Six Degrees of Separation (1993)

Director:

Fred Schepisi

Writers (WGA):

John Guare (play)
John Guare (screenplay)

Release Date:

8 December 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Mystery

Tagline:

For Paul, every person is a new door to a new world.

Plot:

An affluent New York couple find their lives touched, intruded upon, and compelled by a mysterious young black man who is never quite who he says he is.

Plot Keywords:

Art | Art Dealer | Business | Impersonation | Male Frontal Nudity

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Stockard Channing	...	Ouisa
Will Smith	...	Paul
Donald Sutherland	...	Flan
Ian McKellen	...	Geoffrey Miller
Mary Beth Hurt	...	Kitty
Bruce Davison	...	Larkin
Richard Masur	...	Dr. Fine
Anthony Michael Hall	...	Trent Conway
Heather Graham	...	Elizabeth
Eric Thal	...	Rick
Anthony Rapp	...	Ben
Oz Perkins	...	Woody (as Osgood Perkins)
Catherine Kellner	...	Tess
J.J. Abrams	...	Doug (as Jeffrey Abrams)
Joe Pentangelo	...	Police Officer
Lou Milione	...	Hustler
Brooke Hayward	...	Connie (as Brooke Hayward Duchin)
Peter Duchin	...	Sandy
Sam Stoneburner	...	Carter
Maeve McGuire	...	Polly
Kelly Bishop	...	Adele
John Cunningham	...	John
Vasek Simek	...	Frank the Doorman
Chuck Close	...	Andy
Kazuko	...	Jeannie
Adèle Chatfield-Taylor	...	Paula (as Adele Chatfield-Taylor)
Maggie Burke	...	Loft Party Guest
Edmund Genest	...	Loft Party Guest
Michael Stanley Kirby	...	Loft Party Guest
David Callegati	...	Art Dealer
Daniel von Bargen	...	Detective (as Daniel Von Bargen)
John Rowe	...	Usher
Elizabeth Rossa	...	Bride
Diane Hartford	...	Julia
Frank O'Brien	...	Eddie
Ann McDonough	...	Teacher
José Rabelo	...	Elevator Man #2
Todd Alcott	...	Concert Goer
Joanna Noble	...	Concert Goer
Miriam Fond	...	Nurse
Annie Meisels	...	Doug's Girl
Mitch Kolpan	...	Policeman
Michele Greco	...	Workman
Tony Zazula	...	Rainbow Room Captain
Arthur McGill	...	Hansom Cab Driver
Susan Tabor	...	Posh Couple
Paul Schmidt	...	Posh Couple
Carolyn Groves	...	Cocktail Party Guest
Jeannine Moore	...	Cocktail Party Guest
Tim Saunders	...	Cocktail Party Guest
David Tice	...	Cocktail Party Guest
Redman Maxfield	...	Fred
Margaret Eginton	...	Mary
Margaret Thomson	...	Grandmother at Baptism
Vince O'Brien	...	Grandfather at Baptism
Anne Swift	...	Guest at Baptism
Richmond Hoxie	...	Guest at Baptism
Kitty Carlisle	...	Mrs. Bannister (as Kitty Carlisle Hart)
Madhur Jaffrey	...	Guest of Honor
Arthur Brooks	...	Mrs. Bannister's Guest
Jacqueline Bertrand	...	Mrs. Bannister's Guest
Lisa Crosby	...	Mrs. Bannister's Guest
Nancy Duerr	...	Mrs. Bannister's Guest
Brian McConnachie	...	Mrs. Bannister's Guest
Angela Thornton	...	Mrs. Bannister's Guest
Robert Trumbull	...	Mrs. Bannister's Guest
Richard Whiting	...	Mrs. Bannister's Guest
Cleo King	...	Lieutenant Price
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Andrea Conte	...	NY Theatre Woman #1 (uncredited)
Mary Ann Hannon	...	University Professor (uncredited)
Johnnyangel	...	Pedestrian (uncredited)

Directed by
Fred Schepisi

Writing credits (WGA)
John Guare		(play)
John Guare		(screenplay)

Produced by
Ric Kidney	....	executive producer
Arnon Milchan	....	producer
Fred Schepisi	....	producer
Mary Pat Walsh	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Jerry Goldsmith

Cinematography by
Ian Baker		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Peter Honess

Casting by
Ellen Chenoweth

Production Design by
Patrizia von Brandenstein

Art Direction by
Dennis Bradford

Set Decoration by
Gretchen Rau

Costume Design by
Judianna Makovsky

Makeup Department
Angel De Angelis	....	key hair stylist
Naomi Donne	....	makeup designer
Bruno Pattini	....	hair designer: Mr. Sutherland
Linda Kay Rendina	....	additional makeup artist

