Summer Affair

Starring:Ornella Muti
Studio: Jef Films Inc.
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

A Great Love Story
Yummy High Cholesterol '50's Fun!
A Summer Place-DVD
Summer, Sex and Suds
A SUMMER PLACE

A Summer Place
Starring: Richard Egan , Dorothy McGuire , Sandra Dee , Arthur Kennedy , and Troy Donahue
Director: Delmer Daves
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000JU8HBA
Release Date: 2007-02-06

Amazon.com

Think A Summer Place, and you'll probably be humming Max Steiner's wonderfully romantic instrumental theme song, a hand-holding hit in 1959. The movie itself is similarly irresistible, a colorful soap opera about the passions of a pair of dewy-eyed teens and their straying parents. At an island resort in Maine, Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue (the reigning teen idols of the day) fall hard for each other. What they don't know is that her father (Richard Egan) and his mother (Dorothy McGuire), lovers 20 years earlier, have rekindled their affair. Both, inconveniently, have spouses, which is what makes this a soap opera. Lovers of camp will find much to savor in the incredible '50s attitudes, and in the innocence of supervirgin Dee ("Johnny, have you been bad with girls?"). Yet the sincerity of writer-director Delmer Daves, cowriter of An Affair to Remember, comes shining through the corn; and the grown-up affair anticipates The Bridges of Madison County by 30 years. --Robert Horton

Description

Illicit romance take center stage when a wealthy family set off for a summer seaside vacation.

Customer Reviews:

A Great Love Story.......2007-06-27

I really love the actors in this story and recommend anyone,who truly want to be loved to look at this story.It doesn't matter about family situations long as you have a level head in this new reality world,you can over come any given situation.

Yummy High Cholesterol '50's Fun!.......2007-06-13

As a social barometer of the times it may be reading a bit too much into "A Summer Place" to proclaim it as an early ripple in the social tempests still to come in the 1960's. Still those of us alive at that time know that in 1959 it WAS controversial to sympathetically portray adultery and teen sexuality as depicted in "A Summer Place". I remember my high school years (early '70's) and how girls who "got into trouble" would simply disappear and you'd never know what became of them until a classmate told you years later of their waywardness (this was still a VERY rare occurrence here in "flyover country" even then; how things have changed). And of course while adultery and divorce were likewise not quite so prevalent "back in the day," they certainly happened but not without considerable burden of stigma for the convention-defying lovers who tossed everything over for their passion.

So yeah, I do think the sociology of "A Summer Place" is significant but that's really the least reason to see it. Mostly it's just maximum guilty-pleasure FUN and a HUGE blast of '50's nostalgia and "attitude" that still has great charm and luster for receptive movie fans.

Rule number 1 is that you must have full tolerance for what we could now call cheesy acting and intensely overripe melodrama. AND ALSO you must be prepared for the intense full-frontal gumball-vivid Technicolor cinematography of the time. Too many viewers can't see beyond the stylistic conventions of the time a movie was made to appreciate the human story being told; what a pity! Think of everyone you know who just won't watch a movie because it's in black & white, or because it's obviously an old, overcooked Hollywood potboiler. You know what? Many of those are GREAT works of art however (like most art) they require that you make the effort to meet them halfway. Think of them not only as theatrical productions but also as time capsules of the era they were created--because that's exactly what they are. And how fortunate we are now to have such easy access on DVD for our enjoyment now!

But enough of the film theory stuff. "A Summer Place" appeals on many levels; the gorgeous cinematography, the convention-challenging story & script, the VERY effective and well-remembered orchestral score, and let's not overlook the cast. Sandra Dee & Troy Donahue do indeed project a kind of youthful innocence that truly is a thing of the past now, but was common in their time. Dorothy McGuire & Richard Egan give it their all as the reunited Pine Island lovers who cannot resign themselves to half-lives of marital indifference or cruelty. And how about those jilted spouses? You gotta love Constance Ford as the scheming, triple-bitter wife interested only in keeping her husband & daughter under her thumb. Look-the DVD transfer shows how she has make-up "frown lines" painted at the corners of her mouth just in case we don't get the point that she's a sullen, PO'd bitter woman. A Snidely Whiplash mustache wouldn't have been gender-appropriate, would it?!? Arthur Kennedy also gives a GREAT performance as Dorothy's bibulous husband who despite his degraded state still musters considerable self-awareness & ultimately inspires our sympathy.

