tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post2690677161179226550..comments2024-03-10T10:56:38.185-04:00Comments on the passionate moviegoer: .....................unwanted child.....................joe baltakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467420961490314339noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-45115575305676233752013-01-20T15:46:18.619-05:002013-01-20T15:46:18.619-05:00wow! what a great review of this underrated movie,...wow! what a great review of this underrated movie, when I was a kid I saw the poster of this film and I was really impressed to all this stars 2gether, in the same movie, with the great cole porter's songs, I finally find here on the net this film. Thank you for your awesome work.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-74772649864862281672012-02-23T07:46:17.137-05:002012-02-23T07:46:17.137-05:00I've always wondered whether some of the backa...I've always wondered whether some of the backalsh against Bogdanovich for "At Long Last Love" and "Nickelodeon" was inspired by simple jealousy. After all, he was a critic who'd become a commercially successful, critically lauded director. Throw in a gorgeous actress girlfriend, and it's hard not to believe some reviewers weren't waiting for a chance to hammer Bogdanovich. I also think that by the mid-1970s viewers had lost the tradition of knowing how to watch musicals - much as Ebert notes that Hollywood had lost its tradition of knowing how to make them.wwolfenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-43321018289944422442012-02-23T07:12:50.619-05:002012-02-23T07:12:50.619-05:00Fantastic blog on "At Long Last Love"! I...Fantastic blog on "At Long Last Love"! I've been a fan of Cybill Shepherd's ever since I was in high school and she was appearing in "Moonlighting" on TV. When I read she had made "ALLL" earlier in her career I was interested in seeing it but all I have came across were the bad reviews you mentioned in your blog and no trace of the film anywhere. In the years since I have found a copy of the film from a friend in the U.S. and have also collected some magazine articles which came out prior to the film's release praising the film, just as your blog has done. Once again, a great blog for a deserving, but unfortunately forgotten, film!Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07697987947065329792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-28177412024668405702012-02-20T09:35:28.594-05:002012-02-20T09:35:28.594-05:00David! You're right. I remember that version...David! You're right. I remember that version. Very bizarre, indeed. It plays as if Peter was angry with not only Cybill but also the film itself. You're also right about the end credits not being entirely mute. Those faint street sounds lend a very eerie, unsettling quality to the movie as it fades out. Thanks for sharing this invaluable information.joe baltakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11467420961490314339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-62408165866130884882012-02-20T09:13:15.265-05:002012-02-20T09:13:15.265-05:00There was another version of the film, one created...There was another version of the film, one created for its tv premiere on ABC's late night program. This edition seems somewhat like one of the 16mm versions you describe: it was a pretty aggressive re-editing of the film. Lots of things were cut (like the first half of the first 'you're the top', one of the 'Friendship' sequences, and much more), but it also included 'Etiquette', 'I Loved Him', a longer version of 'Tomorrow' than the current one, the 'Alpha and Omega' soft-shoe, and other stuff previously unseen. Plus it had the silent closing credits (not actually silent; they ran over distant street noises). The story circulated that Bogdanovich himself had made this new cut and was not on good terms with Shepherd at the time, so while the two missing establishing songs were included, Shepherd's was eliminated--the only one of the four not to make it into this unique edit! I still have an ancient Beta tape of this ABC edition, which to my knowledge was never aired again.david gideonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04173612267427890868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-72289002760184321722011-10-25T19:10:07.881-04:002011-10-25T19:10:07.881-04:00Fantastic blog on "At Long Last Love"! I...Fantastic blog on "At Long Last Love"! I've been a fan of Cybill Shepherd's ever since I was in high school and she was appearing in "Moonlighting" on TV. When I read she had made "ALLL" earlier in her career I was interested in seeing it but all I have came across were the bad reviews you mentioned in your blog and no trace of the film anywhere. In the years since I have found a copy of the film from a friend in the U.S. and have also collected some magazine articles which came out prior to the film's release praising the film, just as your blog has done. Once again, a great blog for a deserving, but unfortunately forgotten, film!Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07697987947065329792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-12034307244429962292011-09-19T13:07:17.885-04:002011-09-19T13:07:17.885-04:00I got around to watching At Long Last Love last ni...I got around to watching At Long Last Love last night on the Fox Movie Channel. I dearly wish I could join in your admiration for it, but honestly can't. Any criticism of either Cybill Shepherd's or Burt Reynolds' singing baffles me, though, because both have very good voices. I suspect that Cybill Shepherd epitomizes the opprobrium piled on beautiful women. As ALLL proves, she has everything: beauty, talent, grace - and intelligence, too. That's just "unfair" to far too many people. She is breathtaking perfection in this movie, with verve and wit and spirit, and always, sumptuously beautiful. A great performance. Burt Reynolds, too, was his most appealing (to me) in this movie, displaying a depth of personality not usually seen in his usual naughty schoolboy offerings and Bogdanovich found a better man than Reynold's usual persona. I had no idea he was such a good singer. <br /><br /><br />The cast was terrific, the sets and costumes were wonderful. Here's what made me wince: The songs just weren't melodic and sprightly enough to keep the story from making a dead stop each time they were sung. I forget the Italian actor's name who was a dreamboat and very appealing. He was very easy to watch. Although she is a good singer, there's something excessively heavy and melodramatic about Madeline Kahn and the only performances of hers I have enjoyed are the tongue-in-cheek movies she made with Gene Wilder. (Of course, Gene Wilder is so winsome ... probably not a masculine adjective, but I do not mean it to be pejorative. I really like him and love his movies.) There was something about several secondary characters that weren't very sympathetic or amusing. I also found Eileen Brennan's languor to be tiresome. [I didn't care for her in Murder by Death or The Sting either.]<br /><br /><br />The chief difficulty in ALLL is that the songs are musical prose, not rhapsodic expressions of emotions. For example, Rodgers and Hammerstein and Rodgers and Hart achieved results that are airy and romantic and the audience is left dancing and singing in their wake. Obviously their creations were not effortless, but the results remain ethereal and soaring. <br /><br /><br />I feel disloyal to you, Joe. But I just can't agree with you on this particular movie. Forgive me.Sharonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-13320858984119763742011-09-07T20:38:48.729-04:002011-09-07T20:38:48.729-04:00Like your several-part analysis of GYPSY, this was...Like your several-part analysis of GYPSY, this was such an obvious labor-of-love. It was so enjoyable to read.Dannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-41996446036884760182011-09-07T12:33:08.995-04:002011-09-07T12:33:08.995-04:00I heard that Peter keeps promising that he's g...I heard that Peter keeps promising that he's gonna finally release it on dvd. we'll see!Jednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-70056878488102936942011-09-07T10:17:24.133-04:002011-09-07T10:17:24.133-04:00And so i'm glad that you take up the cause of ...And so i'm glad that you take up the cause of movies like AT LONG LAST LOVE.d.c.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-88300352376625841412011-08-29T12:57:02.399-04:002011-08-29T12:57:02.399-04:00I forwarded this to my grandson who has a masters ...I forwarded this to my grandson who has a masters degree from UCLA in filming.Bettynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-27424999459554766712011-08-29T12:43:40.229-04:002011-08-29T12:43:40.229-04:00Very much enjoying your ALLL articles. you just m...Very much enjoying your ALLL articles. you just may give that movie a new life!Garynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-89319861009363195612011-08-24T15:26:35.304-04:002011-08-24T15:26:35.304-04:00VERY well done...good article, Joe...At Long Last ...VERY well done...good article, Joe...At Long Last Love...SusanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-71849446479333540422011-08-24T11:13:04.707-04:002011-08-24T11:13:04.707-04:00R.R.: Couldn't agree with you more about "...R.R.: Couldn't agree with you more about "The Moon and the Gutter," which my wife and I saw in its complete form in Paris when it was initially released. I loved it and was disturbed that Columbia/Triumph re-edited it for American - presumable with Beineix's blessing.joe baltakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11467420961490314339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-87240298348770688422011-08-24T11:04:28.499-04:002011-08-24T11:04:28.499-04:00Looking forward an ongoing discussion of filmmaker...Looking forward an ongoing discussion of filmmakers who abandon their children, for good or ill. <br /><br />Jean-Jacques Beineix did the same with Moon In The Gutter ('83), trashed because it wasn't Diva ('81). Arguably, it was stronger and more visionary than Diva, but he was stuck in the caesura between Diva and Betty Blue ('86) which hewed closer to the western narrative aesthetic but I never quite forgave him. MITG almost got lost in the process until Cinema Libre (yeah, how?) released the Beineix oeuvre.R.R.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-88372504641657957232011-08-24T10:30:01.607-04:002011-08-24T10:30:01.607-04:00Keep them coming Joe!Keep them coming Joe!Stevenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-12317680938184852112011-08-24T10:25:59.618-04:002011-08-24T10:25:59.618-04:00Kevin! Funny that you should bring up that particu...Kevin! Funny that you should bring up that particular Merv Griffin show. I was with Burt Reynolds that day, doing an interview, and he asked me join him at the Griffin show. I remained back stage in the green room. Harry showed up with his sister-in-law, Nancy Medved, Michael’s wife at the time, who was very nice and seemed slightly embarrassed when Harry had the cajones to offer Burt a copy of his book after the show. If my memory serves me correctly, Burt accepted it and promptly tossed it in a trash bin. Harry was very young at the time – 17, I believe – and he co-wrote the book with his cousin Randy Dreyfuss, 19. Still don’t know how they ever got it published. Connections, I