The Sunchaser

Directed by Michael Cimino and written by Charles Leavitt, The Sunchaser is the story of a 16-year old juvenile delinquent, who is suffering from abdominal cancer as he kidnaps a rich doctor and takes him to the Navajo region in the hopes to cure him. The film is an exploration into a man dealing with his lifestyle as he struggles with the role he plays in helping this young man. Starring Woody Harrelson, Jon Seda, Talisa Soto, Alexandra Tydings, and Anne Bancroft. The Sunchaser is a visually-striking but messy film from Michael Cimino.

The film revolves two different men at different points in their life where they go into a journey to the Navajo Nation in the American Southwest. During this journey, a self-absorbed doctor and an angry 16-year old criminal go through changes in the journey as the former is taken hostage by the latter who believes that there’s a sacred mountain that can cure him of the abdominal cancer he’s suffering from as he has very little time to live. While the film does have some very interesting insight into the world of the Navajo and what this young half-Navajo man believes as he takes this rich doctor to the Navajo world. It’s a film that has an interesting concept but doesn’t really do enough to flesh out the characters nor bring any weight to what is at stake.

Charles Leavitt’s script does create some moments in the lead characters in Dr. Michael Reynolds (Woody Harrelson) and Brandon “Blue” Monroe (Jon Seda) where the two eventually bond. The way their relationship starts off from antagonistic to more friendly isn’t as developed where Dr. Reynolds is often more concerned with his reputation as he’s about to get a prestigious job offer so he can buy his wife their dream home. Yet, he would eventually care for Blue despite Blue’s constant threats and antagonism as he also carries a gun. In the course of the narrative as the two become more friendly with one another, Dr. Reynolds reveals into why he’s been so hesitant to be very helpful as it relates to a traumatic experience he had as a kid as Blue would remind him of his brother. The way some of the narrative and character development shift does have some earnest moments but it often feels too rushed or to clumsily scripted.

The direction of Michael Cimino has a lot of the attributes that he’s known in terms of vast visuals with the way he shoots the American Southwest in its canyons, mountains, and deserts. Many of which are just powerful yet he isn’t able to get the story to be more engaging as some of the drama that occurs gets repetitive at times in the way Dr. Reynolds and Blue often spar over their differences. Some of it would feel awkward such as a pivotal scene where Blue tells Dr. Reynolds the story of the Sunchaser while holding a gun to his head as Dr. Reynolds would have these flashbacks about his traumatic moment with his brother. It’s a scene that showcased some of the messiness of the film as there’s scenes where Cimino tries to inject some humor and drama as the latter show scenes of Dr. Reynolds’ wife waiting for word on her husband.

While Cimino is much more free in shooting in the deserts and mountains, it is clear that he wants to infuse a lot of mysticism as it concerns the world of the Navajo. Yet, he is unable to balance that with the drama where he wants to do so much with the story and make it feel personal and important. Even in its third act where the two men reach their destination as the mixture of beautiful imagery and mythology seems to play this idea of Americana that Cimino felt was lost. Yet, it’s a moment in the film that showcases not just what Cimino wasn’t able to do make the story feel whole but also in the fact that it’s a film that struggles with its identity in what it wants to be. Overall, Cimino creates an uneven film that isn’t sure what it wanted to say about two men going into a mystical journey.

Cinematographer Douglas Milsome does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the look of some of the interiors such as the bar Dr. Reynolds and Blue stop at to many of the beautiful images of the canyons and mountains they encounter. Editor Joe d’Augustine does nice work with the editing from the usage of stylish cuts as well as the flashback montages and rhythmic cutting for the action. Production designer Victoria Paul, with art directors Lee Mayman and Edward L. Rubin and set decorator Jackie Carr, does terrific work with the look of the bars and hospitals Dr. Reynolds and Blue go into as well as the posh home of Dr. Reynolds.

Costume designer Christine Peters does some fine work with the costumes from the street clothes of Blue to the look of the Navajo people he and Dr. Reynolds encounter. Sound designer Brian Best does superb work with the sound from the layers of sounds in the way helicopters and highway patrol officers try to find the two men as well as some of stuff that occurs in some of the film‘s locations. The film’s music by Maurice Jarre is good for some of the serene orchestral moments yet some of its bombast tends to drown out some of the drama as some of the placement of the music doesn’t work while the soundtrack includes some hip-hop, R&B, rock, and gospel.