I described "A Summer Place" earlier as a guilty pleasure, but now I want to back off a little bit in closing. This is not really drama that will shake you fiercely like, say "21 Grams" or "Dead Man Walking," however I confess I AM touched by the underlying sincerity of "A Summer Place" and its intent to provoke--gently--some questioning of the Eisenhower era values that seemed set in stone and indeed WERE a cage of oppression for many. Perhaps your appreciation of "A Summer Place" will be proportional to your level of receptivity to such a re-evaluation. All I know for sure is that you enjoy it half as much as I do, you will like it a very great deal indeed!

A Summer Place-DVD.......2007-05-12

I saw this movie about 20years ago and loved it, but I fell in love with the Theme song and have loved it till this very day. The quality of this movie was fabulous as was the service, no hassles at all, its a pleasure to have my very own copy of this movie. Thanks Amazon.

Summer, Sex and Suds.......2007-05-08

Nowadays novelist Sloan Wilson's a nearly-forgotten footnote to 50's pop culture, but he produced two big bestsellers that were made into iconic films of their time, THE MAN IN THE GREY FLANNEL SUIT and A SUMMER PLACE. Neither picture's a masterpiece, but both are of interest, with SUMMER PLACE having the edge for entertainment value; its tale of angst and lust, senior and junior division, still provides plenty of sizzle. Thanks to the production code, Hollywood danced around sex for years. When films began to address the subject, in pictures like PEYTON PLACE and A SUMMER PLACE, the tone was often breathless hysteria -- there's something of a disconnect when actors coiffed and dressed in high 50's fashion are tossing around Victorian language like "house of ill repute" and "harlot". That said, these movies provide fascinating glimpses of public morality. In today's climate, Paris Hilton's X-rated antics provoke less commotion than Wilson's relatively straightforward adultery and teenage canoodling do here. Attractive performances from Egan and McGuire, nice work from Constance Ford as the embittered, puritanical mother (Angela Lansbury must have been washing her hair that week), and career-defining turns from Troy Donahue and Sandra Dee. As I've said before on this site, Dee's always better than you remember her being. She looks fine here, always maintaining her dignity in a thoughtful performance of material that could easily have turned ludicrous. Throw in a memorable Max Steiner score, a good Warner's DVD transfer, and you've got a great Saturday night movie.

A SUMMER PLACE.......2007-05-06

SUPERB OLD CLASSIC.RATHER DATED IN ITS APPROACH TO EXTRAMARITAL SEX, DIVORCE AND MORALS BUT STILL GREAT NOSTALGIA.

Average customer rating:

Definitely in the top 100 of all time
Very Moving
An Unforgettable Coming of Age Movie
Unforgettable, Cherished Summer of 42
Summer of 42

Summer of '42
Starring: Katherine Allentuck , Oliver Conant , Lou Frizzell , Gary Grimes , and Jerry Houser
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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Summer of 42
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The Way We Were (Special Edition)
Same Time, Next Year

ASIN: B00005U2KD
Release Date: 2002-02-05

Amazon.com

Herman Raucher's autobiographical (or first person, anyway) coming-of-age tale is set, as the title suggests, among sand dunes and departing GIs. Hermie (Gary Grimes) and his two buddies Oscar (Jerry Hauser) and the nerdy Benjie (Oliver Conant) are spending the summer doing the things preadolescents do: hanging out, eating ice cream, stealing "dirty" books from their parents, and trying unsuccessfully to act manly around the gawky girls they take to the movies. Then Hermie spoils everything by really falling in love, this time with the adorable older woman Dorothy, played by Jennifer O'Neill. Dorothy's husband conveniently leaves for duty overseas, and then, even more conveniently, becomes one of those "we regret" telegrams. Dorothy, desperate for comfort and sweetness, turns to Hermie--and surely makes his summer. The setting and the date give this movie a double helping of nostalgia for anyone who was once an adolescent boy desperately trying to get rid of both his callowness and his virginity. But the slow pace and dreamy atmosphere, courtesy of Robert Mulligan's direction and Michael Legrand's famous score, may give it less appeal to anyone who is still in that situation. --Richard Farr

Customer Reviews:

Definitely in the top 100 of all time.......2007-03-21

I first saw this movie in 1977 when I was 16 years old. It had come out a few years earlier and had a revival at a theatre in Manhattan. I went to see it on a Saturday, stayed for a second time. Went back the next Saturday and saw it again, then the next Saturday. Then it left and I was heartbroken until the VCR came into being!!!

