Last night I had the pleasure of watching a Paul Mazursky movie I had never seen before. As most of you film buffs know- he is the legend behind one of my favorite films I LOVE YOU ALICE B. TOKLAS. IF you have never seen that one-by all means rush out and watch it. Anyway the film we watched last night was made in 1973 and titled BLUME in LOVE. It sort of continues with the themes in his movie BOB & CAROL & TED & ALICE --and the idea of how to survive marriage in the heyday of hippies & the "me first" era. BLUME IN LOVE offers up the director's vision of divorce, love, and life in Los Angeles in the 1970s. The movie has that perfect dated 70's quality-( that I always love-) while still managing to be funny. I decided to write about it- mostly because I've seen this "man cheats on woman" plot in a bunch of films made today that fail. I had a recent rant session about why some of these relationship movies even get made. I mean did anyone leave the theatre after "The Last Kiss" or "Trust the Man" and feel like having a relationship? I felt like someone punched me in the stomach and left me lost on day three of a horrible breakup. WOW and what about "We Don't Live Here Anymore" that one hurts bad. Not even Mark Ruffalo's exposed behind made that one feel good. These movies offer something I don't even want to feel in real life-let alone while escaping to a film. Mazursky however is sort of a pro at this subject. In BLUME IN LOVE, Stephen Blume (George Segal) has fallen deeply in love with his ex-wife, Nina (Susan Anspach), but she has moved on and become involved with Elmo (singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson), a groovy out-of-work musician. May I add here that I had never really understood the power of KRIS- until now. Whoa. The second Kris, circa 1973, enters the frame- I blushed. He has so much folky hippie sex appeal in this film with shirt unbuttoned to his navel. Ok, so of course Blume is jealous, begins obsessing about his ex and longs to have her back. He does everything from bring over breakfast bagels to pal around with Elmo and participate in sing-alongs.
The tagline on the poster is something like "A LOVE STORY FOR GUYS WHO CHEAT ON THEIR WIVES".
I'd like to think that this movie and Fatal Attraction put some fear out there.
Kris from that same era- singing a duet with Rita Coolidge (on Youtube)
The hippies and freaks waiting in the welfare room scene look like all the guys here in L.A. you may run into at a show at the ECHO...or riding around in Cindy's car.
I just saw this! It is so insane. I can't believe they get away with that rape scene and treating it so flippantly.
I do love Elmo though. Have you seen An Ordinary Woman?
Posted by: Leti | September 10, 2009 at 08:31 AM