Facing The Music
Amidst a bunch of squibs in the LA Weekly about the TCM Film Festival, this sentence, from critic Mark Atkinson, caught my eye:
PENNIES FROM HEAVEN (1981) This peculiar meta-movie musical, adapted from a BBC series, didn't stand a chance in the Reagan years, but its mutations are beautiful.
I assume he means the film couldn't succeed in an era when the culture insisted on believing America is a wonderful place where dreams come true, and refusing to face unpleasant reality.
Anyway, I think that's what he meant. Doesn't matter. No interpretation of the line can make sense. Does Atkinson really believe if Jimmy Carter had been reelected the film would have been a hit? It may have failed during the mindless optimism of the early Reagan years (as opposed to the mindful optimism of the early Carter, Clinton and Obama years?), but the truth is it would have flopped any time.
Martin learned to dance for the film, though he still hadn't learned to act. But even if he gave a great performance, the offbeat and alienating material would have kept the audience away. Also, though a lot of critics missed this, it's a pretty bad film. It has a weird concept, but not much more.
posted by LAGuy @ 12:21 AM
6 Comments:
For what its worth, I loved the original BBC version, and remember not liking the film. The Reagan comment is a non-sequitor - I don't remember either work having any particular political overtone.
I saw the film first and didn't like it. Then I saw Dennis Potter's The Singing Detective mini-series and thought maybe I should see his TV version of Pennies From Heaven. When I finally saw it, I didn't think that much of it, but it was better than the movie version.
Trivia: Jessica Harper in Pennies from Heaven also played Janet in Shock Treatment, the absolutely horrible sequel to The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
She has also been in a bad Woody Allen film- Stardust Memories (though she also appeared in some of the "earlier, funny stuff" too)
I guess she has a knack for interesting ideas that don't turn out so well.
For what its worth, I don't think Mr. Atkinson meant a snear against Reagan (you guys have learned well from the early minority-identity groups- you find insults everywhere and go all Jean Kirkpatrick about the "blame America" crowd) - The movie came out when Reagan was in office, those were upbeat optimistic years (well 1982-3 wasn't) and this is a downbeat movie.
The fact that its a bad movie does however seemed to have escaped Mr. Atkinson's notice
Harper was also in another intriguing but failed musical, Phantom Of The Paradise.
I actually sort of like Stardust Memories, though it wasn't well received by the people or the critics.
I've always thought Harper had an odd sort of haunting beauty. For a while, in the 70s and 80s, she was on the verge of major stardom, but never quite hit the A-list.
It's spooky how similar Frances O'Connor looks. She and Harper could be cross-generational twins.
I've been reading film reviews long enough to recognize the easy sneer at Reagan (with the critic assuming everyone agrees) that you simply don't get for Carter, Clinton or Obama, but you might get for Nixon or Bush.
The beginning of most presidencies are upbeat--a new fresh guy is in office, let's hope things turn out well. But whoever is elected, it has little effect on what movies are popular, though that doesn't stop critics who know little about history (and usually not enough about movies) from their mindless trendmongering. Truly downbeat films (not just films with sad or scary endings) are usually not popular with the public at large.
Post a Comment
<< Home