Don's Plum
| Don's Plum | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | R. D. Robb |
| Produced by |
David Stutman Dale Wheatley |
| Written by |
Bethany Ashton Tawd Beckman R.D. Robb David Stutman Dale Wheatley |
| Starring |
Leonardo DiCaprio Kevin Connolly Scott Bloom Jenny Lewis Tobey Maguire Amber Benson Heather McComb Meadow Sisto Marissa Ribisi Nikki Cox |
| Music by | Blake Sennett |
| Cinematography |
Steve Adcock Brian Bellamy |
| Edited by |
Paul Heiman Nabil Mehchi |
Production company |
Trust Film Sales Zentropa Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Polo Pictures Entertainment |
Release dates |
Berlin International Film Festival February 10, 2001 Denmark August 24, 2001 |
Running time | 89 minutes |
| Country |
United States Denmark Sweden |
| Language | English |
| Box office | €6,297 |
Don's Plum is a 2001 low-budget black and white indie film drama directed by R. D. Robb, starring Leonardo Di Caprio, Tobey Maguire and Kevin Connolly.[1] The drama was filmed in 1995–1996, and written by Robb with Bethany Ashton, Tawd Beckman, David Stutman and Dale Wheatley. The film takes place over the course of one night in which a group of young adults discuss life while eating at a diner.
DiCaprio and Maguire were paid $575 per day to appear in the film. They later tried to stop the movie from being released. As of January 2016, the film is still blocked from appearing in the USA and Canada.[2]
Blake Sennett of Rilo Kiley provided the soundtrack for the film. His bandmate Jenny Lewis has a role as Sara.
Lawsuits
On April 1, 1998 Producer David Stutman filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court, case no. B C1894C0,[2] against Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire for Declaratory Relief, Interference with Prospective Economic Advantage, Breach of Contract, Slander of Title, and Injunctive Relief. It was later agreed between DiCaprio, Maguire, Stutman, Wheatley and Jerry Meadors that the film would be released outside the US and Canada only. It premiered on February 10, 2001, in Berlin. Time Out New York writer Mike D'Angelo called it, "the best film [I saw] in Berlin".[3] Variety Magazine called it an "unpleasant and tedious ensemble."[4]
Free streaming
In September 2014, Dale Wheatley published an open letter to DiCaprio on the website freedonsplum.com, giving his take on the history of the film and the ensuing legal issues. Wheatley also uploaded the film to the website so that it could be streamed for free.[1] It was removed Wednesday, January 27, 2016 at 15:55 as a result of a third-party notification by Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire claiming infringement.[5] Wheatley made the following statement to Fox News “It saddens me deeply that in 2016 we witness the senseless oppression of film and art by one of America's most beloved actors," Wheatley told FOX411. "While the world celebrates — and certainly Americans celebrate — his great achievements in cinema, he chooses to use an iron fist to suppress the work of many other artists including him in a film made 20 years ago.".[6] The film can be watched on Youtube.
References
- 1 2 Lyne, Charlie (2016-01-02). "Don's Plum: the film Leonardo DiCaprio would rather forget". The Guardian. Retrieved 2016-02-04.
- 1 2 "Producer: DiCaprio Capsized My Film". The Smoking Gun. 1998-06-22. Retrieved 2016-02-04.
- ↑ "Berlin 2011". Panix. Retrieved 2012-10-18.
- ↑ Cockrell, Eddie (2001-02-12). "Review: 'Don's Plum'". Variety. Retrieved 2012-10-18.
- ↑ "Video unavailable". Vimeo. 2016-01-27. Retrieved 2016-02-04.
- ↑ Falzone, Diana (2016-01-28). "Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire have film 'Don's Plum' removed from streaming site". Fox News. Retrieved 2016-02-04.
- Dale, Wheatley (2014-09-05). "Don's Plum" (Letter). Letter to Leonardo DiCaprio. Retrieved 2016-02-04.