License to Drive and Gianni Versace: Difference between pages

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{{Infobox Fashion Designer

{{Infobox_Film |

|image=[[Image:gianni.jpg|160px|]]

name =License to Drive |

|caption=

image =License_to_Drive_poster.PNG |

|name=Gianni Versace

imdb_id =0095519 |

|nationality=[[Italy|Italian]]

writer =[[Neil Tolkin]] |

|birth_date={{birth date|1946|12|2}}

starring =[[Corey Haim]]<BR />[[Corey Feldman]]<BR />[[Carol Kane]]<br />[[Richard Masur]]<br />[[Heather Graham]]<br />[[Michael Manasseri]]<br />[[Nina Siemaszko]]

|birth_place={{flagicon|ITA}} [[Reggio Calabria]], [[Italy]]

|

|death_date={{death date and age|1997|7|15|1946|12|2}}

director =[[Greg Beeman]] |

|death_place={{flagicon|USA}} [[Miami Beach, Florida|Miami Beach]], [[Florida]], [[United States|USA]]

producer =[[John Davis]] <BR /> [[Andrew Licht]] <BR /> [[Jeffrey A. Mueller]] |

|education=

distributor =[[20th Century Fox]] |

|label_name=[[Versace]]

released =[[July 6]], [[1988]] |

|significant_design=

runtime =88 min. |

|awards=

music =[[Jay Ferguson]] |

|}}

awards = |

'''Gianni Versace''' ([[December 2]], [[1946]] &ndash; [[July 15]], [[1997]]) was an accomplished Italian [[fashion designer|designer]] of both clothing and theater costumes. He was influenced by [[Andy Warhol]], Ancient Roman and Greek art as well as modern [[abstract art]]; he is considered one of the most colorful and talented designers of the late [[20th century]].

language =English |

budget =$8,000,000

}}

== Biography ==

'''''License to Drive''''' is a [[1988]] [[teen]] [[comedy]]/[[adventure]], starring [[Corey Haim]], [[Corey Feldman]], [[Carol Kane]], [[Richard Masur]], [[Heather Graham]], [[Michael Manasseri]] and [[Nina Siemaszko]]. The screenplay was written by [[Neil Tolkin]]. It also marked [[Greg Beeman]]'s directorial debut.

===Early life===

The film was in production during the latter months of 1987. It was one of the most popular films that starred both Corey Haim and Corey Feldman. It was released on July 6, 1988 in the [[United States]] and grossed over $20 million at the domestic box office. It received a [[PG-13]] rating in the United States, [[PG]] in the [[United Kingdom]] and [[M]] in [[Australia]]. It was distributed by [[20th Century Fox]].

Gianni Versace was born in [[Reggio di Calabria]], [[Italy]], where he grew up with his older siblings [[Santo Versace|Santo]] and [[Donatella Versace|Donatella]], along with their father and dressmaker mother, Francesca.

Gianni began his apprenticeship at a young age, helping his mother find precious stones and gold braid with which to embroider dresses. He studied architecture before moving to Milan at the age of 25 to work in fashion design.

'''[[Tagline]]:''' Some guys get all the brakes!

== Production ==

Production began in October of 1987 and was completed in December of that same year. The production companies for the film were [[20th Century Fox]] and [[Davis Entertainment]]. ''Davis Entertainment'' was founded in 1988 by [[John Davis]] with ''License to Drive'' being its inaugural film. On the special edition DVD's commentary track, Davis (who had previously worked on ''[[Three O'Clock High]]'' and ''[[Predator]]'') was described as a major force in getting the film made. The film was originally to be released under the title of ''To Live and Drive in L.A.''.

In the mid-Seventies, his knits drew the attention of head-hunters at ''[[Genny(fashion house)|Genny]]'' and [[Callaghan(fashion house)|Callaghan]]. [[Complice]] hired him to design their leather and suede collections, and a few years later, encouraged by his success, Versace presented his first signature collection for women at the [[Palazzo della Permanente]] Art Museum of Milan. His first menswear collection followed in September of the same year. After presenting his menswear collection he joined Jorge Saud, who would become later, also partner with Giorgio Armani.

=== Filming locations ===

The entire production was filmed in various neighborhoods and districts within [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], [[United States]].

* [[Brentwood, Los Angeles, California|Brentwood]], [[Los Angeles]], [[California]]

* [[Downey, California|Downey]], [[Los Angeles County, California]]

* [[Echo Park, Los Angeles, California]]

* [[Griffith Park]], Los Angeles, California

* [[Interstate 710|Long Beach Freeway]], Los Angeles, California

* [[Westchester, California|Westchester]], Los Angeles, California

===Personal Life===

== Plot Summary ==

Gianni Versace met a model [[Antonio D'Amico]] (born 1959 in [[southern Italy]], raised in [[Milan]]) in 1982. The couple embarked on a long-term relationship that lasted 11 years, until Versace's untimely death. During that time Antonio worked as designer for the Versace sports line.

