Reviews (72)

A tragic love story you'll never forget
Writer-director Keith Gordon's "Waking the Dead" caught me off guard and - dare I say it? - moved me to tears. But what's almost as sad as the movie itself is that this 1999 release - which works beautifully as both a tragic love story and a psychological thriller - slipped in and out of theaters virtually unnoticed.

Based on the novel by Scott Spencer, the film opens in 1972, where we meet Fielding Pierce (Billy Crudup), a young U.S. Coast Guard officer with big political ambitions. He meets Sarah Williams (Jennifer Connelly), a secretary and political activist who works at his hippie brother's New York publishing house, and the two are smitten right away. But tragedy strikes ...

Without giving too much away, I will say that "Waking the Dead" cuts back and forth between the early '70s and the early '80s, producing a subjective, stream-of-consciousness narrative that manages to be compelling instead of confusing. Also, I liked the use of color and lighting to visually differentiate between the '70s scenes (warm earth tones) and the '80s scenes (cold, dark colors).

But unlike "The Matrix" and "Memento," which used subjective narrative to play head games with the audience as its central gimmick, "Waking the Dead" is after bigger game. The ambiguity surrounding Sarah underscores how deeply her memory haunts Fielding, the toll it has taken on his mental state, and how deeply they love each other, despite the cruel blow fate has dealt them.

The soundtrack also features lovely songs by Joni Mitchell ("A Case of You"), Lori Carson ("Snow Come Down") and Peter Gabriel ("Mercy Street"); alas, no soundtrack CD was ever made. The DVD also includes 45 minutes of deleted scenes, including a brief but engaging performance by Ed Harris, whose character only appeared onscreen (in TV footage, no less) for about 10 seconds in the final cut.

Just make sure you have a box of tissues and a wastebasket handy before you push "play." You have been warned.

"Words support like bone"
Both Jennifer Connely and Billy Crudup shine in this heart-wrenching film about lost love. I was particularly moved by Billy Crudup's amazing performance. It was filled with anger and confusion, longing and despair, but ultimately hope. His acting here is as good as any actor could possibly attempt; some of his scenes are so intense that they seem out of place with the rest of the movie, and only Jennifer Connelly ever keeps up with him. The remaining scenes show him numb with the loss of his true love. His performance is truly remarkable. There is also a "sex" scene between Jennifer and Billy that was pulled off so convincingly that it looked as though they actually were making love. The intensity they both bring to that scene is genuinely amazing. There is also another montage of scenes that takes place late in the film with the Peter Gabriel song "Mercy Street" played in full that is so perfectly placed it seemed as thought the song were written specifically for this film. Another remarkable moment. The pace is deliberately slow, the plot jumps back and forth in time, and some of the scenes seem staged for the benefit of Billy Crudup, but overall this is a moving experience. The writing is also excellent but sounds more like a play than a screenplay. However, this is a landmark event for Billy Crudup, and a completely different character than Russell Hammond in the film "Almost Famous." If you love great acting, look no further than this movie.

Superb, but as usual, less than the book it was based upon
I read "Waking the Dead" a few months before watching the movie. I was thus certainly biased in a certain direction in favor of the book.

Keith Gordon, who also directed the outstanding and under-appreciated films "A Midnight Clear" and "Mother Night", stays pretty much faithful to the original material by Scott Spencer. It's obvious that films are different than books and directors need a certain amount lattitude to change the story as needed. Gordon certainly left a lot of the story on the cutting room floor and that is, for the most part, not a problem.

What is the problem is that Gordon didn't flesh out Sarah's story and, as a result, offers a skewed ending that the book doesn't share.

Sarah and Fielding are not "opposites" as many suggest. They happen to agree politically. They're both "liberals." Where they disagree is on tactics. The problem with the film is that we don't really see enough of Sarah to understand just how different her tactics are compared to Fielding and why, ultimately, she chose to go away. The movie's ending is ambiguious about the fate of Sarah. Did she die or didn't she? The book shares some of this approach, but it strongly leans in the direction of Sarah having faked her death. In the book Fielding meets with a priest who states that Sarah is alive. And when Sarah and Fielding finally meet at the end Sarah explains how she is living underground and continuing her work. We're given, at least in the text, a reason why Sarah chose the path that she did. Gordon, however, mostly gives us Fielding's side of things. In the process he detracts from the central conflict and ends up with a rather wishy-washy ending.

