 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Speaking of Cole Porter. Does anyone want to see AT LONG LAST LOVE released on dvd. Great music!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I've seen it a few times on a duped-off-Fox-TV DVD one of our local video stores has, and I must saw I have a strange fondness for the film. It doesn't really work, but it's exceptionally well made, and as someone who's often distracted by the sound of pre-recorded musical numbers, Bogdanovich's Quixotic determination to record the songs on set gave the musical numbers a special quality (though, probably because of that, the songs sound much worse on the LP).
And it's got John Hillerman, who's always a joy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Posted: |
Jan 30, 2012 - 12:18 AM
|
|
|
|
By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
|
I finally saw this film for the first time yesterday. And while it's miscast and only averagely sung, I found more to carp about in the story than in the music. Bogdanovich barely provides a plot to hang his songs upon, and in the end gives us no reason to care who ends up with whom. But with 16 Cole Porter songs, you can't fault his choice of music. Despite the fact that the cast are not trained singers (even Madeline Kahn and Eileen Brennan struggle), they give it their all. I thought that Cybill Shepherd came off best, given that she had the most to do. Her voice, while not strong, is generally pleasing, and usually in pitch. Burt Reynolds has to talk-sing most of his numbers, and Duilio Del Prete has problems with his English. It was also quite apparent that the singing was recorded live, with the orchestrations added later, and that was quite interesting to see. On balance, given the music talents of this cast, I think it was worth giving up whatever additional polish a studio recording would have added (probably not much) for the immediacy that was captured. Nevertheless, most critics agreed with Variety that "On the basis of this experiment, pre-recording can rest its case."
It was nice to hear several Porter tunes that are not usually performed. I particularly liked John Hillerman and Eileen Brennan's take on "But In the Morning, No." The film is also gorgeous to look at. Sets and costumes are first rate, and all of the $6 million that the production cost is up there on the screen. If nothing else, it captures the stars at their handsomest/most beautiful. So, while it's by no means a good musical, it's decent enough--certainly as good as Woody Allen's "Everyone Says I Love You."
One note on timing: Most references give the theatrical length of the film as 118 minutes, and note that Bogdanovich's edited television version ran 115 minutes. I saw a recording from the Fox Movie Channel which ran 121 minutes, so I don't know what version that is. (I read in another thread on the film that at least three versions have appeared in various venues.)
In an interview Bogdanovich said: "Everyone loved the picture, but it was cut wrong. It was my fault and the studio's fault for rushing me. We should have taken more time to open it. Because once it was open, I saw what was wrong with it. There were wrong sequences, we used some of the wrong stuff, things were cut that shouldn't have been cut, things that should have been cut weren't. It was a mess. And when I recut it afterward for television, that's the version everyone sees and they say 'What's wrong with the picture? Why did it get such bad reviews?' Well, that's not the version that was released. There's a beautiful 35mm print of it that they ran in San Francisico a couple of years ago when they did a tribute to me. They loved the picture. People love the picture. I don't love it, because it's too painful."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Aug 24, 2015 - 9:46 PM
|
|
|
|
By: |
bobbengan
(Member)
|
In an interview Bogdanovich said: "Everyone loved the picture, but it was cut wrong. It was my fault and the studio's fault for rushing me. We should have taken more time to open it. Because once it was open, I saw what was wrong with it. There were wrong sequences, we used some of the wrong stuff, things were cut that shouldn't have been cut, things that should have been cut weren't. It was a mess. And when I recut it afterward for television, that's the version everyone sees and they say 'What's wrong with the picture? Why did it get such bad reviews?' Well, that's not the version that was released. There's a beautiful 35mm print of it that they ran in San Francisico a couple of years ago when they did a tribute to me. They loved the picture. People love the picture. I don't love it, because it's too painful."
Bogdanovich was a directing teacher of mine in film school, and somehow I'm not shocked that he levies the blame for why a film didn't turn out the way he'd like onto other people. That said, this above quote might be the most humble and modest thing I've ever heard from him. You people wouldn't believe the way this guy runs his mouth about others - Especially those more successful than himself!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
