Intriguing - Oliver Reed puts ad in paper for woman to live on island with him for a year. They have sex before even going out there and the relationship is explored.
It's patchy, erratic, always watchable. Amanda Donahue isn't as naked on screen as often as I'd been led to believe. She's excellent. Great to see Reed in a decent role for a change.
The island is located near Australia and there are some Aussie characters in it.
The last film, I think, from HandMade Films, at least its George Harrison-Denis O'Brien iteration, saw the company go out on a hit - and it was the type of movie the company probably should have made through the late 80s instead of all those quirky American pieces: a solid comedy with a former Monty Python. Eric Idle is the guy here, though the prime creative mover was Jonathan Lynn who wrote and directed it.
Idle teams well with Robbie Coltrane and the jokes are obvious but funny. There's various plot machinations, a really sweet romance for Idle, Janet Suzman impresses as mother superior (but feels as though she needs a big scene or something the way Maggie Smith got in Sister Act - that film felt as though it learned from this one). The pacing is occasionally off and some scenes feel re-shot. But it wants to entertain, the music is great, it's unpretentious.
One of the films that killed HandMade it's a little like After Hours though based on a novel published 1985. Frank Whaley wants to sleep with Christine Hamos so agrees to bury her mother's dog and winds up having a series of adventures mostly involving wacky cab driver Randy Quaid. A culty type movie it doesn't quite click - the adventures don't make sense, Whaley is fine, Hamos is mysterious and enigmatic and comes along for the ride in the second half but doesn't bring much to the party, Quaid is large as you expect him to be.
This was developed for Sam Kinison who would've been better.
There's a voodoo ceremony at the end which splashes the cash. Why did they make this? Why so much quirk?
Nice to see some old vets like Sheree North, Seymour Cassell and Nancy Kwan turn up. But this film was annoying.
A story of promise - a Dutch police officer helps a Jewish woman into Palestine, despite thinking she could be guilty of murder of a Nazi. Very strong support cast - Donald Pleasance, Leo McKern, Marius Goring - and B list stars: Stephen Boyd and Dolores Hart. They are pretty and try but aren't proper stars of say a Gregory Peck and Natalie Wood.
Tired. Hopping off and on barges. No stakes. Like the Nazi is killed. He deserved to die. Accidental edath. Who cares if she gets to Palestine or if they get caught or the couple can't make it?
The film doesn't work.
Hart has some nice moments. But I don't thinkshe was a real star. Boyd wasn't.
Handmade Films enjoyed success with two Bob Hoskins vehicles, The Long Good Friday and Mona Lisa so when he came to them seeking finance for his directorial debut they ponied up the cash. It's not exactly high concept - in an unnamed European country a soldier (Dexter Fletcher) deserts, is traumatised by war, puts on a dress and is a mute who accompanies some Romani.
The cast includes Hoskins and many of his mates like Zoe Wanamaker, Ian McNiece, and Jim Carter. Ian Drury is also in it. Fletcher looks like Mick Jagger. Shags a nubile blonde. The Romani fight off soldiers.
The film is a brave try. I like the ambition. Some moving moments. Open ending. Wasn't for me but no disgrace.
Best seen for Dolores Hart's performance as a sexually aggressive student sleeping with married lecturer Don Taylor (Pat Hitchcock is his wife). He strangles her, a baby watches, the baby is kind of like the Tell Tale Heart. But really they can't think of a third act. Maybe the cops shoud've suspected and used it to trap him.
The Francis story has a solid arc - playboy turned into Friar - but this is dull. Initial scenes feel like toy town medieval land. The transformation to true believer isn't effectively dramatised, just a lot of staring.
These films are hard to do. You need to put in action and passion and have relationships full of conflict. I didn't mind making Sister Clare in love with Francis but they pull their punches. The friendship between Francis and the warrior has potential again but is poorly done. Francis' dad isn't used as an antagonist enough. The budget was decent but not spectacle level.
Bradford Dillman tries but isn't a star - neither is Dolores Hart or Stuart Whitman. Hart was very effective, beautiful, cutting her hair off. THe film might've been better being about her and her sisters.
The film flopped as did Fox's other Biblical epic The Story of Ruth.
