Tag Archives: John Savage

1979 Films, Comedy, Drama, Favorite Film of the Year, Musical, Musical Comedy, Musical Drama, Top 250 Films, Vietnam War, War

Hair-1979

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Hair-1979

Director Miloš Forman

Starring John Savage, Treat Williams

Top 250 Films #200

Scott’s Review #664

Reviewed July 14, 2017

Grade: B+

Hair is a 1979 musical film that, beyond catchy singing and dance numbers, explores a serious theme: the Vietnam War.

This film is not your typical Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer-style musical from the 1950s.

Instead, the experience is a unique, with an underlying dark tone, and it’s likely a message film with a liberal slant.

Made in 1979 and set in the late 1960s, Hair centers on two young men and a bevy of hippie friends, with most of the action in New York City.

Despite the time, the film does not always succeed in the authenticity category- many of the costumes and hairstyles scream the late 1970’s.

The film also has the late 1970s “look”, on the cusp of the 1980s, with poofy hair associated with the times.

This forces the viewer to escape into a largely make-believe world.

Claude (John Savage) is a naïve young man from folksy Oklahoma who has lived a sheltered, religious life, proper and away from big-city living.

He is drafted and sent to the Big Apple, where he will await his assignment.

Charismatic Berger (Treat Williams) and his company befriend Claude after he gives them spare change, and they soon become best friends.

Claude falls in love with socialite Sheila Franklin (Beverly D’Angelo), who is in town from neighboring Westchester County, NY, and a love story ensues.

When Claude, Berger, and company interrupt a lavish dinner party hosted by Sheila’s parents, a hilarious yet informative scene develops.

While Sheila is secretly gleeful about the arrival of her new friends, her parents are none too pleased, leading to a standoff between Berger and Sheila’s family.

Partly comical, this scene also reveals the stark class distinctions among many of the characters.

The rest of the film centers on the friends’ antics involving drug use, relationship trials and tribulations, and culminates in a cross-country drive to see Claude before he is shipped to Vietnam desperately.

Multiple scenes involve songs concerning the turbulent race issues of the times- my personal favorites are the opening number, “Aquarius”, and the scandalous “Black Boys” and “White Boys”, performed by Nell Carter.

Never one to be disappointed with a film set in Manhattan, Hair is a film basking in fantasy, and the entire production seems to be one big dream as the carefully crafted musical numbers are interspersed with the more dramatic elements.

Still, much of the film follows the group prancing around Manhattan, featuring wonderful areas such as Washington Square Park, as well as several seasonal changes that give the film a slice-of-life feel.

My favorite performance is that of Treat Williams as Berger. Part showman, part jokester, and part earnest, he fills the role with dynamic energy that comes full circle in the last act when he drastically changes his appearance for the sake of a friend.

The film’s ending is melancholy and an inevitable reminder of war’s coldness and finality.

The song “Let the Sunshine In” is a powerful and fitting conclusion to the film, as the gang visits Arlington National Cemetery to join an anti-war peace rally and say goodbye to a friend.

The film version of Hair (1979) may be drastically different from the stage musical, a version I shamefully have yet to see.

Still, on its own merits, the film is a poignant, powerful, and wholly entertaining musical adventure.

Golden Globe Nominations: Best Picture-Comedy or Musical, New Star of the Year-Actor-Treat Williams

1989 Films, Comedy, Drama, Independent, Independent Comedy, Independent Drama, New York City

Do the Right Thing-1989

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Do the Right Thing-1989

Director Spike Lee

Starring Spike Lee

Scott’s Review #746

Reviewed April 21, 2018

Grade: A

Do the Right Thing is one of the few great films to come out of 1989, a year often remembered as a fantastic one in cinema, when most mainstream films were as glossy as tin foil and barren of quality substance.

Here’s a small, independent gem that sparked discussions about race relations in the United States and became a monumental, influential film.

Filmmaker (and star) Spike Lee carves a controversial story of racial tensions in a Brooklyn neighborhood on a hot summer day.

Starting light and comedic, then turning violent and dark, the action is set in a largely Black neighborhood, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, where twenty-five-year-old Mookie (Spike Lee) delivers pizzas at an Italian pizzeria owned by Sal (Danny Aiello).

With a toddler at home and a nagging girlfriend, Tina (Rosie Perez), always in his face, Mookie is unmotivated yet still a decent guy and a loyal friend.

Sal has two sons who work at the pizza place: Pino (John Turturro), who is angry and racist, and Vito, a nice guy and Mookie’s friend.

When conflicts erupt over whether Sal’s restaurant should celebrate black celebrities and white celebrities on a wall in the dining room, tensions reach their breaking point as the intense heatwave makes matters much worse.

What makes Do the Right Thing a marvel is both the film’s overall tone and the atmosphere Spike Lee conveys, who also writes, produces, and stars in it.

The elements that have little to do with the actual story immediately impress with big, bright, comic-book-style colors that scream at the big screen, eliciting both a warm, inviting feeling and an angry, contemptuous vibe.

The loud rap and hip-hop beats are instrumental in conveying the film’s specific feeling and emotion.

Made independently and on a small budget, the film feels raw and intense from the get-go.

Brooklyn and New York City, in particular, are the perfect settings, as Sal and his family are white folks living in a predominantly Black neighborhood, so the minorities in the story are the ones in the minority.

Additionally, the viewer sees the friendly neighborhood and feels a sense of belonging regardless of race; the humorous drunk, the kindly, grandmotherly people-watcher on her stoop, and the boombox-music kid all create a sense of community and togetherness.

