Hedwig and the Angry Inch (film)
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | John Cameron Mitchell |
| Produced by | Christine Vachon |
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| Music by | Stephen Trask |
| Cinematography | Frank G. DeMarco |
| Edited by | Andrew Marcus |
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92 minutes |
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| Budget | $6 million |
| Box office | $3.6 million |
Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a 2001 American musical comedy-drama film written, adapted, and directed by John Cameron Mitchell, who also portrayed the title role, reprising his performance from the original production. Based on Stephen Trask's stage musical of the same name, the film follows a fictional rock band fronted by an East German transgender singer who survives a botched sex change operation. Hedwig subsequently develops a relationship with a younger man, Tommy, becoming his mentor and musical collaborator, only to have Tommy steal her music and move on without her. The film follows Hedwig and her backing band, the Angry Inch, as they shadow Tommy's tour, while exploring Hedwig's past and complex gender identity.
The musical has developed a devoted cult following. Despite largely positive reviews from critics and audiences, the film was a box office bomb, grossing only $3.6 million from an estimated $6 million budget.
In 2001, the film won the Best Director and Audience Awards at the Sundance Film Festival as well as Best Directorial Debut from the National Board of Review, the Gotham Awards, and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Mitchell received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor and the Premiere magazine Performance of the Year Award.
Hansel Schmidt is an East German "slip of a girly boy" who loves rock music, and is stuck in East Berlin until he meets Sergeant Luther Robinson, an American soldier. Luther proposes marriage to Hansel, this plan will allow Hansel to leave communist East Germany for the capitalist West. However, in order to be married, the couple must consist of a man and a woman and according to Luther, there will be "a full physical examination." Hansel's mother, Hedwig, gives her child her name and passport and finds a doctor to perform a sex change. The operation is botched, however, leaving Hansel – now Hedwig – with a dysfunctional one-inch mound of flesh between her legs, the eponymous "Angry Inch".
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