Synopsis
Blank-faced bug killer Bill Lee and his dead-eyed wife, Joan, like to get high on Bill's pest poisons while lounging with Beat poet pals. After meeting the devilish Dr. Benway, Bill gets a drug made from a centipede. Upon indulging, he accidentally kills Joan, takes orders from his typewriter-turned-cockroach, ends up in a constantly mutating Mediterranean city and learns that his hip friends have published his work -- which he doesn't remember writing.
Naked Lunch (1991) is a 1h 55min crime feature film by David Cronenberg. Blank-faced bug killer Bill Lee and his dead-eyed wife, Joan, like to get high on Bill's pest poisons while lounging...
Key facts
Cast
Judy Davis, Ian Holm, Monique Mercure, Julian Sands, Roy Scheider, Peter Weller, Nicholas Campbell, Michael Zelniker
Original language
Arabic
First release
December 27, 1991 (United States)
Production companies
Recorded Picture Company
Home video distributors
20th Century Fox Video (United States)
Based on
Naked Lunch
Awards
Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television Award for Best Motion Picture
Setting
New York City
Filming locations
Toronto
Crew
Screenplay
David Cronenberg
Producer
Gabriella Martinelli, Jeremy Thomas
Cinematography
Peter Suschitzky
Editing
Ronald Sanders
Music
Howard Shore, Ornette Coleman
Trailer
Stills
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to write one.
Festival History
- Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival 2023 - Strange Hommage
- L'Étrange Festival 2023 - Séances spéciales
- Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival 2023 - Sitges Clàssics - Panic City
- London Critics Circle Film Awards 1993 generic
- Berlin International Film Festival 1992 generic
- Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards 1991 generic
- New York Film Critics Circle Awards 1991 generic
Titles
| Original title | Naked Lunch | English |
| Québec French title | Le Festin nu |
VHS & home video releases
| VHS | 20th Century Fox Video (cat. no. 5614) | 1992, United States, slipcase |
Soundtracks
| Vinyl LP | Naked Lunch - Howard Shore, Ornette Coleman, Thelonious Monk (1992) | 4 releases, 2015-2021: Mondo |
| CD | Naked Lunch - Howard Shore, Ornette Coleman, Thelonious Monk (1992) | 12 releases, 1992-2014: BMG, Howe Records, Limited Edition, Milan (+1 more) |
| Cassette | Naked Lunch - Howard Shore, Ornette Coleman, Thelonious Monk (1992) | 2 releases, 1992: Milan |
Releases & classifications
| Theatrical | United States | December 27, 1991 |
| Theatrical | France | March 11, 1992 |
| Theatrical | United Kingdom | April 24, 1992 |
| Theatrical | Germany | April 30, 1992 |
| Theatrical | Netherlands | July 31, 1992 |
| Theatrical | Portugal | September 25, 1992 |
| Theatrical | Finland | October 16, 1992 |
| Theatrical | Turkey | January 1, 1993 |
| Theatrical | Italy | January 13, 1993 |
| Theatrical | Hungary | February 26, 1993 |
| Theatrical | Brazil | October 17, 2023 |
| Theatrical | Finland | June 13, 2025 |
| Theatrical | South Korea | June 25, 2025 |
| Classification | Germany | 16 |
| Classification | United Kingdom | 18 |
| Classification | United States | R |
Versions & editions
| Original version (English) | ||
| Home video VHS | United States | 1992 5614 |
| Home video | United Kingdom | January 8, 1994 |
| Home video | Netherlands | December 10, 2001 |
| Home video | Brazil | November 11, 2003 |
| Home video | United Kingdom | July 26, 2004 |
| Home video | United Kingdom | August 17, 2015 |
| Home video | United Kingdom | July 10, 2023 |
Full credits
| Director | David Cronenberg |
| Cast | Judy Davis, Ian Holm, Monique Mercure, Julian Sands (Yves Cloquet), Roy Scheider, Peter Weller, Nicholas Campbell (Hank), Michael Zelniker (Martin), Robert A. Silverman (Hans), Joseph Scoren (Kiki), Peter Boretski (Creature Voices / Exterminator #2), Yuval Daniel (Hafid), John Friesen (Hauser), Sean McCann (O'Brien), Howard Jerome (A.J. Cohen), Michael Caruana (Pawnbroker), Kurt Reis (Exterminator #1), Louis Ferreira (Exterminator #3), Julian Richings (Exterminator #4), Jim Yip (The Chink), Claude Aflalo (Forgeman), Laurent Hazout (Interzone Boy), Joseph Di Mambro (Interzone Boy) |
| Screenplay | David Cronenberg |
| Producer | Gabriella Martinelli, Jeremy Thomas |
| Cinematography | Peter Suschitzky |
| Editing | Ronald Sanders |
| Music | Howard Shore, Ornette Coleman |
| Production design | Carol Spier |
| Costumes | Denise Cronenberg |
Additional data: TMDB.
Source: Cinémathèque québécoise, linked catalogue data (CC BY 4.0)
