THE MILLION DOLLAR HOTEL is a story about friendship and deception—and about the immeasurable power of unconditional love. A group of freaks, outsiders, and drifters live in a run-down hotel in downtown Los Angeles, in an area full of drug addicts and homeless people.
The story is told through the eyes of a lovesick dreamer (Jeremy Davies), who everyone calls Tom Tom. The object of his devotion is Eloise (Milla Jovovich), a fallen angel of sorts.
There is trouble in this madhouse. One of the residents, the eccentric junkie Izzy (Tim Roth), comes to a grisly end by being pushed off of the roof. And because—to the surprise of all of the residents—Izzy proves to be the son of a multi-millionaire media boss, an FBI agent enters the scene: Skinner (Mel Gibson).
What no one suspects is that this particular long arm of the law is even crazier than any of the charming characters living in the Million Dollar Hotel.
Initially conceived by Bono who also contributed the soundtrack for the film, THE MILLION DOLLAR HOTEL was filmed in the spring of 1999 in the actual “Rosslyn Million Dollar Hotel” in Downtown Los Angeles, and inside the perimeter of the adjoining street block of Fifth and Main Street.
It premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2000 where it was awarded a Silver Bear.
4K-Restoration in 2021
For this restoration, the original camera negative was scanned in 5K resolution, in order to capture the entire anamorphic film frame including perforation and the narrow spacing between frames. Retouching and color grading were performed on the unreduced Wetgate scan data, before outputting the final 4K theatrical master.
The final mix had originally been recorded in 5.1 to 35mm and 2-inch multitrack tape. The audio was carefully cleaned up from noise and static clicks, while leaving the originally intended cinematic sound composition untouched.
The restoration received funding from the FFE (Film Heritage Funding Programme), among others.
Premiere in Sarajevo
The digitally restored version of Wim Wenders’ film THE MILLION DOLLAR HOTEL from 2000, completed in June 2021, had its international premiere on August 15, 2021 at the 27th Sarajevo Film Festival.
Format
Germany/USA 2000
Length:124 min, 3347 m
Format: 35mm color; 1:2,35; Dolby Stereo Digital
Original Language: English
5K Restoration 2021, 4K DCP
Festivals & Awards
2000 International Filmfestival Berlin (Jury Grand Prix)
Cast and crew
Production: Road Movies Filmproduktion GmbH (Berlin), Kintop Pictures (Los Angeles), Icon Productions (Los Angeles) Director: Wim Wenders Producer: Deepak Nayar, Bono, Bruce Davey, Nicholas Klein, Wim Wenders Screenplay: Nicholas Klein, after an idea of Bono and Nicholas Klein Director of Photography: Phedon Papamichael Editor: Tatiana S. Riegel Sound: Lee Orloff Cast: Jeremy Davies, Milla Jovovich, Mel Gibson, Jimmy Smits, Peter Stormare, Amanda Plummer, Gloria Stuart, Tom Bower, Donal Logue, Bud Cort, Julian Sands, Tim Roth
Music: John Hassell, Bono, Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno Script: Sylvie Michel-Casey Executive Producer: Ulrich Felsberg Line Producer: Sabrina S. Sutherland Dialogues: Russell Farmaco Still Photographer: Elliott Marks Set Design: Robert D. Freed, Arabella A. Serrell Storyboard: John Coven Title Design: Melissa Elliott Make-up: Debbie Zoller, Rene Dashiell, Amanda Carroll Costume Design: Nancy Steiner Hairstyle: DJ Plumb, Annette E. Fabrizi, Cheri Ruff Re-Recording Mixers: Jeffrey Perkins, Dennis Patterson Sound Design & Supervision: Elmo Weber Music Supervisor: Sharon Boyle Special Sounds: Monique Remond Special Effects: Philip D. Bartko, David Domeyer, Kristine Onesky, George Vrattos Stunt-Coordinatior: Bobby Brown Music Producer: Hal Willner Camera Operator: Kirk R. Gardner Assistant Camera: Paul Sanchez und Alexandra Kravetz, Wally Pfister Assistant Editor: Lin Coleman Location Manager: Jeremy Alter Assistant Director: Christine Larson, Laura Nisbet, Andrew Ward Casting: Heidi Levitt, Monika Mikkelsen Original Artwork: Julian Schnabel, Alejandro Garmendia First TV Broadcast (DE): 01.01.2003, ARD World Sales: Icon Film Distribution
Blu-ray & DVD
DVD und Blu-ray (DE)
Arthaus / Studiocanal
Language: German, English (5.1 Dolby Digital)
Subtitles: German
Format: 2.35:1
DVD und Blu-ray (USA)
Lions Gate Films
Language: English
Subtitles: English, Spanish
Format: 2.35:1
DVD und Blu-ray (FR)
Language: German, English
Subtitles: French
Format: 2.35:1
Book to the film
The Heart is a Sleeping Beauty
The Million Dollar Hotel
Wim and Donata Wenders
te Neues, New York 2000
152 pages, 110 partly color photographs
ISBN: 3823854682
available at bookshops
Press Sheet (PDF)
License Requests