1979Audrey Hepburn’s Only R-Rated Movie.Snuff Films,Murder,Torture. Roger Ebert:’Worst Movie Of 1979 

June 29th, 1979. Movie theaters across America. A new thriller opens nationwide. Bloodline based on a SydneySheldon bestseller starring Audrey Hepburn. But this isn’t the Audrey Hepburn audience expect. Not the elegant princess from Roman Holiday. Not the sophisticated Holly Go Lightly from Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

 Not the refined Eliza Doolittle from My Fair Lady. This is Audrey Hepburn in an R-rated thriller surrounded by murder, corporate conspiracy, and serial killers who film their victims dying. Snuff films, torture, [music] violence, everything antithetical to the grace and elegance she’s represented for 25 years. The critics are savage.

Roger Eert writes, “The worst movie of 1979 has opened.” Jean Cisco observes, “She has so much class that you sit there wondering what a woman like her is doing in a movie like this. The box office is devastating. $8 million total gross. A commercial disaster that essentially ends Audrey’s career as a leading lady.

But how did it come to this? How did one of Hollywood’s most beloved actresses end up in what critics [music] call a trashy, bloodless, peruncter thriller? How did the woman who defined elegance become associated with the kind of exploitation film she would never have considered during her peak years? This is the story of Bloodline, Audrey Hepern’s only R-rated film, the movie that destroyed her comeback, the career disaster that forced Hollywood’s most graceful star into permanent retirement.

The story of how desperation, bad judgment, and a massive paycheck led to the most embarrassing chapter in Audrey Hepburn’s professional life. 1977, SydneySheldon publishes Bloodline, a trashy thriller about pharmaceutical ays Elizabeth Roth, who inherits a billiondoll company, and discovers that family members are trying to kill her.

The novel includes subplots about serial killers, snuff films, and corporate corruption. It’s pure exploitation fiction, sex, violence, murder, betrayal. The kind of pulp novel designed to titilate rather than illuminate. Sheldon specializes in this material. Best-selling books that critics dismiss, but audiences devour.

Paramount Pictures sees commercial potential. Before the book is even published, they pay Sheldon $1.25 million plus 10% of box office gross for the film rights, a record sum at the time, the largest amount ever paid for unpublished material. The studio executives are thinking purely commercially. Sheldon’s previous novels have been adapted into successful films and television shows.

His name sells tickets. His stories, however trashy, generate profits. The original plan is to cast a young actress as Elizabeth Roth, someone in her 20s or early 30s. The character in the novel is described as a beautiful young Ays, fresh-faced, vulnerable, the kind of role that might go to Jacine Bisay or another contemporary star.

Jacqueline Bisay is actually approached about the role, but she reads the script and declines. Too violent, too exploitative, not the kind of material she wants to be associated with. Other actresses are considered, but none of the A-list stars are interested. The script is problematic. The content is disturbing.

 The violence is graphic. Established actresses don’t want to damage their reputations with this kind of material. Then someone suggests Audrey Hepburn. At first, the idea seems absurd. Audrey is 50 years old. The role is written for someone half her age. She’s known for elegant romantic comedies and sophisticated dramas.

 Bloodline is neither elegant nor sophisticated, but there are practical considerations. Audrey is a major star whose name still means something at the box office. She hasn’t appeared in a film since They All Laughed in 1976, which was a commercial failure. She might be desperate enough to consider material she would normally reject.

More importantly, Audrey is at an age where quality roles are scarce. Hollywood doesn’t offer leading parts to 50-year-old actresses. Even legends like Audrey Hepburn struggle to find appropriate material. Paramount approaches her representatives. The offer is substantial. $1.

25 $25 million salary plus 10% of gross receipts. The largest paycheck of Audrey’s career, more money than she made for My Fair Lady or any of her classic films. The financial terms are attractive for several reasons. Audrey’s career earnings, while substantial, aren’t enormous by contemporary standards. She’s been selective about roles, turning down many lucrative offers for artistic reasons.

She’s also gone through two expensive divorces. Money is a [clears throat] consideration. But more than money, the offer represents employment, a chance to work, to be a leading lady again to prove that she can still carry a major studio production. The role would need to be rewritten for an older actress. Elizabeth Rafi would become a mature woman inheriting her father’s company.

The character’s relationships and motivations would be adjusted accordingly. These forgotten stories deserve to be told. If you think so, too, subscribe and like this video. Thank you for keeping these memories alive. After reading the script and considering the offer, Audrey makes a decision that will haunt the rest of her career. She says yes to Bloodline.

October 1978, Bloodline begins production. Filming locations include New York, London, Paris, Rome, Sardinia, and various sites in West Germany, an international production designed to showcase exotic European settings. Director Terren Young is a competent professional. He’s directed several James Bond films, including Dr.

 know and from Russia with love, but his strengths are action and spectacle, not the psychological complexity that Bloodline’s convoluted plot requires. The cast is respectable but not stellar. Ben Gazara as Audrey’s love interest. James Mason as the villain. Omar Sharief, Romy Schneider, and Michelle Phillips in supporting roles. professional actors earning substantial paychecks for a project none of them particularly believes in from the beginning.

