Re: "American Beauty"
craig king (ck31@ukc.ac.uk)
Wed, 20 Oct 1999 13:27:32 +0100
----- Original Message -----
From: D. <darjr@shore.net>
To: <bananafish@lists.nyu.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 1999 1:03 PM
Subject: Re: "American Beauty"
> Yes, I've seen "My Foolish Heart" and, in fact I recorded it off of the
> American Movie Classics channel some years ago--though I'm not sure where
> that tape is right now. It's been a while since I watched it, but I can
> say it's horrible. It's as though a sappy Hallmark card came to life on
> film to produce 24 frames per second of unmitigated nausea lasting nearly
2
> hours. Even my wife *begged* me to shut it off after 15 minutes and she,
> self-admittedly, loves those "chick flicks". I find it a wonder the
> original, not to mention all subsequent copies, of the film doesn't
> spontaneous combust in the LA vault They must keep it in. I keep
wondering
> when my copy, wherever it currently hides, will catch fire. But, then
> again, I guess I'll find out where it is then, eh? The movie *barely*
> resembles Salinger's story, one of my personal faves of his (in fact, I
> wrote an ambitious, though seriously flawed short story loosely based on
> this story--don't ask please), and the wonderful "child leading the adult"
> motif at story's end was *completely* ignored by the screenwriters. The
> way the film turned out leaves me no doubt as to why JDS has steadfastly
> refused to sell the rights to his works to Hollywood or anyone else for
> that matter. That enough?
>
> Grumpily,
>
> D.
for your entertainment, the review of that film from variety circa 1949 . .
.
'My Foolish Heart ranks among the better romantic films.
Picture gets off on the right foot with a script that is honest and
loaded with dialog that is alive. The screenplay [based on a story by J. D.
Salinger) progresses through several different stages of emotion.
Plotting opens in 1949, and finds Susan Hayward at the tailend of an
unhappy, wartime marriage with Kent Smith. Before she has a chance to pass
on a part of her unhappiness to Smith, the sight of an old gown arouses
memories and takes her back to 1941 when she was enfolded in romance with
Dana Andrews.
Hayward's performance is a gem, displaying a positive talent for
capturing reality. Opposite her, Andrew's slightly cynical character of a
young man at loose ends comes to life and earns him a strong credit.'
it was written by julius j. and philip g, epstein, who oddly also wrote the
marvellous words in casablanca but went a little wrong here it seems. this
movie, however, was produced by samuel goldwyn, which probably explains a
lot.
yours all velvet light-trappy,
Kent Smith . . . i mean, craig king . . .