Butterfly (1982 film)
Butterfly is a 1982 American independent crime drama film co-written and directed by Matt Cimber, based on the 1947 novel The Butterfly by James M. Cain. The starring cast includes Stacy Keach, Pia Zadora, Lois Nettleton, Ed McMahon, James Franciscus, Edward Albert, and Orson Welles. The original music score was composed by Ennio Morricone. The film was financed by Zadora's husband, Israeli multimillionaire Meshulam Riklis, at an estimated cost of US$3.5 million. The film follows a silver mine caretaker who is reunited with his estranged teenaged daughter who wants to take silver from the mine.
| Butterfly | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster by Tom Chantrell | |
| Directed by | Matt Cimber |
| Written by | Matt Cimber John F. Goff |
| Based on | The Butterfly by James M. Cain |
| Produced by | Matt Cimber |
| Starring | Stacy Keach Orson Welles Lois Nettleton Edward Albert Stuart Whitman James Franciscus Pia Zadora |
| Cinematography | Eduard van der Enden |
| Edited by | Thierry J. Couturier Brent Schoenfeld Stan Siegel |
| Music by | Ennio Morricone |
Production company | Par-Par Productions |
| Distributed by | Analysis Releasing |
Release date |
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Running time | 108 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3.5 million |
It received 10 nominations for the 3rd Golden Raspberry Awards (including Worst Picture), with Zadora winning Worst Actress and Worst New Star, and McMahon winning Worst Supporting Actor. Nevertheless, Zadora won Best Female Newcomer at the 39th Golden Globe Awards for her role (over Elizabeth McGovern and Kathleen Turner). This occurred after her husband flew members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to Las Vegas to hear Zadora sing, producing accusations that the award had been "bought". Orson Welles' portrayal of Judge Rauch was nominated for both supporting actor categories at the Golden Globes Awards and at the Golden Raspberry Awards.