“Thelma & Louise”
Cinema milestone and unforgettable classic
Susan Sarandon (left) and Geena Davis in “Thelma & Louise”.
© IMAGO / United Archives
Thirty years ago, Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis made cinema history with “Thelma & Louise”.
Exactly 30 years ago, on October 24, 1991, “Thelma & Louise” conquered the German canvases. The cult road movie by successful director Ridley Scott (83) has not only redefined the genre, but also set new standards with strong female roles. Two women in the lead roles, while the men only play second fiddle – a real cinema milestone back then and an unforgettable classic today.
Breakthrough for Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis
For Susan Sarandon (75) and Geena Davis (65) the film was the big breakthrough. Both have been nominated for numerous prizes, including the coveted Oscar. “It was revolutionary back then to show two women who are not enemies and who simply have fun on screen together,” said Sarandon, remembering the film in June. Together with Davis, she presented the strip for the 30th US anniversary in Los Angeles. Proceeds from the campaign went to a food plaque and to Davis’ nonprofit, which works to increase the impact of women in the film and television industries.
The focus of the film are the two friends Thelma (Davis) and Louise (Sarandon). Together they set off for a weekend in the mountains in a turquoise 1966 Ford Thunderbird. But a stop in a bar is their undoing. In self-defense, Louise shoots a man who tried to rape Thelma. They flee and get deeper and deeper into criminality until they voluntarily race towards the Grand Canyon in the still legendary final scene …
Brad Pitt vs. George Clooney
Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon aren’t the only big names featured in the film. Among the male supporting actors, she also ranked a then still rather unknown Brad Pitt (57). As a handsome and petty criminal JD, he delivers some hot sex scenes with Thelma before he runs off with her money. A role that helped Pitt achieve a major breakthrough and which at that time a hitherto unknown George Clooney (60) was keen.
“The funny thing is, I haven’t seen the movie for a very long time,” Clooney once admitted. “I was stuck in some really bad TV productions back then. I went from audition to audition and then Brad got the role.” Pitt was reportedly earning $ 6,000 at the time, and just five years later it was already ten million dollars for his hit movie “Sleepers”.
For the roles of Thelma and Louise, other actresses were previously in conversation. Including Holly Hunter, Frances McDormand, Jodie Foster, Goldie Hawn and Meryl Streep. The latter, however, allegedly pushed for at least one of the two friends to survive.
A road movie that inspires
The story for the film was provided by the American screenwriter Callie Khouri. It was her film debut as a writer and producer. She earned the only Oscar for it with a total of six nominations. Khouri is currently working on a “Thelma & Louise” musical. The film itself found allusions in numerous strips, series and video games. Whether in comedies like “Wayne’s World 2” or “Die nackte Kanone 33 1/3” or in series like “Seinfeld” or “Frasier”, even an entire “Simpsons” episode was inspired by the road movie.
The film has also had a significant influence on Geena Davis to this day. “‘Thelma & Louise changed everything for me,” the actress explained a few years ago. During the shoot, Susan Sarandon had become an idol for her. Gradually she shed her submissive, girlish behavior in order to become like Sarandon. “Every day on the set, I learned more to be myself. Because she was such a role model for me.” Just like “Thelma & Louise” eventually became for millions of women worldwide.