Talk:Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (film)

References to use

Please add to the list references that can be used for the film article.

• King, Mike (2008). "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". The American Cinema of Excess: Extremes of the National Mind on Film. McFarland. p. 175. ISBN 0786439882.

Unreferenced

This whole article has all stuff copy/pasted directly from IMDB. Which is well known for not being acurate or having any references for its information. I would like to see if the article could be cleaned up before I erase half of it. Aspensti 21:12, 6 October 2006 (UTC)

I deleted the trivia items taken directly from IMDB. I don't know if it would be legally permissible to use them, and I think it's just bad form either way. - furrykef (Talk at me) 15:31, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

I've added a ton of references to info contained in the Production section. --J.D. 15:44, 1 June 2007 (UTC)

In "Differences from the Novel," the line about the coconut smashing is a direct copy from IMDB. Khartma1 4:44, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

Soundtrack section deleted

I deleted the soundtrack section as excessive unencyclopedic information. - furrykef (Talk at me) 15:32, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

removal of trivia.

I removed this item from the trivia section since it's unimportant, but it's amusing: Near end of this film, Duke takes too much "andrenichrome" and has a nasty experience. Andrenichrome was a substance that Hunter S. Thompson made up for the book when he originally wrote it, and was kept in the script by Terry Gilliam. The name itself wasn't new - Adrenochrome is an oxidation product of adrenaline, while Adrenochrome semicarbazone, also known as carbazochrome, is used as a medicinal drug to reduce capillary bleeding - however, neither compound is a hallucinogenic drug as portrayed in the book/film. After showing a rough cut of the film to a test audience, Gilliam was approached by a group of young men, one of which complimented him on the film in general, but said that his favorite scene was the andrenichrome scene. He said that he had used the drug and that Gilliam had captured the effects perfectly. Gilliam didn't have the heart to tell the kid that it was made up, and went along with his story. - Zepheus <ツィフィアス> 06:58, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

in the scene in the elevator, I saw clearly that the character's baldness was fake. did anyone noticed that? if confirmed, it could be put in trivia or something

I don't think the removal of trivia was appropriate, as most pages relating to movies, notable persons, etc. have a trivia section. Why is this subject any different? --FiftyOneWicked 05:52, 21 February 2007 (UTC)

See Wikipedia:Avoid trivia sections in articles. This article is held to the same standard as all other Wikipedia articles. - Zepheus <ゼィフィアス> 18:13, 1 June 2007 (UTC)

To this end, I've removed the Trivia section and placed it here until someone can integrate it into various sections in the article. --J.D. 21:36, 6 November 2007 (UTC)

Trivia

• The T-shirt that the hitchhiker (Tobey Maguire) wears has a Ralph Steadman picture on it. Ralph Steadman did the original illustrations for the book and the typeface of the credits is based on his handwriting. In the film the shirt appears to have a picture of a likeness of Mickey Mouse in an American flag but in the book the Mickey Mouse type character is wearing a T-shirt with a swastika on it.

• When Raoul Duke is calling his attorney about a new assignment, there is a poster on the back wall of Dr. Gonzo's office. It has a two-thumbed fist clutching a peyote button inside a sheriff's star. This is actually a political poster from Hunter S. Thompson's campaign for sheriff of Aspen. He ran on the Freak Power party ticket, a political party he made up himself.

• Gary Busey (Highway Patrolman) improvised the "Give me a kiss" line. The producers and Hunter S. Thompson were initially horrified by it, but Terry Gilliam thought it was funny, and left it in the final cut. Thompson said that after a few more viewings, he found the line quite funny.

• Raoul Duke's typewriter has the words "OFF THE PIGS" written on the top.

• According to Johnny Depp, the gorilla statue outside the Bazooko Circus, now "lives" in his front yard.

• Near the beginning of the movie, while Dr. Gonzo and Raoul are driving down the highway, there is an accident involving many cars. There is an ambulance that is about to put a person that is covered with a white sheet in it. If you look on the white sheet, there is a smiley face in blood on it.

• Benicio del Toro improvised the part in the beginning in the car when he licked the spilled cocaine off the suitcase.

• During the scene in which Duke is tripping on adrenochrome, he mutters, "La llama es un quadrupedo." This is a quote from a sketch in "Monty Python's Flying Circus".

• In the trailer for the movie, when Benicio fires the gun in the car, it actually goes off instead of just clicking.

• In a scene cut from the movie, Duke and Gonzo tell a DA from Atlanta about a rather gruesome incident which happened at a McDonalds. In the final cut, during check-in scene at the Mint Hotel, a man in a cowboy hat tells the exact same story to someone over a payphone.

