Customer Reviews

Lipstick [VHS]

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Really not as bad as everyone said it was back in 1976. Give Margaux a break! She was just 20 years old and this was her first movie. This Girl had to carry this film on her shoulders and I for one think she did a great job! I think she held her own with Anne, Perry & Chris too. The script does fail her,though. Give it a second try because its really not that bad! There are many other movies with firstimers out there that I'm sure were alot worse than this debut. Margaux deserves applauds just for taking the plunge from modeling to movies! ND

The late Margaux Hemingway saw her movie career take a nosedive after the release of this film, while her co-star and little sister Mariel became the toast of the town. But to many cinephiles, she'll always be remembered as the woman in red holding one mean rifle. Margaux plays Chris McCormick, a top fashion model (no stretch at all, here, since she really was a top model at the time) who ends up regretting her decision of having innocently invited her sibling's music teacher (Chris Sarandon of "Fright Night" fame) to her apartment. While she cries rape (with the help of Academy award winner Anne Bancroft as her attorney) the judicial system, however, sees it differently. LIPSTICK is the ultimate B-movie extravaganza. Raw to the bone, it is avant-garde cinema with a glossy exterior. David Rayfeil's script spares no details in degrading women via ultra-violent scenes (one a la "The Accused") and a misogynistic message regarding men and feminine beauty. But as a whole--and not too taken seriously--LIPSTICK is 90 minutes of pure fun. The film has a Russ Myer feel to it, a sort of cinema verite of the late 60's (the ones who lured mostly the male clientele). Margaux Hemingway gives all she's got and comes up almost rosy despite her limited range. She may not be Meryl Streep, but, contrary to popular opinion, her performance is believable. Of course, then-12 year old Mariel do steal the show with her quiet but strong delivery. Every nuance of her emotional face shows the making of a great actress, and she did become one for awhile, while her older sister stumbled and stumbled in forgettable Z flicks. LIPSTICK was indeed the apogee of Margaux's career. Far from being Academy award worthy, it is definitely a fave among lovers of cult movies, and with good reasons. Now all it needs is a deluxe DVD edition with all the extra goodies.-----Martin Boucher

Oh how I love this film! Margaux is divine as a high fashion model who is raped by her teen sister's school music teacher! Well she is not just raped, she is completely brutalised! I swear some of those scenes looked a bit too realistic. Chris Sarandon is absolutely devilish in the role of the sadistic rapist. He doesn't just physically overpower Margaux, he also attacks her mentally. After the deed is done he slyly begs of her to "not do this with anyone else." During the trial he also torments her with late night calls playing selections of his Phillip Glass inspired music. While the subject matter is serious the film is also high camp & truely hilarious! In an emotional (or as emotional as Margaux can get) courtroom scene she shouts out "he tried to kill me with his c**k!" Let us also not forget lil sis Mariel who gets attacked at the end of the film...after a high speed chase through the Pasadena Design Center! This pushes Margaux over the edge so she grabs a shotgun and goes after Sarandon with a vengeance! After pumping him full of bullets she just keeps pulling the trigger...it is AMAZING! Francesco Scavullo must be so proud.

This movie was panned back when it came out but I think now you can watch and truly relate to the actions of a woman abused by both her attacker and the system and takes revenge at the end, the movie is not bad and the acting is pretty good...

This flick can be a little slow at times, but it does enough to keep your interest. By the time they get to court you just can't wait till this guy gets his, cause he really didn't seem like the type when you first see him. It's the same type story, bad guy gets off, but justice prevails, and does it ever as victim "makes it right". Justice served.

Let me preface this buy saying that I gave this movie five stars because of its raw emotional power. However, like 'The Exorcist' I cannot call it entertainment. Rape is not entertaining.

The plot: Chris (Margaux Hemingway) is an LA model who invites her younger sister's music teacher Gordon (Chris Sarandon) over to hear his music. But Gordon's music FUBAR to say the least and he brutally rapes Chris. At the rape trial Chris' moral character as a nude model is put on trial, while the prosecutor (Anne Bancroft) fights to defend Chris' character and put her rapist in jail.
This movie works because of its raw power. The rape scene is VERY violent and lasts 30 minutes, so graphic I forced myself to fast forward through most of it. The rape really is the only subject of the movie, everything revolves around it. I admire how the screenplay tells us NOTHING about whom these characters are or where they came from. We see only the most basic elements of good and evil. Chris is an innocent victim, I'm glad we were not forced to go through the motions of seeing a super model giggle and talk about how she wants to save the rainforest. This way we can see Chris as a real person. Gordon is totally evil simply for the sake of being evil, the scariest kind. We get no easy or comforting explanation as to how he can so victimize another human being.

