Underrated Gem : One From The Heart

In 1980  Francis Ford Coppola, fresh from the Philippine jungle and loaded with hubris, bought an old Hollywood studio. A real one, not just a production company, an actual physical studio with soundstages, editing rooms, dubbing rooms, wardrobe and make-up rooms, screening rooms, dressing rooms, executive offices; the works. It was the old Hollywood General Studios, located at 1040 N. Las Palmas Avenue in Hollywood. Built in 1919, the studio had a long history with Howard Hughes filming some of Hell's Angels {1930} on the lot, as well as The Front Page {1931}. Harold Lloyd used the studio several times in the 20's. The studio's heyday was in the 1940's when  British producer Alexander Korda, relocated from England, made the studio his home base and filmed classics The Thief of Bagdad {1940} and That Hamilton Woman {1941} with Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh. The Marx Brothers came out of retirement to make A Night in Casablanca at Hollywood General. In the 50's and 60's TV shows such as I Love Lucy, The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, Green Acres, Perry Mason  and countless others called the Hollywood General home.

Hollywood General Studios

 The sale of the 10.5 acre studio to Coppola was announced March 25,1980. The price tag, $6.7 million, was considered a bargain. Coppola also invested $5 million more in renovations for the studio, before a foot of film would be shot, as his working base of operations. The studio would be rechristened Zoetrope General Studios. Coppola's idea of gathering actors, directors, writers, cameramen, etc; putting them under contract, was a throwback to the studio era heyday of the 1930's & 1940's: A repertory company, who would come to the same place to work everyday. No bothersome location work waiting for the light to be just right or replacing parking meters and streetlights that were not in period. Everything would be in a controlled studio environment.  It would also be a family, with a 4 day work week, thanks to the new electronic cinema Coppola was working on, which {in theory}would speed up production and lower costs. So the idea was, one would come to work on Monday thru Thursday, then on Friday there would be a big party. Every week. Now the reasoning behind all this was Coppola's experience with Apocalypse Now. A legendary shoot of Murphy's Law, Apocalypse had all kinds of troubles:Coppola's firing his initial lead actor Harvey Keitel; Keitel's replacement Martin Sheen having a heart attack; typhoons destroying sets; the Philippine government recalling choppers Coppola had rented to fight some real battles, due to the fact that the U.S. government refused to cooperate with the making of the film and Coppola needing the Philippines' to make the film. All this contributed to having the budget swell from $12 million to over $30 million, an enormous sum at that time. Consequently the shooting of Apocalypse dragged on and on and on. Ultimately, Apocalypse Now was shown at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1979 and won the Palme d'Or  for Best Film. When released in the States, it proved to be a big hit both critically and at the box office and received 8 Oscar nominations including Best Picture and Best Director for Coppola. Francis' gamble had paid off. 

Coppola's state of mind while making Apocalypse Now

Having survived the ordeal, Coppola went into action with One From The Heart. The movie's shoot, all done on the Zoetrope General lot, was to be an antidote to Apocalypse's overruns. According to Wikipedia, the film's budget of $2 million {which seems incredibly low even for 1980}eventually soared to over $25 million. Suddenly everything Coppola had gambled on was riding on this one little movie. If the movie failed Coppola's dream of a studio family and complete autonomy would also fail. All this is taking the long road of saying One From The Heart had a lot more riding on it's shoulders than it should have. Consequently, because of all the press this generated, the critics didn't give the movie a fair shake.

Frannie {Teri Garr}, walking out on Hank {Fredric Forest} to start a new life.

One From The Heart is small story of a couple who have been living together for a number of years and have found that the magic has gone from their relationship. Hank {Fredric Forest} and Frannie {Teri Garr} have gone about as far as they can without doing one of two things : they either get married and possibly start a family or, they can split up and start over with others before it's too late and they find their youth has gone and they end up alone. Hank owns a junkyard with his pal Moe {Harry Dean Stanton}, Frannie works for a travel agency with her friend Maggie {Lainie Kazan}. These are simple people living simple lives and, for Frannie at least, that's not enough. So she leaves Hank and stays with Maggie until she can figure out what she should do, while Hank turns to Moe for guidance. On their own, they both meet other people who show them there may be something or someone else out there for them. For Frannie, it's Ray {Raul Julia}a singer who actually waits tables. For Hank, it's Leila a high wire circus performer. Both are sexy and lead, what seems to Hank and Frannie, exotic, carefree lives. After a night with their new playmates, the bitter cold of morning and the harsh reality of day brings both Frannie and Hank back to the bitter, harsh, ultimate realization that they may be destined to stay together.

