The Driver's Seat (also known as Identikit) is a 1974 Italian drama film directed by Giuseppe Patroni Griffi.[1] Based on the 1970 novella The Driver's Seat by Muriel Spark, it is a psychological drama starring Elizabeth Taylor and Ian Bannen, and featuring Andy Warhol.[2]
| Identikit The Driver's Seat | |
|---|---|
 Original Italian Film Poster | |
| Directed by | Giuseppe Patroni Griffi |
| Written by | Raffaele La Capria Giuseppe Patroni Griffi |
| Based on | The Driver's Seat by Muriel Spark |
| Produced by | Nello Meniconi Franco Rossellini |
| Starring | Elizabeth Taylor Ian Bannen Guido Mannari Mona Washbourne Luigi Squarzina Maxence Mailfort Andy Warhol |
| Cinematography | Vittorio Storaro |
| Edited by | Franco Arcalli |
| Music by | Franco Mannino |
| Distributed by | AVCO Embassy Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 105 mins |
| Country | Italy |
| Languages | Italian English |
Plot
editLise, a mentally unbalanced middle-aged woman, travels from her home in Copenhagen to Rome, where she embarks on a fatal search of her own destiny that she had helped to arrange for herself – a premeditated search for someone, anyone, with whom she could form a dangerous liaison.
Lise meets a variety of people during her journey who include Bill, a lecherous British macrobiotics devotee that she meets on the plane to Rome who tries to seduce her; Carlo, a young man whom tries to rape her on the street; an English aristocrat (Andy Warhol) who seems dismayed to make her acquaintance, a kind and elderly woman named Mrs. Helen Fiedke (Mona Washbourne) whom Lise bonds with while shopping at Standa, a large department store; and Pierre, a young man who tries to elude her by any means possible.
The film is told in a non-linear narrative as throughout the film are scenes of the local Rome police interviewing all the people that Lise interacted with as well as investigating the reasons for her strange behavior that led up to her own murder.
Cast
edit- Elizabeth Taylor as Lise
- Ian Bannen as Bill
- Guido Mannari as Carlo
- Mona Washbourne as Mrs. Helen Fiedke
- Luigi Squarzina as Lead Detective
- Maxence Mailfort as Pierre
- Andy Warhol (credited: with the special participation of ) as English Lord
- Anita Bartolucci as Saleswoman
- Gino Giuseppe as Police Commissioner
References
edit- ^ Ehrenstein, David (25 March 2013). "Sinful Cinema: The Driver's Seat". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- ^ Metzger, Richard (24 March 2011). "Elizabeth Taylor's craziest role: 'The Driver's Seat' AKA 'Identikit'". DangerousMinds. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
External links
edit- The Driver's Seat at IMDb
- Copy of short note from Elizabeth Taylor to Muriel Spark about the role of Lise (National Library of Scotland archive)
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