AFTERGLOW |
| CREDITS: Directors: Alan Rudolph. Cast: Nick Nolte, Julie Christie, Jonny Lee Miller
and Lara Flynn Boyle. USA 1997 (15). INTRODUCTION: Rudolph's critically acclaimed masterpiece won Christie an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of a 60's B' movie star, in this her comeback film. SYNOPSIS: Calculating Yuppie Jeffrey Byron (Miller), his neglected wife Marianne (Boyle), their ageing handyman Leland 'Lucky' Mann (Nolte) and his washed-up actress wife Phyllis (Christie) engage in the sort of partner swapping that was rife in British farces of the 70's, but to greater effect. REVIEW: The story falls by the wayside somewhat as Rudolph slackens his grip to allow his actors full reign to explore their characters. It is no surprise to see that Robert Altman the master if this technique was producer on this film. As for the actors themselves Nolte is as solid as a rock, as indeed is his Acting. Christie is suitably charming in her great comeback hope, garnering her first Oscar nomination since 1971, Miller and Boyle ably demonstrate their ability to play in the big leagues against two such great, if somewhat faded, stars and Vincent Price and Barbara Steele are as ever, in clips from Corman's '61 masterpiece "The Pit And the Pendulum", included to supposedly show the highlights of Phyllis' career. Presumably none of Christie's own work from that period was considered bad enough. Dripping, indeed perhaps overloaded, with metaphoric symbolism the film lacks the poignancy of Richard Kwietniowski's "Love And Death On Long Island" or the intensity of Ang Lee's "The Ice Storm" but it makes somewhat of an amends in its stark poeticism as free-flowing dialogue and loose plotting combine to create a film that, while flawed and at times unengaging, is none the less compelling. The sort of strong character drama that is few and far between these days. Mutt's Rating: *** |