It is a classic love story, touching, warm, passionate, just 3 guys hanging out in Nantucket for the summer. I can relate, I did it on Long Island at that age. They perfectly set up what the young mind goes through. When jennifer o'neil appeared many a young boys hearts fluttered--man she was gorgeous. The muscial score sets the tone for the entire movie. It's absolutely beautiful and will stay with you long after you have seen the film.

This is a movie that most likely wouldn't be made today. There are no more classics like this. Movies today involve violence, car chases, explosions and are geared for 18 year olds. A soft warm story such as this just wouldnt be made and thats sad----the classics are becoming fewer and fewer and only the magic of DVD's and video preserves these classics.

I can understand where people write about the double standard. This movie shows relations between a 15-16 year old boy and a 25 year old woman. But somehow its not bothersome---its done so tastefully and is not the crux of the story. If it was reversed, they are right, there would have been an uproar so there is a double standard. But just buy this or rent it and be mesmerized. A masterpiece.

Very Moving.......2007-01-23

Summer of 42, one of the little jewels of the Golden 70's, Robert Mulligan, a veteran Director (The Rain Must Fall and This Time Next Year) hits pay dirt with a wistful coming of age story during early WW2. The obsession of our 15-year-old boy is Jennifer O'Neill. O'Neil says goodbye on a New England island beach as her husband goes off to war. The boys, Gary Grimes, and friends see her across the sand dunes as a sex object. This reminded me very much of a far more complex film by Giuseppe Tornatore, Melina, which is fairly recent, an Italian knockout abandoned by her army husband. In Melina and the earlier Paridisio, the sexuality of young teens is the topic of wistful nostalgia.

Filmed in 1971, this island is fine for 1940's beach houses, so add a few 1930's cars and bobby soxer clothing and we have a lovely recreation. The boys want to do it, calculating whether their Saturday night date will allow further experimentation. Grimes, a handsome, but naive teen has been hanging around, doing odd jobs for O'Neill. He is quite stimulated while she pines for her serviceman. Then a tragedy throws O'Neil and Grimes into a desperate tryst. It's very moving actually. This is a wonderful film of an earlier era.

An Unforgettable Coming of Age Movie.......2007-01-11

I first saw this when I was barely 12. Now, nearly three decades later, having seen it again, the movie has lost none of its sense of wonder and pathos. Jennifer O'Neil has to be one of the most sultry women ever to have graced the screen in the 70s. Her beauty and sex appeal are more evident than ever in this decently remastered DVD. The melancholic love theme will resonate long after the movie's over. And the 2 main characters, who live on the fringes of mainstream society, start a romance that just cannot be sustained. His a teenager and she's a married woman. Their parting is always imminent. But knowing that midway through the movie does nothing to diminish its watchability. In fact, that makes it even more rivetting. This movie does not pale in comparison to Casablanca. At times, it's even better than that well-known Bogart classic. It's really about 2 very lonely souls who find comfort in each other's arms. A more recent treatment of this theme is found in Sofia Coppola's equally admirable Oscar-winner, Lost in Translation. But in Summer of '42, lies something more deeply rewarding for the audience who's watching it today. There is an all-consuming nostalgia that envelopes you because this is a highly original love story that came from a time when innocence and sexuality could blend together with a sweet, melancholic afterglow. One of the best romantic movies ever made. You can watch it over and over again. Unforgettable.

