★ 5 / 10
The wealthy “Carl” (Denver Pyle) is reluctantly estranged
CinemaSerf
The wealthy “Carl” (Denver Pyle) is reluctantly estranged from his musician son “Carroll” (Keith Carradine) who is, himself, a rather introspective womaniser…
The wealthy “Carl” (Denver Pyle) is reluctantly estranged from his musician son “Carroll” (Keith Carradine) who is, himself, a rather introspective womaniser who has no interest in committing to any of the women who have touched his life as he philanders around Los Angeles. Quite what any of these women could ever see in this man is beyond me, but he seems to have them hooked and that’s the excuse auteur Alan Rudolph uses to take us on a trip through his dirty linen, and boy is it absurd. Peppered by full-scale and over-produced ballads - complete with on-screen orchestra, we follow a series of uninteresting peccadilloes that bamboozle all the more because the likes of Harvey Keitel - his dad’s factotum; Geraldine Chaplin, Lauren Hutton and Sissy Spacek have given this house-room. The latter of these household names stands out, I suppose, but she and her feather duster aren’t really here anywhere near enough to give this meandering exercise in familial discord and self-indulgence any real sense of purpose. Bed-hopping can be a fun basis for a film if it’s a comedy or if there is some depth to the story and/or the characterisations, but here it is if we are being presented with some amateur revolving-stage histrionics designed to alienate and disinterest us rather than engage. Who cares what happens to any of them? I didn’t, sorry.
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★ 5 / 10
Traffic and Daydreams
dansview
If you saw this film when it came out, the cultural atmosphere would have no nostalgic impact on you, even if you lived in L.A., because it was obviously…
If you saw this film when it came out, the cultural atmosphere would have no nostalgic impact on you, even if you lived in L.A., because it was obviously present day for you.
Which brings us to the main thing that so many of us like about the movie. We like to take in the clothes, cars, landscapes and musical vibe of a bygone era; one which we may have lived for and now long for. For younger people, there may be a fascination for the way part of the world was before they were born.
I was there in L.A. at that time. As a very wide-eyed and impressionable teenybobber, I was standing in the background watching the grown ups and the older kids living out their 70s lifestyle. I was just a tad too young to join. My favorite line in the film is "Daydreams and Traffic," uttered by Keith Carradine, repeating what his blonde real estate agent said L.A. is all about. I totally agree with that vibe. It's addictive in an odd sort of way.
Character development is vitally important to a film, and this one is short on it. For me, at some point, a character has to explain why they are the way there are. Or at least it must come out in related dialogue. It didn't here for the most part.
I say "for the most part," because we do at least see through couplings and facial expressions, and monlogues, that they are lonely people who are not getting the love and devotion they had hoped for from their life partners and families.
Yes, these are mostly shallow,self-indulgent losers, who characterize the worst aspects of their era and area. But it's o.k. to tell a story about losers, if they are the types you are familiar with. Like another reviewer, I too give the makers credit for not including movie people. That would be too easy and too clichéd.
I loved the Richard Baskin music. His slightly off-key delivery made it better than it would be if it were perfect. Songwriters are not necessarily supposed to be great singers. They sing their own stuff with true feeling however, since they know the ethos behind the music better than anyone else. Of course in this movie, maybe the Keith Carradine character was supposed to have written the music.
The nudity did nothing for me. The context was not sexy. I'm not a big fan of big boobs on a super skinny body. I like proportion.
Even though I am a conservative person, I do often wish I could have lived as an adult during a period when everyone was open to one night stands. I love the idea of bonding with a waitress and enjoying an evening together with no strings. I know that makes me a bit of a hypocrite.
I guess I envied the Carradine character's unearned millions, his cool house, his talent, and his ability to bed whomever he chose, whenever he chose. Enough said.
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★ 7 / 10
Early Use of Digital Photography Technology in Chaplin Nude Scene.
nickjordycj2
In one of the first experiments with digital photography, the head of Geraldine Chaplin was digitally positioned on the body of a model ( a former Penthouse…
In one of the first experiments with digital photography, the head of Geraldine Chaplin was digitally positioned on the body of a model ( a former Penthouse Pet) for her nude scene to avoid embarrassing her father (Charlie Chaplin) prior to his demise. Although she was anxious to perform in the nude, director Alan Rudolph feared the loss of financing if Lion's Gate Films and producer Robert Altman fell into disfavor with the World Famous Film Icon. Ultimately, Geraldine Chaplin performed the scene in a nude body stocking and it took almost an entire month, using antiquated production equipment, to digitally transfer the nude body to the head of Chaplin. In turn, this put the production way overbudget and as a result, John Wayne was replaced by Denver Pyle as the father of Keith Carradine.
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40%
AUDIENCE
· 100 ratings
5.7/10
1.4K
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English subtitles, please? Thanks for the upload.