Butterfly

Butterfly

Category: (DVD)

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Editorial Reviews

The box office hit of the controversial adaptation of the novel by James M. Cain (The Postman Always Rings Twice) comes out on DVD for the first time ever.

Pia Zadora makes a stunning debut in this hot-blooded thriller of forbidden love, murder, and revenge. Pouty and irresistible, she plays the part of naughty Kady, who makes a surprise visit to her long-lost father, Jess (Stacy Keach), by dropping in at the deserted silver mine he is caretaking. Provocative and lustful, she teases him until both give way to temptation. Together in sin, Kady and Jess dream of wealth as they mine for silver, but vultures with dreams of their own lurk in the background, watching their every move.

This DVD features the first ever interviews on home video by its stars Pia Zadora and Stacy Keach. Also included is a feature length commentary with director Matt Cimber, star Pia Zadora, and Pia's former husband and Butterfly financier M. Riklis.

Customer Reviews

Pia Zadora at her best!

Reviewed by David B. Jones, 2009-07-23

If you are tempted to watch it all the way through just to find out if it really has the obvious and absurd "surprise" ending that it telegraphs, (spoiler follows) ...






... it does.

Bravo Ennio

Reviewed by tiki atomica, 2009-03-22

A quirky little film with some fun and interesting supporting performances... and Pia certainly has her lolita'esque charms. But the real star of the movie for me is the excellent soundtrack by maestro Ennio Morricone.

Happy to see this on dvd

Reviewed by James Walters, 2009-03-03

I had'nt seen this since the 80's. I was happy to see ButterFly released on dvd. The interviews with everyone still alive was very interesting and fun. The movie itself is even more interesting as an adult. Before, and always, Pai was the draw.....She is gorgeous !! Now I can appreciate the acting and see the different depths of each relationship on screen. This really shows the power of a woman and how dumb men can be. Yet, there is true love and a happy ending...... Really a deeper story as I can look past Pia at the whole story now.
ANYWAY ^_^ Thanks, This was great to see again and own now.

Pia Zadora.....

Reviewed by Lee Mellott, 2008-11-06

I remember reading about Pia years ago. Apparently her husband (ex ?) has millions of dollars and was willing to make her a well known movie star and invest in her career. However, there was a huge backlash of those who felt she was paying her way to stardom. Her movies were panned and many critized her abilities.

Tonight, I watched Butterfly, and I thought it was riveting. Pia stars as Kady, a young woman who returns to the father she never knew and attempts to get him to steal silver from the mine he is guarding. Stacy Keech plays the father and other talented actors like James Francisco round out the cast. Pia looks gorgeous and convinced me with her acting. She has talent, looks, ability and star quality. She is totally believable as Kady, generating heat, youth and a knowing of what she needs and how to get it all at once.

The movie includes a bonus segment where the actors talk about the movie and Pia still looks awesome 26 years later. She speaks very intelligently and represents herself well.

It seems that real fame eluded Pia... and I wonder if without the money her husband put into her career and the resentment it caused, she would have accomplished her goals.

~ Lee Mellott

Surprisingly good

Reviewed by Doctor LongGhost, 2008-10-22

Back in the 80s, Butterfly was one of those movies you always heard about, but never actually saw. Men's magazines at the time talked a lot about it, and then there were all those Razzie awards. Pia won a Golden Globe, but scandal struck when it was suggested that Butterfly producer and Zadora husband M. Riklis BOUGHT the award for her. (This inuendo is discussed in the commentary and in the 44-minute featurette on this DVD.) Well, what a surprise! The movie is pretty good, in a scenery chewing, John Waters kind of way. It's short on skin, long on sleaze and NEVER BORING. Orson Welles hams it up, Stacy Keach tries his level best to rise above the material, even Ed McMahon and June Lockhart (Mom Robinson from Lost in Space) show up. Besides Keach, the only performance that rises above the material is Kate Nelligan, who seems to be acting in a completely different (high quality) movie. Director Matt Cimber frequently gets a bad rap for his pictures, mainly because lots of people like to paint him as the bad guy in his marriage to Jayne Mansfield (two sides to every story, you know), but his direction here is very effective. If you like this, you should also check out another Cimber film, The Witch Who Came from the Sea, an interesting movie that does NOT feature a witch. In Butterfly, the cinematography is splendid, the Ennio Morricone soundtrack majestic, the script so-so, the acting very uneven, but if you like good B-pictures, C-pictures and D-pictures, you'll love it. Unlike another commentator, I've never been a big fan of Pia Zadora, but I'll admit: Nobody else could play the part as well. And hats off to Stacy Keach for trying so hard to take the material seriously. Also a pat on the back to Orson Welles for his willingness to cash the check. One thing to watch for: When Keach and Zadora go into the silver mine, the scene is shot almost identically to an early shot in Welles' own Mr. Arkadin. But Welles would never horn in on directorial duties on somebody else's picture, would he? Anyhow, this movie really is worth seeing.