Girl, Interrupted (1999)

Have you ever confused a dream with life? Or stolen something when you had the cash? Have you ever been blue? Or thought your train moving while sitting still? Maybe I was just crazy, maybe it was the 60's, or maybe I was just a Girl....Interrupted.

Winona in the tub was a pretty, big-eyed dark girl up to her chest in water, lifting a well-turned leg.
Winona on the monitor was an absulutely beautiful woman, who, by sitting in a bathtub, joined the constellation of beautiful woman in bathtubs immortalized by Renoir, Degas, Monet and so on...
Susanna Kaysen about Winona in the bath scene

Cast:

The Story:

Susanna Kaysen has heavy depressions and hallucinations. After a half-hearted suicide attempt she found herself in the Claymore Mental Institution. She befriended the uncontrolable Lisa Rowe and her illnes takes a turn to the worse...

After finally accepting the help of ward nurse Valerie and Dr. Sonia Wick Susannas situation gets slowly better...

The Movie is based on the book „Girl, Interrupted“ by Susanna Kaysen. She wrote the book after the diary she wrote while she were at Claymore. Read more about the book here.

The title of the book was inspired by Vermeer's painting „Girl, Interrupted at her musical lesson“. You can see the original painting at Fricks Gallery in New York.

The movie contains a scene where Susanna visits the painting at Fricks Gallery but unfortunately it was cut from the final version. But you can see it in the „Deleted Scenes“ section of the DVD.

My Opinion:

Girl, Interrupted is stunning in many, if not all ways. Winona gives her best performance to date as the troubled Susanna - and while doing that she keeps her character likeable - forming the heartfelt center of the movie. Winona performs a tour de force of emotions - without ever missing the tone.

And on a side-note: For a woman of 27 she passes beautifully as 19-year old girl.

I still wonder why she wasn't even nominated for an Oscar...If she would have lost the competition against the winner of 2000 (who was Hilary Swank for her great role in "Boys Don't Cry"), it would be okay with me.

The supporting cast is also great: Angelina Jolie as the fierce Lisa (who got her Oscar – at least one good decision by the Academy), Whoopi Goldberg as Valerie and Vanessa Redgrave as Dr. Wick...

A sidenote on Angelina Jolie: Many poeple and critics praise her performance far higher than Winona's. I don't agree on that. Winona plays Susanna's voyage from off-beat and rebellious teen who's sent into a psychiartric hospital – is lingering there into madness – and struggles to return into the „sane“ world. On the other hand Angelina is playing Jack Nicholson at full throttle all the way through – it's fun to watch – but in no part that nuanced and deep as Winona's performance.

The story is stunning. And if you'll be open to this not easy movie it'll left you a little interrupted behind. The story is deep and honest with no unneccesary effects or clichés. I just love it...

GI is also about woman career's in the 60s which is often still true today. Susanna's guidance counselor states that women have more chances today - but Susanna always gets proof that they don't: her mother once beeing a painist (see the cut scenes for this fact) - stopped performing as she got Susanna, Susanna's school-friend Bonnie at first accepted to Radcliffe (law university in Boston) - later forced by her parents into an art-school. But later on she might see that she can go her way if she really has the will to even opose her parents - maybe after seeing nurse Valerie and Dr. Sonya Wick.

To grasp the whole intent of Susanna's actions you've to watch GI more than once, as you've to know the flashbacks to understand Susanna's actions and comments in the "now" of her hospitalisation - and this relations are often spread over the whole length of the movie - and sometimes it takes four or five scenes to complete one piece of the greater image.

At last, it's often said that Winona's acting capabilities consist mostly of her eyes - and even if I don't agree with the term "mostly" I have to agree that her eyes - especially in this movie - are rediant and magnetic. James Mangold says in the audio-commentary that Winona says with her eyes in one second more than most actors with thousand words. And he continues to point that while most actors can talk well only few have Winona's skill that you only find in great actors.

I can really recommend to listen to the commentary - I once thought about including MP3s from it on this page but decided otherwise because of "running havoc" copyright owners.

I truely hope that one day an uncut-version of GI will be released. I once read in my tv-mag that an 3 1/2 hour cut was made by James Mangold. And next to the commentary by the director I'd love to have a commentary by Winona on it – one can always dream...

Great movie – my favorite Winona Ryder movie ever!

For my favorite scenes, see my 2^nd GI-Page...

The basement, which is now used only for storage and office space, features a one-lane wooden bowling alley where film crews shot a scene for the 1999 movie “Girl Interrupted.”

Hoar says that while she’ll show the bowling alley to guests, if they ask, she doesn’t let anyone actually bowl down there. “It makes an unbelievable racket all through the house though,” she says. “It sounds worse than a thunderstorm.”

Still Photographer: Suzanne Tenner - Truely great work, Suzanne!!!

See more about the worldwide promotion and what the critics think on my 3^rd GI-Page.