{{spoiler}}

[[Image:Corey_Haim_Heather_Graham_License_to_Drive.PNG|right|thumb|250px|Mercedes claims that she and Les have a date on the weekend in order to make her boyfriend jealous.]]Les Anderson, played by Corey Haim, has dozed off during a driver’s educational class at [[high school]], dreaming about fast cars and hot girls. When class finishes, the teacher puts him on [[Detention (Academia)|detention]], making him write sentences on the blackboard regarding road safety. As he misses his bus due to detention, his best friend Dean pulls up on a bicycle, the pair gaze at fellow student Mercedes Lane, played by [[Heather Graham]], whom Les was dreaming about in class, her older boyfriend pulls up in a [[Ferrari]] to pick her up; Les is left behind wondering if his life will ever get that good for him. Dean, played by Corey Feldman, takes Les home on his bicycle, the pair are inspired by Les' grandfather's 1972 [[Cadillac]], which Les' father is looking after for a short while. Les' father is quick to interrupt their dreams, informing Les that when he obtains his license that he may drive a vehicle. Later that night Dean stops by to pick up Les to go to a high school party, the pair are taunted by older guys when they get dropped off by Dean's mother. Les again encounters Mercedes, whom is bickering with her older boyfriend who is complaining of having to go to a party full of children. To Les' utmost surprise, Mercedes claims that she and Les (whom she picked at random) have a date on the weekend in order to make her boyfriend jealous. Unsurprisingly, a dumbfounded Les plays along with the prank. The next day Les spots Mercedes after school and attempts to approach her and clear up what arrangements are actually planned for the weekend. However the plan is ditched when Les' father pulls up across the road which causes Les to run around the corner. Les convinces his father to let him borrow the car to drive up to Mercedes to impress her, Les in fact ends up driving her to a friend’s house, resulting in a long walk home for his father who is carrying handfuls of groceries and punishment for Les.

Versace's will left D'Amico with a pension of 50 million lire a month for life, and the right to live in any of Versace's homes in Italy and the [[United States]]. D'Amico now runs his own fashion design company.

The next day Les takes his test at the [[DMV]] where he fails the [[computer]] test, causing him to slam the [[computer display|monitor]] in frustration, which causes a power failure in the room, thus, Les' failed record is lost. His sister, who finished the test a few minutes before the power shortage, completed it with a perfect score, a DMV employee allows Les to proceed to the driven part of the test, assuming that his results could not have differed too much from his sister's. Les encounters an unorthodox driving instructor, who exchanges his clipboard for a cup of coffee on the dashboard, coffee spilt on him will result in a fail. Les eventually passes the vigorous test and receives his license, but is recalled by an angry DMV employee who found the results of the computer based test. His license is shredded as he is failed. Les solemnly wanders home where he is greeted by messages from Dean and congratulations from his family who all blindly assume he passed the test. He lies to his parents and friends about the result, as he feels ashamed of failing after placing such a critical importance on the result. His pregnant mother whilst doing the washing finds the real results of the test in his jeans pocket. The father runs upstairs to Les with a bottle of champagne, sarcastically celebrating the fact that Les saved him thousands of dollars. The father explains that since he did not get a license, he does not have to buy him that [[BMW]] anymore. Les lies in his bed, convinced that his date with Mercedes is over until she calls him at 11:00. Les, blinded by Mercedes's beauty, takes his chances borrowing the Cadillac, which he wheels out of the garage and after ruining the lawn and hedge, unscrews the garage light bulb and drives off.

===Death===

After picking up a dazzling Mercedes in a pink dress, the pair head off to the [[El Rey]] club, where Les is not admitted, Mercedes who does not realize Les is outside, spots her ex boyfriend who she slaps after a short conversation, she grabs a large alcoholic beverage and storms out in a huff. Out in the street Les is in a panic as his car is towed away, after jumping in front of the truck, he pays off the driver to give it back. Mercedes, obviously feeling responsible for his distress directs him to a romantic lookout across the [[Los Angeles]] skyline, where the pair listen to music and dance. After Mercedes passes out, Les heads to Dean’s house so he can fix a pushed in hood as a result of Mercedes jumping down from dancing atop the car.[[Image:Corey_Haim_Corey_Feldman_License_to_Drive.PNG|thumb|250px|left|Dean convinces Les to drive to Archie's with an inspiring speech where he explains the importance of having a license and the freedom and opportunities that it brings.]] Les is reluctantly convinced to drive out to [[Archie’s Atomic ]] Fast Food Restaurant where girls on [[roller-skate]]s serve food and females outnumber males, a ___location that is only accessible by car according to Dean. On the way the Cadillac veers off a [[highway]] because of Dean’s distractions and runs through a sound barrier. The group finally arrives at Archie’s and place a passed out Mercedes in the trunk. But they hastily leave as Charles accidentally chips the side of an older guy’s car which results in him and his friends approaching the Cadillac with [[crowbar]]s and intent to harm. Les then accidentally dives through a protest where her sister is at after following her [[communist]] boyfriend along to the event. After escaping the rowdy mob the group is pulled over by a random breath testing police unit. After being unable to show the officer his license, Les confesses to Dean and Charles that he failed. The officer then finds Mercedes in the [[trunk]], but is called to an urgent matter concerning the riot before he can investigate the matter any further. As the trio drag Mercedes out of the trunk, another drunk who was pulled over, drives off in their Cadillac. This forces them to take his car and pursue the man, who has totally ruined the car in his drunken state before Les is able to get into the car when the man passed out whilst driving on a unfinished bridge.