This point is tremendously important to the film’s overall plot.

The relationship between Mookie and Sal, and Sal and his sons, is central to the film, and I found it a compelling character study.

Open-minded, Sal is a decent man and fine with the diversity in his neighborhood- yet still true to his Italian roots. Aiello does a fantastic job of portraying this complex, conflicted character.

His two sons could not be more different: Vito, a close friend of Mookie’s, is sympathetic and sweet, with nary a racist bone in his body.

Pino, on the other hand, is angry and resentful of the black community taking over what he feels is his territory.

Finally, while lazy, Mookie is also a sympathetic character, as he is conflicted when the tension reaches its boiling point.

These diverse characters make the film so dynamic.

Revered director Spike Lee crafts a story and brings it to the big screen, tackling an important topic as vital today as it was when Do the Right Thing was released in 1989.

The film is intelligent and timely without being condescending to either Black or white audiences, or preachy; instead, it tells a poignant story that is angry and sometimes painful to watch, but, more importantly, empathetic and real.

Oscar Nominations: Best Supporting Actor-Danny Aiello, Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

Golden Globe Nominations: Best Picture- Drama, Best Director-Spike Lee, Best Supporting Actor-Danny Aiello, Best Screenplay

1990 Films, Epic, Guy Films, Mob

The Godfather: Part III-1990

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The Godfather: Part III-1990

Director Francis Ford Coppola

Starring Al Pacino, Diane Keaton

Scott’s Review #533

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Reviewed December 3, 2016

Grade: B+

The Godfather: Part III, released in 1990, has traditionally drawn criticism for not living up to the two preceding epics.

Sofia Coppola, who plays Mary, Michael Corleone’s daughter, in particular, has borne the brunt of the attacks.

No, The Godfather: Part III isn’t on the level of the others, but it is pretty damned good on its own merits and a capable mob epic that concludes the franchise satisfyingly.

The film’s central themes are Michael’s continued desire to leave the mafia and religion, and the role a the Catholic Church.

Some backstory on the film’s making: Coppola had a non-expiring offer to create a third installment of the saga ever since 1974, when Part II was released.

After a financial crisis, Coppola agreed to do the follow-up in 1990.

Julia Roberts was to play the ever-crucial role of Mary (now a coming-of-age young lady), but she dropped out. Winona Ryder was then cast and bailed at the very last minute.

Out of necessity, Coppola’s daughter, Sofia, was cast and had little time to prepare or much acting experience (she would later become an acclaimed director, which better suited her talents).

a with the other epics, a major event launches the film: Michael (Pacino) is named Commander of the Order of Saint Sebastian in a lavish ceremony at St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral.

Michael is approaching age sixty and semi-retired, leaving his business dealings mainly to Joey Zasa in New York, who has ravaged what the Corleone family once built.

Many characters, Kay, Mary, Tony, and Connie, are reintroduced, and new characters such as Vincent Mancini (Andy Garcia) and Don Altobello (Eli Wallach) appear in a flurry of new storylines.

It is like a big, grand soap opera, with wonderful, rich writing.

I was immediately impressed by the neat cinematography; the camera captures wind-swept leaves and an artistic introduction to the film, as well as characters from the first two films, either in cameo roles or as small characters, a great touch for continuity and history.

Coppola does a fantastic job of providing little updates on these characters during a party.

For example, we learn that Vincent is Sonny’s deceased, illegitimate son, and that his mother, Lucy Mancini, appears in a scene. (Clever viewers will remember Sonny and Lucy’s torrential affair in the bathroom during The Godfather (1972), and it is suggested that this produced Vincent).

The film mentions that Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall) has died, though his wife and son appear, and Coppola treats us to a myriad of flashbacks (Apollonia, a young Michael, and Kaye).

These nuances make The Godfather: Part III a film filled with cool little aspects that warm the loyal viewer.

The main story, Michael takes Vincent under his wing and tries to steer the family clear of criminal ties, is interesting, if not spectacular.

Connie rises from a battered mafia wife, raising kids, to a major player in the family, just as women progressed from the 1940s to the 1980s when the story takes place.

She even feeds her godfather a poisoned cannoli!

Michael, Vincent, and Connie get involved with the Catholic Church, bail it out (the real-life Papal banking scandal is linked to the story), and strike a deal for a major stake in the real estate company Immobiliare.

In-fighting between the major crime mob bosses leads to several bloody massacres throughout the film, on the streets, in Atlantic City, and finally, in the Sicilian Opera House.

The pairing of cousins and lovers, Vincent and Mary, never really works, nor does Bridget Fonda’s one-two-scene appearance as Grace Hamilton, a brief dalliance for Vincent.

Also, the exclusion of the loyal family attorney, Tom, is a glaring omission.

So the film does contain a few negatives.

In a nutshell, The Godfather: Part III (1990) is a very good, epic crime drama even without the Godfather name. To measure up to the glory of Parts I and II is impossible.

With the rich Corleone family history and the intricate relationships between the characters, it’s a treat for fans.

There has been a Part IV, nor should there ever be, as the film’s conclusion provides a satisfying wrap-up to the saga.

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director-Francis Ford Coppola, Best Supporting Actor-Andy Garcia, Best Original Song-“Promise Me You’ll Remember”, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing

Golden Globe Nominations: Best Picture- Drama, Best Director-Francis Ford Coppola, Best Actor-Drama-Al Pacino, Best Supporting Actor-Andy Garcia, Best Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Original Song-“Promise Me You’ll Remember”