Pulp (1972 film)

Pulp
Pulp
	US film poster
Directed by	Mike Hodges
Written by	Mike Hodges
Produced by	Michael Klinger
Starring	Michael Caine ; Mickey Rooney ; Lionel Stander ; Lizabeth Scott ; Nadia Cassini
Cinematography	Ousama Rawi
Edited by	John Glen
Music by	George Martin
Production; company	Three Michaels Film Productions
Distributed by	United Artists
Release dates	16 August 1972 (London); November 1972 (limited); 8 February 1973 (New York City);
Running time	95 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Pulp is a 1972 British comedy thriller film, directed by Mike Hodges and starring Michael Caine as Mickey King, a writer of cheap paperback detective novels.^[1] The film features the final screen appearance of Lizabeth Scott.

Pulp, originally titled Memoirs of a Ghost Writer, was almost entirely shot on the island of Malta.^[2] Facilities were provided by the then Malta Film Facilities and Intermed Sound Studio, later known as Britannia Film Sound Studios.

Plot

British writer Mickey King lives in Malta churning out violent, sexually charged pulp fiction novels under an array of lewd pen names such as "S. Odomy".

King is approached to ghostwrite the autobiography of a mystery celebrity. Intrigued by the offer, King agrees and is told to go on a package tour, during which time a representative for the celebrity will make contact with him. King meets an American man named Miller, who identifies himself as a college professor. King assumes Miller is the mysterious contact, but then discovers Miller dead in his bathtub after a hotel room mix-up.

The next day, Miller's body has mysteriously vanished and the real representative, a young woman named Liz, makes contact. King is taken to meet his subject: Preston Gilbert, a retired Hollywood star living in exile. Gilbert is known for portraying gangsters in movies and for his off-screen associations with real life mobsters. Revealing that he has been given a terminal cancer diagnosis, the pompous, vain Gilbert wants King to document his life story before he dies.

Gilbert and King attend a party. Among the attendees is Princess Betty Cippola, the wife of a politician who seems to have a connection with Gilbert. After Gilbert has staged a practical joke and the party is underway, Miller returns disguised as a Catholic priest. Sensing danger, King flees as Miller opens fire, killing Gilbert. Party guests assume it's another of Gilbert's pranks and applaud as Gilbert dies.

As Gilbert's funeral is held, King pieces together the mystery. He discovers that Gilbert was connected to the death of a young woman many years earlier and that other powerful people, including Prince Cippola, were also involved. As King visits the young woman's grave, Miller appears once more and begins shooting. King is wounded, but eventually kills Miller by running him down with a truck. As he recovers from his injuries, King realises that Cippola tried to keep the scandal secret by killing Gilbert and him. He is warned to keep quiet about what he knows or he will face murder charges for Miller's death.

Cast

Michael Caine as Mickey King
Mickey Rooney as Preston Gilbert
Lionel Stander as Ben Dinuccio
Lizabeth Scott as Princess Betty Cippola
Nadia Cassini as Liz Adams
Dennis Price as The Englishman
Al Lettieri as Miller
Leopoldo Trieste as Marcovic
Amerigo Tot as Partisan
Robert Sacchi as The Bogeyman
Ave Ninchi as Fat Chambermaid

References

^ Greenspun, Roger (9 February 1973). "Screen: Mike Hodges's 'Pulp' Opens:A Private Eye Parody Is Parody of Itself". The New York Times.
^ "Selected Filmography - Filmed in Malta | Visit Malta". www.visitmalta.com. Retrieved 2 May 2019.

External links

Pulp at IMDb
Pulp at the British Film Institute^{[better source needed]}
Pulp at Rotten Tomatoes

[N-1] Greenspun, Roger (9 February 1973). "Screen: Mike Hodges's 'Pulp' Opens:A Private Eye Parody Is Parody of Itself". The New York Times.

[2] "Selected Filmography - Filmed in Malta | Visit Malta". www.visitmalta.com. Retrieved 2 May 2019.

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