tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post7765674039483656554..comments2024-03-26T05:01:57.793-07:00Comments on DREAMS ARE WHAT LE CINEMA IS FOR...: ONE FROM THE HEART 1982Ken Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-954673027961910792012-05-14T00:40:59.806-07:002012-05-14T00:40:59.806-07:00"THX-1138" wasn't as lively as the &..."THX-1138" wasn't as lively as the "Star Wars" films, but it was that way by design, and a very different type of sci-fi film. It seems like something that Michael Crichton might have attempted. George could've really went somewhere different if he continued the dystopian future path, but has settled for milking "Star Wars" for the rest of his career.<br /><br />Please don't get me wrong, "Star Wars" was a huge part of my very early years, but I think that Lucas is really possessive of something that, in all honestly, is rather derivative of other sci-fi films and films in general--and he well knows it. Certainly a huge (visual) debt is owed to "Metropolis" (e.g. C-3PO, Cloud City, etc).<br /><br />As for "One from the Heart", judging from your review, in an odd way it seems like one of those films that would be straight-to-DVD material...IF the visuals didn't demand to be witnessed on the biggest screen possible. I really need to see more Natassja Kinski films, ditto those from her father Klaus.Mark Vanselownoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-80193860925423656302012-05-13T17:04:16.521-07:002012-05-13T17:04:16.521-07:00Hi Mark
Yes, if you really want to see some beauti...Hi Mark<br />Yes, if you really want to see some beautiful images (and bad 80s perms)this film is worth checking out on that score alone. These screen caps don't even do the film justice...it's gorgeous. But honestly, I haven't met a person yet who has in any way been moved by the romance. I've kind of avoided Sofia Coppola's films, so I'll heed your warning on "Marie Antionette."<br />Oh, and I did remember "THX-1138", but for me that film had considerably less life than the myriad "Star Wars" chapters. I'm not sure I know what Lucas is all about these days. I've never known art to be as controlled as he seems to need it to be.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-13245823886703675272012-05-13T10:38:09.376-07:002012-05-13T10:38:09.376-07:00I've not yet seen this one, but the stills loo...I've not yet seen this one, but the stills look amazing!<br /><br />All style, no substance? Great to see that Francis Ford Coppola passed on that philosophy to his daughter. Let me tell you, if you want a film that epitomises "all style, no substance", check of Sofia Coppola's "Marie Antoinette".<br /><br />George Lucas is such a tragedy, isn't he? Apart from "American Graffiti", let's remember that he also directed "THX-1138" as his feature debut. Whereas "Star Wars" was space opera (albeit most entertaining), "THX-1138" was an interesting look at a dystopian future. It's strange that Lucas didn't pick up again on that theme after he'd finished with the first trilogy of "Star Wars" films.Mark Vanselownoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-82462211153504906932012-05-12T14:17:39.745-07:002012-05-12T14:17:39.745-07:00Excellent points.
I may be wrong, but I think Copp...Excellent points.<br />I may be wrong, but I think Coppola comes from a musical family. My feeling is that he loves musicals very much but has very little understanding of how they actually work (what director in his right mind cuts away from Fred Astaire's feet when he's dancing?!?!).<br />On the commentary for "Finian's Rainbow," Coppola talks about how he fired Hermes Pan (Fred Astaire's longtime choreographer) and took over the reins himself (!), and on "One from the Heart" he talks of hiring the great Gene Kelly in an advisory capacity, yet ignoring his advice. I get the impression that no one could tell Coppola anything, and that hubris alone was at fault for the failure of "One from the Heart" (although to this day Coppola likes to think the critics had it in for him).<br />You're right when you point out that DeNiro, Pacino, and Hackman all give stellar performances in Coppola films, yet I think a director as egotistical as Coppola is likely to convince himself that it was he who shaped the performances and that, in the cases of Garr and Forrest, he was talented enough to spin straw into gold. Coppola never sounded like the most collaborative of directors and I think he took on too much with "One from the Heart," a film which ultimately only called attention to his limitations.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-64487431575835874002012-05-12T13:14:59.146-07:002012-05-12T13:14:59.146-07:00I haven't seen this one; but, considering Copp...I haven't seen this one; but, considering Coppola's botched direction of FINIAN'S RAINBOW, in which he couldn't keep the camera and editing still enough just to let us see a dance, I wonder why Coppola would have chosen a musical to start his new enterprise. You also wonder how lucky Coppola may have been in his casting - Gene Hackman nailed THE CONVERSATION with his brilliant acting, giving heart to what might have been another technically expert but hollow film; and Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro's star-making performances helped anchored THE GODFATHER I & II. Teri Garr is a nice enough actress but, as you note, she wasn't a star; and even from the photos, you can see that Frederic Forrest has an uninteresting, bland face (even before you brought up the point I found myself thinking, 'why weren't Julia & Kinski the stars?'). It seems a sad case of a director not understanding his talent.Grand Old Movieshttp://grandoldmovies.