Production Year: 1999 - Drama - Director: Sofia Coppola - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Kathleen Turner, James Woods, Kirsten Dunst, Danny De Vito, Leslie Hayman, Hanna R. Hall, Chelse Swain, Josh Hartnett, Scott Glenn, Michael Pare, A.J. Cook, Jonathan Tucker, Michelle Duquet, Anthony DeSimone more
Based on the 1993 novel by Jeffrey Eugenides, THE VIRGIN SUICIDES tells the dreamlike tale of the Lisbons, a family living in a sheltered 1970s suburbia. When Cecilia (Hannah... more
all mysteriously kill themselves (the voice-over tells you as much in the first five minutes) casts a witchy spell that lingers like drugstore perfume on a hot day....
all mysteriously kill themselves (the voice-over tells you as much in the first five minutes) casts a witchy spell that lingers like drugstore perfume on a hot day....
The Virgin Suicides DVD
In 1970s suburbia lived the five beautiful Lisbon sisters whose doomed fates indelibly ... more
marked the neighborhood boys. Therese Mary Bonnie Lux and Cecilia were everything desired and unattainable due to their parents' strict household rules. From afa...
The Virgin Suicides
The lives of an eclectic group of boys who live in an affluent American suburb in the ... more
1970s are changed forever by their obsession with five beautiful sisters. The story, told through the recollections of the now grown-up neighbourhood boys, unfolds in a series of stolen moments, interviews and journal entries. But this is no sentimental tale of the loss of innocence. The film takes on a darker edge with the death of the youngest sister and the effect this has on the family. Virgin Suicides is a subtle, humorous, refreshing look at tragedy and the complexities of growing up. Adapted from Jeffrey Eugenides's best-selling novel, this is an impressive directorial debut by fast-rising star Sofia Coppola.
The Virgin Suicides
The shocking thing about the Lisbon girls was how nearly normal they seemed when their ... more
mother let them out for the one and only date of their lives. Twenty years on their enigmatic shrouded personalities are embalmed in the memories of the boys who worshipped them and who now recall their shared adolescence: the brassiere draped over a crucifix belonging to the promiscuous Lux; the sisters' breathtaking appearance on the night of the dance; and the sultry sleepy street across which they watched a family disintegrate and fragile lives disappear.
Production Year: 1995 - Drama - Director: Ang Lee - Original Language: English - Classification: Universal - Starring: Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Greg Wise, Hugh Laurie, Robert Hardy
Production Year: 1995 - Drama - Director: Ang Lee - Original Language: English - Classification: Universal - Starring: Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Greg Wise, Hugh Laurie, Robert Hardy
Production Year: 1981 - Drama - Director: Franco Zeffirelli - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Brooke Shields, Martin Hewitt, Shirley Knight, Don Murray, Richard Kiley, Penelope Milford, Beatrice Straight
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
A review by Pumpkin on The Virgin Suicides (DVD) March 15th, 2004
Author's product rating:
Did you enjoy it?
Loved it
Story
Outstanding
Characters / Performances
Outstanding
Special Effects
Standard
How does it compare to similar films?
Outstanding
Advantages:
Beautiful direction, perfect casting, and a perfect recreation of the book
Disadvantages:
Nothing
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
I recently read Jeffery Eugenides’ novel, The Virgin Suicides, and it went down as one of the best books I have ever read, making a real impression upon me. Although I knew there had been a film version (the directing debut of Sofia Coppola), I was reluctant to watch it, as the book had left me with such vivid images in my mind of how the story should be, I feared that any visual representation of it could only disappoint. However, after various recommendations, I succumbed to my curiosity and decided to purchase the DVD. I was not disappointed.
The Virgin Suicides is the story of the Lisbon sisters, five teenage girls, who live in 1970s American suburbia. These beautiful girls are the object of the affections of all the neighbourhood boys, who watch and worship them from afar.
The seemingly normal teenage world of the girls (despite a slightly strict upbringing by their prim mother and maths teacher father) is shattered when, at a party organised by their parents, to which the local boys are invited, thirteen year old Cecilia commits suicide. She had already made one failed attempt to take her own life, but this time she is successful.
