R.S. Murthi Reviews His Favorite Video Releases
Sept.-Dec., 1998
GRACE OF MY HEART
(US, 1996)
Directed by Allison Anders
Cast: Illeana Douglas, Matt Dillon, Eric Stoltz, Bruce Davison, Patsy Kensit, Bridget Fonda, John Turturro, Chris Isaak
Running time: 116 minutes
The Brill Building in New York was where most of the big pop songwriters of the '50s and '60s were holed up, churning out hit after hit. They had a tough assignment - encapsulating the bittersweet romantic experiences of the young in catchy three- or two-minute tunes, almost always to a tight deadline. It was not a sure call - how successful a single was depended as much on luck and timing as on the allure of the melody. And the scene was swarming with talented wannabes, like Denise Waverly (Illeana Douglas) whose struggle to make it as a singer-songwriter in a world that functioned more like a factory than an artistic domain is at the centre of this fascinating film. Denise is actually Edna Buxton, a rich girl from Philadelphia who has come to New York after winning a recording contract in a local talent contest. But her dream of becoming a star is instantly shattered when she realises that girl singers are not in demand. So she joins manager Joel Milner (John Turturro) as a resident songwriter and changes her name to Denise Waverly. The first few songs she writes become hits, but when she teams up with socially-aware lyricist songwriter Howard Caszatt (Eric Stoltz), whom she eventually marries, things get a bit sticky. It has mainly to do with Howard's controversial themes which prove too strong for radio airplay. Then Joel brings in British songwriter Cheryl Steed (Patsy Kensit) and persuades Denise to form a creative partnership. She does, reluctantly, and with her marriage breaking up, she starts penning passion-propelled stuff that strikes the right chord with listeners. Denise' romantic involvement with a married music journalist and the chance to cut a solo record seem to lift her spirit for a while. But when both fail, she's back with the blues. As the '60s approach, Joel tries to steer Denise in a different direction by hooking her up with surf-music producer Jay Phillips (Matt Dillon). They fall in love, get married and move to California. But when Jay, who's prone to depression, drowns himself, Denise finds herself alone and abandoned again. The experience, however, inspires the successful solo album that establishes her as a major singer-songwriter. Yes, it's an eventful life, documented with a sense of endearingly soft drama and a plausible historical perspective by writer-director Allison Anders. And you'd be fascinated to know that story is actually based on Carole King's music career. Not only that, you get some great original music by the likes of Burt Bacharach, Elvis Costello, Carol Bayer Sager, Leslie Gore and Los Lobos that compellingly captures the period flavor. Douglas is perfectly cast in the lead role and she gets marvellous support from Dillon, Turturro and Stoltz. Anyone interested in the history of American pop in the '50s and '60s should catch this movie.
FARGO
(US, 1996)
Directed by Joel Coen
Cast: Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, William H. Macy, Peter Stormare, Harve Presnell, John Carrol Lynch, Kristin Rudrud
Running time: 97 minutes
IT may be affectedly farcical in its treatment of the simple ways of folks in rural Minnesota, but the Coen brothers' (Joel wrote the screenplay with Ethan) tale of a kidnapping that escalates into a murderous misadventure is a compellingly realistic portrait of deception and violence. In a desperate plan to get some money from his rich and tetchy father-in-law (Harve Presnell), car salesman Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy), who's deep in debts, hires two hoodlums (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) to kidnap his wife (Kristin Rudrud). They carry out the job with comedic inaptitute. While fleeing in their car with their victim, the kidnappers are stopped by a state trooper whom they gun down in cold blood, along with two innocent witnesses to the crime. Local police chief Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand), who is expecting a child, is soon called in on what proves to be her first major homicide investigation. Marge has a doting but insecure husband (John Carrol Lynch), who may be exactly what someone in a job like hers needs. While at first she seems way in over her head, the cool Marge slowly and methodically puts the pieces together, eventually travelling to Minnesota where she finally wraps up the case in what to the viewer would appear to be a miracle of coincidence and circumstance. The film is supposedly fact-based, but even if it were fictitious, the events play out believably. The Coens achieve much in terms of character development, theme exploration and mood setting without adopting a forceful approach. Indeed, the light touch - a scene unrelated to the main plot where Marge is hit upon by a lascivious old acquaintance while having dinner is truly a riot - helps to make the story less consciously dramatic and relentless than it would be in lesser hands. The brothers also offer a vivid and bleak (underscored by the snowy winter setting) but still hopeful representation of life in the American Mid-West. Frances McDormand, who deservedly won the 1996 Oscar for Best Actress for her role here, is excellent in a turn that's full of anti-hero charm. The supporting players bring an equal measure of realism to their parts. The film also won the Best Screenplay Academy Award.
THE FABULOUS BAKER BOYS
(US, 1989)
Directed by Steve Kloves
Starring Jeff Bridges, Michelle Pfeiffer, Beau Bridges
Running time: 113 minutes
IT's not quite a fabulous story. How can it be when it's about two piano-playing brothers pushing a lounge act that seems to be going nowhere? But the film offers an entertaining and sometimes enthralling look at the world of small-time performers, a world where the next gig depends on how many people came to the last one. Jeff and Beau Bridges play Jack and Frank Baker, a piano duo who just don't seem to be cutting it anymore. The moody and cynical Jack, a free-spirited jazz pianist at heart, is lost in his own world while offstage while level-headed and business-like Frank thinks of ways to keep the show going. The answer could lie in getting a female singer, so the brothers organize a an audition and end up with gorgeous but wilful Susie Diamond (Michelle Pfeiffer). Soon, the trio is a hit but Susie's growing popularity and her romantic involvement with Jack throw a spanner in the works. It results in sibling rivalry, and a crisis of conscience, especially for the non-comittal Jack, that are, thankfully for the viewer, resolved without much melodrama. It's a quietly appealing film that really blazes during the moments Pfeiffer, who does her own singing throughout, performs. She's especially delicious in a knockout rendition of Makin' Whoopee which has her crawling sensuously in a red dress on top of Jack's piano. The Bridges brothers, being the dependable actors they are, handle their roles well and do a pretty convincing job in the piano-playing scenes.
HEART OF DARKNESS
(US, 1994)
Directed by Nicolas Roeg
Cast: John Malkovich, Tim Roth, James Fox, Isaach De Bankole
Running time: 100 minutes
JOSEPH Conrad's 1902 novella, the story of a demented Westerner worshiped as a god by a primitive tribe deep in the jungles of Belgian Congo, is considered by many to be virtually unfilmable. The most powerful rendition of the tale's essence can be found in Francis Coppola's Apocalypse Now, but this cable TV production is more faithful to Conrad's classic, though John Malkovich's Kurtz can't compare with the fascinating madman Marlon Brando created in the former. Tim Roth is Marlow, the seaman who leads a search for Kurtz, the company agent who, seemingly seduced by primordial forces, has abandoned his calling to lead a life characterized by extremes of savagery and spiritualism. As Marlow makes the journey, he begins questioning his own more conventional values. And when he finally encounters Kurtz, he sees in him a powerful yet raving-mad visionary lost in a cloud of despair and maddening mysticism. Roth does a fairly good job of what is essentially a difficult role, but Malkovich, who looks more like a post-apocalyptic hippie shaman than the magnetically insane tribal leader Conrad intended, doesn't quite bring much conviction to his characterization. The film, which was shot in Belize, has some intriguingly moody jungle scenes that underscore its bleak tone. The video version has now been discontinued so you might have to really search the shelves to find an old copy.
( These reviews were first published in the New Straits Times )
* Real Swell
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