Production Management
Chris Brigham	....	unit production manager
Felicity Nove	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William M. Connor	....	second second assistant director (as Bill Connor)
Donald J. Lee Jr.	....	second assistant director
Amy Sayres	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Michael L. Benson	....	set dresser
Nancy Boytos-Amanuel	....	set dresser
David Bromberg	....	key construction grip
Ed Check	....	assistant art director
June DeCamp	....	scenic artist
John R. Ford	....	assistant property master
Charlotte Garnell-Scheide	....	assistant set decorator
Peter Gelfman	....	leadman
Robert Griffon Jr.	....	property master (as Bob Griffon)
Peter Hackman	....	camera scenic artist (as Peter G. Hackman)
Jessica Lanier	....	assistant set decorator
Dan Mahoney	....	construction grip
John McDonnell	....	additional property
Maria Nay	....	art department coordinator
Rudy Pelikan	....	key shop craftsman (as Rudolph Pelikan)
Jon Ringbom	....	master scenic artist
Raymond M. Samitz	....	construction coordinator (as Ray Samitz)
Stephen Shapiro	....	shop craftsman (as Steve Shapiro)
Scott Yurko	....	scenic shop person
Byron K. Lovelace	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Timothy Main	....	carpenter (uncredited)

Sound Department
Peter Burgess	....	supervising sound editor
Steve Burgess	....	foley artist
Jeanine Chiavlo	....	adr editor (as Jeanine Chialvo)
Cindy Clarkson	....	second assistant sound editor
Bill Daly	....	sound mixer
Peter Fenton	....	sound re-recording mixer
Keith Gardner	....	boom operator
Stephen Kent	....	assistant sound editor
Gerard Long	....	foley artist
Glenn Newnham	....	sound effects editor
Martin Oswin	....	sound re-recording mixer
Paul Pirola	....	assistant sound mixer
Penn Robinson	....	adr editor
Terry Rodman	....	supervising adr editor
Livia Ruzic	....	dialogue editor
Steve Scanlon	....	sound utility

Camera and Electrical Department
Myles Aronowitz	....	still photographer
A. Anthony Cappello	....	second assistant camera (as Anthony Cappello)
Ken Connors	....	best boy electric (as Ken Conners)
Russell Engels	....	chief lighting technician
Bill Gerardo	....	second assistant camera (as William Gerardo)
Vinnie Gerardo	....	first assistant camera (as Vincent Gerardo)
Craig Haagensen	....	camera operator
Jeff Hand	....	first assistant camera
Sal Lanza	....	grip
Edward W. Lowry	....	dolly grip (as Ed Lowry)
Martin Lowry	....	grip
Anastas N. Michos	....	Steadicam operator
Richard C. Montgomery Jr.	....	grip (as Richard Montgomery Jr.)
John Panuccio	....	best boy grip (as Jack Panuccio)
Tom Prate	....	key grip
Kyle Rudolph	....	Steadicam operator

Casting Department
Barbara Harris	....	adr voice casting
Jill Greenberg Sands	....	casting associate
Meredith Tucker	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sarah Edwards	....	assistant costume designer
Jane E. Myers	....	wardrobe supervisor (as Jane Myers)
Ingrid Price	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Gary Burritt	....	negative cutter
John Hill	....	second assistant editor
Keith Parrish	....	color timer
Mitchel Stanley	....	assistant editor
Ron Vignone	....	second assistant editor
Kate Williams	....	first assistant editor

Music Department
Sharal Churchill	....	music consultant
Jerry Goldsmith	....	conductor
Robin Gray	....	scoring engineer
Kenneth Hall	....	music editor
Steven L. Smith	....	music preparation

Transportation Department
Jim Buckman	....	transportation driver (as James Buckman)
Richard Clark	....	transportation driver (as Rick Clark)
Robert Featherstone	....	transportation driver
Edward Iacobelli	....	transportation captain (as Eddie Iacobelli)
Lawrence Treacy	....	transportation driver
James P. Whalen Sr.	....	transportation co-captain