Unforgettable, Cherished Summer of 42.......2006-10-30

I just had to get this movie just so I could remember it from when I first saw it at the movies in the early 70s and to see the similarites from the movie The Inkwell (1994). Even my youngest daughter noticed the similarities watching it by herself. The only differences are; when the setting took place in the summer of 1942 from 1976, Nantucket Island from Martha's Vineyard, not white but African American. Both young teen males lost their virginity to older married woman, Summer of 42 she lost her husband in the war; The Inkwell, the husband was cheating on her, both women are sad and found comfort in these young men. The Inkwell being a little more funnier, Summer of 42 was still GOOD, SAD and SWEET (like another person puts it)and had some funny scenes too. Like Hermie going to the Drug Store trying to buy condoms (rubbers, hahah!!) and Oscy (Hermie's best friend)trying desperately to get his 1st lay and trying to follow instructions from a Medical book on foreplay leading to sex and exceeding it...haha!! Also Summer of 42 the possibilites of that happening to a normal young man was more realistic. In The Inkwell Lorenz Tate's character was a too weird and awkward teenage boy almost like Benji, Hermie's other best friend who was just too shy to be with girls his own age. But in the end that's something Hermie will never forget and will cherish for the rest of his life.

Summer of 42.......2006-08-21

Excellent movie that we had been having difficulty finding at nearby locations.

Average customer rating:

A Fun Film With Great Scenery
Aesthetically Charming.
Light and Sensual Smile
Lacks Courage
Excellent. Recommend Highly.

A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy
Starring: Thomas Barbour , J. David Copeland , Tony Farentino , Mia Farrow , and José Ferrer
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005O06K
Release Date: 2001-11-06

Amazon.com

In A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy, Woody Allen mixes Shakespeare, Ingmar Bergman, and the music and art of the turn of the century. Allen plays Andrew, an inventor, whose listless marriage to Adrian (Mary Steenburgen) has lost all erotic zip. He welcomes two pairs of friends to his country home: college professor Leopold (José Ferrer) and his fiancée Ariel (Mia Farrow), and dentist Maxwell (Tony Roberts) and his suffragette nurse Dulcy (Julie Hagerty). Before long, everyone's lusting after everyone else's partner, and the plot twists and turns to a happy and magical conclusion. It's a light and airy film, perhaps a deliberate break from Allen's previous production, the caustic Stardust Memories; but the tone may also be due to his new relationship with Farrow, who went on to star in Allen's films for the next 10 years. --Bret Fetzer

Description

Teeming with all "the beauty of an impressionist painting" (The New York Times), A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy is writer/director Woody Allen's "lightest and most sensual film" (L.A. Weekly) to date. Starring Allen, Mia Farrow (directed by Allen for the first time), Jose Ferrer, Julie Hagerty, Tony Roberts and Mary Steenburgen, A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy is a dazzling, uproarious masterpiece from "America's best comic filmmaker" (The Film Journal)! Love is in the air and magic is afoot when turn-of-the-century inventor Andrew and his wife Adrian host a country wedding for the pompous philosopher Dr. Leopold and his young fiancÃ(c)e Ariel. But when Andrew's best friend, the randy Dr. Maxwell Jordan, and his lusty nurse Dulcy turn up for the festivities, the stage is soon set for thwarted seductions, mismatched mates and magical mayhem, as Maxwell falls for Ariel, Ariel seduces Andrew, Leopold beds Dulcyand the bride and groom say "I do"to everyone except each other!

Customer Reviews:

A Fun Film With Great Scenery.......2007-06-23

Filled with lush scenery, babbling brooks, and nighttime scenes, A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy, from writer/director Woody Allen, is a fun and pleasant film. There are great laughs in this modern take on a classic comedy premise. The acting is fine, highlighted by Mia Farrow and Mary Steenburgen. As a nice piece of trivia, this marks the first time that Woody directed Mia Farrow. Tony Roberts is excellent in this movie. This is Woody-lite compared to the films that would follow. The film is well worth the minor time investment (just shy of an hour and a half) and is a recommended four stars.

Aesthetically Charming. .......2007-06-17

Not a lot of clash between myself and the other reviewers when it comes to this movie. This is a second tier Allen production and has none of the depth, feeling or ideas of Husbands and Wives or Manhattan. It's light but fun stuff. The value of a Midsummer's Night Sex Comedy revolves around its visual delights. These are wonderfully beautiful frames to gaze at and I'm sure most viewers longed to be transported to the beautiful natural scenery in which its set in the same way I did. Tony Roberts is very enjoyable here and I wish that Allen continued to make use of him in his later work. This is the only role in which I found Mia Farrow to be physically attractive as she was a solid and believable presence in the character Ariel. The plot's convoluted and light which makes for a humorous, breezy endeavor. It's a good time and this is unusual because that's not the way most of us feel about Woody's films. The theme is of infidelity and a little more infidelity after that so it's entirely expected and fits soundly within the rest of his oeuvre.

