I have often commented first on movies no one else had anything to say about. But this was some wierd s*it. I am all for movies about chicks being independent but this movie was awful. Can anyone tell me anything good about it? Or give me a reason to like it.
shareHi Rhinestone. I guess this answer is long-past due, considering you asked for comments on this film nearly 8 months ago.
My appreciation for this film lies in Paul Newman's attention to detail, in this being his first directorial effort.
His schoolroom scenes are more realistic than any I've seen in film, and as one person commented in a film synopsis.... even the crickets near the field were heard as realistic, (and not a "Little House On the Prairie" type of crickets on a track playing in the background).
If a person is seeking a fast-moving film, or a flic laced with action and adventure.... this is not one to see.
However, if opting for a motion picture that gives a realistic, non-tv-production-style, cinematic view into the life's experiences of a down-to-earth everyday woman..... then this is a film to watch.
["It’s never too late to do the right thing."]
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No one can give you a reason to like it; that part's up to you. I can tell you why I like it.
After I watched this movie, I was left so impressed by it that I purchased the book upon which it's based ("A Jest of God" by Margaret Laurence). IMHO, this is one of the few times that a film adaptation is superior to the book.
The best thing about "Rachel, Rachel" is Joanne Woodward's performance. You can read all of the character's emotional undercurrents in her face, and she never overdoes it. (Just watch her face in the scene between herself and her lover in the drug store. She makes it look effortless.)If I were to ever teach a class in film acting, Woodward's performance in this film would be on the syllabus, without a doubt.
The rest of the cast was great, too. Paul Newman's direction was competent, and unobtrusive. Even the score was fine. Like I said, I can't give you a reason to like it, but there are a lot of good things in there. You only have to be willing to be patient and take a closer look.
This is one of my favorite movies. Joanne Woodward gives an outstanding perofmance. I think about it often and Newmans directing was so rich and moving.
shareIt certainly is a unique movie, but I thought it was quite good. You can tell Paul Newman paid a great deal of attention to detail in this movie, and Joanne Woodward's performance completely suited that, as she really fit the character and she seemed so realistic in it.
Even though times and movies were changing fast, especially in 1968, I was still surprised by some of the themes in the movie.
"I know you're in there, Fagerstrom!"-Conan O'Brien
This film is a wonderful example of a truly "adult" movie (not in the
way that "adult film" is usually meant). In the late '60s-mid '70s, there
seemed to be a trend toward films about middle-aged and older adults and
their issues; it was a nice departure from the old-Hollywood romance films
of the past, showing sensitive, realistic depictions of ordinary, mature
adults. Movies like this, "Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams," "Harry and Tonto,"
etc. were films that adults could enjoy and identify with. The "mature adult"
films seemed to disappear about the same time as "Star Wars" was made; after
that, theatrical films tended to focus on an audience consisting mainly of
preteens and teenagers. Most of the adult-themed films that have come along
since then have been depressing dramas about old age, senility and death
("Driving Miss Daisy," "Iris," etc.) whose main message seems to be that
getting older is one miserable downhill slide; don't do it.
Now that I'm in the "middle ages," it's nice to go back and watch these
films from that period about grown-ups.
I'm not crying, you fool, I'm laughing!
This and Harry and Tonto are two of my favorite films!
shareI really liked this film because I guess I sometimes saw myself in Rachel. I too was taunted by kids as a child because my family struggled to make ends meet and I wore second-hand clothes. I also didn't have many friends while growing up, and when I reached middle-age, I felt like my life had passed me by. Fortunately, I DID marry late in life and had one child. But sometimes I still look back at some of the opportunities I passed on, and wish I'd had the courage to take them on.
I really liked the ending of the film, too.
How about you just go take a film class instead. You might then see all kinds of things that are flying right past you now. Otherwise you're going to miss a lot of great cinema (anything before Star Wars, for instance) that was actually about something and used conventions of both film and theatre. Film is a language. The shadows often mean something. The camera angles chosen often mean something. The silences often convey more than the words. And so on. It's not simply a brain pacifier.
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