Essay Questions

What is the song that plays at the beginning of the movie?

The film features a vast variety of classical music pieces and the most important one is the one in the beginning. The film begins with Shostakovich's Waltz No. 2 and then the rest of the music used is also classical and similar to the song playing in the beginning. The music in the film was carefully selected and the pieces that were featured had the purpose of creating a sense of mystery and excitement in the movie.

What is speedball?

Speedball is the name given to the drug on which Mandy overdoses in the beginning of the film. The term speedball refers to a combination of drugs, usually cocaine and heroin which is either taken intravenously or by insufflation. The combination between the two drugs is supposed to create a sense of euphoria that lasts much longer should the drugs be taken separately. However, because of the combination of two extremely dangerous drugs, a person who uses speedball can quickly overdose and die in a short period of time.

What party was the main characters attending in the beginning and is this detail the same as in the original novel?

In the beginning, Bill and Alice are invited to take part at a Christmas party hosted by one of the doctor’s private clients. The decorations that can be seen in the scenes and the Christmas trees that appear later in the movie. This detail was changed from the original novel as the man characters in the novel also attend a party but the party they attend is during Mardi Gras.