Despite the loss of Cecilia, the family strive to get back to normality. When the most outgoing of the daughters, fourteen year old Lux, is invited to the school homecoming dance by heart-throb Trip Fontaine, she is allowed to go, provided that she goes in a group with her three remaining sisters and three other boys. But when Lux stays out past her curfew, all the girls are punished, and their parents take them out of school and keep them as virtual prisoners in their own home, putting an end to any brief relationships they may have started to form with the local boys.
This repression, broken only by a brief communication with their admirers, is to be the undoing of the Lisbon family, as it culminates in the suicide of all four remaining girls. To tell you this about the ending is not a spoiler, as it is clear from the start of the film that this is what is going to happen: the build up is more about making sense of what leads up to this shocking event, and the shock of the ending itself is the timing and suddenness of the suicides.
Never before have I seen a film that is such a faithful recreation of a book. Far from being disappointed by people, events and scenes being portrayed differently from the way in which I had seen them in my mind, I was delighted to see my mental images being brought to life on the screen, exactly how I had seen them as I read the book. Sofia Coppola has perfectly recreated the brightly coloured, ethereal world in which the Lisbon girls exist, and the languid, claustrophobic lifestyle they are forced to lead. A few, very minor details are left out of the story, but otherwise the film remains faithful to the plot of the book. The only very slight criticism I can find is that there is not so much of a detailed analysis by the boys as to what may have made the sisters act in the way that they did – but we are given enough food for thought that we are able to mull it over ourselves at the end of the film.
The dewy, fresh-faced Kirsten Dunst is perfect (if slightly unbelievable as a fourteen year old) as the beautiful, gauchely provocative Lux Lisbon, the most attractive of the sisters. All the other Lisbon sisters are played by relative unknowns, but are all excellent choices. Josh Hartnett smoulders as Trip Fontaine, adored by all the girls at the school and revered by the boys. James Woods and Kathleen Turner live up to the controlling Mr. and Mrs. Lisbon created in the book, struggling to come to terms with their daughters’ ever approaching maturity, and Danny De Vito and Scott Glenn appear in a cameo roles as Dr. Horniker, the doctor charged with assessing Cecilia after her first suicide attempt, and Father Moody, the priest who visits Mrs. Lisbon after the death, respectively.
Part of what makes the film such a faithful recreation is that, like the book, it is narrated in the first person plural by the neighbourhood boys who so faithfully watched the Lisbon sisters, collecting evidence from their tragically short lives – notably Cecilia’s diary from which they learn much about the sisters’ existence, and playing over the events again and again, even years on from the tragedy. Exact phrases and descriptions are taken straight from the book, bringing to life the beautifully descriptive language of Jeffery Eugenides.
The film has a wonderful soundtrack by French retro-techno band Air, which I already owned and loved. It stands alone perfectly as an atmospheric and mesmeric album, but also compliments the dreamy world of the Lisbon girls perfectly. There are also a few 70s songs in the film, including tracks by 10cc, The Hollies and Bread, but these do not feature on Air’s soundtrack album.
I cannot recommend this film highly enough, regardless of whether or not you have read the book. It is presented in an ever-so-slightly quirky way that is somewhat reminiscent of films like “The Royal Tenenbaums” and “Amelie” (it is perhaps its narrative style that evokes these comparisons) and will surely appeal to anyone who enjoys something a little different, with stunning photography and direction. For all that it is not entirely possible to translate exactly the rich, descriptive language of the book into film, it has still managed to capture the mood of the book perfectly, from the insidiously creeping mood of the Dutch Elm Disease spreading through the area to the temporary carefree elation and different emotions of the girls as they attend their first (and last) school dance.
Above all, it was just totally refreshing to see a film adaptation that enhances what is one of my favourite books, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
The DVD is available on Amazon for £6.99, and at such a bargain price it is a great addition to the collection of any discerning film fan.
Advantages: What more can be said? It's outstanding in every respect Disadvantages: Subject matter could be too morose and reflective for some, it's not exactly action-packed either. Probably not suitable as a post-pub choice with your mates :-)
One of the most acclaimed films of last year was this debut feature from Sofia (daughter of Francis Ford) Coppola. Adapted from the novel by Jeffrey Eugenides, it's a beautifully subdued affair.
