Bad Timing (1980)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Nicolas Roeg

Writer:

Yale Udoff (screenplay)

Release Date:

October 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery

Tagline:

His terrifying obsession took them to the brink of death and beyond. [Video Australia]

Plot:

The setting is Vienna. A young American woman is brought to a hospital after overdosing on pills, apparently in a suicide attempt...

Plot Keywords:

Professor | Detective | Doctor | Flashback | Drinking

Awards:

3 wins

Cast

Art Garfunkel	...	Alex Linden
Theresa Russell	...	Milena Flaherty
Harvey Keitel	...	Inspector Netusil
Denholm Elliott	...	Stefan Vognic
Daniel Massey	...	Foppish Man
Dana Gillespie	...	Amy Miller
William Hootkins	...	Col. Taylor
Eugene Lipinski	...	Hospital Policeman
George Roubicek	...	Policeman #1
Stefan Gryff	...	Policeman #2
Sevilla Delofski	...	Czech Receptionist
Robert Walker	...	Konrad
Gertan Klauber	...	Ambulance Man
Ania Marson	...	Dr. Schneider
Lex van Delden	...	Young Doctor
Rudolf Bissegger	...	Giovanni (as Rudolph Bisseger)
Hans Christian	...	Czech Consul
Ellan Fartt	...	Ulla
Fritz Goblirsch	...	Drunk Man (as Fritz Gublirsch)
Nino LaRocca	...	Arab in Truck (as Nino La Rocca)
Roman Scheidl	...	Angry Student
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Carolyn Seymour	...	Lisa Dietrich (scenes deleted)
Carl Lawrence Ludwig	...	Young Czech Lover (uncredited)

Directed by
Nicolas Roeg

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Yale Udoff		screenplay

Produced by
Jeremy Thomas	....	producer
Tim Van Rellim	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Richard Hartley

Cinematography by
Anthony B. Richmond		(as Anthony Richmond)

Film Editing by
Tony Lawson

Casting by
Celestia Fox

Art Direction by
David Brockhurst

Costume Design by
Marit Allen

Makeup Department
Sue Bide	....	makeup artist
Sarah Monzani	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Christian Jungbluth	....	production manager: Austria
Aivar Kaulins	....	production manager
Detlef Krejci	....	unit manager: Austria

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Peter Kohn	....	second assistant director
Marijan David Vajda	....	assistant director: Austria
Neil Vine-Miller	....	first assistant director
Tom Ward	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Jonathan Amberston	....	second assistant art director
John Beard	....	first assistant art director
Arie Bohrer	....	assistant art director: Austria
Bob Devine	....	construction manager
Bryony Foster	....	property buyer
Janet Shearer	....	third assistant art director
Ted Western	....	stand-by propman

Sound Department
Ken Barker	....	sound re-recording mixer
Alan Bell	....	sound editor
Tony Bell	....	boom operator
Rodney Holland	....	dialogue editor
Paul Le Mare	....	sound mixer
Jacques Leroide	....	assistant sound editor
Rodney Glenn	....	assistant sound editor (uncredited)
John Hayward	....	sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Graham Attwood	....	still photographer
George Beavis	....	chief grip
Martin Evans	....	gaffer
John Golding	....	focus puller
Gordon Hayman	....	camera operator
Derek Suter	....	clapper loader
Wick Finch	....	electrician (uncredited)

Casting Department
Monika Caha	....	casting: Austria

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Shuna Harwood	....	additional costumes
Carla Willsher	....	wardrobe mistress

Editorial Department
David Spiers	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
François Rabbath	....	musician: double bass

Other crew
Laurence Boulting	....	location manager
Clinton Cavers	....	location manager
Brian Doyle	....	publicist
Ingrid Durst	....	production assistant: Austria
Kay Fenton	....	continuity
Johannes Freisinger	....	location manager:Austria
Susan Kane	....	production secretary
Angela Mackworth-Young	....	assistant to director
Borjan Nakicenovic	....	propman: Austria
Jaqi Neilist	....	production secretary
Hugh O'Donnell	....	location manager
Alex Richards	....	chief production accountant
Caroline Sax	....	production secretary

Production Companies

• Rank Organisation, The (present) (as Rank Film Distributors)
• Recorded Picture Company (RPC)

Distributors

• World Northal (1980) (USA) (theatrical)
• Pan-Canadian Film Distributors (1980) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2004) (Australia) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Divisa Home Video (2006) (Spain) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Bad Timing: A Sensual Obsession (USA)
Illusions (UK) (working title)

Runtime:

123 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | German | Czech | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:R21 | Canada:18+ (Ontario) | UK:18 | West Germany:18 | South Korea:18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:R | UK:X (original rating) (cut) | USA:R | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Rank Organisation, The

Trivia:

Dana Gillespie's scenes were severely cut before release, in the process completely deleting her scene with Carolyn Seymour.

Quotes:

Milena Flaherty: You already know everything... you want everything, too.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Dreaming My Dreams

Complex and shocking and riveting

I saw this film when it was originally released and it still ranks as my all-time favorite. From the opening strains of Tom Waits' gritty "Invitation to the Blues" (which is cut off by the wail of an ambulance!) every aspect--music, scenery, the astonishing acting--melds together into a masterpiece.

Theresa Russell is simply a knockout as Milena, a woman who refuses to be "owned". She's beautiful, sexy, carefree, and absolutely infuriating to Art Garfunkel's psychologist Dr. Linden. His compulsion to control her leads to disaster, and Garfunkel's performance is absolutely astonishing. The expression on his face in the final scene is unforgettable. It haunts me still.