Streetwalkin'
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Streetwalkin'
| image = Streetwalkin' poster.jpg
| caption = Theatrical poster
| director = Joan Freeman
| producer = Robert Alden
executive
Roger Corman
| writer = {{ubl|Robert Alden|Joan Freeman}}
| based_on =
| narrator =
| starring = {{ubl|Melissa Leo|Dale Midkiff|Julie Newmar}}
| music = {{ubl|Matthew Ender|Doug Timm}}
| cinematography = Steven Fierberg
| editing = {{ubl|John K. Adams|Patrick Rand}}
| studio = Rodeo
| distributor = Concorde Pictures
| released = {{Film date|1985|09|20|df=yes}}
| runtime =
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget =
| gross =
}}
Streetwalkin' is a 1985 American thriller film starring Melissa Leo in her film debut. It was an early film from Concorde Pictures.'STREETWALKIN" / Corman Hustles New Distribution Territory / Prostitution story may pave new path: [SUNDAY Edition] Stanley, John. San Francisco Chronicle 23 February 1986: 20.
A remake was made in 1991 called Uncaged starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan. This movie is a virtual scene for scene remake of "Streetwalkin' and it also includes some of the cast from the original one.
Plot
Cookie and her brother run away from their loveless mother and their abusive stepfather in Upstate New York and arrive in New York City. At the train station, Cookie meets a pimp named Duke. With his charm, he makes her fall in love with him and soon has her working as a prostitute. However, his brutality against her colleagues disgusts her.
Cast
- Melissa Leo as "Cookie"
- Dale Midkiff as "Duke"
- Leon Robinson as Jason
- Antonio Fargas as Finesse
- Julie Newmar as "Queen Bee"
- Randall Batinkoff as Tim
- Annie Golden as Phoebe
- Deborah Offner as Heather
- Khandi Alexander as "Star"
- Greg Germann as "Creepy"
- Kirk Taylor as "Spade"
- Samantha Fox as Topless Dancer
- Conrad Roberts as Seller
- Tom Wright as Henchman #1
- Daniel Jordano as Henchman #2
- Gary Howard Klar as Bouncer
- Kim Chan as Desk Clerk
Production
Freeman was a documentary filmmaker who wanted to move into dramatic features. She approached Roger Corman seeking finance for a film she wanted to make about vice. Corman was reluctant so she and her husband wrote a short film for Freeman to direct: Brainwash, about a girl kidnapped by a cult. Corman was impressed and agreed to make Streetwalkin.{{cite news|title=Corman Hustles New Distribution Territory|newspaper=The San Francisco Examiner|date=23 February 1986|page=22|first=John|last=Stanley}}
Corman agreed to let Freeman shoot the film on location in New York - this was the first time he had done so. He called the movie "an honest look at prostitution. It's wrong, it's not glamorous. It's a dirty, dangerous business."
The film was shot over 24 nights in June 1984.FILMMAKER GOES FROM PBS TO 'STREETWALKIN' ': New York Times. 27 September 1985: C6.
Reception
It was one of the first eight films distributed by Corman's new company, Concorde Pictures, along with The Devastator, Naked Vengeance, Wheels of Fire, Loose Screws (Screwballs II), School Spirit, Barbarian Queen, and Wizards of the Lost Kingdom.{{cite book|page=234|title= Mind warp! : the fantastic true story of Roger Corman's New World Pictures|last=Koetting|first= Christopher T.|year=2013}} It was the first film released by Concorde in collaboration with Cinema Group.
=Critical=
The film screened out of competition at the Berlin Film Festival.
The Los Angeles Times said, "a feature debut could scarcely be more cynical."{{cite news|newspaper=The Los Angeles Times Part 4|date=17 May 1985|title=Cynicism mars the skill in 'Streetwalkin'|first=Kevin|last=Thomas|page=4}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|0088195}}
- [https://letterboxd.com/film/streetwalkin/ Streetwalkin'] at Letterbox DVD
- [https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C0DE4DD153AF933A1575AC0A963948260 Review of film] at New York Times
Category:Films about prostitution in the United States
Category:Films set in New York City
Category:American thriller films
Category:Films directed by Joan Freeman