David Hines (b. 1945), who based it on a conversation with a local prostitute he drove. The play was performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Ken Russell wrote, "one day in London, Hines literally jumped out of his cab and stopped me in the street, to ask if I would write the screenplay; and make it into a film. I read the play and agreed to have a go." The play was about a British girl working in King's Cross, but Russell said, "No one in England wanted to know. So I had to go to America for the lolly. Now she's a Hollywood hooker on Sunset Boulevard. So why couldn't I get financed in the UK? The budget was low, the potential high, the risk minimal. Perhaps the subject was considered too sleazy for export. Maybe it could never have been shown on TV. Maybe my face doesn't fit in with the film establishment here." Filming Lacking large studio support, the film was produced and distributed by Trimark Pictures. The film's small shooting budget is reflected in the choppy editing and production values. Presumably to save on crew expenses, Ken Russell is listed as camera operator in production credits (under the name Alf). Release Box office Whore grossed $1,008,404 internationally. Censorship Whore was given an NC-17 rating by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) in the United States. Its distributor, Trimark Pictures, appealed the MPAA's ruling, but the rating was ultimately upheld, and the film was released under the NC-17 rating. In the Republic of Ireland, the film was banned on August 9, 1991. The decision was upheld by the Films Appeal Board on September 20, although an earlier appeal meeting held on August 28 failed to come to a decision. This postponed the Irish home release as well, due on the week of the failed appeal with 2,000 copies. The video distributor (National Cable Vision) submitted a tape to Sheamus Smith, who headed the Irish Film Censor Board at the time, for a reconsideration on home media – no evidence exists of whether or not this was successful. Critical response The film received mixed reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 38% rating based on thirteen reviews. Roger Ebert praised Russell's performance, and gave the film a three out of four-star rating. The Los Angeles Timess Kenneth Duran alternately criticized Russell's performance as "game but dismal," and