The Bodyguard
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| The Bodyguard | |
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 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Mick Jackson |
| Produced by | Kevin Costner Lawrence Kasdan Jim Wilson |
| Written by | Lawrence Kasdan |
| Starring | Kevin Costner Whitney Houston Gary Kemp Christopher Birt |
| Music by | Alan Silvestri |
| Cinematography | Andrew Dunn |
| Editing by | Donn Cambern Richard A. Harris |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | November 25, 1992 (U.S.) |
| Running time | 130 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Gross revenue | Domestic: $121,945,720[1] Worldwide: $410,945,720 |
The Bodyguard is a 1992 romantic-thriller motion picture starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston. In the film, Costner stars as a former Secret Service Agent turned bodyguard who is hired to protect Houston's character, a pop music star, from an unknown stalker. The film was written by Lawrence Kasdan and directed by Mick Jackson. The film was hugely successful, grossing over $410 million worldwide.
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Plot
In this film debut for Houston, she plays Rachel Marron, a pop music superstar who is being stalked. Frank Farmer (Kevin Costner), a professional bodyguard and former Secret Service agent, is hired to protect her.
The film then follows Rachel Marron's life from performance to performance. Each performance features her singing a song (including hits I Will Always Love You and I Have Nothing) that reflects her emotional state. Frank Farmer successfully protects her from danger and possibly as a result of his protection, Rachel falls in love with Frank. Though he tries to keep their relationship professional, the two sleep together. However, recognizing that their relationship may put Rachel and her family in danger, Frank breaks off their affair. Rachel must put her trust in Frank ahead of her own desire for success, as Frank must face the fact that the threat may not be what was expected. In the end, Frank's duty is fulfilled, having successfully protected Rachel, and they part with a kiss. Frank then moves on to his next assignment...to protect an archbishop.
Background
The film was originally proposed in 1976 with Steve McQueen and Diana Ross in the leads. After McQueen fell ill with cancer it was proposed again in 1979, starring Ryan O'Neal and Ross again in the leads. The project fell through due to irreconcilable differences in the relationship of the two stars. Costner stated that he based Frank Farmer on Steve McQueen; even cutting his hair like McQueen.
Madonna was considered for the role of Rachel. The deal was called off informally during an incident captured in her documentary Truth or Dare. This took place during the scene where Madonna met with Costner backstage; he congratulated her concert, calling her show neat, Madonna made fun of his "neat" remark after he left. Costner undoubtable saw this after the documentary's release.
During recording of the song "I Will Always Love You", there was some different ideas for the cover version of the song until Costner and Houston decided to do the intro a capella, having Houston sing with no music. That version would be the one used in the film. The single of this song would ultimately go on to #1 in two dozen countries, sell over eight million units globally, and give Houston the best selling single by a female artist in music history.
Originally, the song that Rachel performs at the end of the film was meant to be "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted", which was originally sung by Jimmy Ruffin. However, it was decided that the song Rachel would sing would be Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" (supposedly at the suggestion of Costner, believing the song would fit better with the couple's break up).
Reception
The film performed exceptionally strong on its opening weekend and kept it's momentum for several weeks. The film, however, received mixed reviews. The Bodyguard holds a 39% on Rotten Tomatoes[2] and received 6 Razzie award nominations including Worst Picture.[3] Despite the negative critical reception, the film was a massive commercial success, grossing over $410 million worldwide and becoming one of the Top 100 grossing movies in history.[4] Houston would earn $10 million for her next picture Waiting To Exhale, making her the second highest-paid (and highest paid black actress) in Hollywood.
Controversy
Many felt that the movie poster, which includes Costner carrying Houston with her head faced down, deliberately hid Houston's face to avoid showing the interracial aspect of the film. In an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine in 1993, the singer commented that "people know who Whitney Houston is—I'm black. You can't hide that fact." (Houston's entire body was shown in the poster as well). Despite the minor controversy, the film is notable for not mentioning or needing to address any racial aspect.
Soundtrack
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Main article: The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album
The soundtrack to the film has become the best selling soundtrack of all time. The Bodyguard soundtrack sold over 17 million copies in North America alone and has been certified diamond in the U.S. for sales of at least ten million, and is nearing double diamond certification in the U.S.[5] It has sold a staggering 42 million copies total worldwide. Houston's "I Will Always Love You" is the best selling song by a female artist, and the third best selling song in music history by any act.
Connections and features
- During filming of the famous end scene (Whitney Houston running to Kevin Costner and kissing him), the camera was to follow a track, transfer to circular track and continually circle around Costner and Houston while they kissed. The first time they filmed it, the camera man was flung off by the force of the camera as it spun around. The camera man got back up, ran to catch up with the camera (which was still filming) and got back on it again. This shot was used in the final film.
- The mansion used as Rachel Marron's home is the same mansion used in the infamous "Horse Head" scene in The Godfather.
- During the climax of the film, at the fictional Academy Awards there are multiple "winners" announced. These include 'Best Sound' which went to Mychal Smith and Kay Colvin who were actually the boom operator and cable person working on the film. The 'Best Song' winners writer is named as Nancy Garber who in truth was the film's art department researcher, and one of the fictional nominated songwriters is called Leslie Moraes who in actuality was the film's assistant location manager.
- It was rumoured for a long time that Princess Diana was in talks to star as the lead female role in a sequel to The Bodyguard [6]. It was set to star Kevin Costner again as Frank Farmer. However the film never got past the final draft stage. More recently Costner was interviewed saying he was still interested in making a sequel.
- The movie Frank and Rachel see at cinema is Akira Kurosawa's 'Yojimbo', which translates from Japanese as 'Bodyguard'.
- A different version of I Will Always Love You appears in the film.
Parodies
Ever since its debut, The Bodyguard has been the target for sarcasm and parody in popular culture. The movie and its soundtrack are referred to in these shows:
- The Simpsons - in the episode Mayored to the Mob, Homer Simpson receives bodyguard training from an instructor singing I Will Always Love You after graduating his class. Also in the episode, Mark Hamill gets carried by Homer in a fashion which parodies the way Kevin Costner carries Whitney Houston in the movie.
- 30 Rock - in the episode Hard Ball.
References
- ^ Box Office Mojo: The Bodyguard
- ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1042108-bodyguard/
- ^ http://www.razzies.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=342&PN=2
- ^ http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=bodyguard.htm
- ^ Recording Industry Association of America: Diamond Awards
- ^ "Bodyguard 2 & Princess Diana". Retrieved on April 15, 2007.
External links
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