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Exit to Eden (film)

Exit to Eden is a 1994 American comedy thriller film directed by Garry Marshall and adapted to the screen by Deborah Amelon and Bob Brunner from Anne Rice's novel of the same name. The original music score was composed by Patrick Doyle.

Exit To Eden

Deborah Amelon
Bob Brunner

Garry Marshall
Edward K. Milkis

  • October 14, 1994 (1994-10-14)

114 minutes[1]

United States

English

$25-30 million[2]

$6.8 million[3]

Dana Delany stars as Lisa Emerson (named Lisa Kelly in the book) and Paul Mercurio plays Elliot Slater. Half of the film consists of a new comedic detective story line written by the director. Several new characters were also created, including Dan Aykroyd and Rosie O'Donnell as police officers pursuing diamond thieves to the Eden resort.

Plot[edit]

Elliot Slater is a young, attractive, Australian professional photographer living in Southern California. Having always been uncomfortable with his sexual proclivities, which tend toward the BDSM realm, he signs up for a dominatrix-themed vacation on a private tropical island known as "Eden" in the hopes of working through his discomfort.


Unbeknownst to him, before embarking on his journey of sexual discovery, he has unwittingly photographed an international jewel thief of whom no other photos exist. The jewel thief Omar and his criminal partner Nina are intent on recovering the film in order to retain Omar's anonymity.


They follow the photographer to the island resort run by the dominatrix, Mistress Lisa Emerson, posing as vacationers. Following a tip that Omar is on the island, undercover police officers Fred Lavery and Sheila Kingston also arrive, Sheila in the guise of a vacationer and Fred as a handyman. When a submissive asks Sheila what he can do to please her, she tells him to go paint her house.


Comedic antics ensue amid the activities of scantily clad guests and employees, acting out their dominant and submissive fantasies.


In the course of Elliot's experiences as Mistress Lisa's personal submissive, including a scene where she ties him up and fondles his naked body (especially, his bare buttocks, which she also spanks), the two begin to fall in love. The action comes to a climax on a quick trip to New Orleans, where Lisa reluctantly admits her feelings for Elliot, all the while tailed by Omar, who attempts to kill them.


Fred and Sheila save the day, sending Omar and Nina to jail, and receive commendations for solving the case. Elliot returns to Eden and proposes to Lisa, who says yes. Also, the submissive who spoke to Sheila makes good on her request: he has her house painted.

Production[edit]

The whips used and shown in detail were created by Janette Heartwood.[4] This was the last film produced by Edward K. Milkis before his death in 1996.

2nd – , The New York Times[13]

Janet Maslin

3rd – Robert Denerstein, [14]

Rocky Mountain News

4th – John Hurley, [15]

Staten Island Advance

8th – Glenn Lovell, [16]

San Jose Mercury News

Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked) – Mike Mayo, [17]

The Roanoke Times

Top 18 (alphabetically listed, not ranked) – Michael Mills, [18]

The Palm Beach Post

Dishonorable mention – William Arnold, [19]

Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Home media[edit]

The film was released on VHS tape (NTSC) in May 1995, on DVD (NTSC Region 1, 4:3 Full Frame) in April 2002 and on (PAL Region 2) in 2003 (German Version "Undercover Cop" with German and English language sound).[21]

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Exit to Eden