Falling (2008 film)
| Falling | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Richard Dutcher |
| Written by | Richard Dutcher |
| Produced by | Jeff Chamberlain Gwen Dutcher Richard Dutcher George D. Smith Dan Urness Mark Victor |
| Starring | Richard Dutcher Virginia Reece Cesar Garcia Frank Uzzolino |
| Cinematography | Jim Orr |
| Edited by | Doug Boyd Richard Dutcher |
Production companies | Main Street Movie Co. Destiny Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Main Street Movie Company |
Release date |
|
Running time | 82 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | US$500,000 |
Falling is a 2008 independent drama film written, directed and starring Richard Dutcher. The film was released on January 18, 2008.
Dutcher advertised the movie as "The First R-rated Mormon Movie" during its brief theatrical run in 2008.[1]
Cast
[edit]- Richard Dutcher as Eric Boyle
- Virginia Reece as Davey Boyle
- Cesar Garcia as Ruiz
- Frank Uzzolino as Hector
- Maria Eberline as Lorena
- Tennison Hightower as Linda
- Hamilton Mitchell as Marc
- Leonard Kelly-Young as Marvin
Production
[edit]Filming
[edit]The film was shot in Hollywood and Los Angeles.[2] The film was financed by Richard Dutcher (who was writer, director, co-producer, actor and co-editor) with a budget of $500,000.
Release
[edit]The film was premiered in The Gateway Theater on January 18, 2008. The film also screened in Beverly Hills Music Hall on August 15, 2008.[3]
Falling was screened in Camelot Theaters (California) in 2009.[4] The film was screened at Sundance Film Festival in 2011.[5]
The film was officially re-released on April 27, 2012 in Broadway Centre Cinemas in Salt Lake City.[6]
Reception
[edit]Critical response
[edit] |
The Los Angeles Times said: "Falling is one of the best pictures of its kind in recent memory", and Dave Wolverton from The New York Times said: "Falling is one of the 5 most powerful films I have ever seen."
BoxOffice Magazine gave Falling four stars and said: "An important and indelible work ... impossible to forget.", and Wade Major said: "Dutcher has joined the ranks of the very best independent filmmakers in the world."
Nightcrawler lawsuit
[edit]After the theatrical premiere of Nightcrawler, Richard Dutcher sued its director, claiming Nightcrawler was a rip-off of Dutcher's film, since the main character of both films is a journalist who sells records of crimes and murders to various media, and both films take place in Los Angeles.[7]
Dutcher's attorney Stephen Silverman stated that Nightcrawler has enough in common with Falling to justify the lawsuit.
After three years, judge Dee Benson agreed that the two films have some similarities.[8]
On August 19, 2019, Benson closed the case, saying that similar elements are a necessary ingredient for stringer-themed films, and that the two films are too different to have any major copyright infringement.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ "Dear Richard Dutcher". By Common Consent. 2008-01-17. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
- ^ "Filming Locations for Falling". IMDb. Retrieved 2022-09-10.[unreliable source?]
- ^ "Out of the picture". Los Angeles Times. 2008-08-19. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
- ^ "Coachella Valley premiere of Richard Dutcher's Falling". Desert Film Society. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
- ^ "Richard Dutcher's Screening at Sundance 2011". YouTube. 2011-01-25. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
- ^ "Richard Dutcher: Leaving his Mormon faith, staying with film". Salt Lake Tribune. 2012-04-23. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
- ^ "Utah filmmaker Richard Dutcher sues, says 'Nightcrawler' copies his movie 'Falling'". Salt Lake Tribune. 2015-02-19. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
- ^ "Filmmaker Urges Open Road Bankruptcy Judge to Unpause 'Nightcrawler' Copyright Lawsuit". The Hollywood Reporter. 2018-10-19. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
- ^ "'Nightcrawler' Lawsuit: Judge Says There's Too Many Stringer Films For Copyright Claim". IndieWire. 2019-08-19. Retrieved 2022-09-10.