Quills
A rebellious Marquis desperate to unleash his scandalous manuscripts from an oppressive asylum must outwit a ruthless doctor determined to silence him, while an enlightened priest allies with his defiant creativity.
“Meet the Marquis de Sade. The pleasure is all his.”
Synopsis
In early 19th-century France, the Marquis de Sade is held in an asylum, yet his controversial writings continue to spread outside its confines. As authorities increase their efforts to suppress his work, tensions arise between Sade's relentless creativity, the progressive views of the Abbé overseeing his care, and the authoritarian tactics of a doctor tasked with silencing him. The struggle reflects a broader conflict between desire, authority, and the limits of free expression.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 48+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Peter BoyleShot by Rogier StoffersScored by Stephen WarbeckDesigned by Martin Childs
Box Office
2000 · Box office
⚖️ Fell short of break-even — grossed 1.3× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$18.0M
US & Canada: $7.1M — 39% of worldwide · International: $10.9M (61%)
Opening weekend: $249K — 4% of its US run. It had legs — it kept earning long after opening weekend.
Opening week (7-day): $358K — 5% of its US & Canada run.
Peak 9 theaters
Also known as
- Quills - Macht der Besessenheitde
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Cast & Crew
48 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Geoffrey Rush
as The Marquis de Sade
Kate Winslet
as Madeleine
Joaquin Phoenix
as Coulmier
Michael Caine
as Royer-Collard
Billie Whitelaw
as Madame LeClerc
Patrick Malahide
as Delbené
Amelia Warner
as Simone
Jane Menelaus
as Renee Pelagie
Stephen Moyer
as Prouix
Tony Pritchard
as Valcour
Michael Jenn
as Cleante
Danny Babington
as Pitou
Supporting cast
25George Antoni
as Dauphin
Stephen Marcus
as Bouchon
Elizabeth Berrington
as Charlotte
Edward Tudor Pole
as Franval
Harry Jones
as Orvolle
Bridget Mcconnell
as Madame Bougival
Pauline Mclynn
as Mademoiselle Clairwil
Rebecca Palmer
as Michette
Toby Sawyer
as Louison
Daniel Ainsleigh
as Guerin
Alex Avery
as Abbe du Maupas
Terry O Neill
as Gaillon
Diana Morrison
as Mademoiselle Renard
Carol Macready
as Sister Noirceuil
Tom Ward
as The Horseman
Richard Mulholland
as Fop
Ron Cook
as Napoleon
Julian Tait
as Pawnbroker
Deborah Vale
as Sister Rose Fatima
Tessa Vale
as Sister Flavie
Howard Lew Lewis
as First Vendor
Andrew Dunford
as Second Vendor
Lisa Hammond
as Prostitute
Mathew Fraser
as Lunatic Band Member
Jamie Beddard
as Lunatic at Play
Directors
1Writers
1Producers
3Other crew
6Parents Guide
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