I strongly recommend this film. The DVD has many interesting extras, including many deleted scenes and a commentary by Gordon. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be anything on the DVD from the original author, Scott Spencer. That's too bad because I think he could have added some really interesting insights about the story overall. And of course, read the book which is, as usual, even better than the movie.

Heartbreaking . . .
One of the few movies that caused me to burst into tears and weep like a baby. Losing someone you dearly love is rough and if you have experienced that this might be a tough movie to get through.

exquisitely heartbreaking
i find resonance with this movie. let's put politics aside. i find this movie beautifully and powerfully acted by both jennifer connelly and billy crudup. their pain and their happiness is a wave of emotion seldom seen on the screen anymore. i was truly taken and i cannot say that about many movies i have seen in my life. i rented it on a whim because i never had heard of it before. i am so lucky that i did. i find it a solid and sultry breath of thick air- life invigorating- an idealists and realists movie balancing on a fulcrum of believability. its two hours of antidote in a world sick with cynicism. ... Read more

Reviews (73)

"The world in solemn stillness lay, to hear the angels sing"
December 1944--A team of rookie American soldiers are put to the test as they go on a mission to the German Front. They don't really know whether they really believe in putting their lives at stake, and soon they happen upon a group of German soldiers in the forest. They discover, however, that the German soldiers don't want to fight any more than they do, and so a tentative truce is called between the soldiers as they spend Christmas together. One deadly mistake, however, soon leads to a terrible tragedy that will haunt young Private Will Knott for the rest of his life.

This is a deeply moving and highly underrated anti-war film that's not even available on DVD. It's a lot more complex and less grisly than "Saving Private Ryan". I was a little surprised at some of the similarities in this film to the classic anti-war novel __All Quiet on the Western Front__ by Erich Maria Remarque. But that's a good thing; all the characters are so well developed and do such a great job of displaying their emotions (my personal favorite was Gary Sinise as "Mother").

The dialogue is thoroughly thought-provoking, especially the lines spoken by "Mother" in the scene with the painting; how "somebody cared" and "somebody made something...probably not even for money, but for love" in a time when so many people "wonder if there is any love left." There are also a few humorous lines here and there (like when everyone started calling Private Will Knott by the name of "Won't"), and the scene with the bathtub is sure to tug at your heartstrings. Also, the ending isn't as predictable as you may think it might be.

If you're looking for an unusually non-violent and tender anti-war drama, and if you don't mind the unhurried pace, frequent dialogue, and relatiely little action, then I can't think of a better film for you to see this holiday season. "A Midnight Clear" is a masterpiece.

Rated R, mostly for language. There are a few brief images of war violence, but no prolonged gore. There is also a scene involving an encounter between the soldiers and a prostitute, but there's no nudity. I guarantee this film wil be unlike any other you've ever scene, and now is the perfect time to see it.

Merry Christmas to all.

A hands down GREAT movie!
his is a great film and if you enjoy war movies you'll love it. It is a non-traditional stary that doesn't have a lot of shoot em up action but is more of an emotional story set during the American advance through France. The lead character I felt was kinda weak in the actors performance but the story called for a very boyish soldier barely old enough to be in the Army who is made a leader. The small patrol is stationed on the outskirts of the American line and they encounter some very strange Germans. It is their dealings with the Garmans nearby that bring out their emotions and feelings and the story is unique in how it portrays the German Army as being little different than the Americans. Not every German was a Nazi and this film really touches on that point. The film is well done and great to watch. The end is a bit of a shocker and quite emotional.

A Midnight Clear
Not a typical war movie and difiniteley not a "feel good" story.
This is not a war movie crammed with unlikely battle scenes, heroic "citizen soldiers", or wisecracking warriors. The action is sparse and concentrated in just a few, brief minutes of the film. The casting is near perfect as is the acting and photography. It is definitely an anti-war movie, but the producer and writer do not hit the viewer over the head with this message. It is a very powerful movie in spite of what must have been a relatively low budget. Highly recommended for the serious, thoughtful, viewer.

