Winter Kills

Winter Kills (1979)

Something funny is happening in WINTER KILLS. Take it seriously!

The younger brother of an assassinated US President is led down a rabbit hole of conspiracies and dead ends after learning of a man claiming to be the real shooter.

Date of release
1979-05-11
TMDB
5.7 / 10 (71)
Runtime
1h 37m
Genres
Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Comedy
Director
William Richert

Casting

Interesting facts

  • Filmed in: California

Winter Kills is a 1979 satirical black comedy thriller film written and directed by William Richert, based on the 1974 novel by Richard Condon. Inspired by the John F. Kennedy assassination conspiracy, its ensemble cast includes Jeff Bridges, John Huston, Anthony Perkins, Eli Wallach, Richard Boone, Toshirō Mifune, Sterling Hayden, Dorothy Malone, Belinda Bauer, Ralph Meeker, Elizabeth Taylor, Berry Berenson and Susan Walden.

Production

Leonard Goldberg and Robert Sterling, drug dealers with little film experience, optioned the book Winter Kills from Richard Condon for $75,000 plus 5% of proceeds and 10% of home video. Then unknown William Richert convinced the pair of novice producers to let him direct the film after he had adapted Condon's novel.

The film simplifies the plot of the book somewhat. Nearly twenty years after the assassination of U.S. President Timothy Kegan (John Warner), his half-brother Nick (Bridges) discovers hard evidence there had been a conspiracy behind it.

Filming began on December 13, 1976. Many of the film's interior scenes were shot in 1977 at the Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills, then home to the American Film Institute's film school. Richert wanted to film Pa Kegan (John Huston)'s death at the Pan Am Building but claims he was denied permission by an irate employee who threatened that the film would not be allowed within 20 blocks of the building because the "Kennedys have offices here".

Sterling and Goldberg had previously worked on releasing the French softcore Emmanuelle films in the U.S. Winter Kills was under-capitalized. Needing a budget of $6 million, Sterling and Goldberg raised $2.3 million. Many actors were never paid or only received the 20% of their fee that was held in escrow. Elizabeth Taylor insisted on being paid her $100,000 fee up front.

Bridges and Belinda Bauer went to Germany to work on Richert's next film, The American Success Company. Richert was able to use money from that production to resume work on Winter Kills. On December 18, 1978, production resumed and filming was finished in two weeks. The director explained his devotion to the project by comparing Winter Kills to "cinematic cocaine".

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