Frannie's at work in the display window, with Ray transfixed on her. Note Coppola's use of the window as Ray's reflection of seeing what he is feeling for Frannie.

 The film is a kind of throwback to a simpler cinema, a cinema pre-Godfather. More along the lines of Rain People {1969}and You're A Big Boy Now {1967} of people, character and gesture, rather than grandiose themes. I love the film and have since I first saw it after it had made it's way to the {new at time}home video market. I recall wanting to see the film in a theater but it's release was brief, I seem to remember it being shown in my home town for about a week, maybe two at the most. The reason for One From The Heart's short release time was that it was a major, major bomb. Fast on the heels of the infamous Heaven's Gate {1981}, One From The Heart grossed approximately less than $1 million, with the final costs coming in at around $27 million. Total disaster. And the nation's critics didn't care for it either. Roger Ebert called the movie "an interesting production but not a good movie", Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times said "A bold experiment in technique and style that doesn't work", Ty Burr of The Boston Globe is quoted as "underwritten and overdirected". The movie currently holds a 46% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The influences of Michael Powell and Vincente Minnelli run through the film, with it's artificial, stylized sets and swooping camera work. The music, sung by Tom Waits and Crystal Gayle and written by Mr. Waits, act as a running inner dialog for Frannie and Hank's inner thoughts and feelings. Songs like "Picking Up After You", " Is There Anyway Out Of This Dream?", " I Beg Your Pardon" are character set pieces. The one acclaimed feature from the film was it's songs, which earned an Oscar nomination for Mr. Waits. He lost {natch}.

What I really like about this film are the characters, who are just as messed up as anyone, with no clue as to how to go about communicating what they want. They only know what they have is not enough. Or so they think. In truth {spoilers ahead folks}, Hank and Frannie have what they want. They really do love one another, but like any long term relationship will experience from time to time, it has hit a wall with a resounding thud. The scene where Hank, spurned on by jealousy, follows Frannie to the airport {she is going to BoraBora with Ray}and his pathetic rendering of " You Are My Sunshine ", just as she is boarding the plane, never fails to get to me. Fredric Forest's Hank is a true grabinski. Pot-bellied, somewhat narrow minded and not too bright, Hank is a typical-almost stereotypical-working class male. His one redeeming quality is his basic sweetness. Frannie is the real disenchanted one in the relationship. Wanting more from Hank and a life of quiet desperation, Frannie has had enough of coming home, fixing dinner, taking care of the house and being the good girl for her man. She wants to find romance, to travel to exotic lands, have drinks where they put an umbrella in the glass, and needs passion, maybe even an orgasim or two.

Note the Statue of Liberty on Frannie's left. Liberation, and romance, is what drives her.

When One From The Heart failed and died a miserable death at the box office, Coppola's dream studio ended. He went way out onto the ledge and he lost. Bankrupt, having lost his toy, Coppola had to go, hat in hand, looking for a job. Finding himself in debt, Coppola became the most famous director for hire in Hollywood. A town that doesn't allow failure, Hollywood essentially made him eat shit for the next ten years. Taking jobs that, while maybe not beneath him, were almost certainly not projects he would have chosen to make. It wasn't until 1990 with The Godfather III { ironically another movie he didn't, originally, want to make }and Bram Stoker's Dracula that Coppola got back on his feet financially. Coppola has had an interesting turn of events the last 20 years or so. Financially solvent, with a most successful winery, he has made only 5 movies since 1992's Dracula and, until recently, appeared to forsake directing and concentrate on producing for others, including daughter Sofia. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science in 2010 presented him with the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. In 2002 the Film Society of Lincoln Center likewise honored him. The one organization that has overlooked Coppola's contribution to film is, ironically, the American Film Institute. While toasting colleagues  Spielberg, Scorsese and  Lucas, Coppola, at one time more successful than all of them, has yet to be feted by that once-great organization with it's Lifetime Achievement  Award. Coppola, who just turned 74 this past April 7th, appears to have settled into a nice, benevolent, middle aged.... godfather.