Photo courtesy of Jeanne Marie Spicuzza
Director Jeanne Marie Spicuzza
The “Black Dahlia” murder-mutilation was a crime story-that exploded into a media-spectacle. The killing of aspiring actress Elizabeth Short was salacious material for newspapers and pulp magazines when her mutilated body was discovered in 1947. Somehow, the memory lingers. The incident inspired crime fiction for decades to come, notably James Elroy’s novel and its screen adaptation by Brian De Palma.
The Black Dahlia’s enduring architype of depravity is at the heart of the latest film by Milwaukee expatriate/LA resident Jeanne Marie Spicuzza. Night Rain is inspired by the frustrations of getting an indie film made on a tenuous budget—Spicuzza is familiar with that scenario from her previous film, The Scarapist (2014), which dramatized the dangerous edge of wacko psychological theory. It’s also about the danger of being stalked, trolled and otherwise pursued by unwanted admirers. At the heart of Night Rain is a filmmaker’s struggle to make her own movie about the Black Dahlia, as dictated by an “angel producer” (demon?) with definite ideas about the direction of this neo-noir.
A trailer from Night Rain goes live on Tuesday, April 21:
Spicuzza answered some questions about the film.
What drew you to the Black Dahlia case and does it have any significance to contemporary Hollywood?
As a survivor of violent crime and saddened by the pervasive notion that victims and not perpetrators are somehow blameworthy and must achieve redemption, I instantly became determined to work to bring peace to the family and dignity for Elizabeth Short. I visited her grave in Mountain View, California, and was devastated to learn that relatives, still grieving over Beth's brutal death, advised cemetery staff to refuse to provide onlookers the burial location.
I watched the BBC documentary “James Ellroy’s Feast of Death” and was so taken by the segment filmed in Pacific Dining Car in downtown Los Angeles with former L.A. Times writer-editor Larry Harnisch, his research, theory and respectfulness towards the subject, it further cemented my sense of mission. In more recent years, I met James Ellroy outside of the Egyptian Theatre after a 35mm screening of L.A. Confidential. I was leaving in a sea of people. Guided no doubt by his towering height, given my petite stature, he spotted me and waved me over to him. The first words out of his mouth were, “You look like Elizabeth Short.”
Perhaps the greatest significance of the Black Dahlia murder to contemporary Hollywood, besides the film and television programs that adopt elements of the event, is its impact on criminal investigations. The case sparked the mandatory registration of convicted sex offenders, legislation that was first implemented in California. Some consider it a cautionary tale, a young woman comes to Los Angeles seeking fame and fortune and meets an untimely demise. I think of it more someone, much like all of us, looking for love, security and acceptance, trying to be glamorous in unglamorous circumstances, finding that life is often not as it seems.
To what extent do the financial trials and various frustrations in Night Rain reflect your own experience as a filmmaker?
Heavily. After filming The Scarapist, which was my first full-length feature, I gained a new and even greater respect for independent filmmakers and filmmaking. We’re aspiring for high production values, compelling stories and significant distribution with a small fraction of the resources that studios and agencies carry. We’re also aware that the public can be very critical of independently-made movies. Fundraising is often the most daunting task. On set, we’re all so imperative, we work multiple tasks that large productions generally assign to entire departments. A favorite memory during the filming of The Scarapist is of one of our producers flinging herself onto the hood of a picture car and washing the windshield while preparing a practical light and advising two crew members of the day's schedule. That’s dedication! And you’re also thinking about the end result, grabbing still photography for deliverables and considering posters and marketing.
