Before Night Falls

Year: 2000

Genre: Biographical

Production Country: USA

Directed by Julian Schnabel
Featuring Javier Bardem / Johnny Depp / Sean Penn

Stills (3)

Traces the life of the Cuban homosexual novelist and poet Reinaldo Arenas, who died in 1990 after an AIDS-related illness, from his poverty-stricken childhood, to his persecution under Castro's regime and exile.

Cast & credits

Cast

Reinaldo Arenas Javier Bardem
Bon Bon/Lieutenant Victor Johnny Depp
Cuco Sanchez Sean Penn
Juan Abrau John Ortiz
Tomas Diego Santiago Magill
Heberto Zorilla Ochoa Michael Wincott
Fina Zorilla Correa Najwa Nimri
Armando García Alfredo Villa
recruit driver Rene Rivera
Nicolas Abrau Maurice Compte
José Abrau Vincent Laresca
José Lezama Lima Manuel E. Gonzalez
Virgilio Piñera Hector Babenco
Reinaldo's mother Olatz López Garmendia
teenage Reinaldo Vito Maria Schnabel
Maria Teresa Freye de Andrade Patricia Reyes Spíndola
Reinaldo's grandfather Pedro Armendáriz Jr
landlady Ofelia Medina
young Reinaldo Giovanni Florido
Reinaldo's grandmother Loló Navarro
Reinaldo's father Sebastián Silva
teacher Carmen Beato
smallest school child Cy Schnabel
smallest school child Olmo Schnabel
Carlos Diego Luna
Lolin Lia Chapman
professor Jerzy Skolimowski
translator Aquiles Benites
pretty blonde student Eva Piaskowska
Pepé Malas Andrea Di Stefano
woman in car 1 Marlene Díaz
woman in car 2 Olga Borayo
Faustino Manolo García
girl with keys Lola Schnabel
woman, UNEAC Lois Barragan
nightclub singer Eduardo Antonio
Valeria Stella Schnabel
Lázaro Gómez Carriles Olivier Martinez
María Luisa Lima Claudette Maillé
blonde on the beach Chanel Puertas
royal gay Manuel Rivero
Pedro the bus driver Nemo
French tourist Andrea Fassler
santería dancer Magda
violent soldier Julián Bucio
prosecutor Jorge Zárate
Jorge Camacho Francisco Gatorno
Margarita Camacho Marisol Padilla Sanchez
kid with kite Jorge Zamora
policeman on beach Noel Medina
state security on beach Jorge Zepeda
teenager 1 Julyan Diaz
teenager 2 Eduardo Arroyuelo
stranger in Lenin Park Antonio Zavala
state security in Lenin Park Eloy Ganuza
young man with bird Khotan
Antonio René Pereira
hungry inmate Abel Woolrich
gay inmate Mario Oliver
singing prisoner Robertico Valdez
guard at El Morro Claudio Osoria
Blanca Romero Diahnne Dèa
dancer in the convent Caridad Martinez
Zulema Zulema Cruz
Blanca's teenage daughter Annie Gil
dwarf Filiberto Estrella
immigration officer Juan Murillo
man at Mariel harbour Filiberto Hebra
officer at Mariel harbour Matthias Ehrenberg
Jack Jack Schnabel
Mrs Greenberg Esther G. Schnabel
Death Xavier Domingo
orderly Eric Springer
taxi driver Jimmy Nugent

Credits

Direction

Director Julian Schnabel
Assistant Director (1st) Sebastián Silva
Assistant Director (Key 2nd) Joaquín Silva
Assistant Director (2nd 2nd) Giselle Gurza
Assistant Director (2nd 2nd) Yvette Gurza
Assistant Director (NY Unit Key 2nd) Amy Lynn
Script Supervisor Sylvie Chesneau

Subject

[Subject of Film] Reinaldo Arenas

Production

© El Mar Pictures LLC
Production Company Grandview Pictures
Executive Producer Julian Schnabel
Executive Producer Olatz López Garmendia
Producer Jon Kilik
Associate Producer Matthias Ehrenberg
Unit Manager (US) Pamela Jaeckle
Unit Manager (Mexico) Dante Aguilar
Production Supervisor Mike Phillips
Production Co-ordinator (Mexico) Gloria Lozano
Production Co-ordinator (US) Robyn Davis
Location Manager Diego Sandoval
Location Manager (NY Unit) Lys Hopper
Post-production Supervisor (NY Unit) Kelley Cribben

Casting

Casting Director (NY) Monica Nordhaus
Casting Director (Mexico) Patricia Reyes Spíndola
Casting Director (Mexico) Claudia Becker

Writing

Written by Cunningham O'keefe
Written by Lázaro Gómez Carriles
Written by Julian Schnabel
Based on the memoir by Reinaldo Arenas

Photography

Director of Photography Javier Pérez Grobet
Director of Photography Guillermo Rosas
Additional Photography Mauricio Rubinstein
Camera Operator (NY Unit) Wayne Paul
Steadicam Operator Luis Sansans A.

Special Effects

Visual Effects Supervisor Randy Balsmeyer
Digital Visual Effects Balsmeyer & Everett Inc
Special Effects Co-ordinator Alejandro Vázquez
Special Effects Co-ordinator Effeccine
Sign Painter Dennis Horwath Vázquez

Editing

Editor Michael Berenbaum
Associate Editor Craig Cobb

Design

Production Designer Salvador Parra
Art Director Antonio Muñohierro
Art Director (NY Unit) Andy Bernard
Set Designer Juan Pablo García Tames
Set Decorator Sandra Cabriada
Set Decorator Paula Caso Serran
Set Decorator (NY Unit) Laurie Freedman
On-set Decorator Mirko Von Berner
Drafting Jorge Sainz
Drafting Heidi Villalobos Maya
Sculpture Rodolfo Granados
Mural Painter Tatiana Valdéz

Costumes

Costume Designer María Estela Fernández
Wardrobe Co-ordinator Gabriela Fernández Suárez
NY Unit Wardrobe Supervisor Mark Burchard
NY Unit Wardrobe Supervisor Chuck Casey

Make-up

Key Make-up Ana Lozano
NY Unit Make-up Artist Kerrie R. Plant
Key Hair Manolo García
Hairstylist Virginia Campos Ch.
NY Unit Hairdresser Judi Goodman

Titles

Titles/Opticals Cineric Inc
Cineric (Optical Supervisor) János Pilenyi
Cineric (Digital Supervisor) Ariel E. Saulog
Cineric (Design) Borys Jarymovych

Music

Music Carter Burwell
Additional Music Lou Reed
Additional Music Laurie Anderson
Music Orchestrated and Conducted by Carter Burwell
Music Supervisor Olatz López Garmendia
Music Supervisor Susan Jacobs
Music Editor Todd Kasow

Sound

Music Scoring Mixer Michael Farrow
Sound Mixer Christian Wangler
Sound Mixer (NY Unit) Allan Byer
Re-recording Mixer Robert Fernandez
Additional Mixing Steve Simons
Supervising Sound Editor Robert Hein
Dialogue Editor Sylvia Menno
Effects Editor Albert Gasser
ADR Editor Kenton Jakub
ADR Editor Marissa Littlefield
Foley Editor Kam Chan
Foley Editor Frank Kern