civex Blog

Under discussion:

The Man From Elysian Fields  (2002)

An excellent movie scripted by Phillip Jayson Lasker with a very good performance from Mick Jagger. The film stars Jagger and Andy Garcia, with James Coburn, Anjelica Huston, Olivia Williams, and Julianna Margulies. Michael Des Barres deserves special mention for his performance as Nigel.

Garcia plays a would-be author with the interesting name of Byron Tiller. Tiller has had a book published to some good reviews, but it's in the remainder bin: a $25 novel for only $3.99. With no sales, he's off the list for his publisher. We see him with a wife who loves him unconditionally and a son who's a toddler that they both dote on. Unable to get an advance from his publisher, a job, a loan, or any income at all, Tiller is approached by the owner of an agency called Elysian Fields, a dissolute man with his life written all over his face and named Luther Fox.

I was very surprised that Jagger acquitted himself so well; he channeled Noel Coward beautifully without overdoing it. His acting was subtle and understated -- he inhabited the role of Luther Fox with no hint of Mick showing through. 

Fox corrupts Tiller with charm and savoir faire. Elysian Fields is an escort service for women. Fox reads Tiller like the book he is and sets Tiller up with the young wife of an aged Pulitzer Prize winning novelist. 

And then the twists begin. The aged novelist, Alcott, has lost it. He's written a novel, but it's not good. As Tiller begins an affair with Andrea Alcott, Alcott begins a literary partnership with Tiller. With the promise of co-authorship, Tiller works with Alcott to rewrite Alcott's novel while Tiller continues his affair with Mrs. Alcott -- with Alcott's beaming approval. The real seduction is not Tiller's seduction by Andrea, the real seduction is the promise of fame, with the obvious wealth on display at the Alcott mansion. Tiller's real prostitution is to the husband, not the wife, because that's where he pours his soul.

Tiller's wife notices. She's aware only that he is working as co-author with Alcott, and she sees Tiller draining himself, leaving less for their son and for her. 

Meanwhile, we have interspersed scenes between Fox and his first client, played by Huston. Occasionally Fox and Tiller meet and share a drink and some conversation. These scenes cap what's going on in the movie. Lasker has a script in which all the characters are fully formed, and they bring an entire life along with them.

Although the movie has a Hollywood ending, there are some depths plumbed by the characters which have a reality all too often missing in Hollywood movies. I wonder where Lasker has been during his life. There's a great deal of loss in this film.

For lighter fare with a similar theme, I recommend "The Seduction of Joe Tynan,"" written by Alan Alda, who plays the lead character; also starring are Barbara Harris as Mrs. Tynan, Meryl Streep as the interloper, Rip Torn, Melvyn Douglas, and others you'll recognize now who were unknown then.

Under discussion:

Smiles of a Summer Night  (1955)

Perfect summer entertainment, this light romantic comdey was Ingmar Berman's first big hit. And deservedly so.

I've never heard of any of the actors. The characters include Frederik, a middle-aged lawyer who I hated on first sight with his smarmy beard and comb-forward hair; Anne, his 18-year-old wife; Henrik, Frederik's 20-something son (soon to be a pastor); Petra, the voluptuous teen-age maid; Desiree, the famous actress; the count and his wife; and various hangers on who lend much to the goings on.

Generally, the plot is that Frederik, a widower, married a teen-ager after an affair with Desiree, who is now the mistress of the count. Desiree wants Frederik back, although it's not too clear why - but it advances the plot. If you've only seen Bergman's depressing, heavy dramas like "The Seventh Seal," "Wild Strawberries," and "Saraband," you'll be shocked to find that Bergman has an excellent hand for comedy, and he wrote and directed this movie. You can see Bergman's cold, thoughtless characters foreshadowed in Frederik, but here Frederik is more clueless than heartless.

And although this is a very funny film, Bergman sets you up for a few stabs in your heart as his characters address the camera directly from time to time and unburden themselves of their innermost anger and hurt, catching you totally off guard. All the actors are excellent, and I was struck by the effective use of light and shadows both indoors and out.

It's amazing how Bergman created each character as one immediately recognizable as a type without being stereotyped. The actor playing the count was remarkably physical in his presence without so much as a movement as he stood waiting for Frederik to leave. A bent spring tense with anticipated action. And Petra was an entire individual, not merely a two-dimensional jiggling caricature of a young maid. (According to the materials, the actress playing Petra had recently broken off her affair with Bergman - remember this as you watch Henrik's scenes with Petra.)

I saw the movie on Criterion's DVD, and the extra materials said that Bergman's earlier movies were financial disasters; his studio told him if this movie wasn't a hit, it would no longer finance his films. After "Smiles of a Summer Night" was released, the studio showed it at the Cannes Film Festival, where it was a sensation. Bergman says he had to borrow airfare to get there. This movie made him internationally known, and the studio agreed to fund his next film. Bergman did "The Seventh Seal," which sealed his reputation as a world-class director.

I haven't seen "A Midsumer Night's Sex Comedy" by Woody Allen since it came out, but I'd be surprised if "Smiles of a Summer Night" were not an inspiration for Allen's film. If you like one, I'm confident you'll like the other.

I was confused over how bright it was outside during that long final night of the movie, when it was supposed to be one or two o'clock in the morning. I though the day for night shots were a failure. Then in the extra materials someone mentioned what I'd missed - it was mid-summer in Sweden, and the daylight lasted a very long time. It was a magical night and a magical movie with a very happy ending. Not like Bergman at all.