A Great War Movie
This movie illustrates the power of subtlety and restraint in the screenplay and action. Of course there is gunplay, it is a war movie, but there is a point to it all. The message is much more powerful than the medium in this rare case. I heartily urge anyone who has not seen this movie to do so and buy it. It is one of the best of the best.

A Dreamlike Presentation of War's Harsh Reality
As I saw this film and Castle Keep again recently, I thought about Stanley Weintraub's book Silent Night in which he discusses a brief period prior to Christmas in 1914, on the battlefields of Flanders, when German and British soldiers spontaneously agreed to declare a truce and suspend fighting, thereby defying their commanding officers. Centuries ago, knights and their attendants would work with their enemies to clear a field for combat the next day. Such cooperation had an obvious practical value. That's not what interests Weintraub as he examines a temporary truce during one of the bloodiest wars ever fought. It had little (if any) practical or tactical value but it did (and does) suggest a human need which transcends military obligations. However, war is war. After a brief respite, the carnage inevitably resumes.

A Midnight Clear was directed by Keith Gordon and is based on William Wharton's autobiographical novel. Rather than featuring a star such as Burt Lancaster (as in A Midnight Clear), the lead roles in this film are played by those normally seen in supporting roles. For example, Kevin Dillon, Ethan Hawke, and Gary Sinise. They and all others in the cast are first-rate. Basically, here's the situation. An elite U.S. Army intelligence unit is given a reconnaissance mission in the Ardennes Forest in December of 1944, just before the Battle of the Bulge. The men in the platoon may be far from home as Christmas approaches, lonely and miserably cold, but they retain a certain playful spirit comparable with what Robert Altman celebrates in M.A.S.H. They encounter a German unit and then....

While seeing this film the first time and then again recently, I felt as if I were dreaming that I had returned to the 1940s in a time machine, to Belgium near the end of World War Two. Credit Tom Richmond's cinematography with creating an uncommonly beautiful setting for the savage combat which occurs there, as does John Mathieson during the "Hell Unleashed" sequence early in Gladiator. The dreamlike atmosphere continues throughout as the men suspend and then resume their own involvement in the war. This is a haunting film, at times an exquisitely lovely film, but also one which raises some serious questions. Why not throw snow balls instead of grenades, then treat each other to a round of drinks? Why not celebrate Christmas together, exchanging gifts and singing carols, as their ancestors once did on Christmas Eve in 1914, on the battlefields of Flanders? Doesn't all that make much more sense than killing each other? Of course. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Be careful what you pretend to be
Throughout his acting career, Nick Nolte has never particularly inspired my admiration. Until MOTHER NIGHT, that is.

In a film adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's novel of the same title, Howard Campbell is an American playwright who grows to manhood in Germany before World War II. He marries Helga, a German actress. During the war, he elects to broadcast anti-Semitic speeches for the Reich Propaganda Ministry. Unknown to his Nazi bosses, he was recruited as an agent by the U.S. Defense Department shortly before the outbreak of the conflict, and Howard's radio sermons pass along coded messages to the Allies. Only three other Americans know of his role: his mysterious recruiter Frank (John Goodman), FDR, and the head of the OSS. Frank tells Campbell that the American government will eternally disavow his heroic actions as the Soviets would twist the story into some sort of anticommunist German-American plot.

By the war's end, Helga is dead. (Or is she?) Campbell is captured by the U.S. Third Army, but then released, apparently on the intercession of Frank, who also manages to spirit him to New York to restart his life. After 15 years living there unnoticed, Howard's role as Hitler's tame American is revealed to the public by an admiring neo-Nazi organization. Both the Israelis and Soviets clamor for his repatriation to stand trial.

MOTHER NIGHT plays more like a live stage production. It begins with Campbell being escorted to an Israeli prison to the song of Bing Crosby's "White Christmas". The film is a series of long flashbacks. At one point, Howard observes in a voice-over to the viewer that one must be careful what one pretends to be for that is what one truly becomes. Although MOTHER NIGHT has been criticized for its lack of a message, I rather believe that it's that an individual must in the end take responsibility for his/her actions in life regardless of the role, real or pretend, that's been played. For Campbell, realization of the consequences to humanity of his wartime persona comes at three widely separated points. The first, as the Red Army drives on Berlin's outskirts, Howard's father-in-law, the Chief of Police, tells Campbell that even though he (the Chief) suspected his son-in-law of being a spy, he now realizes that Howard served the Reich more than he might have ever served the enemy. Why? Because Campbell, with his broadcasts, made the Chief (and presumably other Germans) better Nazis. The second point comes in New York as Campbell views archival footage of one of his more rabid diatribes. And the last, in the Israeli prison, when Howard has a stunning insight during a conversation with Adolf Eichmann regarding the amount of self-credit the latter takes (or not) for the annihilation of 6 million Jews.