The casting by Terry Liebing is wonderful for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable appearances from Andrea Roth as a head nurse, Carmen Dell’Orefice as Dr. Reynolds’ mother, Brooke Ashley as his young daughter, Christopher Kennedy Masterson as his brother in the flashback, John Christian Graas as the young Dr. Reynolds, Victor Aaron as the mysterious medicine man Webster Skyhorse, and Talisa Soto as his granddaughter. Alexandra Tydings is pretty good as Dr. Reynolds’ wife Victoria while Matt Mulhern is alright as Dr. Reynolds’ colleague who often has him wanting to advance his career. Anne Bancroft is fantastic as the eccentric Dr. Renata Baumbauer as a free-spirited woman Dr. Reynolds and Blue meets as she would convey a lot of strange ideas that would frustrate the former and amaze the latter.

Jon Seda is superb as Blue despite the fact that he was too old to play a 16-year old yet he manages to convey the sense of anger and determination of a dying young man who believes in this mystical mountain that he wants to go to. Finally, there’s Woody Harrelson in an excellent performance as Dr. Michael Reynolds as a man who is kidnapped by Blue as he comes to term with his own loss as well as the position he’s in as he tries to help Blue and also regain the courage and care that he has as a doctor and as a man.

The Sunchaser is a very troubled and disappointing film from Michael Cimino. Despite some majestic scenes and the performances of Woody Harrelson and Jon Seda, it’s a film that falls very short due to its script and inconsistency with what it wanted to be. In the end, The Sunchaser is a lukewarm and underwhelming film from Michael Cimino.

Michael Cimino Films: Thunderbolt & Lightfoot - The Deer Hunter - Heaven‘s Gate - Year of the Dragon - The Sicilian - Desperate Hours (1990 film) - To Each His Own Cinema-No Translation Needed - The Auteurs #35: Michael Cimino

© thevoid99 2014

Great Expectations (1998 film)

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 5/13/04 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Based on the novel by Charles Dickens, Great Expectations is the story of a young boy's encounter with an escaped convict as he would come of age when he becomes the playmate a rich, reclusive woman's daughter. He later becomes successful through a secret benefactor as he tries to woo the girl he knew as child. Directed by Alfonso Cuaron and screenplay by Mitch Glazer, with additional work by Cuaron and narration written by an un-credited David Mamet. The film is a modern take on Dickens' story that is told through perspective of a man as he tries to court this cold-hearted woman he had known since childhood. Starring Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Hank Azaria, Chris Cooper, Anne Bancroft, and Robert de Niro. The modern version of Great Expectations is a visually-lush but very clumsy adaptation from Alfonso Cuaron.

A young 10-year old boy named Finn (Jeremy Kissner) is drawing fishes in his Florida home where he encounters an escaped convict named Lustig (Robert de Niro) who is on the run. Lustig wants Finn to give him some things or else he'll kill him as Finn returns home with food, pills, and alcohol later that night as Finn later hides Lustig from the cops behind a buoy. Though Lustig would later be captured, the event would have a great impact on Finn's life as he returns home to his sister Maggie (Kim Dickens) and her kind husband Joe (Chris Cooper). When Joe decides to go to the tarnished Paradiso Perduto mansion for work, Finn goes with him where he takes a look into the house where he meets a young girl named Estella (Raquel Beaudene) who is the niece of the mansion's reclusive owner Miss Dinsmoor (Anne Bancroft). Joe receives some money as Miss Dinsmoor calls Maggie wanting Finn to be his niece's playmate every Saturday. There, Finn is encouraged to do his drawings while taking dance lessons with Estella under Miss Dinsmoor's guidance.

Years later, Finn (Ethan Hawke) and Estella (Gwyneth Paltrow) continue their time as Miss Dinsmoor suggests that Finn should accompany Estella to a party. Finn is excited but Estella isn't as the two ditch the party for a night out where Finn deals with her sudden cold behavior. After Estella leaves Florida, Finn is hurt as he gives up painting and help out Joe in the fishing trade until a Manhattan art representative named Jerry Ragno (Josh Mostel) has discovered his art and offers him a place in New York City to live and work. Finn isn't sure until an art dealer named Erica Thrall (Nell Campbell) discovers Finn's work through an anonymous benefactor as he takes the offer. Moving to NYC, Finn meets Thrall as he re-discovers his passion for art where he encounters Estella at Central Park where he learns she's engaged to a wealthy man named Walter Pane (Hank Azaria). Estella shows up at his apartment one day to pose for his work as Finn remains unsure if she's playing with his head. Though Finn manages to impress Ragno and Thrall, Walter also visits where he admits to having a hard time figuring Estella out. Finn decides to pursue her as things become more complicated through her cold behavior.

