The Black Dahlia (film)

This article is about the 2006 film. For other uses, see Black Dahlia (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with The Blue Dahlia.
The Black Dahlia
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBrian De Palma
Screenplay byJosh Friedman
Based onThe Black Dahlia
by James Ellroy
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyVilmos Zsigmond
Edited byBill Pankow
Music byMark Isham
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • August 30, 2006 (2006-08-30) (Venice)
  • September 15, 2006 (2006-09-15) (United States)
  • October 5, 2006 (2006-10-05) (Germany)
Running time
120 minutes[2]
Countries
  • United States
  • France
  • Germany[3]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$50 million[1]
Box office$49.3 million[1]

The Black Dahlia is a 2006 American neo-noir crime thriller film directed by Brian De Palma and written by Josh Friedman, based on the 1987 novel of the same name by James Ellroy, in turn inspired by the widely sensationalized murder of Elizabeth Short. Starring Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson, Aaron Eckhart, and Hilary Swank, the film follows two Los Angeles Police Department detectives investigating Short's murder, leading them through a series of shocking discoveries. Mia Kirshner, Mike Starr, Fiona Shaw, John Kavanagh, Rachel Miner, and Rose McGowan appear in supporting roles.

The rights to the novel were optioned by De Palma in 1997, with David Fincher originally attached to direct. De Palma was ultimately hired after Fincher dropped out to direct Zodiac instead. Principal photography began in Sofia in April 2005, with additional photography in Los Angeles.

The Black Dahlia premiered at the 63rd Venice International Film Festival on August 30, 2006, where it was nominated for the Golden Lion. The film was theatrically released in the United States on September 15, 2006, to largely negative reviews from critics, with several deeming the plot convoluted, though Kirshner's performance was singled out for praise. It was also a box office failure, grossing $49.3 million against its $50 million budget. As a result, De Palma was effectively ousted from the Hollywood studio system, with his subsequent feature films being financed by independent studios. At the 79th Academy Awards, Vilmos Zsigmond was nominated for Best Cinematography.

  1. ^ a b c d "The Black Dahlia (2006)". Box Office Mojo.
  2. ^ "THE BLACK DAHLIA (15)". British Board of Film Classification. August 30, 2006. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  3. ^ "The Black Dahlia (2006)". American Film Institute. Retrieved March 26, 2019.