I like this film even though I don't think this is one of Woody's best. Maybe part of the reason is mid-aged revealation about life that I need to listen to. Any recommendation about this kinda film?
shareHmm, well, I'm sure you have already heard of it, but Ingmar Bergman's Wild Strawberrys is pretty similar to this movie. Woody Allen's Deconstructing Harry is a loose, and slightly vulgar adaptation of Wild Strawberries as well.
shareYou might like "Islands In The Stream", based on a Hemingway story.
The dark comedy "The Hospital" has elements of mid-life male reflection, but there's a lot more going on than that.
One other: "The Swimmer" with Burt Lancaster.
There are not a lot of films that deal with the subject of mid-life men reflecting on their lives.
There are not a lot of films that deal with the subject of mid-life men reflecting on their lives.
I would recommend "Rachel, Rachel" (1968) starring Joanne Woodward and directed by Paul Newman.
For the male point of view, "I Never Sang For My Father" (1970) Gene Hackman and Melvin Douglas.
Naturally, neither one of these is out on DVD yet. :(
These two are part of a small handful of VHS tapes I still own.
Those look like two great titles. I say "look like" because I've never been able to see them. There's a wealth of great films still unavailable on DVD, and those look like two excellent examples.
I wonder if "Rachel, Rachel" was the inspiration for the "Seinfeld" gag film "Rochelle, Rochelle" –– "a young girl's strange, erotic journey from Milan to Minsk."
I just read that 'Rachel' will be released on DVD 2/17/09. Be sure to check it out.
shareThat's great news! I'll be awaiting the release. Thanks for the update.
shareI thought of another one: "Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams" (1973) Alas, that's not available on DVD yet either. Might be worth your while to pick up a used VHS copy on eBay...wonderful film
shareThat sounds like another excellent pick. It looks very Bergmanesque, and it was released in Sweden. Joanne Woodward made a lot of these films, didn't she? I see the used VHS is available on Amazon.com starting at $3.75. Thanks for your recommendations!
shareHey, I just saw "Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams," which I bought from my local record store, which is going out of business – a sad sign of the times that makes me reflect back on my life. What a terrific film! I think the plot thread about the gay son was quite daring in 1973. In addition to Joanne Woodward, Martin Balsam and Sylvia Sydney were superb. Thanks for the recommendation!
shareAlso have a look at "An Unmarried Woman" and the collapsing cruelty of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf".
Yes, "Life as a House" was very good--he was a younger man but it was reflective & touching, an unusual little story.
And don't forget the masterpiece, "Citizen Kane", where the reflection of an astonishing life was reposited in a single word.
"An Unmarried Woman" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" are terrific recommendations! And "Citizen Kane" was an excellent, early example of a character reflecting on his life.
Another one that's more of a psychological thriller or sci-fi film: "Seconds," with a bored middle-aged married man assuming a new identity as Rock Hudson, ladies' man and bon vivant. (He was an actor, after all.)
Yeah, "The Swimmer" is a great, unknown film. Kinda scary, though, unlike "Another Woman."
If you think this is about mid-life reflection, take a look at
Saraband
The Accidental Tourist (a little earlier than mid-life)
Alfie (Michael Caine's version - life with _out_ reflection)
Hour of the Wolf
Betrayal (script by Pinter)
A Woman Under the Influence (_Towering_ performance by Rowlands)
Both Seconds and Save the Tiger also deal with middle-aged men facing inner emptiness & loss of meaning in their lives.
sharePaul Newman stars in a few films as a middle-aged man who has to reconsider who he has become: Nobody's Fool, The Verdict and The Color of Money, although the last one could have been better if it had concentrated more on Paul's character.
Another film that comes to mind is Jim Jarmusch's Broken Flowers, which is similar to Another Woman in its slow pace. It's a story about an aged Don Juan.
There's also Pedro Almodóvar's La flor de mi secreto, about a woman who has to change her life because her husband leaves her. A good film, I thought.
I also highly recommend "I Never Sang For My Father", if you can find it.
I think "Another Woman" is vastly underrated, and one of Woody's best, just behind "Manhattan", "Interiors", "Hannah...", "Crimes &...".
I loved "An Unmarried Woman" by Paul Mazursky as well. His "Alex In Wonderland" is a terrific one as well, from the male point of view about a filmmaker.
More recently, I loved "the Visitor", with a quiet but terrific perf by Richard Jenkins as a middle-aged widower.
Paul Newman was just mentioned above, and one of my faves is "Mr. & Mrs. Bridge" from the Ivory-Merchant team, about a couple that starts out at about middle-age and works up about 20 years. I think that's a fascinating movie.
I don't think "middle age" is the big theme so much as it is about how "coming-of-age" is something that can happen to us several times through life and not just when we move from tweendom to teenager land.
Oh yes, and "Sunday Bloody Sunday" from John Schlesinger about a love triangle with two middle-aged types competing for a grad student type. That's another great character study.
In Allen's "September" the character played by Elaine Stritch sums it up in a small but profound speech about the loss of future.
Boy could that man (Allen) choose actors.
"What do you want me to do, draw a picture? Spell it out!"
Apart from 'Wild Strawberries', please check out 'Ikiru' by Akira Kurosawa. I thought it was extremely powerful and very moving.
Also, 'About Schmidt' is an almost perfect film I think, if not a masterpiece.
'Umberto D' is another astonishing film.
Although not yet on DVD, 'Everybody's Fine' is a truly superb film from the director of Cinema Paradiso - yet another example!
Don't forget about Frank Capra's unforgettable, 'It's A Wonderful Life'.
You might like Cassavetes' Opening Night...
http://theseventhart.info
I'm surprised that nobody mentioned "Cinema Paradiso".
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The one thing I notice in these type of films is when it is a male looking for love or inspiration they hardly ever show a cheating wife. They tend to show very little on her. But, obviously when reversed it the controlling cheating male to enhance the female leads story. I keep wondering why this is as the cheating is almost equal for both spouses. Could it be that male stars do not want to be seen in these type of roles.
shareSee "I Smile Back" for an exception.
My real name is Jeff
This is a wonderful thread!
I agree with the previous recommendations, and would add a couple more that are darker in tone: "Seconds" (with Rock Hudson giving a performance that's so emotionally raw & naked that it's scary) & "Save the Tiger" (with Jack Lemmon giving an award-winning performance as a businessman at the end of his emotional & financial rope, struggling to cling to the vanishing American dream).
Sideways? Lost in Translation?
share