Chris Sarandon's performance also deserves special mention. He should have won an Oscar. He was so evil and creepy I don't see how he was cast in any roles after this. Like Anthony Perkins in 'Psycho' he'll always be Norman Bates.

The most shocking thing is I remember seeing this movie as a young child unedited on HBO! I'm amazed I wasn't traumatized for life! But I remember I found it disturbing then and find it disturbing now as an adult. Not sad, not scary, just disturbing.

Lipstick starring Margaux Hemingway, Mariel Hemingway, and Chris Sarandon is a strange film about rape. Margaux was not exactly the best actress in the world but boy she was one beautiful lady. Her real-life kid sister, Mariel had the acting gene but Lipstick is so bad, it's good! The rape scene is difficult to watch of course, but the way the court system attacks women who have been raped is just horrible and realistic I am embarrassed to say. I give this film 4 stars because of the amazing, unexpected ending - Margaux Hemingway in a gorgeous red dress gunning down her rapist, Hollywood magic at its finest. Definitely a guilty pleasure all the way, enjoy this glossy trash!

It's far from being the best film ever made, but LIPSTICK has some special quality about it. Let's first look at the exceptional performances from the cast:

Chris Sarandon - plays the school teacher of the younger sister (Mariel Hemingway) who rapes the older sister first and then the younger sister after being acquitted of the first crime. He really comes across as the creep he is intended to. You grow to hate him, which is the point.

Mariel Hemingway - her acting debut in which she shines. A great performance.

Ann Bancroft - plays the lawyer convincingly. An all round great actress.

Margaux Hemingway - the lead actress, and real-life sister of Mariel (unfortunately died tragically in mid 90's). Not a great actress by any means but she had her moments in the film. Pity about her voice. She was actually a model in real life then, rather than an actress.

The film bombed upon release in 1976 possibly because audiences couldn't accept Margaux trying to switch to acting. These days, such a movie would go straight to TV.

It is worth seeing at least once - The younger sister's performance is that good.

DVD SUMMARY - a bare bones release saved by an impressive transfer (and widescreen anamorphic too!). No trailer included.

This was a 1976 drama that probably killed Margaux Hemingway's career as an actress and model, but oddly enough launched her younger sister Muriel into the spotlight! It's a rape drama about a victim (Margaux) who's rapist goes free (Chris Sarandon), and then attacks her younger sister (Muriel) and then all hell breaks loose!

The movie itself is a guilty pleasure - a potboiler melodrama done quite stlyishly, but somehow offensive and not well acted. Would fit in well with a double bill with EYES OF LAURA MARS! The fashion sequences are unique, and also the modern dance is neat to watch. And Margaux running in heels and a red sequin dress with a hunting rifle is a sight to see! I put it on my list of bad movies that I love. It has a SHOWGIRLS sensibility! Tried hard to be artsy and meaningful, but in the end was just too over the top to be anything but camp.

The DVD has a great transfer, but NO special features at all. Not even a trailer! Pity because Margaux died mysteriously, and this is her biggest movie. Memories of her would be welcome as well as why the movie was made. Credits show that a former DA of LA was an advisor, so somebody was trying to say something!

I hadn't seen this movie in 24 years. I was ten years old when it came out on Hollywood Home Theatre (precurser to HBO), and I had to sneak downstairs to watch it. Margaux Hemingway had the most alluring charm combined with an incredible sex appeal. And her wonderful on-screen relationship with her sister only sealed the deal. The movie has a very graphic scene in it, but it isn't nearly as bad as anything considered 'mere' entertainment by today's standards. The obsession that takes place in the movie is very real and incredibly well-acted. Also, Ann Bancroft's interjects an amazing presence before ever appearing on the screen. I saw a preview for some of Mariel's current work and the first thing that popped into my head was 'Lipstick', so I bought it and watched it again. You will love this movie - period.