The Story of Lipstick
Lipstick tells the story of a successful fashion model whose life shatters when she's assaulted by an aspiring avant-garde composer—a man she barely knows. What follows isn't catharsis or swift justice. Instead, she endures a courtroom ordeal where her own character becomes the defendant. The system that should protect her fails spectacularly. And then, in a cruel twist that sets the film's second act in motion, her younger sister becomes his next victim. What happens next is where Lipstick stops asking permission and starts demanding blood. The film doesn't shy away from the ugliness of its premise; it leans directly into it, refusing to make any of this feel safe or redemptive in the traditional sense.
Behind the Making of Lipstick
Produced by Dino De Laurentiis through his legendary production company, Lipstick arrived in 1976 with genuine star power and serious intentions. Margaux Hemingway, the supermodel-turned-actress and twin sister of Mariel, carries the film as the primary victim—a role that required her to inhabit trauma without flinching. Chris Sarandon plays the predatory composer with unsettling conviction; you believe him as a man who's convinced himself of his own artistic superiority, a justification that makes him more dangerous, not less. Anne Bancroft appears as the girls' mother, lending gravitas to the family's unraveling. Mariel Hemingway, Margaux's real-life sister, plays her onscreen sibling—a casting choice that adds an extra layer of authenticity to the film's most brutal scenes.
Directed by Lamont Johnson, the film was made in an era when rape-revenge narratives weren't yet a genre unto themselves. The MPAA gave it an R rating, which in 1976 meant the film could show violence and trauma without sanitizing it. At 89 minutes, it doesn't waste time on subplot or redemption arcs—it's lean, focused, and deliberately punishing to sit through. Box office performance was modest, and critics were divided, but the film has endured as a cultural artifact precisely because it refuses to be comfortable. What's striking is that Lipstick doesn't try to make the revenge feel good. That's what separates it from the exploitation revenge films that followed.
What Makes Lipstick Stand Out
Most revenge films want you to cheer. Lipstick wants you to feel sick. The courtroom sequence—where the defense systematically dismantles the model's credibility by attacking her sexual history, her appearance, her very right to say no—remains brutally effective. You watch a woman's assault get reframed as her own failure, and the system that's supposed to protect her instead humiliates her. It's a sequence that could've been written yesterday. That's not a compliment; it's an indictment of how little has changed in nearly 50 years.
The performances anchor everything. Hemingway doesn't play her character as noble or sympathetic in the way a modern film might—she plays her as someone being systematically destroyed, and then as someone willing to destroy in return. There's no moral clarity here, and that's the film's genius. When the younger sister's revenge arrives, it doesn't feel cathartic because we've already watched the system fail twice. The thing nobody mentions is that Lipstick is actually a film about how institutions betray women, and how that betrayal doesn't lead to justice—it leads to something darker. The cinematography by William A. Butler is cold and precise, never allowing you to look away or feel distant from the violence.
Where to Stream Lipstick Online
Lipstick is currently available on major OTT services, and Movie OTT tracks its real-time availability across platforms so you can find exactly where it's streaming right now. The film's availability shifts depending on your region and which services maintain licensing agreements, so checking the Where-to-Watch widget at the top of this page will show you the most current options. Whether you're on a platform like Prime Video, specialty thriller channels, or classic film archives, Movie OTT keeps a live database of where older, harder-to-find films actually live. It's worth noting that 1976 films sometimes cycle on and off services, so if you see it available, it's worth watching sooner rather than later.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Who directed Lipstick?
Lamont Johnson directed the film. Johnson was known for his work on television and in serious dramatic films, and Lipstick remains one of his most provocative and discussed projects.
Q: Is Lipstick based on a true story?
The film is an original screenplay, not based on a specific true story, though it was written in response to real patterns of victim-blaming in rape trials during the 1970s. The courtroom dynamics reflect actual legal practices of the era.
Q: What's the IMDb rating for Lipstick?
Lipstick holds a 5.3/10 rating on IMDb, which reflects its divisive nature—some viewers find it essential and unflinching, while others find it exploitative or dated in its approach.
Q: How long is Lipstick?
The film runs 89 minutes, a tight runtime that keeps the narrative focused and relentless without unnecessary subplot.
Q: Why is Lipstick controversial?
The film's unflinching depiction of rape and its aftermath, combined with its rape-revenge narrative, has made it controversial since release. Some critics argue it's a serious indictment of the justice system; others see it as exploitative. That tension is part of what makes it historically significant.
Final Thoughts on Lipstick
Lipstick isn't an easy watch, and it's not trying to be. It's a film that believes the justice system will fail you and that sometimes the only response is violence—not as triumph, but as the only language left when institutions won't listen. Forty-eight years later, that premise still stings. If you're looking for a revenge film that actually earns its anger, this is it.