 There are problems with the material. Sydney Sheldon’s novel is nearly 500 pages of complex plotting, multiple subplots, and numerous characters. Condensing this into a 2-hour film requires extensive cutting and simplification. The screenplay adapted by Lear Koig struggles to maintain coherence while accommodating all the novel’s elements.

Corporate intrigue, family betrayals, international locations, serial killer subplot, romantic relationships. The film tries to be everything and succeeds at nothing. Audrey approaches the role professionally as she always does. She studies the character, works with the [music] director, commits fully to the performance, but privately she begins to understand what she’s gotten herself into.

This isn’t just a commercial thriller. It’s exploitation material. The serial killer subplot involves graphic violence against women. snuff films where murders are recorded for commercial distribution, torture scenes, sexual sadism. The R rating ensures that audiences understand this isn’t family entertainment.

But for Audrey, whose entire career has been built on wholesome, uplifting characters, the content is deeply uncomfortable. During filming, Audrey develops a relationship with co-star Ben Gazara. Both are unhappy in their marriages. Both are struggling with career disappointments. Both find comfort in each other during the long European location shoot.

 The affair is discreet but meaningful. Gazara later admits, “Audrey was unhappy in her marriage and hurting. I was feeling trapped and unhappy in my marriage, too. For Audrey, the relationship with Gazara represents more than romance. It’s validation, proof that she’s still attractive, still desirable, still capable of inspiring passion in a talented, respected actor.

But the affair also complicates an already difficult production. Professional relationships become personal. The line between character and actor becomes blurred. As filming progresses, everyone involved realizes that Bloodline isn’t working. The plot is too convoluted. The tone is inconsistent.

 The material is too dark for Audrey’s image and too tame for exploitation audiences. The serial killer subplot feels grafted onto the corporate thriller. The romantic elements seem forced. The European locations are beautiful, but don’t serve the story’s needs. Most problematically, Audrey seems miscast. Not because she lacks the acting [music] ability, but because the role conflicts with everything audiences expect from her.

She’s playing a character caught up in graphic violence and sexual corruption. The cognitive dissonance is jarring. By December, when filming wraps, the production has become something no one wanted. Not a sophisticated thriller worthy of Audrey Hepburn. Not an effective exploitation film for genre audiences.

Something uncomfortable and unsatisfying for everyone involved. But the financial commitments are substantial. Paramount has invested millions in the production. Audrey has been paid her largest salary ever. The film must be completed and released regardless of its quality. Early 1979, Bloodline enters post-prouction.

The editing process reveals the full scope of the film’s problems. Too much plot, too many characters, too many locations, too many tonal shifts. Director Terren Young, an editor, try to create coherence from chaotic material. But fundamental problems can’t be solved in the editing room. The screenplay is flawed. The concept is misconceived.

The casting is inappropriate. The serial killer subplot proves particularly problematic. The snuff film elements are disturbing but essential to the plot. Removing them would eliminate key story points. Keeping them creates an R rating that conflicts with Audrey’s image. The MPAA rates the film R for violence and disturbing content.

This is Audrey Heppern’s first and only R-rated film. The rating alone signals that something is wrong with the project. Paramount’s marketing department faces an impossible task. How do you sell Audrey Hepburn in an R-rated thriller? How do you promote graphic violence starring an actress known for elegance and grace? The advertising campaign emphasizes the thriller elements while downplaying the disturbing content.

Posters feature Audrey in elegant [music] clothing, suggesting sophistication rather than exploitation. But the taglines hint at darker themes. Some families can be murder. If you want more untold stories like this, don’t forget to subscribe and leave a like. Your support means everything to us. Trade publications note the disconnect between star and material.

 Variety observes that the film plays woodenly despite its expensive cast and exotic locations. Preview audiences are confused. Audrey Hepburn fans expecting romantic drama are shocked by the violence. Thriller audiences expecting exploitation are disappointed by the restrained treatment.

 The film receives no advanced screenings for major critics. This is always a bad sign. Studios only embargo reviews when they expect negative reactions. June 29th, 1979. Bloodline opens in theaters nationwide. The critical response is immediate and devastating. Roger Eert leads the assault. After 6 months, a week, and 2 days of suspense, we can now relax.

The worst movie of 1979 has opened. Jean Cisco is equally harsh. She has so much class that you sit there wondering what a woman like her is doing in a movie like this. Vincent Kanby of the New York Times writes that the film has no sense of humor and describes it as glumly disapproving of its own sorted details.

The reviews focus on the fundamental inappropriateness of casting Audrey in this material. Critics don’t just dislike the film. They feel sorry for her. They question her judgment. They wonder what desperation led her to accept this role. The box office performance is equally disastrous. Despite Audrey’s star power and Paramount’s marketing push, audiences stay away. The film grosses only $8.

