Glenn Close and Michael Douglas, Fatal Attraction, 1987
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The erotic thriller goes commercially mainstream with Fatal Attraction, a film which starts a national conversation about whether or not women can “have it all” – “it all” meaning both careers and marriage. Is Fatal Attraction an indictment of working women as “witches” and a call to roll back women’s rights, or a snapshot of extreme toxic masculinity? Plus: Dirty Dancing — is it evil?
Adrian Lyne and Glenn Close on the set of Fatal Attraction, 1987
SHOW NOTES:
Sources:
Backlash by Susan Faludi
Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing and the Making of a Hollywood Groundbreaker by Stephen Galloway
Fatal Attraction with Douglas and Close by Janet Maslin, New York Times, Sept. 18, 1987
Commentary: ‘Fatal Attraction' – The Mad Woman’s Case by Nancy Webber And Lowell Alexander Oct. 4, 1987
'Fatal Attraction' Director Analyzes the Success of His Movie, and Rejoices By Aljean Harmetz, Special to the New York Times, Oct. 5, 1987
The Darkside of Love: In Life as in the Seasons Hottest Movie Some Attractions Can be Fatal, People Magazine, October 26, 1987
The Thriller Is Back Fatal Attraction, Time Magazine, Nov 16, 1987
Alternatives Exist to `Fatal Attraction' by Gene Siskel, Sun Sentinel, Jan, 1988
Feminism Might Be Facing Fatal Attraction by Janice Martin, St. Petersburg Times, Jan 6, 1988
Talking To... James Dearden by Edmund White, Vogue, Sep 1, 1988
‘Fatal Attraction’ Oral History: Rejected Stars and a Foul Rabbit by Bruce Fretts, New York Times, Sept. 14, 2017
Dialogue on Film: Adrian Lyne American Film Magazine, Sept 1988
Why Can't A Man Be More Like a Woman? by Arlie Russell Hochschild, New York Times, Nov. 15, 1987
Love and Hate by Joan Smith, The Guardian, Mar 21, 2000
The Attraction of a Storyline by Susan King, LA Herald Examiner, September 20, 1987
One-night Stand with Fatal Repercussions by Joe Baltake, Syndicated to Long Beach Press-Telegram, Sept 18, 1987
A Film that Gives Feminism a Bad Name by Richard Cohen, LA Herald Examiner, October 1987
In Bed with the Zeitguy by Johanna Schneller, GQ, April 1993
Attraction to Close’s Alex Turned Repulsive, LB Herald Examiner, January 30, 1989
Hollywood Report by Martin A. Grove, The Hollywood Reporter, September 23, 1987
Rafelson Picks up Pace Following Widow by Bill Desowitz, The Hollywood Reporter, Feb 20, 1987
Sins of the Fathers by Ellen Willis, Village Voice, December 15, 1987
Fanciful ‘Reality’: When the Reel Thing Ain’t That Real by Sheila Benson, LA Times, November 1, 1987
Home is Where the Handgun Is by Helen Knode, LA Weekly, October 2, 1987
What’s the Attraction Here? by Connie Benesch and Deborah Caulfield, LA Times October 15, 1987
Killer! Fatal Attraction Strikes Gold as a Parable of Sexual Guilt by Richard Corliss TIME, Nov. 16, 1987
Adrian’s Line on Sex by Lynn Hirschman Rolling Stone, November 19, 1987
The Rabbit Died: Eight Capsule Comments on Fatal Attraction, Village Voice, Dec 15, 1987
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Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction, 1987
Music:
The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca.
Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode:
"Rumoi Night" - Kokura Station
"The Kishner Method" - Kajubaa
"Dear Myrtle" - Sunflower
"Akonan" - LufaQuest
Gemeni City - Kajubaa
"Hutter" - Piglet
"The Trundle" - Synapse
"Quindi Cavern" - LufaQuest
Vengeful - Warmbody
"Tower of Mirrors" - TinyTiny Trio
"Zeriba Village" - LufaQuest
"Vik Fence Haflak" - The Fence
"Of Our Choosing" - LufaQuest
"Four Cluster" - Fornax
"Readers Do You Read" - Chris Zabriskie
Credits:
This episode was written, narrated, and produced by Karina Longworth.
Our editor this season is Evan Viola.
Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.
Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.
Logo design: Teddy Blanks.
Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing, 1987