[[Image:3versace.jpg|right|thumb|Mourning the loss of Gianni Versace inside [[Milan Cathedral]] are [[Diana, Princess of Wales|Princess Diana]], [[Elton John]], and Gianni Versace's companion, [[Antonio D'Amico]].]]

One July morning in the summer of 1997, returning from his customary walk on [[Ocean Drive (South Beach)|Ocean Drive]], he was gunned down outside his ocean-front mansion in [[Miami Beach, Florida]]. He was murdered by [[spree killer]] [[Andrew Cunanan]], who committed suicide shortly after the murder. Police reported that Andrew Cunanan had committed suicide using the same handgun that had been used to murder Gianni Versace.<ref name="KCVersace" />

Now almost morning, Les drops off Dean and Charles who congratulate him on an adventurous night, then Mercedes who wakes up and recalls the events as a crazy dream but tells Les how safe she felt with him. Back at the house Les’ father has awoken to his wife’s distress that she may be going into [[labor (childbirth)|labor]], taking no risks, he takes her down to the car, which Les is simultaneously pulling in. Les’ father is so concerned about his wife that he does not notice the damage to the car until he sees the garage door is open then sees the wreck the car is. He proceeds to break down in disbelief when he spots Les hiding under the seat, however his anger is interrupted when Les’ mother starts going into labor, which forces Les to drive to the hospital when she will not allow him to leave her in the backseat. After the transmission breaks, Les is forced to drive in reverse and miraculously makes to the hospital. After medics take her up the stairs, Les’ father is even a little proud of him that he was able to drive so skillfully. As they ascend the hospital stairs a construction crane drops a beam on the car, destroying what was left of it. After the birth of the [[twins]], Grandpa arrives home to find his Cadillac in disrepair but laughs it off as he reveals that he wrote off Les’ father’s BMW. Les’ father jokingly throws Les the keys, saying that is his BMW. Les declines, saying he already has a Mercedes. Mercedes pulls up and Les jumps in and the pair speed off into the distance.

{{endspoiler}}

Versace was buried in Lake Como, Italy.

== Reception ==

The film received ample reviews and was a favourite for the target teenage audience, but the film was well received amongst a broad range of ages groups, as the allocation of a driver's license played an important role in growing up, [[Chicago Sun-Times]] critic [[Roger Ebert]] summarized this by stating that "..."License to Drive" remembers feelings like that, and it brings back the whole complex of emotions about being 16 and taking your test..." he goes on to state that the first half was funny but the rest was predictable.

In September 1997, Versace's brother [[Santo Versace]], together with Jorge Saud were announced as the new CEOs of the Versace holding. Gianni's sister, [[Donatella Versace]], is the new head of design. [[Elton John]] dedicated his 1997 album ''[[The Big Picture (Elton John album)|The Big Picture]]'' to Versace.

=== Box office ===

The films budget at an estimated $8,000,000, would earn close to three times that figure during its release in cinemas. It opened on [[July 8]] in 1,223 theatres in the [[United States]], its opening weekend gross was $3,850,934, which would account for 17.2% of its domestic gross. The film would accumulate to $22,433,275 in the [[United States]]. The film was included in the top 50 highest grossing films of 1988.

=== Awards =Filmography==

In 1989 the film was nominated for three awards, all at the [[Young Artist Award]]s, seemingly fit, considering the film was very popular amongst youth during its release.

===Costume designer===

For Heather Graham, ''License to Drive'' had been her major theatrical debut and she was accordingly recognized by being nominated for a Young Artist Award - Best Young Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy or Fantasy, but lost out to [[Mayim Bialik]] for her role in [[Beaches]]. It was ironic that the [[The two Coreys]] were both nominated for the award for Best Young Actor in a Motion Picture Comedy or Fantasy, considering the competitiveness between the two for the original role of the lead in the film, the outcome of the award would have been interesting, however in the end, it was considered a tie and they both took home the award.

