SLIVER (1993)

THE FILM

FILM DIRECTOR: Phillip Noyce

SCREENWRITER: Joe Eszterhas

FILM STARS: Sharon Stone, William Baldwin, Tom Berenger, Polly Walker, Colleen Camp, Amanda Foreman, Martin Landau, Nina Foch, Nicholas Pryor

COUNTRY: USA

THIS BOOK

AUTHOR: Ira Levin

TYPE: Novel

PUBLISHER: Bantam

THIS EDITION PUBLISHED: 1993

COUNTRY: USA

COVER: Paperback

THE ORIGINAL BOOK

ORIGINAL AUTHOR: As Above

YEAR FIRST PUBLISHED: 1991

ORIGINAL BOOK TITLE: The film title

NOTES

GENRE: Thriller

WORDS: I have always had a thing for Ira Levin though, mainly, because many of his books have been made into films: A Kiss Before Dying (1956), Rosemary’s Baby (1968), The Stepford Wives (1975), The Boys from Brazil (1978), Deathtrap (1982), A Kiss Before Dying (1991) etc. He writes thrillers with a point.

Here we have a murder mystery set in a building where everyone is being watched by the owner, a modern day high tech peeping tom. It’s readable and it does have a point (“surveillance’ and “privacy “in the modern world) but it seems a little like Levin is writing with a view to sell the book as  a movie quickly.

The film is a slick “erotic thriller” … a generally awful sub genre which was prevalent in the 80s and 90s. Look, either watch make a thriller or make a porno. Erotic thrillers are not enough of either and are usually naff as a result. “Sliver” the film is slick as you would expect from (Australian director) Philip Noyce (Dead Calm (1989), Blind Fury (1989), Patriot Games (1992), Clear and Present Danger (1994), The Saint (1997)) and screenwriter Joe Eszterhas (Jagged Edge (1985), Hearts of Fire (1987), Basic Instinct (1992), Nowhere to Run (1993), Showgirls (1995) etc). This film is not either of their best work. The “thriller” elements are barely there but, there is some glossy, stupid fun amongst the substantial eroticism (supplied by Sharon Stone and others) that makes us “peeping toms” as much as the protagonist.

The soundtrack (#23 in the US) of songs by pop bands deserves a special mention, as special mainstream rubbish with Neneh Cherry, Massive Attack, Enigma, Shaggy, Heaven 17 and an especially awful version of the Elvis classic “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by UB40 (which was of course a hit everywhere – #1 US, Australia, Austria, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United Kingdom) … never underestimate the amount of electrical goods salesmen and secretaries in little black dresses with limited horizons).

A sliver building is a tall slender (usually residential building (pioneered in (space limited) New York City (where the film is set)) constructed on a lot with a narrow frontage, typically 14 meters or less, and usually tower over their neighbours becoming visual eye sores.

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