor, producer, screenwriter. Associate producer on "The Addiction"; screenwriting credit on "The Blackout". WIFE: Nancy Ferrara. Actor. Appeared in "Dangerous Game". Milestone Moved from Fordham section of the Bronx to Peekskill, NY at age 13 Inspired by the success of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (1975), decided to make "Driller Killer" 1979: Feature directing debut, "Driller Killer"; also starred, edited and wrote songs under pseudonym Jimmy Laine 1981: Played first rapist (again credited as Jimmy Laine) in second directorial effort "Ms. 45" 1985: Directed two first season episodes of Michael Mann's "Miami Vice" (NBC) 1986: Directed the two-hour pilot for the Michael Mann-produced cop series, "Crime Story" (NBC) 1990: "King of New York", featured at various international festivals (including New York), caught the attention of mainstream critics; first collaboration with Christopher Walken 1992: "Bad Lieutenant" released; repelled by its blasphemous imagery, devout Catholic St. John refused to work on film with long-time partner; first collaboration with Harvey Keitel 1994: Helmed "Body Snatchers", a slick remake of the 1954 classic horror flick 1995: Returned to low-budget viscerality of early work with "The Addiction", filmed in black and white Honored with a career retrospective during the 22nd annual Rotterdam Film Festival 1996: Directed period gangster piece "The Funeral" 1997: "The Blackout", starring Mathew Modine, debuted at Cannes Film Festival 1997: Contributed 10-minute segment featuring Rosie Perez ("Love on the A Train") to Jonathan Demme-produced HBO anthology film "Subway Stories" 1997: Directed "The New Rose Hotel"; Ferrara co-scripted with Zoe Lund (who also coscripted "Bad Lieutenant") 2001: Helmed "R-Xmas"

Education State University of New York, Purchase - Purchase, New York - briefly studied film Rockland Community College - Suffern, New York - political science - enrolled to avoid the Vietnam War

Bibliography "Abel Ferrara: The King of New York" Nick Johnstone Notes "If I was gonna make an NC-17 film, those people would be dead in the screening room" --Abel Ferrara on the ratings board insisting he cut his films to a more "suitable" R, from the Daily News, October 27, 1993. "He's fabricated his reputation, Abel loves to provoke people." --Nancy Ferrara on her husband's reputation with the press from The New York Times, January 2, 1994.

"Abel is one of the most interesting visual stylists in contemporary American cinema. He has an extraordinary sense of style in terms of sound and image. Even when his films don't work, he's a bright light on the scene." --Richard Pena, program director of the Film Society of Lincoln Center from The New York Times, January 2, 1994. When asked if he thinks he's getting better making films: "I hope so. We're tryin' to. We're goin' through some hard times lately, but hopefully we're gettin' better and that's balancin' out how much wear and tear is happenin' to us. Gettin' the money's tough. Real tough. That's the hardest part, financin' the film. Financin' the film on your own fuckin' terms. That's what it's about, man. That's what these movies are about, tryin' to come to terms with your own existence. What else? Be righteous. If you make the movies, you be righteous in your work. For me it's the process of makin' 'em. If the process is righteous, then the films are gonna make sense on some level. This is the business we're in. This is what we chose to do, so I'm not gonna stand here and start bellyachin' about it. That's the fuckin' deal." --Abel Ferrara, GQ, c. 1996 (post-"The Addiction", prior to "The Funeral" shoot).

Ferrara neither confirms nor denies the reports that he once directed porno movies before embarking on his feature career. 6