Light and Sensual Smile.......2007-02-20

Woody Allen's "Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy" that was made in 1982 between "Stardust Memory" (1980) and "Zelig"(1983) is considered by many as a lesser Allen's work or even failure. It was even nominated for a Razzie (Mia Farrow) for crying out loud. Well, failure or not, I'd take this silly, funny, humorous, beautifully photographed with Felix Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 3, Violin Concerto in E Minor, Piano Concerto No. 2 and "A Midsummer Night's Dream" suite for the soundtrack little treasure over the majority of Hollywood comedies any day or night including midsummer night. Spoofing Shakespeare's classic comedy and highly successful Ingmar Bergman's "Smiles of a Summer Night", Woody made a light comedy about six very different people - three couples in a turn-of-the-century who gathered together in a country during the weekend party in search for love, understanding and meaning of life and death which has his own unique style. Allen does not take things too seriously and laughs at and with his characters providing the best comical scenes in the movie as an inventor. One scene is his first appearance with the wings on his back when he tries to fly and another when he pedals his flying bicycle in a very ET - manner. Funny and memorable.

Lacks Courage.......2006-07-04

The problem with AMNSC is the simple fact that Allen didn't seem to be able to commit to making it into any particular type of movie. In the final analysis, Midsummer... feels like an exercise preparing Allen for his wonderful series of movies in the mid-eighties that mixed humor, pathos and love so perfectly than a movie in its own right. Here we have a Woody that never goes for the jugular but seems content to beat around the bush and never quite spit it out already. Each of the parts work just fine but they don't come together for a compelling or thought provoking narrative. A minor work.

Excellent. Recommend Highly........2005-08-27

I like this one a lot. Very romantic and appropriate for lovers. Gorgeous. A MUST HAVE.

Average customer rating:

10:30 PM Summer
Starring: Melina Mercouri , Romy Schneider , Peter Finch , Julián Mateos , and Isabel María Pérez
Director: Jules Dassin
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Iphigenia
Ace in the Hole - Criterion Collection
The Woman in the Window (MGM Film Noir)
Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 4 (Act of Violence / Mystery Street / Crime Wave / Decoy / Illegal / The Big Steal / They Live By Night / Side Street / Where Danger Lives / Tension)
Gary Cooper MGM Movie Legends Collection (The Cowboy and the Lady / The Real Glory / Vera Cruz / The Winning of Barbara Worth)

ASIN: B000PMFS64
Release Date: 2007-07-24

Average customer rating:

ORNELLA MUTI..........STUNNING!

Summer Affair
Starring: Ornella Muti , and Les Rannow
Director: George S. Casorati
Manufacturer: Telavista
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Laure
The Harrad Experiment / Love All Summer (Sexy 70's Double Feature)
Collector's Item
52 Pick-Up

ASIN: B0002HOE7G
Release Date: 2007-06-05

Description

A billionaire auto magnate's virginal teenage daughter falls in love with an older, free-spirited drifter. Their romance is one that her parents vehemently want to prevent. Lisa (Ornella Muti) is very curious to explore her new-found feelings of desire, but her father forbids her to see Robert (Les Rannow). In their desperation to be together...alone...Lisa and Robert steal her father's boat and set sail to a deserted, isolated island. Here they are finally able to run uninhibitedly along the beaches and discover each other's physicality. Meanwhile, Lisa's parents and the police are searching for the young lovers who are living and loving a passionate Summer Affair.

Customer Reviews:

ORNELLA MUTI..........STUNNING!.......2005-02-26

Summer Affair. I had never seen it before buying it, only on the basis that I'm a big fan of Ornella Muti.

The film was not bad, very early 70's, I didn't really expect the film to be fantastic, but I wasn't really disappointed either.
If your a fan of Ornella Muti then I suggest it's worth having in your collection, although the only thing I thought was ''what the hell'' was her voice is dubbed over, other than that, Ornella is just stunning as always.

