GIA (TV)
Summary
A made-for-television docudrama based on the life of and death of model Gia Marie Carangi. Focusing on Gia's rise to fame as a fashion model, and her fall to an early death through drug use, her story is interpreted in part through the words of her family, friends, and associates, as well as through excerpts of her personal journals. The film begins in Philadelphia during Gia's childhood, as her parents' marriage falls apart and her mother leaves the family. Soon, Gia's journal and story writing become an important outlet for her. The film then moves ahead to Gia's rebellious adolescence, marked by attitude and a thirst for adventure. In rapid succession, she becomes involved with a young man named T.J., is spotted by a local photographer, and moves to New York to pursue a modeling career. As her friends and associates explain in interviews, Gia was the right girl, at the right place, at the right time. In New York, she is taken under the wing of modeling agent Wilhelmina Cooper and her career takes off. Her look and attitude, which set her apart from the other models, immediately becomes all the rage. Meanwhile, Gia also begins a relationship with her makeup artist, Linda. However, Linda is living with a boyfriend, and is not totally emotionally available for Gia.
Although Gia is riding high on her career, she feels that her personal life is empty. She renews her relationship with her mother, from whom has been estranged since her childhood -- and she begins to fulfill her other needs with drugs. When Wilhelmina dies suddenly, Gia tries to ease the pain with drugs, and becomes consumed by her heroin habit to the point that she loses her status in the modeling industry. After this, she has one brief period of clean living and domestic bliss with Linda. However, she soon finds herself drawn back to the fast life of modeling and drugs, and she continues on a downward spiral. T.J. finally convinces her to enroll in a drug rehabilitation program, where she manages to conquer her drug habit and decides to turn her life around. But just as she begins a new chapter in her life, she falls ill with pneumonia and finds out that she is one of the first victims of the AIDS epidemic. Because of the taboo associated with the disease during this era, she spends her last days largely isolated from everyone she knew. Before dying, she passes the journals that had documented her twenty-six years of life on to Linda.
(This program contains nudity and adult-oriented language.)
Details
- NETWORK: HBO
- DATE: January 31, 1998 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:59:24
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:52374
- GENRE: Docudrama; Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: AIDS (Disease) - Drama; Docudrama; Drama; Drug abuse - Drama; Gays - Drama; Lesbians - Drama; Modeling agencies - Drama; LGBT Collection
- SERIES RUN: HBO - TV, 1998
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Ilene Kahn Power … Executive Producer
- David Ginsburg … Executive Producer
- Marvin Worth … Executive Producer
- James D. Brubaker … Producer
- Tina L. Fortenberry … Associate Producer
- Richard Licata … Associate Producer
- Michael Cristopher … Director, Writer
- Jay McInerney … Writer
- Terence Blanchard … Music by
- Joey Averbach … Music Coordinator
- Angelina Jolie … Cast, Gia
- Elizabeth Mitchell … Cast, Linda
- Eric Michael Cole … Cast, T.J.
- Kylie Travis … Cast, Stephanie
- Louis Giambalvo … Cast, Joe Carangi
- John Considine … Cast, Bruce Cooper
- Scott Cohen … Cast, Mike Mansfield
- Edmond Genest … Cast, Francesco
- Mercedes Ruehl … Cast, Kathleen Carangi
- Faye Dunaway … Cast, Wilhelmina Cooper
- Holly Baker … Cast, the Emergency Room Nurse
- Joe Basile … Cast, the Disco Doorman
- Rick Batalla … Cast, the Hispanic Stylist Phillips
- Lomardo Boyar … Cast, Hood #2
- Julio Dolce Vita … Cast, Hood #3
- Brian Donovan … Cast, the Junkie at Shooting Gallery
- Vylette Jezel Fagerholm … Cast, the Blonde Girl in Philadelphia
- Guido Foehrweisser … Cast, the German Makeup Artist
- Scott Genkinger … Cast, the Philadelphia Photographer
- Judy Gillett … Cast, Beverly (model)
- Johnny Green … Cast, GiaÕs Brother, Joey
- Meleney Humphrey … Cast, Booker #1
- Tim Hutchinson … Cast, the T.V. Interviewer
- Michelle Jonas … Cast, Vogue Assistant #1
- La Lumia, Drinda … Cast, Booker #3
- Shelby Leverington … Cast, the Woman at Funeral
- Allison Mackie … Cast, the Red Dress Designer
- Norman Merrill … Cast, the Doctor in Aids Ward
- Tricia O'Neil … Cast, the Vogue Editor
- Sam Pancake … Cast, Francesco Stylist #1
- Adina Porter … Cast, the Girl at Group Therapy
- Joan Pringle … Cast, the Therapist at Rehab
- Michael E. Rodgers … Cast, the Red Dress Photographer
- Holly Sampson … Cast, Amy
- Paul Sandman … Cast, the Vogue Assistant #2
- Antony Sandoval … Cast, John Casablanca
- John-Clay Scott … Cast, the Policeman
- Phillip Simon … Cast, the Fashion Show Manager
- Alexis Smart … Cast, Jenny (model)
- Nick Spano … Cast, GiaÕs Brother, Michael
- Lisa Stothard … Cast, Lisa (model)
- Jason Stuart … Cast, Booker #2
- Samantha Torres … Cast, Patty (model)
- Nick Toth … Cast, the Man in Elevator
- Jennie Vaugh … Cast, Francesco Stylist #2
- Torsten Voges … Cast, the German Photographer
- James Haven Voight … Cast, the Young Man on Samson Street
- Lynn Wanlass … Cast, the Methodone Clinic Nurse
- Audrey Wasilewski … Cast, WilhelminaÕs Receptionist
- Christian Wienker … Cast, the Long Haired Guy at Disco
- Chuck Zito … Cast, the Harley Biker
- Alexander Enberg … Cast
- Cee-Cee Harshaw … Cast