I can't give MOTHER NIGHT five stars for the simple reason that the neo-Nazis that Campbell eventually meets in New York are rendered as almost comic characters whose racist views don't come across as menacing as they truly are. Had they been portrayed with more seriousness, the overall impact of the film would have been, I think, greatly enhanced. Nevertheless, MOTHER NIGHT is well worth viewing.

Clearly fiction, and too clever. But still interesting.
This 1996 film, starring Nick Nolte, is based on a 1961 novel by Kurt Vonnegut. Knowing the author's work, we can expect a few satirical scenes and this is what is both the strength and the weakness of the adaptation by John Gordon. The opening segment is in black and white and is set in an Israeli prison in the 1960s. Nolte has just been arrested for war crimes. He is put in a cell and told to write his memoirs. He is given a manual typewriter and a ream of paper. He begins to type.

Now we switch to color and we see Nolte's story. He's an American living in Germany in the 1930s. He's a successful playwright and is married to a famous German actress who he loves dearly. When John Goodman, an American agent asks him to spy for the Americans, Nolte accepts the challenge. It's a very unique challenge too. Nolte is to write anti-Semitic [news articles] and broadcast them over public radio, in English, to be heard around the world. However, every time he coughs or pauses or clears his throat, it's really a coded message to the Americans. The Germans love him and he holds a high status. At the end of the war, there is nothing but devastation for him.

At this point John Goodman returns and tells him the Americans will never acknowledge his work but they will bring him to America to get lost in the crowd. He now moves to Greenwich Village, and this is where the story goes a little out of control. Alan Arkin is cast as his neighbor. And his role is a mystery. There's also a neo-Nazi organization, which is so comical that I had to laugh out loud. And a silly story whereby a beautiful woman who might or might not be his former wife, comes into his life.

The story was interesting and moved quickly. But it was clearly just fiction, and sometimes taken to such extremes as to be silly. Nolte is one of the finest actors around and his acting is terrific. The role calls for him to not be really patriotic towards either of the regimes. He chose to do what he did because of a personal adventure. And therefore is not a sympathetic character. It's a film designed to be clever rather than one that pulls at your heartstrings in spite of the interesting theme. And it's done well.

The DVD has an interview with Nolte and Vonnegut during the filming. It didn't add much to my appreciation of the film, but its nice to see the work in progress. "Mother Night" is clearly a showcase for Vonnegut's talent and a good role for Nolte. I do recommend it but don't expect to be moved or enlightened.

One of the Best Adpatations Of A Novel To A Film
"Mother NIght" in not one of my favorite Vonnegut novels, but the film adaptation is superb. This is one of the best adaptations I've ever seen from page to screen, and extremely thought provoking. I give it my highest recommendation.

Fictional Fate of an American Nazi Collabotator
This is the story in which Kurt Vonnegurt tackles the heavy topic of a fictional character:- an American Nazi Collabotator, at least partially based on the true-life examples of 'Axis Sally' and Lord Haw Haw, American/British collaborator who worked for the Reich Broadcast Service and beaming out anti-Allies propaganda in WWII. A dangerous and difficult topic at best of times, an explosive one if it is not handled well. But the director pulls it off with great skill, sensitivity and panache with this adaptation, blending the tension of war, personal tragedy, picaresque twists of fate and "X-files" like paranoid conspiracy theory. A remarkably keen-eye and un-preachy treatment of the issue of Nazi collaborator and their subsequent lives living incognito amidst their arch-enemy, America. The director wisely avoided moralising, crude evil/good comparisons, and cut-out stereotyping of Nazis as ogres or monsters, but instead produced a thought-provoking & sensitive account of the picaresque twists of fates endured by the lead character, an American Nazi Collabotator who married the daughter of the Chief of Police of Nazi Berlin. If you are interested you may also wish to try 'Apt Pupil' (DVD also available on Amazon.Com), which is a uniquely insightful & tautly directed psychology thriller about an aged SS officer living under an assumed identity in idyllic American suburbia, whose true identity was discovered by a teenager and who was subsequently 'blackmailed' into telling the youth his true-life experience as a death camp commandant in Poland

