1981

THE ESSENTIALS

No Essentials.

——JEFF’S PICKS——

ARTHUR (Steve Gordon)

 It’s hard to think about this film without mourning the loss of its writer/director, Steve Gordon. Gordon died of a heart attack in 1982 shortly after his 44th birthday, just a year after the film’s release. It was the only film he ever directed, having only written one other feature, THE ONE AND ONLY in 1978 with Henry Winkler, directed by Carl Reiner. No doubt his work in television on such series as “Barney Miller” helped him to craft this rom-com with Dudley Moore as Arthur, a usually drunken, emotionally growth-stunted NY millionaire on the brink of an arranged marriage. Arthur is assisted (“propped-up” is more like it) by his long-suffering, quietly wise-cracking British manservant Hobson, delightfully brought to life by John Gielgud in his Oscar-winning role.

Gordon’s skillful comic direction keeps these two in perfect sync, giving Moore full freedom to explore his character, both verbally and physically. Meanwhile, you get the sense of Moore being reigned in just this side of Jerry Lewis-like antics. A spirit of improvisation surely must have prevailed on set, suggesting Gordon as a kind of modern-day Leo McCarey. And all the incidental characters in ARTHUR (cabbies, customers in a diner) are given some of the best moments in a comedy film since the days of Preston Sturges.

 

MODERN ROMANCE (Albert Brooks)

To some, Albert Brooks is an acquired taste. To me, if you don’t acquire it, there’s something wrong with you. He doesn’t make movies all that often. Unlike Woody Allen (with whom he’s sometimes compared), he doesn’t make a film until the concept is complete. All of his films are well thought through. And none is better than this hilarious take on the romantic travails of our hapless hero, played by Brooks himself. The quaalude scene alone is worth the price of admission.

THIEF (Michael Mann)

  Michael Mann came to make his first theatrical feature film with a lot of ideas in his head. Chief among them was how the film was going to look. Bright colors, clear contrasts, striking compositions. In other words, everything we’ve come to expect a Michael Mann film to look like. Chicago, L.A. day or night. It’s a visual seduction.  What is even more stunning about THIEF is how well he accomplished everything else. As much of a stylist as Mann unquestionably is, nothing is allowed to get in the way of the truth-telling. Mann’s screenplay is absolutely character-driven; surprising, coming from a guy who likes to blow things up. James Caan was born to play the high-stakes loner thief with a master plan and the smarts and the guts to pull it off. Like Scorsese, Mann uses first-time actors, unknown faces (an even ex-cons) not only to add color, but to bolster believability. It all works.