With Finn finally set to have his first art gallery presentation, he starts to seduced by success and his new lifestyle as he waits for Estella to arrive. Instead, Joe makes a visit where he feels lost in this new world as Finn tries to understand Joe's alienation while he wonders where Estella is. At Estella's apartment, he receives a surprise visit from Miss Dinsmoor who reveals that Estella is left as she feels responsible for the way Estella has behaved due to her own past as she had been left in the altar by a man years ago. Lost in his feelings for Estella, Finn meets a mysterious man from his past as he makes a big discovery about why he's successful forcing him to come to terms with his love for Estella.

The problem with most film adaptations of classic novels isn't just character omissions and missing storylines, but also the way it is presented, particularly on modern day adaptations. The film's biggest weakness is in Mitch Glazer's sup-par script, which really takes out a lot of the emotional depth and social aspect of Charles Dickens' novel in favor of something more appealing for an audience. Plus, the character development in some of the leads aren't as great and with the exception of the Lustig and Joe characters, they come across in a very unsympathetic way. The screenplay is probably the reason why Alfonso Cuaron has expressed some frustration towards the project. Instead of relying on its weak script, he had to rely on the film for its cinematic quality and lush, elegant cinematography of his longtime collaborator Emmanuel Lubezki.

Cuaron still does bring out some fine directing moments in the film's first thirty minutes involving the kids while having some fine dramatic scenes with Hawke, Paltrow, and the rest of the cast. Despite the script, Cuaron brings in a fine directing approach to the film as Lubezki shines with his approach to sunlight and the Floridian waters reflecting sun as well as his use of green colors and the sunny look of New York City as Lubezki is one of the best cinematographers in the past 10 years. Helping Cuaron and Lubezki on the film's gorgeous, dreamy visuals are production designer Tony Burrough and art director John Kasarda for its exotic, greenish look of Florida and the street, art world of New York City. Another brilliant element in its relation to art is the drawings and paintings by Francesco Clemente that are well drawn in a lovely style with its simple format of shapes and colors.

The film's music also plays well by its score from composer Patrick Doyle as it has a dramatic, dreamy tone with its string arrangements and orchestra. The film's soundtrack is as equally as strong with its diverse acts that include Tori Amos, Scott Weiland, Chris Cornell (in his first solo recording after leaving Soundgarden), Pulp, Mono, Iggy Pop, and the Grateful Dead. The only weak spot in the soundtrack is the various versions of Besame Mucho where by the third play, it becomes really annoying.

While the smaller roles from Kim Dickens, Josh Mostel, Erica Thrall, and a surprisingly restrained performance from Hank Azaria are fine to watch in their small performances. The roles of the younger Finn and Estella played by Jeremy James Kissner and Raquel Beaudene are well-played, especially in their individual moments as they carry a fresh-faced innocence and chemistry that plays well with Kissner as the more innocent Finn and Beaudene as the cold Estella. Of the supporting cast, no one delivers a finer performance better than Chris Cooper as the loveable Joe. Cooper brings a charismatic performance of a man who isn't very bright but knows how to do the right thing and he comes off in a very sympathetic and loveable way as throughout the whole film, we get to love the guy even if he's a yokel.

While Robert De Niro doesn't deliver a groundbreaking performance in comparison to his many film roles, he was excellent as the convict Lustig as he starts off very mean but in a very sympathetic way. De Niro comes off as a man, who knows what he's done to land him in jail was wrong as he found something to live for from this young boy and De Niro brings a rare, fatherly-like performance from him as he shines early and later on in the film. Anne Bancroft delivers a fine yet bizarre performance as Miss Dinsmoor as she seems to have fun dancing to Besame Mucho a lot as she comes off in a very likeable way but as the film progresses and we learn of her flaws, there isn't any real sympathy to her in the end in the same way the novel and previous film adaptations had.

In the leads, Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow, unfortunately don't carry the same chemistry that their young principle actors carried early on in the film. There's no real spark in the relationship and whenever they get together, it feels somewhat contrived as really, you have neither to pull for. Hawke is excellent by himself or with De Niro and Cooper while unfortunately when it comes to the subject of Paltrow's Estella, he comes off as this pathetic lovesick puppy. Paltrow is sexy in some of her scenes but overall; her character is clearly the most confusing, as we're not sure if she is really in love with Finn or just playing with him. In that context, her character really comes off as unlikable and unsympathetic as Paltrow doesn't give her character a really center in this uneven performance.

