| Myra Breckinridge | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Myrabreckposter.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Michael Sarne |
| Written by | Michael Sarne David Giler |
| Based on | Myra Breckinridge by Gore Vidal |
| Produced by | David Giler Robert Fryer |
| Starring | Mae West John Huston Raquel Welch Rex Reed Farrah Fawcett |
| Cinematography | Richard Moore |
| Edited by | Danford B. Greene |
| Music by | John Phillips |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date |
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Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $5 million[1] |
| Box office | $4 million (US/Canada)[2] |
Myra Breckinridge is a 1970 American comedy film based on Gore Vidal's 1968 novel of the same name. The film was directed by Michael Sarne, and featured Raquel Welch in the title role. It also starred John Huston as Buck Loner, Mae West as Leticia Van Allen, Farrah Fawcett, Rex Reed, Roger Herren, and Roger C. Carmel. Tom Selleck made his film debut in a small role as one of Leticia's "studs."[3] Theadora Van Runkle was costume designer for the film, though Edith Head designed West's costumes.[4]
Like the novel, the picture follows the exploits of Myra Breckinridge, a transgender woman who has undergone a sex change operation. Claiming to be her own widow, she manipulates her uncle into giving her a position at his acting school, where she attempts to usurp Hollywood's social order by introducing femdom into the curriculum.
The picture was controversial for its sexual explicitness (including acts like female-on-male rape), but it, unlike the novel, received little to no critical praise and has been cited as one of the worst films ever made.[5] In subsequent decades the film has developed a cult following.[6]
- ^ Solomon, Aubrey (2002). Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 256. ISBN 978-0-8108-4244-1.
- ^ Solomon p 231. Please note figures are rentals not total gross.
- ^ "Myra Breckinridge". TV Guide. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
- ^ Chierichetti, David; Head, Edith (March 4, 2003). Edith Head: The Life and Times of Hollywood's Celebrated Costume Designer. HarperCollins. p. 180. ISBN 978-0-0601-9428-4.
- ^ Moran, Leslie J.; Christie, Ian; Sandon, Emma (December 6, 2012). Law's Moving Image. Loizidou, Elena. Routledge Cavendish. p. 87. ISBN 978-1-1353-1172-8.
- ^ Moran, Leslie; Loizidou, Elena; Christie, Ian; Sandon, Emma (December 6, 2012). Law's Moving Image. Routledge-Cavendish. p. 86. ISBN 978-1-1353-1172-8. Retrieved October 17, 2023.