Crimes of Passion (film)
Encyclopedia
Crimes of Passion is a 1984 film directed by Ken Russell
starring Kathleen Turner
, Anthony Perkins
, John Laughlin
and Annie Potts
. The film explores themes of human relationships and mental illness
. A mix of sex and suspense, the movie opened to controversy over its content and to negative reviews.
work. He attends a group therapy
session because his wife, Annie (Potts), has lost interest in sex and he fears their marriage is in trouble.
Grady is soon approached by the owner of a fashion design
house to spy on an employee, Joanna Crane (Turner), whom he suspects of selling clothing patterns to his competitors. Grady discovers the fears of Crane's boss are unfounded, but Crane is moonlighting as a street prostitute
using the name China Blue and wearing a wig and provocative clothing as a disguise.
Grady tells the designer there is nothing to his suspicions, but keeps quiet about Crane's double life. After having an erotic encounter with Crane in her China Blue persona
, Grady decides to start seeing her professionally, and later, romantically. However, their involvement is complicated by his guilt and her intimacy issues — not to mention her clientele of regular patrons and their bizarre sexual fetishes
. Among them is the "Reverend" Peter Shayne (Perkins), who alternately spends his time delivering soapbox
sermons on the street, visiting peep show
s while sniffing amyl nitrite
, and patronizing prostitutes. Shayne has begun seeing China Blue often and declares a misguided need to "save" her. (When he says, "Save your soul, whore!", she replies, "Save your money, shithead.") Underscoring Shayne's contradictory nature is the cache of sex toy
s he carries in a small doctor's bag with his Bible
.
Grady and Joanna's sexual encounters soon develop into genuine romantic feelings for each other. When Grady admits he may leave his wife and children, Joanna feels put-upon and depressed
. She seeks solace in turning tricks because the encounters are not fraught with emotional entanglements. She dominates a young policeman in an S&M session, penetrating him with his nightstick
, and endures a botched three-way
in a limousine. A session with an older, dying man whose wife wants China Blue to give him sexual gratification one last time inspires Joanna to reveal her real (first) name to the couple, suggesting she is the proverbial "hooker with a heart of gold
".
Shayne grows increasingly psychotic: he carries a sharpened metallic vibrator
he nicknames "Superman" and starts stalking
Joanna. He moves into a seedy motel next door to her nighttime place of business and watches her activities through a peephole. He also sets up a shrine with candles and numerous photos of her. Sensing that he is mentally unhinged, Joanna says she no longer wishes to see him, but Shayne follows her home to her actual apartment. Once there, he begs her to kill him.
Grady decides to visit Joanna to tell her that he has left home. He hears shouting when he arrives at her apartment, so he breaks down her door to find who he thinks is Joanna cowering in terror. He approaches the person, not realizing it is actually Shayne in Joanna's China Blue disguise. Joanna, wearing Shayne's clothing, leaps from the shadows and stabs Shayne with the "Superman" vibrator before he can attack Grady with a large pair of scissors. Shayne dies, convinced that his sacrifice has "saved" them both.
The film ends with Grady addressing his group therapist about his new relationship with a woman named Joanna.
performed the synthesizer
-heavy score
, the majority of which is made up of melodies directly lifted from Czech
composer Antonin Dvořák
's "New World Symphony".
Wakeman has an uncredited role in the film as a wedding photographer.
Ken Russell
Henry Kenneth Alfred "Ken" Russell was an English film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. He attracted criticism as being obsessed with sexuality and the church...
starring Kathleen Turner
Kathleen Turner
Mary Kathleen Turner is an American actress. She came to fame during the 1980s, after roles in the Hollywood films Body Heat, Peggy Sue Got Married, Romancing the Stone, The War of the Roses, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Prizzi's Honor...
, Anthony Perkins
Anthony Perkins
Anthony Perkins was an American actor, best known for his Oscar-nominated role in Friendly Persuasion and as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho , and its three sequels.-Early life:...
, John Laughlin
John Laughlin (actor)
John Laughlin , sometimes credited as John C. McLaughlin or John McLaughlin, is an American film and television actor.-Career:Since 1978, he has appeared in over twenty-five films and at least thirty television productions....
and Annie Potts
Annie Potts
Anne Hampton "Annie" Potts is an American film and television actress. She is known for her roles in the 1980s popular films such as Ghostbusters , Pretty in Pink , Jumpin' Jack Flash , Who's Harry Crumb? and Ghostbusters II . Potts is also known as a voice-actress...
. The film explores themes of human relationships and mental illness
Mental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
. A mix of sex and suspense, the movie opened to controversy over its content and to negative reviews.
Plot
Bobby Grady (Laughlin) is an ordinary middle-class electronics store owner who occasionally moonlights doing surveillanceSurveillance
Surveillance is the monitoring of the behavior, activities, or other changing information, usually of people. It is sometimes done in a surreptitious manner...
work. He attends a group therapy
Group psychotherapy
Group psychotherapy or group therapy is a form of psychotherapy in which one or more therapists treat a small group of clients together as a group...
session because his wife, Annie (Potts), has lost interest in sex and he fears their marriage is in trouble.