Alfonso Cuaron's version of Great Expectations is a good although lackluster film due to a very weak script and the underwhelming performances of Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow. Despite some wonderful supporting work from Anne Bancroft, Chris Cooper, and Robert de Niro along with Emmanuel Lubezki's entrancing cinematography. It's a film that is more style than substance that tries to give Charles Dickens' novel a modern feel to appeal to a younger audience. Instead, it barely scrapes the surface of what Dickens had intended with his story. In the end, Great Expecations is a worthwhile but unremarkable film from Alfonso Cuaron.

Related: Great Expectations (1946 film) - The Auteurs #11: Alfonso Cuaron

Alfonso Cuaron Films: Solo con Tu Pareja - A Little Princess (1995 film) - Y Tu Mama Tambien - Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban - Children of Men - Gravity - Roma (2018 film)

© thevoid99 2012

The Elephant Man

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 2/11/10 w/ Additional Edits.

Joseph Merrick is known mostly as the Elephant Man due to a rare, congenital disorder around his face and body.  Treated like an animal in Victorian-era England, it was due to the meeting of a physician named Frederick Treves where Merrick was treated like a human.  Though he would die at age 27 in 1890, his story was considered a source of inspiration.  In 1979, a play about Merrick, though they changed his name to John, became a hit on Broadway which included a 1980 performance run by David Bowie.  Among those watching that play was Mel Brooks who decided to develop a film version on Merrick's story as he teamed up with one of his new favorite directors in David Lynch.  The duo would create what is considered one of the finest tearjerkers in cinema simply called The Elephant Man.

Directed by David Lynch with a script written by Lynch, Eric Bergen, & Christopher De Vore based on the books by Frederick Treves and Ashley Montagu.  The Elephant Man tells the story of Frederick Treves' discovery of John Merrick from a circus sideshow as he rescues and later show him humanity.  Even as Merrick would receive acceptance from the rich world of Victorian society England as well as the prejudice of others in a complex yet harrowing film.  Starring John Hurt, Anthony Hopkins, Freddie Jones, Anne Bancroft, Wendy Hiller, Hannah Gordon, Michael Elphick, & John Gielgud.  The Elephant Man is a harrowing yet powerful film from David Lynch.

Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins), a surgeon, walks around in a London carnival in the late 1800s as he looks around for interesting things.  He follows a policeman to a place where they hold circus freaks where among them is the mysterious Elephant Man.  Presenting the Elephant Man is a brutish promoter named Bytes (Freddie Jones) as Treves wants to see the Elephant Man up close.  With help from Bytes' young assistant (Dexter Fletcher), Treves finally sees the Elephant Man (John Hurt) in the flesh as he wants to examine physically.  Treves unveils the man to fellow physicians as the Elephant Man whose name is John Merrick is seen as a phenomenon of sorts.

Upon returning to Bytes, Merrick is suddenly beaten where he is ill as Treves decides to treat him after realizing how ill Merrick is.  With reluctant help from chief nurse Mrs. Mothershead (Wendy Hiller), Treves tries to communicate with Merrick while making reports to his superior in Mr. Carr Gomm (John Gielgud) as slowly, Merrick starts to talk.  When Treves presents Merrick to Gomm, Gomm isn't impressed until he hears Merrick recite Psalm 23.  Realizing that he is a man of intelligence and sophistication, Treves introduces him to various people of Victorian society as he is moved to a suite.  While Mrs. Mothershead might believe that it isn't a good idea.  Treves believes that introducing to people of importance might give Merrick acceptance.

After introducing Merrick to his wife Ann (Hannah Gordon), Treves learns that Merrick's most valuable possession is a picture of his mother that leaves Ann overwhelmed with emotion.  Another visit from an important member of Victorian society in actress Madge Kendal (Anne Bancroft) left an indelible impression on Merrick as the two red lines from Romeo & Juliet.  Despite these visits and Mrs. Mothershead's warning, Treves realizes that he might set Merrick up for trouble as he is aware that not everyone will accept Merrick as who he is.  Even as a night porter (Michael Elphick) gets people to view Merrick in his deformed state where one night also included Bytes who takes him back to his freak show.  Realizing that Merrick was abducted, Treves feels responsible as he confronts the night porter while Merrick would eventually escape Treves with help from fellow freaks as he returns to London where he's chased by a mob of people as he screams words of who he is as Treves wonders if he did the right thing in introducing Merrick to the world.

