1988 Nominated Oscar Best Actress in a Leading Role Glenn Close
1988 Nominated Oscar Best Actress in a Supporting Role Anne Archer
1988 Nominated Oscar Best Director Adrian Lyne
1988 Nominated Oscar Best Film Editing Michael Kahn, Peter E. Berger
1988 Nominated Oscar Best Picture Stanley R. Jaffe, Sherry Lansing
1988 Nominated Oscar Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium James Dearden
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
1988 Nominated Saturn Award Best Writing James Dearden
American Cinema Editors
1988 Nominated Eddie Best Edited Feature Film
Peter E. Berger, Michael Kahn
Awards of the Japanese Academy
1989 Nominated Award of the Japanese Academy Best Foreign Language Film
BAFTA Awards
1989 Won BAFTA Film Award Best Editing
Michael Kahn, Peter E. Berger
1989 Nominated BAFTA Film Award Best Actor
Michael Douglas
1989 Nominated BAFTA Film Award Best Actress in a Supporting Role Anne Archer
Casting Society of America
1988 Nominated Artios Best Casting for Feature Film, Drama Risa Bramon Garcia,Billy Hopkins
DVD Exclusive Awards
2003 Nominated DVD Premiere Award Original Retrospective Documentary, Library Release
Gary Khammar, Jon Barbour For "Forever Fatal: Remember Fatal Attraction". For the Special Collector's Edition.
Directors Guild of America
1988 Nominated DGA Award Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures Adrian Lyne
I was always interested in lust,” said Michael Douglas in Cable Guide magazine. “Everybody has someone they've lusted for.” If that is true, then this would be the reason behind the huge success of the summer of ’87’s hit film, Fatal Attraction.
In this case, Douglas is the lustee, not the lustor. What starts as a simple little weekend tryst turns into a nightmare for Dan Gallagher (Douglas) when the object of his affections, Alex
Forrest (Glenn Close) becomes obsessed, then maniacal, about her one night-stand lover. Douglas says he is happily married, but Close isn’t buying it. When he spurns her attentions, she stalks him like a quarry. Soon we learn this is not a triangular romance picture, but a deadly game of cat and mouse.
Much of this movie’s suspense owes a debt to Alfred Hitchcock and the Psycho school of film making. It is not an mystery - we know Close is stalking Douglas and terrorizing his family and she gives new meaning to the words “insanely jealous.” The question is, when will she next strike and how? It is a psychological-suspense-thriller/ romance, not for the squeamish, although certainly predictable in outcome.
Newsweek provided something of a warning label for its readers when its reviewer wrote: “Alex is a designed to send men rushing off to their shrinks, aquiver with sexual paranoia…What Freddy or Jason is to horny teens, Alex may become to the- Yuppie male contemplating an extramarital fling".
Indeed, business was brisk on my psychiatric couches across the country, while at the same time declining at singles bars following the film’s release. Glenn Close researched her role by taking the script to three psychiatrists, one of whom helped her construct a detailed emotional and psychiatric history for the character: She described Alex to Newsweek as “between being a total child and a femme fatal. Her sexuality has been all screwed up and she has no sense of self-worth. She tries to provoke people to hate as much as she hates herself."
Most of the audience wasn’t interested in psychoanalyzing Douglas’ unfortunate choice of a bed partner. According to statistics, a high percentage of the married public are either involved in or contemplating extramarital affairs; many men were reluctantly escorted to this picture by their concerned significant others, who would not believe that the plural of “spouse” is not “spice”. It became the most talked about film of the summer and gave Paramount yet another great box office year, with three films in the top five (Beverly Hills Cop II, Fatal Attraction, The Untouchables) for a total take of close to $187,000,000 in domestic rentals.
INTERESTING FACTS
Horror director, John Carpenter, was originally offered the chance to direct. He eventually declined because he felt the premise was too similar to Play Misty for Me (1971).
Glenn Close still has the knife she used in the movie hanging in her kitchen.
More than 20 directors passed on directing the movie.
Glenn Close said that in her opinion, she had no trouble doing her nude scenes because she believed that they were not exploitive at all, and that they all served the story.
Glenn Close was actually a few weeks pregnant with her daughter during the re-shoot of the ending.
This film was the second highest grossing film of 1987.
Faye Dunaway, Mia Farrow and Anjelica Huston were originally considered for the role of Alex Forrest, but they never auditioned for the part. Barbara Hershey, Miranda Richardson and Debra Winger were the first choices to play Alex Forrest who auditioned for the part. Glenn Close was actually the fourth choice for the role of Alex Forrest.
Sharon Stone auditioned for the role of Alex Forrest, but was passed over.
While talking with David Letterman on "Late Show with David Letterman" (1993), Emma Thompson referred to auditioning for the role of Alex (it was in the context of a story she was telling). Letterman asked if she really did audition and she said 'yes'.
Gilda Radner auditioned for the role of Alex Forrest.
Elisabeth Shue was originally considered for the role Alex Forrest but was forced to turn the role down, because she was signed to the Disney movie Adventures in Babysitting (1987).
FAMOUS QUOTES
She keeps calling the apartment. Every time Beth answers the phone, she hangs up. I'm scared Jimmy, and I don't want to lose my family.
I'm sorry. We're not allowed to give out that information….. Well f__k you!..... My place or yours?
GOOFS AND BLUNDERS
Crew / equipment visible reflected in the window that the librarian pushes the cart past.
As Beth walks into the kitchen to look at the boiling pot, the cameraman can be seen through the living room window.
While Dan is in his attic study listening to a tape, Beth can be seen reflected in the window, waiting just out of shot for her cue.
The boom mike is visible on the windshield of Dan and Beth's car before Beth and Ellen leave.
SPOILER: There are obvious stunt doubles when Alex and Dan are fighting in the kitchen, and again when Dan is trying to drown Alex in the bathtub.