Grady is soon approached by the owner of a fashion design
Fashion design
Fashion design is the art of the application of design and aesthetics or natural beauty to clothing and accessories. Fashion design is influenced by cultural and social latitudes, and has varied over time and place. Fashion designers work in a number of ways in designing clothing and accessories....
house to spy on an employee, Joanna Crane (Turner), whom he suspects of selling clothing patterns to his competitors. Grady discovers the fears of Crane's boss are unfounded, but Crane is moonlighting as a street prostitute
Street prostitution
Street prostitution is a form of prostitution in which a sex worker solicits customers from a public place, most commonly a street, while waiting at street corners or walking alongside a street, but also other public places such as parks, beaches, etc. The street prostitute is often dressed in a...
using the name China Blue and wearing a wig and provocative clothing as a disguise.
Grady tells the designer there is nothing to his suspicions, but keeps quiet about Crane's double life. After having an erotic encounter with Crane in her China Blue persona
Persona
A persona, in the word's everyday usage, is a social role or a character played by an actor. The word is derived from Latin, where it originally referred to a theatrical mask. The Latin word probably derived from the Etruscan word "phersu", with the same meaning, and that from the Greek πρόσωπον...
, Grady decides to start seeing her professionally, and later, romantically. However, their involvement is complicated by his guilt and her intimacy issues — not to mention her clientele of regular patrons and their bizarre sexual fetishes
Sexual fetishism
Sexual fetishism, or erotic fetishism, is the sexual arousal a person receives from a physical object, or from a specific situation. The object or situation of interest is called the fetish, the person a fetishist who has a fetish for that object/situation. Sexual fetishism may be regarded, e.g...
. Among them is the "Reverend" Peter Shayne (Perkins), who alternately spends his time delivering soapbox
Soapbox
A soapbox is a raised platform on which one stands to make an impromptu speech, often about a political subject. The term originates from the days when speakers would elevate themselves by standing on a wooden crate originally used for shipment of soap or other dry goods from a manufacturer to a...
sermons on the street, visiting peep show
Peep show
A peep show or peepshow is an exhibition of pictures, objects or people viewed through a small hole or magnifying glass. Though historically a peep show was a form of entertainment provided by wandering showmen, nowadays it more commonly refers a presentation of a sex show or pornographic film...
s while sniffing amyl nitrite
Amyl nitrite
Amyl nitrite is the chemical compound with the formula C5H11ONO. A variety of isomers are known, but they all feature an amyl group attached to the nitrito functional group. The alkyl group is unreactive and the chemical and biological properties are mainly due to the nitrite group...
, and patronizing prostitutes. Shayne has begun seeing China Blue often and declares a misguided need to "save" her. (When he says, "Save your soul, whore!", she replies, "Save your money, shithead.") Underscoring Shayne's contradictory nature is the cache of sex toy
Sex toy
A sex toy is an object or device that is primarily used to facilitate human sexual pleasure. The most popular sex toys are designed to resemble human genitals and may be vibrating or non-vibrating...
s he carries in a small doctor's bag with his Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
.
Grady and Joanna's sexual encounters soon develop into genuine romantic feelings for each other. When Grady admits he may leave his wife and children, Joanna feels put-upon and depressed
Depression (mood)
Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless...
. She seeks solace in turning tricks because the encounters are not fraught with emotional entanglements. She dominates a young policeman in an S&M session, penetrating him with his nightstick
Baton (law enforcement)
A truncheon or baton is essentially a club of less than arm's length made of wood, plastic, or metal...
, and endures a botched three-way
Ménage à trois
Ménage à trois is a French term which originally described a domestic arrangement in which three people having sexual relations occupy the same household – the phrase literally translates as "household of three"...
in a limousine. A session with an older, dying man whose wife wants China Blue to give him sexual gratification one last time inspires Joanna to reveal her real (first) name to the couple, suggesting she is the proverbial "hooker with a heart of gold
Hooker with a heart of gold
The hooker with a heart of gold is a stock character in which a "fallen woman", usually a prostitute, is a kindly and internally wholesome person.-Characteristics:...
".
Shayne grows increasingly psychotic: he carries a sharpened metallic vibrator
Vibrator
Vibrator may refer to:* Vibrator —a device for massage or sexual pleasure.* Vibrator —a class of devices which create mechanical vibrations for uses such as signaling annunciators, doorbells, or industrial uses such as compacting gravel, transporting materials, cleaning, etc.* Vibrator —an...
he nicknames "Superman" and starts stalking
Stalking
Stalking is a term commonly used to refer to unwanted and obsessive attention by an individual or group to another person. Stalking behaviors are related to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person and/or monitoring them via the internet...
Joanna. He moves into a seedy motel next door to her nighttime place of business and watches her activities through a peephole. He also sets up a shrine with candles and numerous photos of her. Sensing that he is mentally unhinged, Joanna says she no longer wishes to see him, but Shayne follows her home to her actual apartment. Once there, he begs her to kill him.
Grady decides to visit Joanna to tell her that he has left home. He hears shouting when he arrives at her apartment, so he breaks down her door to find who he thinks is Joanna cowering in terror. He approaches the person, not realizing it is actually Shayne in Joanna's China Blue disguise. Joanna, wearing Shayne's clothing, leaps from the shadows and stabs Shayne with the "Superman" vibrator before he can attack Grady with a large pair of scissors. Shayne dies, convinced that his sacrifice has "saved" them both.
The film ends with Grady addressing his group therapist about his new relationship with a woman named Joanna.
Production
Rock musician Rick WakemanRick Wakeman
Richard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...
performed the synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
-heavy score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
, the majority of which is made up of melodies directly lifted from Czech
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
composer Antonin Dvořák
Antonín Dvorák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
's "New World Symphony".
Wakeman has an uncredited role in the film as a wedding photographer.