The Virgin Suicides is set in a mid-1970s American suburbia of sun-kissed lawns and dying elm trees. As its title might suggest, it is the story of hormonal teenage melancholy that ends in tragic circumstances. Five girls, all sisters, driven to their deaths ... ...that isn't laid out for the viewer within the opening five minutes, for as with American Beauty the ultimate fate of these characters is known from the outset - via Giovanni Ribisi's uncredited, restrospective voice-over.
Casting his mind back to the events that still haunt him and the four friends who knew the sisters in the final months of their short lives, a poignant elegy is unfolded piece by piece.
Framed by a woozy environment of blooming ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Beautifully made by Sofia Coppola, great soundtrack, original, great cast and brilliant performances. Disadvantages: None for me personally but some might find that the other characters aren't as well developed as Lux.
...recently wrote a review on the movie “Dick” which starred Kirsten Dunst who is also in this movie. I thought it would balance things out as far as Kirsten’s acting goes, her performance in this couldn’t be more contrasting. “Dick” was even made in the same year. This was probably one of the first reviews I ever wrote for ciao, yet it never got posted. Why? Well I don’t think I could particularly write a good review it deserved. I happened to have ... ...it over and couldn’t believe the rubbish that I actually wrote (not that I’ve improved much) so I thought I would just start from scratch. At the moment I’ve got the worst ear infection! It’s painful and it’s constantly got me in a bad mood, so for that I want to watch a movie that will reflect my mood, something depressing yet thought provoking, that’s where my “The Virgin Suicides” DVD comes in.
The movie is based on the acclaimed novel by Jeffrey ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Intriguing at first Disadvantages: Dull and hard to fathom
...apparent reason, impaling herself on the fence outside the Lisbon house. From thereon, the girls are kept under lock and key, much to the intrigue of four of their male contemporaries, who try to reach out to the girls in their hour of need. Will the girls ever regain their freedom? Or are they doomed to remain fantasies?
Directed by Sofia Coppola and based on the book of the same title by Jeffrey Eugenides, this film has won acclaim in some circles ... ...be my cup of tea, the fact that it is about suicide persuaded me to take a look. And to start with, it is certainly an intriguing film. Narrated by one of the boys who has always had an interest in the Lisbon girls, we are initially made aware that something strange happens to the family as a whole, although the narrator (Giovanni Ribisi who plays Pheobe's brother in Friends and doesn't actually appear in the film) makes it clear that he doesn't ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Strong debut Disadvantages: Rushed in places
This film was the directorial debut of Sophia Coppola, daughter of Francis Ford. A lot of people will presume that this is another celebrity offspring living off her famous parents name. This is certainly not the case with Sophia Coppola. As well as directing, she also wrote this film, and she tried very hard, but the story she adapted is hard to make sense of at times. One thing is for sure, I hope she stays behind the camera, rather than subject ... ...novel, “The Virgin Suicides”, is the story of the Lisbon sisters, who we are introduced to at the start of the film. They are Bonnie (Chelsea Swain), Lux (Kirsten Dunst), Mary (A. J. Cook), Therese (Leslie Hayman) and Cecilia (Hanna R. Hall). They are the children of strictly religious parents (Kathleen Turner and James Woods) growing up in the1970s. The local boys are fascinated with the girls, and are shocked at the start of the film when the youngest ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: original and moving Disadvantages: Unbalanced
...here's a rough idea of the plot, such as it is. There's no point warning of spoilers here incidentally, as the movie title pretty much gives it away: It's about a family of five girls, the Lisbon family, who live with their very strict parents and who all commit suicide. Through them, it tries to be a film about emotional repressions, adolescence, developing sexuality and freedom and at times succeeds very powerfully.
The film is narrated by a male ... ...the Lisbon girls in a stand-by-me kinda way. I half expected him to start out by saying "I guess we were never quite the same after that summer', but Coppola is actually very good at ducking cliches. It's an interesting choice of perspective given the movie is both written and directed - unusally - by a woman. There aren't that many females in Hollywood with that sort of clout but the surname gives it all away - the woman in question is Sofia Coppola, ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: excellent performances from scarlett johansson and bill murray and also great direction from soffia coppola Disadvantages: erm maybe a little slow for some people and not an extensive plot....