*''Ballet for tino ''(1997)

*''Judge Dredd'' (1995)

*''Shakespeare Shorts ''(1996, TV series)

*''Showgirls'' (1995)

*''Kika'' (1993)

*''Vacanze di Natale'' (also known as ''Christmas Vacations'', 1991)

*''Cin cin'' (also known as ''A Fine Romance'', 1991)

*''As Long as It's Love'' (1989)

*''[[Miami Vice]]'' (1989, TV series)

== Other =Actor===

*''Catwalk ''(1996)

=== Music ===

*''[[Spiceworld (film)]] (1997) - Scenes were deleted because of his death before the movie premiered.

{{further|[[License to Drive (soundtrack)]]}}

[[Image:License to drive soundtrack.jpg|thumb|right|150px]]

The original music in the film was composed by [[Jay Ferguson]] who had previously mainly only worked on smaller productions, with 1988 being somewhat of a breakthrough for the composer, as well as working on ‘’License to Drive’’ he was the composer for [[Johnny Be Good]], a teen comedy starring [[Anthony Michael Hall]], [[Robert Downey Jr.]] and [[Uma Thurman]].

==Awards==

The opening credits of the film feature a cover of the popular [[Beatles]] song "Drive My Car" by [[The Breakfast Club]], written by [[John Lennon]] and [[Paul McCartney]]. The other song most prominently associated with the film was [[Billy Ocean]]'s "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car" whom he co-wrote with [[Robert John Lange]]. "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car" along with [[New Edition]]'s "Crucial" make up the original songs in the film.

*Versace was awarded the coveted [[American Fashion Oscar]] on [[February 1]], [[1993]].

*President of the Italian Republic [[Francesco Cossiga]], confers the decoration of "Commendatore della Repubblica Italiana" on him on [[January 24]], [[1986]].

=== DVD release =Notes==

{{reflist|2}}

[[Image:License_to_Drive.jpg|thumb|150px]]A special edition [[DVD]] was distributed by [[Anchor Bay Entertainment]] in the [[United States]] on May 3, 2005. The film included widescreen presentation (1:85:1).

==External links==

Special features included:

* [http://www.versace.com/flash.html Official Versace Website]

* Corey Haim interview

* [http://www.miamibeach411.com/ocean_drive/versace_house.html Versace House on Ocean Drive]

* Corey Feldman interview

* [http://www.southbeach-usa.com/features/features1/versace/gianni-versace-1.htm South Beach Magazine] Article on Gianni Versace's life in Miami Beach with photos.

* Audio commentary with Greg Beeman and Neil Tolkin

* [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=miami+beach,+fl&ie=UTF8&om=1&layer=c&cbll=25.781948,-80.130303&cbp=1,280.631575562701,0.5,0&ll=25.796336,-80.126381&spn=0.054249,0.080338&z=14 Versace House on Ocean Drive (via Google Maps Street View)] Gianni Versace's house as seen from Ocean Drive.

* Deleted Scene

* The bulgarian artist Ilian Rachov for Versace[http://www.ilianrachov.com/designs%20for%20versace/index.html]

* TV spots

* [http://home.nyc.rr.com/alweisel/outantoniodamico.htm The Widower Versace] Article on his lover [[Antonio D'Amico]] from [[Out (magazine)]]

* Theatrical trailers

* Screenplay (DVD-ROM)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Versace, Gianni}}

== References ==

<div class="references-small">

* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095519/combined Cast, crew and company details] ''[[IMDB]].'' Retrieved [[January 12]], [[2005]].

* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095519/soundtrack Soundtrack details] ''[[IMDB]].'' Retrieved [[January 12]], [[2005]].

* Ebert, R [http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19880706/REVIEWS/807060301/1023 Review of ''License to Drive''] ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]].'' [[July 6]], [[1988]]. Retrieved [[January 13]], [[2005]].

* [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/license_to_drive Review quotations] ''[[Rotten Tomatoes]].'' Retrieved [[January 13]], [[2005]].

* [http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=licensetodrive.htm Weekend Box Office] ''[[Box Office Mojo]].'' Retrieved [[January 13]], [[2005]].

* [http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=licensetodrive.htm ''License to Drive''] ''[[Box Office Mojo]].'' Retrieved [[January 13]], [[2005]].

</div>

==External links==

* {{imdb title|id=0095519|title=License to Drive}}

[[Category:19881946 filmsbirths]]

[[Category:Comedy1997 filmsdeaths]]

[[Category:AdventurePeople filmsfrom Calabria]]

[[Category:RoadBusinesspeople moviesin fashion]]

[[Category:AmericanDeaths filmsby firearm in the United States]]

[[Category:20thItalian Centuryfashion Fox filmsdesigners]]

[[Category:TeenLGBT comedypeople filmsfrom Italy]]

[[Category:English-languageItalian filmsmurder victims]]

[[Category:Murdered designers]]

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