2 million during its entire theatrical run. For comparison, contemporary hits like Kramer versus Kramer and Apocalypse Now gross over $100 million. Even modest successes earn 20 to30 million. Bloodline’s performance is catastrophic. The failure isn’t just commercial, it’s reputational. For the first time in her career, Audrey is associated with critical and commercial disaster.

 The film becomes a punchline, a cautionary tale about stars making poor choices. Summer 1979. As Bloodline disappears from theaters after a brief unsuccessful run, the critical postmortems begin. Major publications use the film as an example of everything wrong with contemporary Hollywood. Roger Eert includes it in his collection of worst films.

His review becomes legendary for its savage dismissal. See SydneySheldon’s Bloodline and weep for the cinema. Jean Cisco’s review focuses specifically on Audrey’s inappropriate casting. He gives the film one and a half stars and calls it trash. His observation about Audrey having so much class becomes the most quoted line from the reviews.

 The Washington Post’s Gary Arnold describes it as surely one of the most prefuncter murder mysteries ever committed to Fool Scap. Jack Croll writes in Newsweek, “If I were SydneySheldon, I demand demand to have my name removed from the title of this torpid turkey.” The reviews share common themes: disappointment in Audrey’s participation, confusion about her motivation, sympathy for a beloved actress trapped in inappropriate material.

Critics don’t just dislike Bloodline, they feel betrayed by it. Audrey Hepburn represents something pure and beautiful in cinema. Seeing her in a film involving snuff films and graphic violence feels like desecration. The critical consensus damages Audrey’s reputation in ways that go beyond typical bad reviews.

When established stars make poor choices, critics and audiences question their judgment. Their future projects are viewed with suspicion. For 50year-old actresses, this kind of critical humiliation is particularly damaging. Hollywood already offers limited opportunities for older women. Being associated with a notorious failure makes those opportunities even scarcer.

The industry takes note. Studio executives read the reviews. Producers consider the box office failure. [music] Audrey Hepburn, once a guaranteed draw, is now a commercial risk. The film’s R rating creates additional problems. Many of Audrey’s traditional fans [music] can’t or won’t see an R-rated film. Parents who grew up watching her movies feel uncomfortable taking their children to anything associated with graphic violence.

Television broadcasts require heavy editing. The serial killer subplot is largely removed. But this creates a confusing, incomplete narrative. Even edited for television, Bloodline doesn’t work. International distribution is equally problematic. Audrey has always been popular in European markets. But foreign audiences are as confused as Americans by her participation in this material.

The film becomes a case study in miscasting. Film schools use it as an example of how star power can’t overcome fundamental creative problems. When the wrong actor is cast in the wrong role, no amount of talent or fame can save the project. By autumn 1979, [clears throat] Bloodline has effectively ended Audrey’s career as a leading lady.

Not through natural aging or changing audience tastes, but through a single catastrophic miscalculation. Audrey Hepern was not immune to the economic pressures of the film industry. She needed work. She needed money. She needed validation that she was still valuable as a performer. Bloodline offered all three a leading role in a major studio production, the largest paycheck of her career, proof that she could still carry a film.

The fact that the material was inappropriate, the concept was flawed, and the execution was terrible became apparent only after the damage was done. The film stands as a reminder that stardom is fragile, that reputations built over decades can be damaged by single poor decisions, that the Hollywood system that creates legends is equally capable of destroying them.

For modern audiences, Bloodline is a curiosity. Audrey Heppern’s only R-rated film, a bizarre artifact from a time when even the most elegant actresses could be tempted by exploitation material. Critics who savaged the film in 1979 now view it with some sympathy. Not for the film itself, which remains terrible, but for the circumstances that led to its creation.

the age discrimination, the limited opportunities, the economic pressures. Bloodline didn’t destroy Audrey Heppern’s legacy. Her classic films remain beloved. Her humanitarian work is respected. Her influence on fashion and culture endures. But the film serves as a permanent reminder of what can happen when desperation overrides judgment.

When financial pressure trumps artistic integrity. When even the most graceful performers make ungraceful choices. Roger Eert called it the worst movie of 1979. Jean Cisco wondered what a woman with so much class was doing in such material. Vincent Kenby dismissed it as humorless and sorted. They were right.

 Bloodline was a disaster. a career-ending catastrophe that forced one of cinema’s greatest actresses [music] into permanent retirement. But perhaps that’s not entirely tragic. Audrey’s retirement allowed her to pursue meaningful humanitarian work to help children around the world to find purpose beyond entertainment. Maybe Bloodline, despite its awfulness, led Audrey toward her most important role.

Not as a movie star, but as a force for good in the world. Sometimes the worst professional decisions lead to the best personal outcomes. Sometimes career disasters open doors to something more meaningful than fame. Sometimes even the worst movie of the year serves a purpose. Even if that purpose is simply to remind us that everyone, even Audrey Hepburn, is human. This is Audrey Hepburn.

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