• According to Terry Gilliam's commentary on the Criterion Collection DVD, at the beginning of the movie when they stop on the side of the road after Duke starts seeing bats and wants Gonzo to drive, you can see a strange looking cactus in the background. It was designed by Ralph Steadman and appears many times in the background of the movie in various scenes. Gilliam complained of having to lug it around wherever they went.

• The scene in which Raoul Duke calls his attorney from Baker is partially filmed backwards. In the background smoke can be seen coming back into a fire, and Duke bangs in reverse on the side of the phone booth.

• When Duke is gambling (he plays a round of roulette) there are two actual Hunter S. Thompson IDs in his wallet.

• Laraine Newman (the Frog-Eyed Woman) and Harry Dean Stanton (the Judge) both appeared on the 1996 Spoken Word Adaptation CD of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Stanton was the narrator while Newman played several small roles.

Dubious amounts of crime

Thompson changed Zeta Acosta's ethnic identity to "Samoan" to deflect suspicion from Zeta Acosta, who was in some trouble with the L.A. Legal Bar, since he was a lawyer, and committing dubious amounts of crime.

I'd have thought any crime at all would be a dubious amount... what is this trying to say? - furrykef (Talk at me) 18:44, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

hunter cameo

"Thompson also has a brief cameo in the film while Duke has a flashback to a San Francisco music club, The Matrix, where Thompson can be seen sitting at a table as Depp walks by narrating his inner monologue, "There I was ... Mother of God! There I am! Holy fuck!". This is actually Johnny dressed up as Thompson, the conversation between Depp and Thompson in the film's special edition actors commentary reveals this."

i'm taking that last part out. it's very dubious since the documentary Breakfast With Hunter shows the filming of this scene with hunter playing the part. also it really looks like him. 212.139.125.69 01:12, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Fear and loathing,pic inside car.jpg

Image:Fear and loathing,pic inside car.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in Wikipedia articles constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

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Fair use rationale for Image:Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (DVD cover).jpg

Image:Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (DVD cover).jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in Wikipedia articles constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.BetacommandBot 07:40, 4 June 2007 (UTC)

Plot

I changed this is a highly fictionalised account of Thompson and attorney Oscar Zeta Acosta's actual trip to Las Vegas around the same time period. This is contracticed many times through out the article. In one instance, under the Pre production sub heading it says: Depp remembers, "He saved it all. Not only is [the book] true, but there's more. And it was worse.

Later on under the sub heading Reaction, it says: Apparently it all came flooding back to him, he was reliving the whole trip! He was yelling out and jumping on his seat like it was a rollercoaster, ducking and diving, shouting 'SHIT! LOOK OUT! GODDAM BATS!' That was fantastic – if he thought we'd captured it, then we must have done it. Although it is a far fetched story, it is not highly fictionalised and regardless, it can't say it is if there are statements throughout the rest of the article from direct sources that are saying it is real. Soulnebula 03:12, 23 June 2007 (UTC)

Also the plot needs to be re-written anyway, as it is messy and it does not give a very good description or analyses of the plot. I may come back and do this another time if somebody else doesn't. Soulnebula 03:22, 23 June 2007 (UTC)

Comedy Status

I put this task back in under the comedy project, because it has to be a comedy. it isn't a thriller,an action movie, a drama. It also makes people laugh. Therefore, it has to be a comedy Soulnebula 00:56, 9 July 2007 (UTC)

It is also a true story, but I think due to the fact that it does make people laugh, it deserves to be under the heading of comedy. Soulnebula 01:29, 9 July 2007 (UTC)

This movie is not in any way a comedy. Sure, certain aspects of the film may seem comedic, on a cursory glance, but this movie is a serious work of art. If you think the movie's supposed to be a comedy, then you haven't properly watched it. I would like to request a removal of the 'black comedy' label. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 58.169.238.192 (talk) 07:43, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

The film is quite amusing at many points, and I would consider it a comedy, but not a black comedy. Black comedy involves making light of taboo topics - deriving laughter from tragic subjects - and the comedy in this film comes from the absurd way they calmly deal with extraordinary situations. Drug abuse is a taboo topic, yes; being high on drugs is not. 83.166.71.4 (talk) 17:56, 5 April 2013 (UTC)

WikiProject class rating

This article was automatically assessed because at least one WikiProject had rated the article as start, and the rating on other projects was brought up to start class. BetacommandBot 19:17, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:FandlinLV.jpg

Image:FandlinLV.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

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BetacommandBot 04:43, 16 September 2007 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Duke depp.jpg

Image:Duke depp.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.

