A Certain Sacrifice

A Certain Sacrifice (1985)

On the dark side of New York when paths cross...

A street-wise teen gets herself in a series of circumstances and mishaps in her meaningless existence.

Date of release
1985-10-01
TMDB
2.5 / 10 (14)
Runtime
1h 2m
Genres
Crime, Drama
Director
Stephen Jon Lewicki

Casting

Interesting facts

  • Filmed in: New York City

A Certain Sacrifice is a 1985 American drama film co-written and directed by Stephen Jon Lewicki and starring Madonna, Jeremy Pattnosh and Charles Kurtz. It was Madonna's first movie, filmed from September 1979 through June 1981, but not released until 1985.

Production and development

A Certain Sacrifice is a Super 8 film. It was made on a low-budget between $12,000 to $20,000. The film marks the acting debut of Madonna and the directorial debut of Stephen Jon Lewicki, an aspiring filmmaker. Various authors have regarded the movie as an underground art film.

Despite Madonna's second thoughts about having participated in this movie, Lewicki had nothing but compliments for her. One of his oft-repeated stories was how he "discovered" Madonna and was amazed that she hand-wrote a three-page letter for a part that did not even pay. She was only paid $100, only because she was short on her apartment rent and Lewicki paid to help out.

Actor Jeremy Pattnosh wrote and performed several songs in the film, including: "Certain Sacrifice" and "Screamin' Demon Lover". Years later, in a 2000 Channel 4 documentary on Madonna's early years (titled Madonna: Naked Ambition), her Breakfast Club bandmate Dan Gilroy recalled: "I did not like that fellow who made A Certain Sacrifice, I felt he was using them big-time [...] it needed a laugh-track, something".

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