Articles:

Winona promoted „her“ movie making a lot of interviews for magazines and newspapers. Most notable are the first three articles – they're showing Winona's deep connection to the book – really exploring Winona's feelings and showing her inner life like never before...

1. Two Fly Over...

2. Winona Ryder – Woman, Uninterrupted

3. The Winona Nobody Knows

4. Winona Ryder – Girl, Interrupted

5. Girl Crazy

6. Girl, Interrupted – The big Winona Ryder Interview

7. Ascent of a Woman

8. Girl, Interrupted – article by TV Spielfilm

9. Sometimes you don't know how to fit in

10. What's up, Winona?

11. A Shooting Star

12. Script Magazine Cover

13. I'm too sensitive for this world (1)

14. I'm too sensitive for this world (2)

15. Soul Survivor – page 1

16. Soul Survivor – page 2

17. Soul Survivor – page 3

18. Soul Survivor – page 4

19. Ragazze Fuori

20. It's tough being beautiful, talented, rich, famous and successful

21. Another one flew over the cuckoo's nest

22. Dangerous Beauties

23. Preview Article of Girl....Interrupted

24. Movie Spot – Girl....Interrupted

25. Teen Medicine

26. GI Preview

27. GI Book Review

28. GI Review

29. Small GI Preview

30. Asian Article – page 1

31. Asian Article – page 2

32. Asian Article – page 3

33. Asian Article – page 4

34. Asian Article – page 5

35. Asian Article – page 6

36. Asian Article – page 7

37. Asian Article – page 8

38. Asian Article – page 9

39. Asian Article – page 10

40. Asian Article – page 11

41. Asian Article – page 12

42. Tatler February 2000 cover

If someone could translate the asian article into english I'd be very happy – please e-mail me at admin-at-vulcannonibird-dot-de.

Soundtrack:

The „Shivering Sound“ you hear some times during the movie is played by the Toronto's Glass Orchestra, a 4-piece ensemble performing on blown, bowed, rubbed and struck glass – together with an acoustic guitar.

In the scene where Susanna and Lisa tried to help Polly, the guitar for „Downtown“ was performed by Winona herself and sung together with Angelina Jolie.

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Pictures from the premiere:

Winona made friends on the set of Girl....Interrupted

Vidcaps from the movie:

The cut scenes

Trailer and Featurette:

Watch the Trailer (7,5 MB) and the promotional featurette (29,5 MB) as seen on MTV

Promotion

The making of Girl....Interrupted was a work close to Winona's heart – this is shown mainly in all the TV appearances Winona made to promote her movie. Winona did this never before and after Girl....Interrupted.

ABC Special 20/20 with Winona Ryder

Winona is speaking in this sensitive show about her problems she had as a young actress – how she made it – and why she is so deeply connected to Girl....Interrupted.

ABC Special 20/20 – 22 MB – DivX

Tonight Show with Jay Leno with Winona Ryder

This is the – in my opinion – most gorgeous appearance of Winona. A display of her marvelous beauty and grace – here you can see that Winona is real star.

Tonight Show with Jay Leno – 26 MB – DivX

Late Night with Conan O'Brien with Winona Ryder

My most favorite american talkshow – maybe because it's the most european: dry humor – weird comedy bits. – AND: Conan hasn't bashed Winona when everyone else did!
Accordingly this is the most funny of Winona's appearances.

Late Night with Conan O'Brien – 10 MB – DivX

Sadly the recording is not complete – read the transcript of the whole show here.

Rosie O'Donnell Show with Winona Ryder

Winona and Rosie O'Donnell know each other – Winona is more relaxed than in any other appearance.

Rosie O'Donnell Show – 44 MB – DivX

Charlie Rose

Winona in an in-depth interview with talkshow legend Charlie Rose

Charlie Rose – 26 MB – DivX

See vidcaps from the Charlie Rose DVD here – buy the DVD at Amazon

Winona at the Premiere

Clip 1 – MPEG – 55 MB

Clip 2 – MPEG – 66 MB

Girl, Interrupted part of True Hollywood Story: Agnelina Jolie

Of course the standard critics bla-bla – but also some nice interview bits of Angelina and Winona – plus some footage from the premiere

THS – 13 MB – DivX

Official Promotion Video

These clips are from the official promotion video made by Columbia TriStar.

Short clip from VH-1

Winona announcing the upcomming movie – 1 MB - DivX

Quotes

She was wearing an enormous white hotel-type terrycloth robe and knee-high, sheepskin boots, and she looked like a petite, clean Abominable Snowgirl.
Susanna Kaysen about first seeing Winona

She's perfect. Even when she's 60, she's going to look like she's 14. She's one of those women who'll never age.
makup designer Kevyn Aucoin

MP3:

1. Susanna and Lisa singing „Downtown“

2. From the bath scene: „What the fuck are you doing?“

3. Borderline Personality Disorder and Casual Sex

4. In Dr. Wick's Office

MyGirl, Interrupted wallpapers:

See more fan art here

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