''Bone'' is a 1972 American

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

written, produced, and directed by

Larry Cohen Lawrence George Cohen (July 15, 1936 – March 23, 2019) was an American screenwriter, producer, and director of film and television, best known as an author of horror and science fiction films — often containing police procedural and ...

in his directorial debut. It stars

Yaphet Kotto Yaphet Frederick Kotto (born Frederick Samuel Kotto; November 15, 1939 – March 15, 2021) was an American actor known for numerous film roles, as well as starring in the NBC television series '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' (1993–1999) as ...

Joyce Van Patten Joyce Benignia Van Patten (born March 9, 1934) is an American film and stage actress. She is best known for her roles in films like ''The Bad News Bears'' (1976), ''St. Elmo's Fire'' (1985) (as Mrs. Beamish), and as Rob Schneider's septuagenaria ...

, and

Andrew Duggan Andrew Duggan (December 28, 1923 – May 15, 1988) was an American character actor. His work includes 185 screen credits between 1949 and 1987 for roles in both film and television, as well a number more on stage. Background Duggan was born in ...

. The film tells the story of a home invasion perpetrated by Kotto's character, who soon realizes that his victims are less wealthy and far unhappier than they initially appeared.

Plot

Bernadette and Bill are a bickering couple from

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bev ...

. One day, a stranger wanders onto their property and they mistake him for an exterminator. The man, who calls himself Bone, takes the couple hostage, intending to rob them. Bone discovers that his captives are not as wealthy as they seem. Nevertheless, he forces Bill, a car dealer, to go to a bank to get some money, threatening to rape or kill Bernadette otherwise. Bill leaves, but at the bank he is distracted by a young girl in line. She ends up seducing him as Bill contemplates how little love there has been in his marriage. He does not return home with the money, but a nearly naked Bernadette, after having too many drinks, seduces Bone on the sofa. Bernadette then persuades Bone they should murder her husband for his insurance. Bill tries to flee, but they follow him and, at a beach, Bernadette smothers him to death in the sand. She turns to find Bone, only to discover he has disappeared.

Cast

as "Bone" *

as Bernadette *

as Bill *

Jeannie Berlin Jeannie Berlin (born Jeannie Brette May; November 1, 1949) is an American film, television and stage actress and screenwriter, the daughter of Elaine May. She is best-known for her role in the 1972 comedy film '' The Heartbreak Kid'', for which sh ...

as Girl *

Brett Somers Brett Somers (born Audrey Dawn Johnston; July 11, 1924 – September 15, 2007) was a Canadian-American game-show personality, actress, and singer. Brett was best known as a panelist on the 1970s game show ''Match Game'' and for her recurring ro ...

as X-Ray Lady Larry Cohen said in an interview that he first considered

Paul Winfield Paul Edward Winfield (May 22, 1939 – March 7, 2004) was an American stage, film and television actor. He was known for his portrayal of a Louisiana sharecropper who struggles to support his family during the Great Depression in the landmark fi ...

for the part of Bone, but found him "too genteel." He then saw Yaphet Kotto in

William Wyler William Wyler (; born Willi Wyler (); July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a Swiss-German-American film director and producer who won the Academy Award for Best Director three times, those being for ''Mrs. Miniver'' (1942), ''The Best Years of O ...

's ''

The Liberation of L.B. Jones ''The Liberation of L.B. Jones'' is a 1970 American neo noir film directed by William Wyler, his final project in a career that spanned 45 years. The screenplay by Jesse Hill Ford and Stirling Silliphant is based on Ford's 1965 novel ''The Lib ...

'' (1970) and cast him instead. The film also includes a brief appearance by Ida Berlin, grandmother of Jeannie Berlin and mother of director

Elaine May Elaine Iva May (née Berlin; born April 21, 1932) is an American comedian, filmmaker, playwright, and actress. She has received numerous awards including an Oscar, a BAFTA, a Grammy, and a Tony. She made her initial impact in the 1950s with her ...

Production

Filming started in July 1971 under the title ''Unreal''. Alternate titles for ''Bone'' include "Housewife," "Beverly Hills Nightmare," and "Dial Rat for Terror."Tony Williams, ''Larry Cohen: The Radical Allegories of an Independent Filmmaker'', McFarland 2014 p. 344

Theme

Larry Cohen explained the theme of the movie in a 2019 interview:

"it deals with problems we still face today in America. The film is revolutionary because it cuts to the heart of racial prejudice. And some of that is indeed sexual, where the white man has a fear of the black man’s sexuality. It’s a thorn in the side of the white community. They’re still afraid of black people. In many cities white people will cross the street when they see black people coming."

References

External links