...the virginsuicides was not great but lost in translation is excellent
thoughtful, sincere, honest
see it at the cinema - definately !
buy it on DVD - definately !
highly reccommended, don't miss it...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: interesting background, romantic Disadvantages: Really slow movie, loose the interest very quickly
...Summary of the film (part of it used from the back of the DVD):
From the director of the virginsuicides, Sofia Coppola, and shot entirely on location in Japan, lost in translation is a laugh-out-loud portrayal of loneliness and human connection. Featuring superior performances from bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson as bob and charlotte, two Americans in Tokyo. Bob is a movie star in town to shoot a whiskey commercial, while charlotte is a young wife tagging along with her workaholic photographer husband. Though this respective insomnias, the two cross paths one night in the luxury hotel bar and strike up a surprisingly intimate friendship. As the unlikely pair venture through Tokyo together, having often hilarious encounters with its citizens, they ultimately discover a new belief in life's possibilities.
My point of view:
What...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Plot: Set in the 1970's in Midwestern America, this is the story of the lives of five sisters as seen through the eyes of a group of boys who are obsessed with them.
Release details
DVD Region: DVD
Studio(s): PATHE DISTRIBUTION; 20TH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Release date: 20/11/2000
No of Discs: 1
Catalogue No: P 8984 DVD
Barcode: 5060002830499
Production Designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Screenwriter: Francis Ford Coppola, Sofia Coppola
Editor: James Lyons, Melissa Kent
Narrator: Giovanni Ribisi
Composer: Francis Ford Coppola, Air
Featured: Giovanni Ribisi, Francis Ford Coppola
Executive Producer: Francis Ford Coppola, Fred Fuchs
Based on the 1993 novel by Jeffrey Eugenides, THE VIRGIN SUICIDES tells the dreamlike tale of the Lisbons, a family living in a sheltered 1970s suburbia. When Cecilia (Hannah Hall), the youngest of the five teenage Lisbon daughters, inexplicably commits suicide, the rest of the family--Mr. Lisbon (James Woods), an awkward high school math teacher; Mrs. Lisbon (Kathleen Turner), a stern, humorless housewife; and the four remaining sisters: Lux (Kirsten Dunst), Bonnie (Chelse Swain), Mary (A.J. Cook), and Therese (Leslie Hayman)--recedes into a morbid cloud of repression and denial. As the girls are forced to retreat from everyday life by their conservative mother, they become the subject of fascination for a group of neighborhood boys, who narrate the story and hope to rescue the girls from their listless confinement. The first feature by director-screenwriter Sofia Coppola (Francis Ford Coppola's daughter), THE VIRGIN SUICIDES is a mesmerizingly atmospheric film that perfectly captures both the moody tone of the book and the light-saturated feel of the 1970s. Dunst gives a standout performance as the promiscuous Lux, who becomes the sole obsession of high school ladies' man Trip Fontaine (Josh Hartnett). The movie also includes cameos by Danny DeVito and Scott Glenn. In addition to songs by Heart and Todd Rundgren, the film features an evocative score by the French duo Air.
Languages
Main Language: English
Subtitle Language: None
Hearing Impaired Language: English
Technical information
Special Features: Original Theatrical Trailer
Aspect Ratio: 1.66 Wide Screen, 16:9 Wide Screen
Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Dubbing Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround English
Ciao
Listed on Ciao since : 04/07/2000
Professional reviews
Review: "...There are nice moments throughout, and Coppola has done a deft job evoking the spirit of the film's period and suburban setting..." (Box Office, p.143, 01/09/1999)
"...Coppola does a lovely job of staging the romance..." (Entertainment Weekly, p.49, 19/05/2000)
"...The director captures the novel's intrinsic nostalgia for the loss of adolescence..." (Film Comment, p.73-5, 01/03/2000)
"...The movie's best moments have an inspired feeling of playfulness and freedom matched by Ms. Dunst's smart, beguiling performance as Lux Lisbon..." (New York Times, p.E18, 26/05/2000)
"...[The film is] disarmingly wispy....[The virgins] are blessed with great luminosity..." (Premiere, p.22, 01/05/2000)
"...This sublimely confident and poetic debut has the power to endure..." -- 4 out of 5 stars (Total Film, p.81, 01/06/2000)
Compare The Virgin Suicides (DVD) to other similar Drama
![The Virgin Suicides [DVD] [2000]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78544413.jpg)
12.03.2004
10.09.2004