BetacommandBot 05:49, 5 November 2007 (UTC)

F&L userbox

• User:Xenocidic/Loathing

This user knows that we can't stop here – this is bat country.

use {{User:Xenocidic/Loathing}} to add this to your userpage (who's using it?)

Enjoy, xenocidic (talk) 15:53, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

Main character's name

In the highway scene at the beginnig, Dr. Gonzo says "Well are you for this? Checking into a hotel under a false name?" That leads me to the thought that Depp actually plays H.S. Thompson, not Raoul Duke. --Стайко (talk) 04:07, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

PS: Of course, that also casts a suspicion if Dr. Gonzo is the real name of the second main character.--Стайко (talk) 04:07, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

In real life, Thompson used the Raoul Duke byline so that he would not hurt his chances getting press credentials to follow the election in 1972.--J.D. (talk) 19:00, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Gross income

The table shows 10.6 mln dollars wich is simply wrong, this movie has since been a huge dvd success. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.166.231.161 (talk) 21:11, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

Lede

Do we really need the information about past attempts to make the film in the lede? Surely, a place can be found for it in the body of the article. ---RepublicanJacobite_{The'FortyFive'} 14:25, 16 September 2010 (UTC)

missing scene in the synopsis

In the 10-minute "making of" on the Blu-ray, Terry Gilliam says Duke and Dr Gonzo are supposed to be likeable people we sympathize with. What universe is he living in? Hunter S Thompson supposedly said that his extreme drug use was a deliberate attempt to wreck himself, not to expand his consciousness. We're supposed to like or sympathize with such a person? I wouldn't want to be in the same building as the man. It's no surprise he committed suicide.

I mention this, because one of the film's most-important scenes is missing from the synopsis -- perhaps deliberately. It comes near the end, where Duke and Gonzo are eating in a cheap diner. Gonzo treats the waitress (Ellen Barkin) in an extremely abusive, wholly unjustified manner -- and she tells them off. It's the one moment the average viewer can identify with, and if said viewer had any kindly feelings for Duke and Gonzo, they should evaporate at this point.

I'd like to add this scene to the synopsis, but it's difficult to do so without editorializing about the scene, a Wikipedia no-no. Perhaps someone else can properly capture the scene's significance without introducing an obvious POV. WilliamSommerwerck (talk) 17:25, 5 September 2011 (UTC)

Laraine Newman?

I removed Laraine Newman from the cast list because she's not in the movie. Her name doesn't appear in the credits, and there is no character called frog-eyed woman in the film. I checked different versions of the script and only found one short scene with a frog-eyed woman (in the casino/bar tent next to the Mint-400 race track), but that scene is not in the movie (I checked the US DVD version, the German DVD version, and the Director's Cut from the iTunes Store). --Kernpanik (talk) 21:34, 4 September 2013 (UTC)

paragraph re-arrangement/streamline

re-arrangement of paragraphs. want to streamline this page slightly and move production related material together and release material together to make the page run in a more coherent manner, any thoughts appreciated Fazlar1975 (talk) 16:28, 3 February 2017 (UTC)

irrelevant material

I deleted a section of a paragraph under the critical reception section detailing Depp's incident at the hotel room that had no citation no source and seemed more like gossip. TeazzyQM23 (talk) 12:41 , 10 February 2017 (UTC)

Research Methods student project

We are a group of film students from Queen Mary University in London and we are going to apply minor changes to the article, as part of a group assignment. We are focusing both on structure and form. We intend to add information on Gonzostyle journalism from reliable JSTOR articles. We are also, removing a section from the reception in which Depp's incident in a hotel is discussed, as the information is irrelevant and inappropriately cited. Our intention is to enhance the page's scholarly value. Any critic of our editing is welcome. Thank you.Olgamantsiou (talk) 15:37, 12 February 2017 (UTC)

Thanks for the note. I disagree about the Depp hotel incident, but that can be discussed. ---The Old Jacobite_{The '45} 17:25, 12 February 2017 (UTC)

Hello. Do you think we should include the incident and why? Also, I have noticed that you have probably deleted the links in the See Also section; Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas(novel), The Rum Diary. Could you further explain why as The Rum Diary is a film adapted from Thomson's novel again starring moreover, Depp? Thank you. Olgamantsiou (talk) 13:52, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

The Rum Diary

Reference to The Rum Diary is relevant since it is a film adapted from another Thompson's novel and moreover, Depp is the protagonist. I have deleted the following information until another user figures out how to incorporate it with transparency into the content and structure of the article:

Robinson later wrote and directed The Rum Diary, based on another of Thompson’s novel, also starring Depp. Reference:Yamato,Jen(2011-10-28), ‘’Johnny Depp, Bruce Robinson, and Co, Exalt Hunter S. Thompson while talking the Rum Diary’’.Movieline.