As good as Vonnegut
This movie captured the essence of the novel in such a way that i really believed the actors read it. This is not typical of movies based on books. I truly believe that those involved with the production of this film were concerned with the ideas and intentions of the author. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Actor-turned-director Keith Gordon has crafted a touching love story that transcends time, political ideology, and even death. The movie opens in 1974 as Fielding Pierce (Billy Crudup) watches a TV news report announcing the death in Chile of three American activists, including Sarah Williams (Jennifer Connelly), his one true love. The story flashes back to when they first met, showing how he was always more conservative, with grand political aspirations, but the relationship worked because they both shared dreams of making the world a better place, one from inside the system and the other from outside. The movie also flashes forward to his life in the early '80s, when he gets tapped to run for Congress. He starts having visions of her, but he is never quite sure if she's a hallucination arising out of his stress, a manifestation of his political consciousness, an out-and-out ghost, or maybe she's still alive somehow. Whatever she is, his deep longing for her is making him crack up. Gordon smartly jumps the story back and forth in time, forgoing an "objective" reality in favor of a more subjective and emotional one. It is a structure based on memory, and that in tandem with the content is what makes Waking the Dead a very powerful film indeed.--Andy Spletzer ... Read more

Reviews (72)

A tragic love story you'll never forget
Writer-director Keith Gordon's "Waking the Dead" caught me off guard and - dare I say it? - moved me to tears. But what's almost as sad as the movie itself is that this 1999 release - which works beautifully as both a tragic love story and a psychological thriller - slipped in and out of theaters virtually unnoticed.

Based on the novel by Scott Spencer, the film opens in 1972, where we meet Fielding Pierce (Billy Crudup), a young U.S. Coast Guard officer with big political ambitions. He meets Sarah Williams (Jennifer Connelly), a secretary and political activist who works at his hippie brother's New York publishing house, and the two are smitten right away. But tragedy strikes ...

Without giving too much away, I will say that "Waking the Dead" cuts back and forth between the early '70s and the early '80s, producing a subjective, stream-of-consciousness narrative that manages to be compelling instead of confusing. Also, I liked the use of color and lighting to visually differentiate between the '70s scenes (warm earth tones) and the '80s scenes (cold, dark colors).

But unlike "The Matrix" and "Memento," which used subjective narrative to play head games with the audience as its central gimmick, "Waking the Dead" is after bigger game. The ambiguity surrounding Sarah underscores how deeply her memory haunts Fielding, the toll it has taken on his mental state, and how deeply they love each other, despite the cruel blow fate has dealt them.

The soundtrack also features lovely songs by Joni Mitchell ("A Case of You"), Lori Carson ("Snow Come Down") and Peter Gabriel ("Mercy Street"); alas, no soundtrack CD was ever made. The DVD also includes 45 minutes of deleted scenes, including a brief but engaging performance by Ed Harris, whose character only appeared onscreen (in TV footage, no less) for about 10 seconds in the final cut.

Just make sure you have a box of tissues and a wastebasket handy before you push "play." You have been warned.

"Words support like bone"
Both Jennifer Connely and Billy Crudup shine in this heart-wrenching film about lost love. I was particularly moved by Billy Crudup's amazing performance. It was filled with anger and confusion, longing and despair, but ultimately hope. His acting here is as good as any actor could possibly attempt; some of his scenes are so intense that they seem out of place with the rest of the movie, and only Jennifer Connelly ever keeps up with him. The remaining scenes show him numb with the loss of his true love. His performance is truly remarkable. There is also a "sex" scene between Jennifer and Billy that was pulled off so convincingly that it looked as though they actually were making love. The intensity they both bring to that scene is genuinely amazing. There is also another montage of scenes that takes place late in the film with the Peter Gabriel song "Mercy Street" played in full that is so perfectly placed it seemed as thought the song were written specifically for this film. Another remarkable moment. The pace is deliberately slow, the plot jumps back and forth in time, and some of the scenes seem staged for the benefit of Billy Crudup, but overall this is a moving experience. The writing is also excellent but sounds more like a play than a screenplay. However, this is a landmark event for Billy Crudup, and a completely different character than Russell Hammond in the film "Almost Famous." If you love great acting, look no further than this movie.

