| The Fan | |
| Posted by: | PatrickHSF 01:14 am EDT 08/13/14 |
| In reply to: | Lauren Bacall has died. - Delvino 07:57 pm EDT 08/12/14 |
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| I think it was panned but I thought The Fan was a good thriller, with Michael Biehn obsessing over Bacall's musical theater actress character. I enjoyed the Broadway backstage scenes, a life that was intriguing but foreign to me. And I loved that big finale number, "Hearts, Not Diamonds." | |
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| Full disclosure: I have the DVD | |
| Posted by: | Delvino 09:31 pm EDT 08/13/14 |
| In reply to: | The Fan - PatrickHSF 01:14 am EDT 08/13/14 |
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| Agree. A guilty pleasure. Stylish on its own terms. I always enjoy it. Bacall, Garner (who also recently left us) and Maureen Stapleton. I even enjoy the bizarre "Chicago"-esque musical by Rice/Hamlisch in the film (filmed at the Entermedia, right? Downtown?) And the very 80s Pino Donaggio score, which ties it to DePalma and other period films. Bacall looks great, and Biehn is awfully effective. | |
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| re: The Fan | |
| Posted by: | hitbycab 10:19 am EDT 08/13/14 |
| In reply to: | The Fan - PatrickHSF 01:14 am EDT 08/13/14 |
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| I loved DESIGNING WOMAN with her co-star Dolores Gray!! Lauren was so elegant in this one..and funny.... | |
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| re: The Fan | |
| Posted by: | dbg 08:51 am EDT 08/13/14 |
| In reply to: | The Fan - PatrickHSF 01:14 am EDT 08/13/14 |
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| I liked this film a lot and thought Bacall was very good in it, as was Michael Biehn in one of the creepiest roles ever. I've often checked the TV grids to see if it's ever on, and there's another film called The Fan that has to do with baseball. Was surprised recently to see that Bacall's movie was on in the middle of the night on one of the movie channels, Flix, I think. Recorded, watched and enjoyed it again. It was more graphic than I'd remembered. | |
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| re: The Fan | |
| Posted by: | pecansforall 10:04 am EDT 08/13/14 |
| In reply to: | re: The Fan - dbg 08:51 am EDT 08/13/14 |
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| The Fan is available to watch On Demand for free now if you have Xfinity/Comcast. | |
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| re: The Fan | |
| Posted by: | sandcastle 09:08 am EDT 08/13/14 |
| In reply to: | re: The Fan - dbg 08:51 am EDT 08/13/14 |
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| This movie was perfectly cast and it could have been classic if they had remained faithful to the book, which has an utterly devastating ending quite different than the movie. I'm glad Bacall got to make it, though. She's always been a favorite. It was great to see Lauren Bacall in a leading role back in 1981, even though it was in a wan version of a superior novel. Movies otherwise were already going downhill into franchise-land. RIP, Ms. Bacall. I'll miss your sultry. | |
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| SPOILERS re: The Fan | |
| Posted by: | LegitOnce 01:29 am EDT 08/14/14 |
| In reply to: | re: The Fan - sandcastle 09:08 am EDT 08/13/14 |
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| I'm not sure, and there are spoilers to come. HERE COME SPOILERS, ASSUMING I REMEMBER CORRECTLY. In the novel, we assume that Breen's "suicide" was real; that is, we, like Sally and everyone else, believe that Breen is dead. Breen succeeds in his plan to murder Sally on opening night and then there's the reveal that he murdered the pickup. But most of this action takes place "off screen," i.e., it's reported, not shown. If I recall correctly, Breen's death is revealed via a police report and the murder of Sally is recounted in a quoted newspaper story. This kind if misdirection works fine in a novel and might even possibly be adaptable to a film. The problem is that the climactic event, i.e., Breen's deadly confrontation with Sally would have to be played off stage and then "reported," and that's not a satisfying conclusion to a thriller. If the plot played out as in the novel (but depicted instead of reported) we would the problem of suddenly seeing Breen alive, and we would need some explanation of how he survived. That would be some very tough exposition to wedge into the climactic scene. Worse, if Breen succeeded in killing Sally, there would be no twist; that is, what we were led to believe was about to happen actually would happen. The last act of the movie, with Sally's vigilante speech and her killing Breen in self-defense, is terribly weak, but other than having her rescued a the last minute by Hector Elizondo or James Garner, how else could the movie end? In the context of the movie's treatment of the story, killing off Sally would have been both anticlimactic and unsatisfying. | |
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| Did they shoot a different ending? | |
| Posted by: | Delvino 09:34 pm EDT 08/13/14 |
| In reply to: | re: The Fan - sandcastle 09:08 am EDT 08/13/14 |
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| I've always wondered, a la "Fatal Attraction," and then return and change it? I remember those days in NYC so well, and yes, the Lennon death had to be a factor. | |
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| re: The Fan | |
| Posted by: | flaguy 09:59 am EDT 08/13/14 |
| In reply to: | re: The Fan - sandcastle 09:08 am EDT 08/13/14 |
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| I think they had to (or somebody felt they had to) tone down the ending (?), because this was made around the same time John Lennon got shot. I love Maureen Stapleton in this flick. | |
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| re: The Fan | |
| Posted by: | larry13 10:12 am EDT 08/13/14 |
| In reply to: | re: The Fan - flaguy 09:59 am EDT 08/13/14 |
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| Was there anything you could NOT love Maureen Stapleton in? And she had the habit, great actress that she was, of stealing the picture--or the stage--no matter who was playing the lead(Elizabeth Taylor, Lauren Bacall, Geraldine Page, Diane Keaton, etc. etc.) | |
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