Exposed * (1983, Nastassja Kinski, Rudolf Nureyev, Harvey Keitel, Ian McShane, Bibi Andersson) – Classic Movie Review 9813

Writer-producer-director James Toback’s 1983 film Exposed stars Nastassja Kinski as Wisconsin farm girl Elizabeth Carlson, the young woman who is exposed in TV and magazines as a top New York City fashion model, and exposed as well to the charms of a classical musician, violinist Daniel Jelline (Rudolf Nureyev), who wants to terminate terrorist Rivas (Harvey Keitel).

Despite the fascinating cast and intriguing set-up, this is a poorly acted, muddled, unconvincing thriller written and directed by the writer of The Gambler and Bugsy, James Toback, who also plays Kinski’s lover, Leo Boscovitch, a professor of literature.

Exposed is a potential cult item of the so-bad-it’s-good school. It is intriguing to watch these big names on an off day.

Also in the cast are Ian McShane, Bibi Andersson, Ron Randell (his last film), Pierre Clémenti, Dov Gottesfeld, James Russo, Tony Sirico, and Amy Steel. Stephanie Farrow, the younger sister of Mia Farrow, plays a Waitress, and went on to appear in Zelig (1983) and The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985). Janice Dickinson and Iman appear as Models.

Nureyev is credited with the quote: ‘The only critic is a full house’. Unfortunately there weren’t many full houses for Exposed and it proved his last film. It took only $1,818,910 worldwide.

Nastassja Kinski.

MGM provided a budget of $18 million, including Toback’s fee of $500,000 (‘I’m not getting much money but I’m being treated a lot better than most studios would treat me’), and filming took 80 days. It was filmed on the University of Vermont campus in Burlington, Vermont.

Toback said he based his story on his romance with a plane stewardess. But, he added, ‘I’ve changed roughly 80 per cent of the script I showed MGM and I write and rewrite every night.’

Nastassja Kinski, born Nastassja Aglaia Nakszynski on 24 January 1961 in Berlin, the daughter of Klaus Kinski, won the 1981 Golden Globe as New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture – Female for Tess (1979).

Exposed is directed by James Toback, runs 100 minutes, is made by United Artists, is released by MGM/UA Entertainment Company (1983) (US) and United International Pictures (UIP) (1983) (UK), is written by James Toback, is shot in Metrocolor by Henri Decaë, is produced by Serge Silberman (executive producer) and James Toback, is scored by Georges Delerue, and is designed by Brian Eatwell.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9813

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Pierre Clémenti.