Superb, but as usual, less than the book it was based upon
I read "Waking the Dead" a few months before watching the movie. I was thus certainly biased in a certain direction in favor of the book.

Keith Gordon, who also directed the outstanding and under-appreciated films "A Midnight Clear" and "Mother Night", stays pretty much faithful to the original material by Scott Spencer. It's obvious that films are different than books and directors need a certain amount lattitude to change the story as needed. Gordon certainly left a lot of the story on the cutting room floor and that is, for the most part, not a problem.

What is the problem is that Gordon didn't flesh out Sarah's story and, as a result, offers a skewed ending that the book doesn't share.

Sarah and Fielding are not "opposites" as many suggest. They happen to agree politically. They're both "liberals." Where they disagree is on tactics. The problem with the film is that we don't really see enough of Sarah to understand just how different her tactics are compared to Fielding and why, ultimately, she chose to go away. The movie's ending is ambiguious about the fate of Sarah. Did she die or didn't she? The book shares some of this approach, but it strongly leans in the direction of Sarah having faked her death. In the book Fielding meets with a priest who states that Sarah is alive. And when Sarah and Fielding finally meet at the end Sarah explains how she is living underground and continuing her work. We're given, at least in the text, a reason why Sarah chose the path that she did. Gordon, however, mostly gives us Fielding's side of things. In the process he detracts from the central conflict and ends up with a rather wishy-washy ending.

I strongly recommend this film. The DVD has many interesting extras, including many deleted scenes and a commentary by Gordon. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be anything on the DVD from the original author, Scott Spencer. That's too bad because I think he could have added some really interesting insights about the story overall. And of course, read the book which is, as usual, even better than the movie.

Heartbreaking . . .
One of the few movies that caused me to burst into tears and weep like a baby. Losing someone you dearly love is rough and if you have experienced that this might be a tough movie to get through.

exquisitely heartbreaking
i find resonance with this movie. let's put politics aside. i find this movie beautifully and powerfully acted by both jennifer connelly and billy crudup. their pain and their happiness is a wave of emotion seldom seen on the screen anymore. i was truly taken and i cannot say that about many movies i have seen in my life. i rented it on a whim because i never had heard of it before. i am so lucky that i did. i find it a solid and sultry breath of thick air- life invigorating- an idealists and realists movie balancing on a fulcrum of believability. its two hours of antidote in a world sick with cynicism. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

A great mix of film noir, musicals and human drama
Author Dan Dark is trying to recover from a severe case of psoriasis, which causes him immense physical pain and sometimes the occasional hallucination. As he re-works his first novel, "The Singing Detective," in his mind -- sometimes imaging the people surrounding him as characters in this book, sometimes breaking out in song -- Dr. Gibbon, a psychlogist, tries to help Dark get at the root of his ailment by examining the events of his past.

Writer Dennis Potter re-works his TV mini-series into a fine film, mingling musiclas, film noir and a good human drama. Robert Downey, Jr., is excellent as Dan Dark, suffering both with the terrible skin condition an with his deep-seated emotions behind the characters in his first book. His delivery of Potter's fast-paced dialogue as well as his finesse with the character are amazing. Probably one of his best performances. The supporting cast also gives fine performances that truly enhance the film: Mel Gibson as Dr. Gibbon; Adrien Brody and Jon Polito as the two bumbling hoods; Katie Holmes as Nurse Mills; Jeremy Northam as Mark Binney; and Robin Wright Penn as Nicola/Nina/The Blonde. The makeup is also wonderful, especially both the work done to give Downey, Jr. psoriasis, and the almost unrecognizable Mel Gibson.

My only gripe is that the editing is sometimes a bit choppy making some scenes not flow as well as they could. Other than that, this is a great movie, filled with fine performances and a sharp, strong script.

