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Lovers and Other Strangers
Dec. 24th, 2007 11:32 amParents are off to the mall to check on their cell phone. All the Xmas shopping has been done. Laundry is banging about in the dryer. And it is a sunny mild day on Hilton Head, green trees, bits of blue...much nicer than spending Xmas in Kansas City, which I hear is cold and covered with snow that is rapidly turning brown and yellow. Or for that matter New York, cold and the color of dirty socks this time of year. But to be truthful, as much as my family makes me crazy whenever I'm with them, I love to be with them during the Xmas holidays, more so than any other holiday during the year. I remember struggling to explain this to a Jewish friend one year - he could not understand why I didn't put more importance on Easter or Thanksgiving. Proof that it can be difficult to understand someone if you haven't experienced how they've been brought up.
Anyhow, yesterday afternoon, I watched an old flick on TCM entitled Lovers and OTher Strangers circa 1970, and starring Bea Arthur, Diane Keaton, Bonnie Bedelia, Gig Young, Anne Meara and Cloris Leachman. A humorous and at times bittersweet film about marriage and dating. Like most 1970s flicks this one was more interested in character exploration than action. Very little appears to happen in this film. It is more an examination of real life, the ordinary, and during a specific period of time. The 70s films tended to be less melodramatic than the films that followed in the 80s, 90s and millenium, although a couple of films in 2006 and 07 seem to reflect that old style - such as Closer, Sideways and Michael Clayton. Lover's and Other Strangers concerned five relationships, the newly-weds, played by Bedelia and some guy whose name I can't remember, her parents, his parents, her friend's marriage, his friend's blind date, and his brother's disintergrating marriage. The overall theme of the piece was that marriage is hard work, love isn't wild passion, and things don't always work out the way we expect. With an underlying theme about female and male sexuality and how both view relationships. What I found intriguing was some of the hairstyles and clothes are making a come-back. The long sweater jacket, the pulled back long hair, vests, and ack sideburns.
The best bits were between Anne Meara (Bedelia's friend) and her husband as well as the blind date between the usher and bridesmaid. Meara clearly was the bread-winner in the family while her husband took care of the kids. The first scene with them is in bed - she's asking him for sex and he's telling her that he's too tired. He says at one point, maybe we can do it after the wedding, get the kids a separate room. So after the wedding, they try to get together but instead argue - over who is the boss. Meara's hubby believes he should be the boss - he's the man. Meara doesn't understand why they can't be equals.
The blind-date was a riot. He kept trying to get her into bed, she kept putting him off and wanting to leave. When they finally get together the next night after the wedding, he's curled up in a ball wanting to go to sleep and wishing she'd just leave pulling as far from her as he can get, she's happily musing and stroking his back. This bit is interchanged with two other bits - one with Bea Arthur and her hubby (the grooms parents) who do not have a physical relationship or much of one, since Bea Arthur's character found sex disgusting with her husband (made her gag) and keeps retreating to the bathroom and locking herself inside. Her husband wishes he'd married the school-teacher that he had more in common with but was not into him. (He does not look like an intellectual nor sound like one). Yet they have a good relationship. The other bit is between the bride's parents - Gig Young who is having an affair with his wife's friend, unbeknowest to his wife. The friend keeps getting upset at the wedding, the wife tells him to go settle her down.
And when he does, the friend asks when he's going to leave his wife for her.
He can't he states - he has to keep everyone happy.
The song playing during all of this is the one made famous by the Carpenters, entitled "For All We Know"...it also I believe won an Academy Award at the time.
Interesting flick overall. A bit slow in places, but incredibly funny in others. Had some laugh out loud moments.
Anyhow, yesterday afternoon, I watched an old flick on TCM entitled Lovers and OTher Strangers circa 1970, and starring Bea Arthur, Diane Keaton, Bonnie Bedelia, Gig Young, Anne Meara and Cloris Leachman. A humorous and at times bittersweet film about marriage and dating. Like most 1970s flicks this one was more interested in character exploration than action. Very little appears to happen in this film. It is more an examination of real life, the ordinary, and during a specific period of time. The 70s films tended to be less melodramatic than the films that followed in the 80s, 90s and millenium, although a couple of films in 2006 and 07 seem to reflect that old style - such as Closer, Sideways and Michael Clayton. Lover's and Other Strangers concerned five relationships, the newly-weds, played by Bedelia and some guy whose name I can't remember, her parents, his parents, her friend's marriage, his friend's blind date, and his brother's disintergrating marriage. The overall theme of the piece was that marriage is hard work, love isn't wild passion, and things don't always work out the way we expect. With an underlying theme about female and male sexuality and how both view relationships. What I found intriguing was some of the hairstyles and clothes are making a come-back. The long sweater jacket, the pulled back long hair, vests, and ack sideburns.
The best bits were between Anne Meara (Bedelia's friend) and her husband as well as the blind date between the usher and bridesmaid. Meara clearly was the bread-winner in the family while her husband took care of the kids. The first scene with them is in bed - she's asking him for sex and he's telling her that he's too tired. He says at one point, maybe we can do it after the wedding, get the kids a separate room. So after the wedding, they try to get together but instead argue - over who is the boss. Meara's hubby believes he should be the boss - he's the man. Meara doesn't understand why they can't be equals.
The blind-date was a riot. He kept trying to get her into bed, she kept putting him off and wanting to leave. When they finally get together the next night after the wedding, he's curled up in a ball wanting to go to sleep and wishing she'd just leave pulling as far from her as he can get, she's happily musing and stroking his back. This bit is interchanged with two other bits - one with Bea Arthur and her hubby (the grooms parents) who do not have a physical relationship or much of one, since Bea Arthur's character found sex disgusting with her husband (made her gag) and keeps retreating to the bathroom and locking herself inside. Her husband wishes he'd married the school-teacher that he had more in common with but was not into him. (He does not look like an intellectual nor sound like one). Yet they have a good relationship. The other bit is between the bride's parents - Gig Young who is having an affair with his wife's friend, unbeknowest to his wife. The friend keeps getting upset at the wedding, the wife tells him to go settle her down.
And when he does, the friend asks when he's going to leave his wife for her.
He can't he states - he has to keep everyone happy.
The song playing during all of this is the one made famous by the Carpenters, entitled "For All We Know"...it also I believe won an Academy Award at the time.
Interesting flick overall. A bit slow in places, but incredibly funny in others. Had some laugh out loud moments.
