Hardcore (1979)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Paul Schrader

Writer:

Paul Schrader (writer)

Release Date:

27 April 1979 (West Germany)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

"Oh my God, that's my daughter."

Plot:

A conservative Midwest businessman ventures into the sordid underworld of pornography in California to look for his runaway teenage daughter whom is making porno films in the porno pits of Los Angeles.

Plot Keywords:

Runaway | Racial Slur | Assault | Christmas | Underage Sex

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

George C. Scott	...	Jake VanDorn, alias Jake DeFreese
Peter Boyle	...	Andy Mast
Season Hubley	...	Niki
Dick Sargent	...	Wes DeJong
Leonard Gaines	...	Bill Ramada
Dave Nichols	...	Kurt (as David Nichols)
Gary Graham	...	Tod (as Gary Rand Graham)
Larry Block	...	Detective Burrows
Marc Alaimo	...	Ratan
Leslie Ackerman	...	Felice
Charlotte McGinnis	...	Beatrice (as Charlotte McGinnes)
Ilah Davis	...	Kristen VanDorn
Paul Marin	...	Joe VanDorn
Will Walker	...	Jim 'Jism Jim' Sloane
Hal Williams	...	Big Dick Blaque

Also Known As:

The Hardcore Life (UK)

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Australia:R | Finland:K-18 | Norway:18 | UK:18 | USA:R | Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Burbank, California, USA

Company:

A-Team

Trivia:

George C. Scott and director Paul Schrader did not get along, so much so that at one point Scott refused to come out of his trailer and threatened to quit the film. Scott only agreed to come out after forcing Schrader to promise that he would never direct again (obviously, Schrader went back on his promise).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Jake has returned to LA and fires his detective, he creates a list of establishments to do his own research and that evening and drives around visiting places on his list. The first place he visits has a street number of 739 (visible in frame) but in looking at address detail in the long shot of the list itself, there are no references to a street number of 739 anywhere.

Quotes:

[about pornography]
Andy Mast: Nobody makes it. Nobody shows it. Nobody sees it. It's like it doesn't even exist.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The Dark Side of Porn: Does Snuff Exist? (#2.4)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

MAN'S DEPRAVITY

Hit me "Hard", even though I wasn't yet a father

Now that George C. Scott has passed away, many of my on-line acquaintances were citing selections from the movie "Patton" as their favorite on-screen quotes from the late actor.

My personal favorite, however, comes from what was the turning point of Scott's character in this movie. I pitied what Jake Van Dorn saw (then couldn't bear to see) as he watched his daughter coupling with the stringy-haired porn actor. Then I pitied him more as he unsuccessfully tried to crash the porn world in search of his only child. Finally, Scott made Van Dorn's final desperation palpable as he sat in the dimly lit motel room, head in his hands (although the toupee WAS hilarious) after "interviewing" the parade of hapless "actors" and "actresses".

When Van Dorn raises his tired eyes to see that the individual who just entered his room is the stringy-haired actor ("Jism Jim"), Scott's acting, the camera flashbacks and the music made me lean very close to the screen. As Van Dorn showed his little girl's picture to Jim, who thereupon throws a tantrum ("That BI***, do I have to act with HER? She made my c*** so...") I found myself very happy to watch Van Dorn beat the stuffing out of Jim with the table lamp.

And the quote? Van Dorn's, in George C. Scott's comforting, whiskey-cured voice as he prepares to shove Jim into a cold shower for some interrogation:

"CHEER UP, YOU'RE NOT DEAD!"

R. I. P. Mr. Scott.