Charlie Rose with Norman Ornstein & Jerrold Nadler; John Feinstein & Ira Berkow; Christopher Dickey (September 9, 1998)

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose with Norman Ornstein & Jerrold Nadler; John Feinstein & Ira Berkow; Christopher Dickey (September 9, 1998)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Description

First, Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute discusses the Kenneth Starr report and Clinton's confession and apology. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), serving on the House Judiciary Committee, discusses the Starr report, the partisan politics behind the affair, and the possibility of impeachment. Then, John Feinstein of The Washington Post and Ira Berkow of The New York Times discuss Mark McGwire's home-run record and the joy of watching the game. Finally, Christopher Dickey, son of writer and poet James Dickey and a writer himself, discusses his new memoir, Summer of Deliverance, about his relationship with his father.

Average customer rating:

"How am I to live now?"
A flawless adaptation of a literature masterpiece

The Lady With a Little Dog
Starring: Nina Alisova , Ala Chostakova , Iya Savvina , Alexei Batalov , and Vladimir Erenberg
Director: Josef Heifitz
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
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ASIN: B0009S2KFQ
Release Date: 2005-08-09

Product Description

In this adaptation of a story by Russian great Anton Chekhov, the chance meeting of Gurov and Anna Sergeyevna on vacation in Yalta leads to a serious relationship...but he is married, and she is committed to her family. Full of illusory hopes for their future life together, they strive to preserve their love, despite numerous obstacles from those around them.

System Requirements:

Running Time 83 Min.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

"How am I to live now?".......2007-01-03

The delicate and subtly-nuanced Soviet film "The Lady With a Little Dog" is the perfect screen adaptation of the Chekhov short story. The love affair between a bored bourgeois banker and a woman married to a provincial bureaucrat begins during the holiday season in the city of Yalta in the Crimea. Dimitri Gurov (Aleksey Batalov) has left his wife (Nina Alisova) and children behind in Moscow to holiday alone. Before too long, he spies Anna Sergeyovna (Iya Savvina) walking along the promenade with her dog. As a woman alone, Anna is already the subject of gossip and speculation, and Dimitri, who's a practiced hand at casual affairs, pursues the lonely, frail Anna until he secures her seduction.

Anyone who's enjoyed the Chekhov story will appreciate this marvelous film adaptation. The sets are splendid, and the casting excellent. Iya Savvina as Anna Sergeyovna could have stepped out of the pages of the book--she's that perfect. Trapped in a loveless marriage and a boring existence, Anna cannot resist Dimitri's advances. The film perfectly captures Dimitri's approach to what he thinks is a casual affair, but instead it becomes the relationship that provides the single defining moment of his life.

There are many memorable scenes in the film, but one of the best occurs when a ship docks in Yalta, and Anna thinks her husband may be on it. Dimitri, worried that he may lose his prey, hovers hidden in the background, observing those who disembark. Every man who appears causes Dimitri to speculate, "is this Anna's husband?" And the film conveys Dimitri's threatened curiosity without Dimitri ever once vocalizing his concerns. Interestingly enough, and this may be a sly criticism of Stalin's policy against Muslims, Muslims appear twice in the film--once to signify spirituality. Directed by Iosif Kheifits, this black and white film is in Russian with subtitles--displacedhuman

A flawless adaptation of a literature masterpiece.......2005-08-06

The Lady with the Little Dog is arguably Chekhov's best short story, and probably one of the greatest short stories ever written. I realize this is quite a statement to make, but, notwithstanding my opinion, it has been also the opinion of countless literary critics since the publication of the story. The challenge to faithfully render it on the screen was indeed a daunting task. No less than Nikita Milkalko directed a film, Dark Eyes, featuring Marcello Mastroianni, Silvana Mangano, and Marthe Keller, which was based on the same Chekhov story, but maybe Milkalko wisely stayed away from a straight adaptation of the work. Film director Josif Heifitz, sure of himself, went ahead with the adaptation of The Lady with the Little Dog, an intimidating task, and succeeded. Of course, it did not hurt that Heifitz had been a great admirer of Chekhov's work since his childhood, and considered him his mentor. And of course, nobody without a velikaya russkaya dusha, a great Russian soul, could have rendered this work. To a Russian, his soul is something more than what a Westerner drags to church on Sundays and holidays. It is hard to explain the Russian soul, but as they say, I cannot tell you what it is but I know it when I see it.