Other crew
Tamara Bally	....	production accountant
Jeffrey T. Bernstein	....	production assistant (as Jeff Bernstein)
Kristin Bernstein	....	production assistant (as Kristin Cameron)
Ann Biddle	....	dance instructor
Al Cerullo	....	helicopter pilot (as Albert Cerullo Jr.)
Kay Chapin	....	script supervisor
Sharon Chatten	....	acting coach
Judy Dickerson	....	dialogue coach
Dianne Dreyer	....	script supervisor
Michele Grant	....	production assistant
Amy Herman	....	location manager
Jude Aubrey Hindle	....	craft service (as Aubrey Hindle)
Pamela Hochschartner	....	production coordinator
David Hummel	....	production assistant
Jim Jaffe	....	product placement
Diana E. Latham	....	production secretary (as Diana Latham)
Terrence Martin	....	craft service
Tim Monich	....	dialect coach
Carlos Moore	....	assistant location manager
Felicity Nove	....	assistant: Mr. Schepisi
Juanita Parker	....	post-production accountant
Diego Percossi Papi	....	jewelry artist
Lyn Pinezich	....	location assistant
Daniel Plotnick	....	production assistant
Judy Pursley	....	assistant accountant
Angela Quiles	....	assistant production coordinator
Reid Rosefelt	....	unit publicist
Sara Scarritt	....	production assistant (as Sarah Scarritt)
Alex Stitt	....	title designer
Bryan Thomas	....	location assistant
Gary Trentham	....	location assistant
Tom Tumminello	....	parking coordinator
Mark Urman	....	unit publicist
Ron Vignone	....	production assistant
Mary Pat Walsh	....	assistant: Mr. Kidney and Mr. Guare
Elizabeth Zagrany	....	payroll accountant
Colleen Davie Janes	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Scott Allen Logan	....	post-production assistant to director (uncredited)
Jesse Merz	....	market researcher (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Maiden Movies
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
• New Regency Pictures

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1993) (USA) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (1995) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Audio Visual Enterprises (1995) (Greece) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1994) (USA) (laserdisc)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• United International Pictures (UIP)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Alixandre Furs  special thanks (as Furs by Alixandre)
• Allan Eaton Studios  music recorded at (as Allan Eaton Studio)
• Animal Actors  animal trainer
• Barbour  special thanks (as Barbour Inc.)
• Christy's Post Production Center  supplier: Lightworks editing equipment (as Christy's Post Production House)
• Cinevex Film Laboratories  opticals (as Cinevex Film Laboratories, Melbourne, Australia)
• Clarence House  special thanks (as Clarence House Imports)
• Dennis Davidson & Associates Public Releations (DDA)  unit publicists (as Dennis Davidson Associates)
• New York City Mayor's Office of Film, Theater & Broadcasting, The  we gratefully appreciate the assistance of (as The Mayor's Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting)
• New York Police Department (NYPD)  we gratefully appreciate the assistance of (as The New York Police Department - Special Operations Division)
• Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum  special thanks
• Soundfirm  mixed at (as Soundfirm Australia)
• Steinway & Sons  special thanks (as Steinway & Sons Pianos)
• Sulka  special thanks: men's wardrobe
• The Film House Pty. Ltd.  post-production facilities (as The Film House Pty Ltd, Melbourne, Australia)
• The Victorian Philharmonic Orchestra  orchestra
• Vera Wang  special thanks (as Vera Wang Bridal Collection)
• Waterford Crystal Inc.  special thanks (as Waterford Crystal)
• Wilfley Todd Casting  extras casting
• William Beadleston  special thanks (as William Beadleston Inc.)

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some sexuality

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:18A (Ontario) | Canada:G (Québec) | Germany:6 | Spain:13 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Bronxville, New York, USA

Company:

Maiden Movies

Trivia:

When Paul (Will Smith) is talking about his thesis, he mocks the Lord of the Rings books. Geoffrey, who is listening to him, is played by 'Ian McKellan', who almost a decade later played Gandolf in the Lord of the Rings films.

Goofs:

Continuity: Paul's position when talking about the huskey statue changes between shots.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Flan:My God!
Ouisa:Is anything gone?
Flan:How can I look, I'm shaking!
Ouisa:I want to know if anything's gone!
Flan:Calm down.
Ouisa:We could have been killed! Oh, my God! The Kandinsky!
Flan:The Kandinsky!
Ouisa:It's gone, oh my God! Call the police!
Flan:Oh, no, there it is. Oh! The silver Victorian inkwell!
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Entourage: The Scene (#1.7)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Try to Remember

'I want life to be experiences, not just anecdotes'

SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION is an outstanding play transformed to the screen with dignity but with a script that keeps us in the live theatre instead of in a motion picture. Not that that is a bad thing: the script by John Guare is brilliant. It simply seems a little static, with its marvelous plays on words, repeated phrases, and disjointed movements significant unto themselves but not really taking advantage of cinematic possibilities of flow.

Essentially the tale of how a married couple who deal art (Stockard Channing and Donald Sutherland - both in peak form) are so caught up in their superficial lives that they are taken in by a handsome young African American con artist (Will Smith) whose various antics bring the couple round to reexamining their shallow existence. Most of the story is related over art dealings and dinner conversations and are peopled by such luminaries as Kitty Carlisle, Ian McKellen, artists Chuck Close and Kazuko, Mary Beth Hurt, Bruce Davidson etc - a really fine ensemble. There are many social comments clustered in this story and it continues to play well after its origins on the stage and fifteen years after the movie was made. This was one of Will Smith's entries into film as well as one of the gifted Stockard Channing's finest roles. Highly recommended for repeated viewings. Grady Harp