Buffalo '66

Buffalo '66
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Vincent Gallo
Produced by Chris Hanley
Screenplay by
  • Vincent Gallo
  • Alison Bagnall
Story by Vincent Gallo
Starring
Music by Vincent Gallo
Cinematography Lance Acord
Edited by Curtiss Clayton
Production
company
Distributed by Lionsgate Films
Release date
  • June 26, 1998 (1998-06-26)
Running time
 110 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $1.5 million[1]
Box office $2.4 million[2]

Buffalo '66 is a 1998 comedy-drama film that was writer-director Vincent Gallo's full-length motion picture debut. Gallo and Christina Ricci star in the lead roles and the supporting cast includes Mickey Rourke, Rosanna Arquette, Ben Gazzara and Anjelica Huston. Gallo also composed and performed much of the music for the film.

The film received critical acclaim and Empire listed it as the 36th-greatest independent film ever made.[3] It was filmed in and around Gallo's native Buffalo, New York in winter. The film uses British progressive rock music in its soundtrack, notably King Crimson and Yes.

The title refers to the Buffalo Bills American football team, who had not won a championship since the 1965 American Football League Championship Game (which was actually played on December 28, 1965, four days before 1966 began).[4] The plot involves indirect reference to the Bills' narrow loss in Super Bowl XXV, which was decided by a missed field goal.

Plot

Having just served five years in prison for a crime he did not commit, Billy Brown (Vincent Gallo) kidnaps a young tap dancer named Layla (Christina Ricci) and forces her to pretend to be his wife. Billy is compelled to deal with his own demons, loneliness and depression.

The subplot of Billy seeking revenge on the man indirectly responsible for his imprisonment, Scott Wood, is a reference to a former Buffalo Bills kicker, Scott Norwood, who missed the game-winning field goal in Super Bowl XXV against the New York Giants in 1991.[5]

Cast

Production

Gallo had difficulties working with his cast and crew, and reportedly did not get along with Ricci on set. Gallo called Ricci, whom he did not mention in the film's credits, a "puppet" who did what she was told.[6] Ricci vowed to never work with Gallo again.[7] She also resented comments Gallo made about her weight three or four years after filming.[8] Anjelica Huston also had issues with Gallo,[9] and Gallo claimed Huston caused the film to be turned down by the Cannes Film Festival.[9] Director Stéphane Sednaoui suggested to Gallo to use cinematographer Lance Acord, who was widely credited with the film's distinct visual style, though Gallo has claimed credit for designing most of the film's cinematography.[10] Gallo also publicly disparaged Acord, saying "This guy had no ideas, no conceptual ideas, no aesthetic point of view."[11][9] Kevin Corrigan chose to opt out of the credits because he did not want to be associated with the film at the time.[12]

Gallo was unable to use real NFL logos or to refer to the team as the "Buffalo Bills", just "Buffalo" or "the Bills", as NFL Properties was uncooperative. Kicker Scott Norwood was invited to participate in the film but declined, meaning Gallo had to change the character's name to Scott Wood.[13]

The film was made for just under $2 million. It was filmed on reversal stock to give it a classic look similar to that of NFL Films reels from the 1960s, with high color saturation and contrast.[13]

Reception

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 76% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 59 reviews; the average rating is 7.2/10.[14] At Metacritic it has a rating score of 68/100 based on 19 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[15]

  • Dialogue from the film is sampled in reverse during the song "I'm Getting Closer" on M83 by the band M83.

References

  1. ↑ Smith, Andrew (2001-09-29). "Buffalo boy". The Guardian. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
  2. ↑ Buffalo '66 at Box Office Mojo
  3. ↑ "50 Greatest Independent Films From Empire". Filmsite.org. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
  4. ↑ Buffalo '66 (trailer)
  5. ↑ It's Super Bowl loser borwood's unlucky number. Here's why... Gary Imlach, The Guardian, January 7, 2007.
  6. ↑ Tiffany Lee-Youngren (2005-01-18). "Truth or consequences". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved 2008-04-15.
  7. ↑ "Ricci's Traumatic Gallo Memories". Contactmusic.com. 2004-07-13. Retrieved 2013-10-13.
  8. ↑ Dave Calhoun. "Christina Ricci interview". Time Out. Retrieved 2008-04-15.
  9. 1 2 3 "Gallo's Humor: FFC Interviews Vincent Gallo". Film Freak Central. 2013-01-03. Retrieved 2014-06-19.
  10. ↑ "Capone Takes A Shot In The Mouth From THE BROWN BUNNY'S Vincent Gallo!! - Ain't It Cool News: The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news". Aintitcool.com. Retrieved 2014-06-19.
  11. ↑ "article". GreenCine. Archived from the original on 2014-04-17. Retrieved 2014-06-19.
  12. ↑ Rabin, Nathan (Feb 2, 2010). "Kevin Corrigan". The A.V. Club.
  13. 1 2 "From the Vaults: Vincent Gallo on Buffalo and Buffalo 66". The Public. 2015-03-30. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
  14. ↑ "Buffalo '66 (1998)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Buffalo '66 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
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