It's a Freudian Mystery Musical!
A disfiguring skin disease confines novelist Dan Dark (Robert Downey, Jr.) to a hospital bed for months. Embittered by his condition and paranoid about his wife's (Robin Wright Penn) fidelity, Dan hallucinates the plot of his first novel "The Singing Detective", replacing the characters in the novel with real people from his life. The resident psychiatrist (Mel Gibson) believes that the noir detective novel about a 1950's era "gumshoe that warbles" holds clues to Dan's paranoia and self-loathing. How much of the detective story reflects Dan's real life and how the two have become intermingled in his hallucinations remain to be seen as Dan slowly recovers.

"The Singing Detective" is adapted from the 1986 television miniseries of the same name, written by Dennis Potter, who also wrote the film's screenplay. The film defies categorization, and it may take the prize for the most genre-crossing film that I have seen. "The Singing Detective" is a mystery within a mystery, a comedy, a psychological drama, and a musical. Yes, a musical. The plot is nonlinear, jumping back and forth between Dan's ordeal in the hospital, his memories, and his hallucinations of various times and places. It takes the audience the better part of the film to figure out how it all fits together. In this way, the film is like a jigsaw puzzle of Dan's mind...a mystery to be unraveled. The other mystery is the one Dan's fictional detective is simultaneously trying to solve. I'm not sure why Dennis Potter made the detective a singer. This introduces a musical element into a story that is already so overcrowded that it can be difficult to decipher. "The Singing Detective" is the most overtly Freudian movie I've seen in ages. In fact, if there is any film to which it can be compared, it reminds me of Alfred Hitchcock's "Spellbound". Both films alternate between reality and stylized Freudian hallucinations. In both films, a man's past and his salvation, of which even he is not aware, are to be found in his hallucinations and the mystery solved with the help of a sympathetic psychoanalyst. Unlike "Spellbound", "The Singing Detective" could actually be called overbearing in its style, though.

"The Singing Detective" is genuinely hilarious at times. It elicited more than a few loud guffaws from the audience in my local theater. It's also to be commended for being clever and surprising. And Robert Downey, Jr. gives an impressive performance, as always. But the film's first act unfortunately does nothing to draw the audience into the story. On the contrary, it introduces some unattractive characters in a confusing manner and does more to put the audience off than anything. This may be attributable to the fact that "The Singing Detective" contains too much material for a film of this length, so it is obligated to dive right in instead of easing the audience into its frenetic mix of fantasy and reality. But if you get past the first half hour or so, it improves. Another element that is likely to alienate some of the film's audience is Dan's misogynistic tirades, which wore on my patience after a while. So I'm giving "The Singing Detective" a marginal recommendation. If you don't like non-linear methods of story-telling, garish imagery, and Freudian inferences, you won't like this film. If, on the other hand, you like (truly funny) cynical, vindictive, occasionally obscene humor and the aforementioned characteristics appeal to you, you might want to give "The Singing Detective" a try.

An Abridged Version That Works
This film is not anything like the 1986 British mini-series. This shorter version is a daring and mostly successful attempt by director Keith Gordon to fuse all the elements of the story into a madcap collection of tough reality and odd hallucinations. Dan Dark (Downey) is a bedridden author severely disabled by the worst case of psoriasis imaginable. He refuses any medication and thereby experiences hallucinations - or reality - or stories for his next book? Director Gordon teases us through out the movie. Downey is exceptional as the acid tongued, highly emotional, screaming patient who has a wisecrack quip for any lowly doctor or nurse that comes his way. He verbally abuses his wife who can barely keep up with attacks, but sometimes shines through when needed. There's a lot of paranoia in this story and the 40's film clips where Dan Dark is the detective investigating some murders is part tongue in cheek and part possible reality. The scenes are chunks of 40's detective clichés thrown into a series of sentences. It's masterfully amusing. When Downey gets nearly unbearable to watch as the pain stricken patient, the film switches to a hallucinatory dance and signing number driven by Dan Dark's imagination. Sometimes it seems like a diversion and other times it's sheer brilliance. All the actors, Robin Wright Penn, Adrien Brody, Katie Holmes and Mel Gibson (as the nearly unrecognizable psychiatrist) do masterful jobs and Dennis Potter's dialogue is amazingly crisp. It's a good story, albeit sometimes disjointed, but the entire experience is well worth the time.

