The strengths
- so much based on truth
- descriptive writing
- spectacular set pieces: the escape of John Rex on the blow hole, the horror of the cannibal trek, the marooned trio
- gutwrenching small scenes: the suicide of the boys
- some of the characters: sadistic Frere, John Rex the cad, his devoted wife
The weaknesses:
- dodgy plotting
- too many escapes and recaptures
- apart from the marooned sequences and towards the end Dawes doesn't have much life - neither does the girl
Bob Rafelson is best known for his Jack Nicholson starring vehicles but this piece shows another aspect of him - the travelling, individual side (he liked to traipse over the third world). It's about Burton and Speke, and I'm surprised Hollywood or Britain never tackled them in the 30s when explorer biopics were the rage. Maybe Burton was too scandalous with him translating the kama sutra.
The film made - temporarily as it turned out - Patrick Bergin into a bit of a name. Fiona Shaw goes nude. Ian Glenn is the other guy. Richard E Grant adds some old school villainy into it.
For all the modern takes (hero into sex, gay upper class Britishers), the Africans are still depicted as a savage mass.
A famous flop which reunited the writer, director and star of Five Easy Pieces in an odd romantic comedy/screwball comedy which might've worked in 1971 when I think it was first written. Or maybe with younger stars or maybe just never.
Jack Nicholson is just old now which can be effective. Ellen Barkin tries. Beverly d'Angelo tries. Look, people try. It was long, unfunny, charmless and a drag.
Bob Rafelson takes a leave of absence from Jack Nicholson with a sexy 80s concept thriller - Theresa Russell is an enigmatic female Bluebeard who knocks off her husbands, while Debra Winger is on the case.
It's a strong concept with two very good actors. Russell's enigmatic beauty and presence was rarely used better and Winger is typically excellent, not afraid to play dowdy so she can transform.
The film feels a little choppy in places - not as confidently put together as other Rafelson movies, I assume because of working for a studio and him trying not to scare anyone.
It really kicks up a gear when Winger and Russell meet, surprisingly late in the piece (around 50 mins or so). These are all great - I wanted more.
A lot of deaths happen off screen - might've been easier to follow if we saw them. There's a little too much time spent on the French guy, Sami Frey - and I kind of wish there was a more mano a mano climax between Winger and Russell instead of them facing off behind bars. They hint at same sex attraction - as Rafelson said they do it as much as anyone could in a studio film then.
Terrific support turns from Nicol Williamson (marvellous as a rich guy besotted by Rssell) and James Hong. Also people like Dennis Hopper, Louis Smith. Mary Woronov and David Mamet have small roles! (Mamet at a poker game).
A remake with point because it is more faithful to the source novel and can take advantage of more relaxed censorship. Jack Nicholson and especially Jessica Lange are superb in the leads - apparently Meryl Streep auditioned but it's hard to see how anyone could be better than Lange (who comes across as a bit more low rent, shall we say).
This was the first screenplay credit for David Mamet who praised Bob Rafelson's treatment of writers -so too did Ron Bass for Black Widow.
John Colicos - aka Baltar - is okay as the cuckolded husband. Other supporting actors much better. I love the shonky lawyer and Angelica Huston as a lion tamer and John Ryan as a slimy assistant. Maybe it's a little long.
The difference between a real star and a handsome character actor. Jack Nicholson is a star. The film would've been perfect for him - a Southern rich boy who falls in with characters at a gym as park of a shonky land deal. But they've got Jeff Bridges. Handsome, excellent actor. Just not a star. Doesn't have the charisma.
This is an odd sort of movie. Rich kid means... gym. Sally Field is in a career changing performance as the receptionist, flashing her but and boobs. She's very good. Arnie is in this too. (Rafelson's casting eye was really good - there's also Robert Englund and Robert Moseley).
Some Rafelson regulars like Scatman Crothers are in this. The film feels like it's made up as it goes along. I went with this for a bit but then got bored.
I'm surprised this got Rafelson kicked off FIST (according to Joe Eszterhas) but it's not very good. The best thing about it is the acting, especially Sally Field.
The career of BBS weirdly echoed that of Peter Bogdanovich: three hits, three flops. This was one of the latter, along with Drive He Said and A Safe Place although its reputation is higher than others. It's got Jack Nicholson and Bruce Dern as brothers, the gimmick being Nicholson plays the quiet, depressed one. He's a radio host who is allowed to ramble on in monologues - does this happen?
Lovely acting (by everyone except that fourth lead girl), photography and boardwalk atmosphere. Ellen Burstyn very good. Ditto Dern and Nicholson. I did wish there was more sex and violence because the glimpses of it (the gals being nude in Dern's room playing cards, Scatman Crothers' gangster) are good. I know that wasn't the point it just would've sparked things up. Like a Bergman film.
The "two" in the one-two punch from Jack Nicholson following Easy Rider. A big hit, critically acclaimed - very much a moment in 1970. Not obviously commercial - I know that's not everything but jeez, it hit the moment. I guess it had a big new star in a charismatic performance. It also had a bit of nudity and sex - Nicholson rooting Karen Black then also his brother's girl, Susan Anspach. There's some interesting quirks like location filming in Washington and the gimmick of Nicholson being a pianist and oil field worker.
While it's got selfish man-itis - lots of sex, dumping women, abusing waitress - the female roles strong, thanks to a female writer, one feels: Karen Black's low rent girlfriend, Anspach's lust object (human enough to be attracted to Nicholson, smart enough to not go with him), Toni Basil as a hippy type, Helena Kallianiotes as a rebel type.
Beautiful photography.
Wallis' ghosted memoir Starmaker didn't shed that much light on him. This book is better but still not a piece that Wallis deserves - he was a giant figure in Hollywood.
Spends a lot of time discussing Lizabeth Scott and Walter Seltzer. Goes on some interesting detours - production of Becket and Anne of a Thousand Days, Martha Hyer getting involved in con artists, losing a leg, posthumous fights over art. It doesn't feel like a completely cohesive biography but is still interesting.
