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Just as the AIDS-related death of Rock Hudson was finally forcing straight people – and Hollywood – to acknowledge that epidemic, a film was released that transposed the new climate of sexual fear onto a murder mystery. The sleeper hit of 1985, Jagged Edge turned Glenn Close from a respected actress into a star, and established the brand of screenwriter Joe Eszterhas, who would later write Basic Instinct and Showgirls. Almost a decade after radical feminists began to call for a crackdown on violent sexual imagery, Jagged Edge tried to have its cake and eat it, too: infusing its sex and violence – and its depiction of a career woman – with a fundamentally conservative point of view.
SHOW NOTES:
Sources:
Hollywood Animal by Joe Eszterhas
Murdering Women For Entertainment by Rita Kempley, aliciapatterson.org, 2002
Hudson Has Aids, Spokesman Says, AP via New York Times, July 26, 1985
40 Years Later: How Hollywood Has Shaped the Story of HIV, Until Very Recently, TV And Film Whitewashed HIV/AIDS. That’s Starting to Change, by Naveen Kumar, them.us, Oct 22, 2021
Rock Hudson: On Camera and Off by Jeff Yarbrough, People Magazine, Aug 12, 1985
Jagged Edge, Variety, Jan 1, 1985, Issue 1
'Jagged Edge' by Kirk Ellis, The Hollywood Reporter, Vol. 288, Iss. 31, Sep 9, 1985
Pictures: Twisty 'Edge' Plot No Accident; Directing 'Up' To The Audience by Gold, Richard. Variety Vol. 320, Iss. 8, Sep 18, 1985
Glenn Close: The Next Step; Years Of Work Have Finally Paid Off In Career Options And Security by Blowen, Michael, Boston Globe, Sep 17, 1985
Toplining Two New Movies? It's Great--Sort Of--Says Glenn Close by Smith, Sid. Chicago Tribune, Sep 29, 1985
Film: Glenn Close As Attorney In 'Jagged Edge' by Janet Maslin Oct. 4, 1985
Jagged Edge Review by Roger Ebert, Oct 4, 1985 A Gripping Ride In `Jagged Edge' by Benson, Sheila, Los Angeles Times, Oct 4, 1985
Jagged Edge: Son of `Fatal Vision': By Carl Pisano, Newsday, Oct 4, 1985
'The Jagged Edge': An All-American Killer? ny Blowen, Michael. Boston Globe, Oct 4, 1985
The Men Who Round Out The Jagged Edge: Ron Base Toronto Star, 05 Oct 1985Watchable Year For Actresses by Champlin, Charles, Los Angeles Times, Oct 12, 1985
In Films, It's A Season For Strong Women Sterritt, David. The Christian Science Monitor; Oct 18, 1985
Film View; Are 'New' Women's Movies Guilty Of Sexism In Reverse? By Vincent Canby Nov. 10, 1985
Ragged Ending To `Jagged Edge' Many Moviegoers Have Been Confused About The Identity Of The Killer After Seeing This Non-Gruesome, Genuinely Scary Thriller. And They Have Reason To Be Confused, Even Though The Film Is Good by Siskel, Gene, Sun Sentinel via Chicago Tribune, Nov 15, 1985
Is Glenn Close The Ideal Heroine? by Maureen Dowd Dec. 22, 1985
Dateline Hollywood by Steve Pond, Washington Post, Oct 10, 1985
'Jagged Edge': Cut and Run by Rita Kempley, Washington Post, Oct 4, 1985
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Glenn Close and Jeff Bridges in Jagged Edge, 1985
Music:
The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca.
Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode:
"Rumoi Night" - Kokura Station
"Pxl Cray" - The Fence
"Gamboler" - Pglet
"Pxl Deter" - The Fence
"Dimming Circuit" - Limoncello
"Vengeful" - Warmbody
"Ion Cruiser" - Kokura Station
"Quindi Cavern" - LufaQuest
"Hutter" - Piglet
"Dear Myrtle" - Sunflower
"Akonan" - LufaQuest
"Kamilah" - Sunflower
"Readers Do You Read" - Chris Zabriskie
Glenn Close in Jagged Edge, 1985
Credits:
This episode was written, narrated, and produced by Karina Longworth.
Our editor this season is Evan Viola.
Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.
Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.
Logo design: Teddy Blanks.