Customer Reviews

A Certain Sacrifice

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Hard to sit through this one but interesting look at the earliest Madonna work. I actually got this because I knew the directors...

Certain to shock, certain to be talked about and certain to be a collectors item. This rare piece of music history was shot in 1979 but not released to the public until 1985 to capitalize on Madonna's fame. Madonna tried to buy the rights from director Stephen Jon Lewicki for $5,000 unsuccessfully. Madonna, then tried to ban the film from being seen..
"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 a unknown, 20 year old Madonna had intrigue which would be better displayed in later projects.
Madonna played the part of Bruna, a Lower East Side resident who lives with three "love slaves" (one male, one female, one transgender). Bruna meets Dashiell (Pattnosh) in the water fountain in Washington Square Park and the two "fall in love". Bruna tells her lovers she doesn't need them anymore. They attack her sexually (this scene caused controversy since Madonna is topless). Later, Bruna is raped by Raymond Hall (by Kurtz) in a bathroom at a coffee shop. To exact retribution, Bruna enlists her love slaves and Dashiell to abduct the rapist. They dress up as hookers and lure him into a limo and lead him to a theatre where a Satanic sacrifice is performed. Dashiell laters wipes Raymond's blood all over Bruna.
A Certain Sacrifice typifies the raw-edged, quick-cut style of today's rock videos. Director Stephen Jon Lewicki brings excitement, energy and a unique visual flair to this early experimental film. Film, Rock and Video buffs (as well as Madonna fans) won't want to miss this rare glimpse at a very early chapter in the history of a living pop legend!
Originally shot on Super 8mm in 1979, this film exhibits a raw and intimate experimental film style.

A possible contender for the worst movie ever made, this garage horror film looks as if it were shot in out-of-focus 8mm with no lighting. But the DVD looks no worse than the video release from the 1980s. The only conceivable reason for watching this is for a pre-celebrity Madonna in a couple of topless scenes. If that's worth $5, then Body of Evidence should weigh in at several thou.

A boy does NOT want to rake the leaves. There's an argument. Two guys in a diner have a conversation that threatens to never ever EVER end. There's an argument. Close-ups of eyes and the wall.



A guy with band-aids on his face approaches a girl dancing in a sprinkler. He pulls a gun on her, and they fall in love. But there's trouble in paradise when he finds out she has a "family of lovers." There's an argument. Close-ups of eyes and the ground. He also argues with a landlady.



When the girl is attacked in the bathroom, there's nothing left to do but call on her family of lovers for help. They kidnap the attacker and force him to watch their song and dance routine that doesn't come close to syncing up with the soundtrack. There's, of course, more close-ups of eyes and then they kill him... or something.



The film ends with a touching scene of the young couple making love bathed in the attacker's blood, and they all live happily ever after... all but the audience of course.



"A Certain Sacrifice" is a very low-budget exploitation film starring everyone's favorite tramp, Madonna, before she was discovered. It was shot in 1979 but was not released (for obvious reasons) until 1985 after Madonna's superstardom. The actors made up most of the dialogue, and the audience was apparently supposed to make up most of the plot. The cameraman seemed to be a quadriplegic, flailing around randomly, shooting everything except what's going on. The editor must have refused to cut a single second of the pointless and excruciatingly dull footage. Our only salvation from the hideous acting is that most of the dialogue was obscured by background noise. Surely there must be a better way to see Madonna's boobs.

the sound quality is poor, it's overacted, it's dark and grainy (not to mention shaky - think Blair Witch Project) but if you are a Madonna fan, you might want to see it. (Story line a bit shaky as well.) I wouldn't say it's the worst movie ever made but it's certainly a contender. Though it is interesting to see New York in the late 70's (in a very different way than I remember it). Classicly poor student-type film. Not sure how/why this actually came out in DVD format. It's only an hour long so if you love Madonna, might be good for one viewing - only.