Olgamantsiou (talk) 22:35, 19 February 2017 (UTC)

Deleted paragraph

I have deleted the following paragraph until another user incorporates it in a coherent way into the structure of the article, as well as, improves its coherence. Information was not clearly communicated and probably would confuse the reader.

Animator/ Filmmaker Ralph Bakshi tried to convince a girlfriend of Thomposon's to let him do Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as an animated film, done in the style of Steadman's illustrations for the book. Bakshi is quoted as saying: Hunter has given the rights to a girlfriend of his. I spent three days with her trying to talk to her into me animating it-she wanted to make a live-action of it- I kept telling her that a live-action would look like a bad cartoon but an animated version would be a great one. She had a tremendous disdain for animators because it wasn't considered the top of Hollywood. Hunter also could not make her change her mind. So she made the pic with Johnny Depp( who is a great actor), and got the film I told her she would get- in would have been more real in a cartoon using Steadman's drawings.

Reference: Ralph Bakshi (2005-03-24). Your thoughts on the passing of Hunter S. Thompson. Ralph Bakshi forum. Olgamantsiou (talk) 22:16, 19 February 2017 (UTC)

Introduction

The introduction is brief and punctual but, further information should be added to outline the content of the article. A good introduction should refer to the plot, production, release, and reception of the film. In relation to other A-rated film articles, the introduction is weak and further, fails to meet the criteria/ goal of any kind of article introduction. Olgamantsiou (talk) 22:16, 19 February 2017 (UTC)

Further research/ Interviews

While researching for the film I found interesting statements that I hope another user will be able to incorporate and discuss in this article:

‘’On the surface you can say its some kind of joyride of two guys hammered on drugs..but in fact, it is about a person who wants to find the American Dream, who wants to find if that exists and its about the death of hope’’Depp https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Wbo1gdA0Yw&t=160s

‘’It has to do with the end of a generation, the end of a very important period and I think they lost. They are going to Vegas and they are quite angry about it, full of loathing and fear.’’ Del Toro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1YhZAr0NZs

-Using voice-over to keep it specific to the book -Actor-led, hyper realistic performances but truthful ‘’I am interested in real people in bizarre, twisted environments that force them to act…to react against.’’ ‘’ Its not about drug-taking. I am trying to alter people’s perception of reality.’’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4QOU8wS7jI Olgamantsiou (talk) 22:55, 19 February 2017 (UTC)

What should the genres be?

Box Office Mojo says 'adventure, comedy, drama', Allmovie says 'avant-garde / experimental, comedy, absurd comedy, black comedy, buddy film, road movie, & AFI says comedy-drama. I don't know of any other widely-accepted sources for this, though I think 'experimental road film' fits the genre/sub-genre pretty well. Black comedy is rather subjective. Donkey Hot-day (talk) 11:18, 16 April 2020 (UTC)

We should follow WP:FILMLEAD in determining the genre. Remember that genre classification is subjective, and sometimes it is not possible to pin down the most common genre or sub-genre. We don't have a genre inserted for Fight Club, for example. However, I've thought for such films there could be a "Genre classification" section to show the different ways a film like this one or Fight Club have been labeled. Erik (talk | contrib) ^{(ping me)} 13:16, 16 April 2020 (UTC)

Indeed, I'm aware of WP:FILMLEAD, & it would certainly be tiresome trying to look up all the reliable sources, & determining what most of them say. I agree that this would be better with a Fight Club format where the genres are cleared for the lead, & perhaps elaborated on for sections below it like a new 'Themes' or 'Genre' section. Donkey Hot-day (talk) 11:48, 19 April 2020 (UTC)

As anon. editor, my opinion may not count for much, but I'd vote for having no genre, like the Fight Club example Erik cites. I think there are five genres listed right now, which is absurd. ---2602:306:37FF:C990:C90C:D678:9621:BA25 (talk) 15:51, 28 June 2020 (UTC)

Genre (again)

The there's an unsourced genre overkill in the article ("Avant-garde satirical buddy road black comedy film") 88.28.15.32 (talk) 06:55, 3 September 2023 (UTC)