assume. The whole experience was uncomfortable. He is now head of public relations for Fandango.joe baltakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11467420961490314339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-41955126110561389892011-08-24T09:31:32.235-04:002011-08-24T09:31:32.235-04:00Adam! Thanks for the added info about Peter and h...Adam! Thanks for the added info about Peter and his feelings towards ALLL. And thanks especially for that terrific interview you conducted with him. Invaluable.joe baltakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11467420961490314339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-3430247462487650972011-08-23T14:10:30.954-04:002011-08-23T14:10:30.954-04:00Joe: That was an amazing write-up. I've never ...Joe: That was an amazing write-up. I've never seen this film, but now desperately want to. I'll be on the lookout for it. <br /><br />I think another reason the film has the reputation it has is because of its inclusion in the "Fifty Worst Films of All Time" book by Harry Medved. <br /><br />An amazingly mean-spirited book, with many dubious choices, and one I would scarcely recommend, but for a long time it was the go-to book for people who loved to examine bad movies. <br /><br />At the time of the book's release, I have memories of Burt Reynolds appearing on, I think, the Merv Griffin show, and on the same show was Harry Medved, there to promote the book. <br /><br />Merv asked for some examples of some of the stinging critiques that Medved included in the book and then started to say something about a comment on Burt's singing in "At Long Last Love." <br /><br />Medved pretended to be embarrassed to say it, but Reynolds told him to go ahead. Medved recited one of the critical barbs knocking Reynolds' singing, which was followed by some uncomfortable laughter from the audience. <br /><br />Reynolds shrugged and picked up the book and pretended to leaf through it. He said something like (forgive my memory, it was over 30 years ago), he had been on a lot of 10 worst lists, including Pauline Kael's and didn't need to be on Harry Medved's too, because, really, who was he? <br /><br />I forgot his exact words but it was a real stinging rebuke against him. The crowd heartily applauded Reynolds.Kevin Deanyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07697597405552599370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-39531142002387205072011-08-22T00:36:01.284-04:002011-08-22T00:36:01.284-04:00Thanks for writing such an insightful series on PB...Thanks for writing such an insightful series on PB's least seen film. I'm honored that you used my interview as a reference source; getting Peter to talk about ALLL was easily one of the highlights of the conversation.<br /><br />He seems to have made some peace with the film over the past few years. Before that SF screening in '08, he usually dismissed it as "the debacle" and left it at that. <br /><br />Also of note, the version of ALLL on Netflix and Fox Movie Channel is neither the theatrical nor the original television version. Peter (who contractually still has final cut) claims he never approved of this particular cut, but said he actually likes it anyway. I think his favorite cut is still the slightly shorter broadcast TV version.Adam Hulinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-14396676864733166192011-08-21T14:39:48.890-04:002011-08-21T14:39:48.890-04:00I love this site and the fact that you celebrate t...I love this site and the fact that you celebrate the uncelebrated. ALLL is one film I'd like to try out.jimnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-24192099011853056002011-08-21T11:13:40.085-04:002011-08-21T11:13:40.085-04:00Matt- To your list, I would add another misunderst...Matt- To your list, I would add another misunderstood title that has yet to be redeemed - Charles Chaplin's "A Countess from Hong Kong."joe baltakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11467420961490314339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-71365939344665576552011-08-21T08:18:45.539-04:002011-08-21T08:18:45.539-04:00Joe, you mention “Vertigo” as a film that was revi...Joe, you mention “Vertigo” as a film that was reviled by the critics when it was first released and that there has been a turnaround in what the critic’s now think of it. You can also add John Huston’s “The Misfits” and Orson Welles’ “Touch of Evil” to that select list of seriously misunderstood films that have since been redeemed.Matt Russellnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-89946081476264508242011-08-20T20:38:59.686-04:002011-08-20T20:38:59.686-04:00Fantastic discussion on a film I actually remember...Fantastic discussion on a film I actually remember being advertised, crashing, and disappearing in my youth before I quite knew who Bogdanovich was and that I should know.<br /><br />Randy's link to "Regrettble - Sincerity" site is another nice conversation (or three) about the film. That makes clear that the circumstances of the reaction had to do with the publicity and audience/critical backlash to the stars and behind-the-scenes more than the film in question. Once enough time passes we can judge films on their own merit without the hype.Rogerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03422504922725630957noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-82831446880659027892011-08-18T12:20:01.772-04:002011-08-18T12:20:01.772-04:00The movie is impressive, considering that most of ...The movie is impressive, considering that most of the cast was not musically trained, and it succeeds only about 70% of the time because most of the cast was not musically trained.Dougnoreply@blogger.com