August 9, 2006 (Tokyo)
September 15, 2006 (United States)
October 5, 2006 (Germany)
The Black Dahlia is a 2006 neo-noir crime thriller film directed by Brian De Palma, written by Josh Friedman, and starring Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson, Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, and Mia Kirshner. It is an adaptation of the 1987 novel of the same name by James Ellroy, in turn drawn from the widely sensationalized murder of Elizabeth Short.
The film premiered in Tokyo on August 9, 2006, was screened at the 63rd Venice International Film Festival on August 30, 2006, and was released in the United States on September 15, 2006. Despite its failure both critically and financially, effectively ousting De Palma from the Hollywood studio system (his subsequent films have been filmed and financed overseas), it was nominated for Best Cinematography at the 79th Academy Awards, losing to Pan's Labyrinth. Mia Kirshner's performance as Short was widely praised, as was that of Scarlett Johansson.
Storyline
Two policemen see their personal and professional lives fall apart in the wake of the "Black Dahlia" Elizabeth Short murder investigation.