What's all the fuss about?
This was no great movie. After suffering through the first half hour (but determined to see it through), I managed to do my ironing, balance my checkbook, and finish a crossword puzzle while this film droned on (and on, and on) in the background. Even the lovely Katie Holmes couldn't save this movie. I was disappointed, to say the least, after reading all the glowing reviews. The cuts between reality and musical/fanasy were handled much better in "Chicago." I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone as it it tedious and horribly uninteresting.

SOMETIMES SINGS
When Robert Downey is in session with his psychiatrist to cure his depression from a rare disfiguring skin disease, this movie truly 'sings' The quick witty banter between the two could have justified the whole film. But when the 'singing detective' imagines his new detective yarn we're treated to what looks like a long Robert Palmer music video from the '80s. Real empty-headed stuff. Also, childhood trauma lies at the root of this mystery and that goes way against the grain of the detective film noir style the movie was certainly aiming at. Uneven is the word. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Aw, come on!
The season's over, so I come onto this site expecting a DVD release date, yet there's nothing slated. What a jip! Ah, well. Summer re-runs and all that jazz. Life is good.

I haven't been this involved in a new television show since the Sopranos first premiered. And now that we have to wait until we all start collecting Social Security until season six finally arrives, I decided to find an alternative. I saw the promo for "House" and was interested. After the very first episode, I was hooked. OUTSTANDING show. Great writing, great ensemble.

Great main character.

Greg House is one of the most interesting characters to come along in a while. Sarcastic, mean-spirited, misanthropic, brutally honest and with a heart of gold. Truly worthy of the "complex" handle. And Hugh Laurie... wow. If this man doesn't recieve an Emmy or a Golden Globe (preferably both), it will only reaffirm my belief that the people in charge of running those awards things suck moose balls.

Not a single weak episode; this is one of those shows that progressively gets better and better until finally crashing into the legendary "cliffhanger" finale. Can't wait for season two!

World affairs can wait; this has to be released on DVD as soon as possible.

There's a scene where House is interviewing applicants to replace one of his underlings. A young kid walks in and basically attests that conformity is the enemy and how he admires Dr. House's attitude towards life. House fires back with a comment about conformity and an Asian tattoo the applicant has on his wrist. I mention this because it's the hardest I've laughed at a television show in years. One of many gold moments. Watch the re-runs. Support this show!

Best thing that's happened to TV in YEARS!
It's been so long since there's been anything on TV, anything at all, to sit up and watch on Tuesday nights.I can't wait to have this series on DVD!Hugh Laurie is brilliant, yeah, but we already knew that (grin).The ensemble cast is terrific (the best performances from Laurie wouldn't be as effective without the supporting players).The writing is solid, solid, solid, and -- wonder of wonders!there's character development and continuity!Ai yi yi!

Rather than start off on some of the wonderful things about House I'd better just shut up and say, Can't wait for the DVD . . .

British Import Hugh Laurie: A Treat for American Audiences
House, M.D. is bar none THE best television drama of the 2004-2005 season.FOX scored big with this hit.The recent episode "Three Stories" is the best episode I've seen on televion in YEARS!Hugh Laurie gave the most outstanding acting performance that should see him winning major acting awards in television.A British import, Laurie is a welcome treat for American audiences.

The supporting cast and the writing are top notch, especially the dialogue involving Dr. Gregory House.House's sharp yet caustic quips, called "Houseisms," are quickly becoming infamous among the show's exploding fanbase.Thisshow is smart, and smart is sexy.Special effects of the human body give House, M.D. a cutting-edge feel.

Season 2 promises to be every bit as good as House's freshman season, and that is no easy feat in today's television.However, House, M.D. can't miss ... It has all the right stuff.

I can't wait to add the DVDs to my entertainment collection alongside other classics such as X Files.

YES. YES. YES.
A top notch show with everything a person can look for: Humor, Drama, Comedy, Suspense, even a level of Romance, all rolled into one show.

Oh, and just a little Sarcasm from Dr. House......

AWESOME Show!!
I have to admit that I didn't watch this show when it first came and then one night I watched it because nothing else was on and I AM ADDICTED! Dr. House is awesome (I just wish he and Dr. Cameron would hook up already). I can't wait for the DVD's to come out so that I can watch the few shows I missed. ... Read more