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-36671556779949991262012-05-12T07:22:57.642-07:002012-05-12T07:22:57.642-07:00Yes, that word is wonderful and amusing! (I won&#...Yes, that word is wonderful and amusing! (I won't type it out again here because I'm trying to avoid carpel tunnel. LOL ) I love the fact that someone out there uses words that challenge people to look them up and broaden their vocabulary and knowledge! "u no wht I mean?"Poseidon3https://www.blogger.com/profile/10465785002285422594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-18780926239689542132012-05-11T13:01:55.700-07:002012-05-11T13:01:55.700-07:00I envy your seeing the Radio City Music Hall previ...I envy your seeing the Radio City Music Hall preview! That must have been some night. And yes, much in the same way the public always greeted the release of a new Stanley Kubrick film with the excited anticipation of wondering how he was going to top himself; there was HUGE anticipation (fed by Coppola's own humble comments that his film and its technology was going to make the Industrial Revolution look like an out-of-town-tryout) attendant this film that could almost only end in letdown. You know, when I first saw the film, I wasn't overly-swayed by the music (I was expecting a pop soundtrack), but in the ensuing years, it has been the one unchanging element of excellence about the film. I play it in my classes, have it on my ipod, and have gifted the CD to many friends. Thanks for the comment Joe. Your site still has some of the coolest art/pop cultural writing on the web (especially loved the "Two for the Road" post).<br />http://blog.ctnews.com/meyersKen Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-58641626955190029022012-05-11T12:48:32.562-07:002012-05-11T12:48:32.562-07:00Aw, thanks Poseidon. Although you're still per...Aw, thanks Poseidon. Although you're still perhaps too young to know this first-hand (although you do have a rather exhaustive grasp of movie history) but one of the chief benefits of age is the perspective it allows in the forming of critical opinions. I've been around long enough to see past the curve of many cinematic phases and trends, and if there is anything I bring to my posts, it's a perspective born of having been in love with movies for well over 4 decades and its attendant "history repeating" insight.<br />You made me laugh re: the word "brobdingnagian"...because it became my favorite word (my personal supercalifragilisticexpilalidocious) after a film critic used it in reference to the Dirk Diggler's penis in the movie, "Boogie Nights" and had me rushing to the dictionary. It's such a WONDERFULLY descriptive word, don't you think?Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-55290767843956980192012-05-11T12:26:25.644-07:002012-05-11T12:26:25.644-07:00Excellent post. I saw this movie under similar con...Excellent post. I saw this movie under similar conditions right before its (brief) theatrical release - a screening at Radio City Music Hall that was billed as a 'preview.'<br />Thrilling electricity in the packed crowd waiting to see how Coppola would follow 'Apocalypse Now,' lots of applause at first and then a very gradual letdown.<br />You are so right about the two leads not being charismatic enough to hoist the film over the top. They were upstaged by the scenery and the supporting players.<br />I do still love the Tom Waits-Crystal Gayle pairing on the soundtrack, however - some great tunes!Joe Meyershttp://blog.ctnews.com/meyersnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-31702797350562289392012-05-11T05:10:50.626-07:002012-05-11T05:10:50.626-07:00Another amazingly insightful and and revealing pos...Another amazingly insightful and and revealing post. It amazes me the way you can size up the conditions and attributes of certain people in their time that matches what I think, yet I had never done the mental homework myself to have thought of it and verbalized it! (Primarily, I'm referring to your descriptions of the careers of Spielberg, Scorcese, Lucas, etc...) Now, off to figure out what in the hell "brobdingnagian" means!Poseidon3https://www.blogger.com/profile/10465785002285422594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-48491744274200581082012-05-11T00:15:01.603-07:002012-05-11T00:15:01.603-07:00Hi Kel! Thanks very much.
I think in the hiring of...Hi Kel! Thanks very much.<br />I think in the hiring of Garr and Forrest, Coppola was attempting to create a rep company of Zoetrope stars (a la Orson Welles), but something went wrong.Maybe in another film they both would have been fine, but for two such underwritten, argumentative roles, Coppola seriously overestimated the duo's charm.<br />You may be right about it being something perhaps endemic to the early 80s. It was the start of the blockbuster culture and size was starting to win out over substance. Thanks, Kelly. As my very first follower, it's always a pleasure to hear from you!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-6883013847964560372012-05-10T19:55:35.201-07:002012-05-10T19:55:35.201-07:00Wow Ken, amazing post. This is one of the few mov...Wow Ken, amazing post. This is one of the few movies that I can even comment on, having seen it in the 80's in NYC. Couldn't agree with you more. I love Terri Garr and was hoping for so much more to unfold.<br /><br />"One from the Heart’s almost non-stop flashes of technical brilliance do much to mitigate the emotional hollowness of the whole enterprise."<br /><br />Thinking about this, I think this was endemic to the time, certainly the early 80's. Much of the same "flash" or techinical drama was mirrored in fiction of that time leaving readers feeling just as vacuous. Janowitz, McInerney. . . Interesting . . . always love hearing/reading your point of view.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06544414379382411492noreply@blogger.com