Andrei Moskvin and Dmitry Meskhiyev's black and white photography is exquisite in rendering the atmosphere of the film, from its opening with the lethargic atmosphere of Yalta, to the snowy Moscow winter, and the pathetic, frozen atmosphere of its conclusion. Heitfitz' succeeds at reproducing Chekhov's style and symbols. As rapid cuttings distinguish the story's narrative technique, the camera often jumps to new scenes without warning. These cuts and jumps through time give a sense of the suddenness and unexpectedness of Anna and Gurov's illicit love affair, their falling in love, their settling into their new life, where much has to be improvised to maintain the relationship. Nature and the sea are important symbols in Chekhov's work and are portrayed in the film through lyrical long shots of the sea at sunset and the nearby hills at Yalta. The two protagonists sit silently, reflecting from their vantage point on the birth of their love affair, lost in the continuum of eternity.

"...Yes, when you stop to think, the whole world is wonderful -- everything, except what we ourselves think and do when we forget the higher aims of existence and our human dignity" says Gurov.

Heitfitz uses a variety of shots appropriate for each scene. Close shots and close ups emphasize the moments of psychological drama. The dialogue is, as in Chekhov, minimal, and never more than is necessary. Only few words convey the emotional complexity of the characters, preserving the intensity of their feelings.

As with Chekhov, the Yalta seduction scene in Anna's room, or any of the intimate scenes later on, is not shown. In that respect, Chekhov/Heifitz followed the Russian mores of the time, knowing full well that had Chekhov dared to innovate, it would have never passed the censor's pen. One also notes the great care taken with the period details, such as costumes, carriages, and the physiognomy of the actors.

The acting of the two main characters, Iya Savvina and Aleksei Batalov, is "on the mark." She is young, fragile, and innocent, and he, reserved, sophisticated, and aristocratic. Anna was Savvina's first role. She went on to appear in twenty-seven more films, her last one, Trotsky, in 1993. Batalov has appeared in more than thirty-four films, including Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears (1979). The other two lesser characters appear only briefly: Nina Alisova, as Gurov's wife is sullen, and Pantelejmon Krymov in the role of Anna's husband, indeed looks like a "lackey."

The lyrical music by Nadezhda Simonian, like the dialogue, is used relatively sparingly. A romantic love theme appears throughout the film with different tempi, underscoring the different situations, and in several scene transitions.

The themes are love, and the Russian society in the late 19th century. The Lady with the Little Dog is a love story between two people who started in life on the wrong footing, for whatever reasons, as most of us do. To understand the story, we have to speculate as to what had happened to these two characters before the story opens. She is an aristocratic Russian woman, and thus was destined to marry, for love if she was lucky, but most likely without love, just to fulfill her role in society, to raise a family and be the centerpiece of that family. So, Anna followed her destiny. Gurov is an older aristocrat, from the big city, a well-established member of the Moscovite society, married with children. He is a man, and therefore in (relative) control of his life, and as a man of his time, looks down on women, but at the same time, enjoys their companionship. For that epoch, at forty years of age, he is at the twilight of his womanizing years.

Anna and Gurov meet and start an intimate relationship, each for a different reason. Anna wants to escape her boring, dreary small town provincial life. To Gurov, Anna may represent one of his last chances, if not the very last, to seduce a young woman who will rejuvenate him, invigorate his life. His life is turned upside down, as the seducer is himself seduced, hoisted upon his own petard. But love does not rescue Anna and Gurov from their stale marriages, nor does it improve their lives. Of course, divorce at that time and in that society was totally out of the question. At the end of the film, nothing is said about their future. It would seem that their relationship may continue, with their occasional assignations in seedy hotels, a couple caught

"...like a pair of birds of passage. They've been caught and forced into separate cages." (Anna)

Neither of them is brave or strong enough to fly free,

"It seemed that in a little while a solution would offer itself, a new, lovely life would begin." (Gurov)

We can only speculate and draw our own conclusion.

DVD:

DVD

DVD

DVD

Undercurrent

Night Waltz: The Music of Paul Bowles

After the Deluge (REGION 1) (NTSC)

DVD: Mouth to Mouth

La Cucaracha