Product Details

• Actors: Madonna, Jeremy Pattnosh
• Directors: Steven Jon Lewicki
• Format: Color
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Legacy Entertainment, Inc.
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0002UGVHO
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #97,901 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

From the back cover: "Certain to shock, certain to be talked about and certain to be a collector's item. This rare piece of music history was shot in 1979 but not released to the public until 1985. "A Certain Sacrifice" is the first project ever in which Madonna tested her acting abilities. Though raw and mostly improvised, it's clear that even as an unkown, 20 year old Madonna had intrigue which would be better displayed in her later projects."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Madonna's "Manos", January 5, 2006

By 

Da Man "Da Man" (Pekin, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Certain Sacrifice (DVD)

critics have long loved to beat down Madonna's film work, as some movies such as Swept Away and Who's That Girl were nowhere as bad as the reviews and Razzies led you to believe.

However, years before stardom hit, Madonna starred in a movie that was so bad, that it provides competition for the likes of Manos: The Hands Of Fate and Plan 9 From Outer Space.

Filmed in 1979 with a really low budget and released in 1985 to cash in on Madonna's popularity, A Certain Sacrifice has the queen of pop playing a streetwise (is it me or were all of her pre-Dick Tracy movie characters streetwise? lol) bohemian named Bruna who falls in love with a college dropout named Dashiel (Jeremy Pattnosh)

Bruna is quite the kinky one, with a "family of lovers" who she frequently has group sex with, she breaks up with them to be with Dashiel, but the happiness only lasts for so long. A racist, foul man named Raymond Hall, who Dashiel had a restaurant run-in with earlier in the movie rapes Bruna in a diner restroom.

Dashiel promises Bruna he will exact revenge, so Bruna and her family of lovers catch and kidnap Raymond one day... and this leads us to the films climax, where Hall is murdered in a Satanic sacrificial rock ritual.

Madonna unsuccessfully tried to sue to prevent this from being released to the public, but thankfully it came out anyways. If they ever revive Mystery Science Theater on pay-cable, this would certainly be a ripe movie for them to pick on.

Why do I give this two stars? it's so bad that the badness actually makes it watchable. ONLY for Madonna diehards and those who enjoy bad movies.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting..., October 2, 2005

By 

Tim Verheyn Junior "TDog14126" (Buffalo, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Certain Sacrifice (DVD)

What an...interesting DVD. I found it at...TOPS! LOL. [...] I heard about this movie on a VH1 or MTV special on Madonna. At the end, in the credits, we learn Madonna's full name. My friends took away my "gay license" because I didn't already know it (Madonna Louise Cicconi). You can tell this movie was independent. The audio sucks, the film is dark and grainy, as others have stated. The music is not bad, actually. The best song is what they play with the credits. This is NOT a spoiler, but the end of the film gets NASTY! Basically, Madonna plays a woman who is assaulted and gets her army of lovers to get revenge on the guy. It's only an hour long, which seems like too much at times. You get to see Madonna's [...] a few times. I had a little trouble following who was who at times. I think there were 2 guys that looked alike, not sure if it was two different guys or not. The reason I got this was because it's considered a rare item. I probably won't ever watch it again.

8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars madonna baby, August 8, 2007

By 

JGC - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: A Certain Sacrifice (DVD)

Madonna's acting in this movie is way better than most of her other pictures. If you don't believe me watch some of the movies she was in, they are all much worse.

The Im-Materail Girl was paid $100.00 for her services in "A Certain Sacrifice." And even if she was paid that same salary for any of her other movies, $99.99 of it would still be too much (especially for "Swept Away" "The Next Best Thing" "Bloodhounds of Broadway" & "Dangerous Game.")

Maybe one day there will be a special edition box set with all her most wretched films? I'm sure all the mindless sheep in her flock will definitely run out and buy it the precise second it is released. At least it can't be said that Madonna ever lets her very much-beloved fans down.