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Romantic drama

Contempt (1963): Cast, Box Office & Plot

Contempt (1963) movie poster

Contempt is a 1963 romantic drama starring Jack Palance as Jeremy Prokosch, Fritz Lang and Michel Piccoli. It is partly based on Contempt by Alberto Moravia and Angus Davidson. It runs 1 hour 43 minutes and earned $1.3 million worldwide.

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Contempt (1963) movie poster
Released
Runtime
1h 43m (103 min)
Genres
Drama , Romance
Original language
French
After the credits
No No extra scene
The story

What Is Contempt About?

The premise of Contempt without spoilers, adapted from Contempt by Alberto Moravia and Angus Davidson. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

Jeremy Prokosch, a pragmatic producer dissatisfied with his director’s work, hires the legendary Fritz Lang to helm an ambitious adaptation of “The Odyssey.” Fearing the project will flop, he brings in a screenwriter to revitalize the script. As the professional pressures mount, a personal rift erupts between the writer and his wife, intertwining creative ambition with strained relationships.

Contempt Themes & Keywords

· 50 tags
  • capri italy
  • screenwriter
  • female nudity
  • film producer
  • filmmaking
  • gun
  • female full rear nudity
  • typewriter
  • meta narrative
  • self referential
  • unfaithful wife
  • trilingual
+38 more
  • swimming pool
  • frenchman abroad
  • apartment
  • bare chested male
  • italy
  • film within a film
  • based on novel
  • flashback
  • slapped in the face
  • long take
  • tracking shot
  • marriage as hell
  • selfishness
  • self centeredness
  • postmodernism
  • death of wife
  • widower
  • hollywood producer
  • contempt
  • director cameo
  • selling out
  • melodrama
  • trilingual character
  • disillusionment
  • marital quarrel
  • taxi
  • screen test
  • petrol pump
  • boat
  • kiss
  • jealousy
  • talking about film
  • cheque
  • nudity
  • rome italy
  • female frontal nudity
  • playwright
  • scriptwriter
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Cast & crew

Contempt Cast & Characters

Jack Palance leads the cast as Jeremy Prokosch, with Fritz Lang as Fritz Lang and Michel Piccoli as Paul Javal.

Also Starring in Contempt

· 4 more
Plot

Contempt Plot Summary

What happens in Contempt from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 12 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 4-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

Paul Javal, [Michel Piccoli], a young French playwright who has found commercial success in Rome, receives an offer from the vulgar American producer [Jack Palance] to rework the script for Austrian director [Fritz Lang]‘s screen adaptation of the Odyssey. The proposal promises prestige and a chance to push his career, but it also drags him into a tense triangle of egos where art, money, and desire collide on a grand, sunlit scale.

Full summary

The whole story of Contempt, scene by scene

Read the full summary
Box office

Contempt Box Office

Contempt grossed $1.3 million worldwide. $1.2 million came from the US and Canada and $125,578 (10%) from the rest of the world.

1963 box office

Worldwide gross

$1.3M

US & Canada
$1.2M
International
$125.6K
US & Canada 90% Rest of the world 10%
Videos

Contempt Trailers & Videos

3 videos: 3 trailers.

Contempt
  • Trailer BFI Trailer [Subtitled]
  • Trailer 60th Anniversary Trailer [Subtitled]
Quiz

How Well Do You Know Contempt?

10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.

Question 1 of 10

  1. Question 1: not answered
  2. Question 2: not answered
  3. Question 3: not answered
  4. Question 4: not answered
  5. Question 5: not answered
  6. Question 6: not answered
  7. Question 7: not answered
  8. Question 8: not answered
  9. Question 9: not answered
  10. Question 10: not answered

Which actor plays the American producer Prokosch?

Details

Contempt Also Known As

30 alternative titles, including “Sen täytyi tapahtua” and “Desprezo”.

Also known as
  • Sen täytyi tapahtua
  • Desprezo
  • El menyspreu
  • Jag föraktar dig
  • I perifronisi
  • Περιφρόνηση
  • Keibetsu
  • Презрение
  • Prezir
  • Contempt!
  • Die Verachtung
  • Keskipäivän aave
+18 more
  • Il disprezzo
  • O Desprezo
  • Föraktet
  • El desprecio
  • Η Περιφρόνηση
  • 蔑视
  • A megvetés
  • Зневага
  • Nefret
  • Презрението
  • Pogarda
  • 사랑과 경멸
  • Pohrdání
  • הבוז (הגוף והלב)
  • 軽蔑
  • 輕蔑
  • Panieka
  • Nicinājums

Seen Contempt?

FAQ

Contempt FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Runtime

Runtime, release date, cast, box office, the book behind it, post-credit scenes and language of Contempt, each answered in a sentence.

How long is Contempt?

Contempt runs 1 hour 43 minutes (103 minutes).

When was Contempt released?

Contempt was released on October 29, 1963.

Who is in the cast of Contempt?

Contempt stars Jack Palance as Jeremy Prokosch, Fritz Lang as Fritz Lang and Michel Piccoli as Paul Javal, among 8 credited actors.

How much did Contempt make at the box office?

Contempt grossed $1.3 million worldwide ($1.2 million domestic, $125,578 international).

Is Contempt based on a book?

Yes. Contempt is partly adapted from Contempt by Alberto Moravia and Angus Davidson.

Does Contempt have a post-credit scene?

No. Contempt has no extra scene during or after the credits.

What language is Contempt in?

The original language of Contempt is French.

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