The film does have strong themes about prejudice and acceptance but it's really about the relationship between Frederick Treves and John Merrick.  Treves is a man who is intrigued by Merrick as he wants to examine him and show him to the world.  Yet, as his character develops.  He becomes a man aware that he might be doing something wrong in exploiting Merrick's deformed condition along with the fact that not everyone will accept him.  Treves is a complex character and unlike the brutish Bytes, is a man who is willing to treat Merrick like a human being instead of a freak.

Merrick himself, is a character that is just as interesting as he is revealed more and more to be a man of great intelligence and sophistication.  The reason he doesn't speak early in the film is because he plays dumb as a defense mechanism where once he recites Psalm 29, Merrick is unveiled for who he really is outside of his deformed state.  That moments ends the first act where the second act has him being introduced to people of high society while being accepted by nurses who were scared at him at first.  The film's third act is the night porter exploiting Merrick to various people and Bytes' return to reaffirm the idea that not everyone will accept Merrick that would later feature a climatic moment where Merrick screams "I am not an animal, I'm a human being" after being chased by an angry mob of people.

The script written by David Lynch, Eric Bergen, and Christopher De Vore is truly superb in its structure as well as characters who are just as interesting as the two main characters.  Particularly Mrs. Mothershead who is a conscience of sorts despite being a very hard, no-nonsense woman.  There's also Madge Kendal who finds the soul and beauty behind the deformity of Merrick as she becomes this warm, maternal kind of figure who has more compassion than the people Merrick would meet from high society.

While the screenplay is full of memorable characters, plot developments, and a fascinating structure.  It's David Lynch's direction that makes the film more mesmerizing than the story itself.  While he maintains something simpler in a lot of scenes that are shot in London including intimate scenes where characters interact along with Merrick building a model of a cathedral.  Lynch does pull in some amazing yet surreal visual sequences including an opening scene of a woman being attacked by an elephant.  Lynch's visual style is truly hypnotic while using close-ups to convey the sense of strong emotion without being too manipulative or too sentimental.  More intense sequences have a rhythm where Lynch is very engaging into what is happening though he knows where not to use a close-up.  The overall work Lynch does is magnificent as it shows a young director utilizing his talents to create a visually entrancing yet heart wrenching film.

Cinematographer Freddie Francis does spectacular work with the film's black-and-white photography.  Francis' photography has a sense of beauty for the scenes at the hospital and high-class places while in the poor side of London.  It's very ugly and there's a sense of grit to the way it looks and feel.  Even in some of the surreal imagery, there's a mixture of both as Francis's photography is phenomenal.  Editor Anne V. Coates does an amazing job with the film's editing from straightforward jump-cut and transitions to some fantastic work in the use of dissolves.  Notably some slow-motion, half-speed cuts for the film's opening sequence and layered dissolves to convey the dreams that Merrick and Treves would have.

Production designer Stuart Craig and art director Robert Cartwright do excellent work with the look of late 19th Century hospitals and buildings along with the look of the decayed carnival and freak shows that is displayed where Treves encounters in the beginning of the film.  Lynch's longtime costume designer Patricia Norris does brilliant work with the period-setting costumes from the suits and tuxedos the men wearing including John Hurt as Merrick and the dresses that is true to authentic to that period.  The make-up design by Christopher Tucker is really one of the film's technical highlights for recreating the head and body of the Elephant Man as it is truly amazing for its design and sense of beauty behind the deformity of the man itself.

Sound editor Peter Horrocks along with longtime Lynch collaborator Alan Splet on sound design and sound effects do great work in sound work for the film.  With Lynch also doing sound design, the film has a sense of atmosphere to convey the world that Merrick is surrounded by including the dream sequences that has a haunting feel as the sound work is truly brilliant.  The music of John Morris is wonderful for its plaintive yet lush orchestral sound to convey the sense of emotion of the film.  Even in some upbeat scenes along with dreamy sequences and intense moments as Morris' score is superb.

The casting by Maggie Cartier is amazing for its array of actors that include small appearances from Kenny Baker as a dwarf who helps Merrick escape, David Ryall as a drunken man with a pair of hookers, Tony London as a young porter, and in dual roles of Merrick's mother, Phoebe Nicholls and Lydia Lisle.  Other notable small roles include Lesley Dunlop as the nurse Nora, John Standing as an associate of Treves, Hannah Gordon as Treves' wife Ann, Helen Ryan as Princess Alex of Wales, and a young Dexter Fletcher as Bytes' young apprentice.  Michael Elphick is excellent as a sleazy night porter who wants to exploit Merrick for profit while Freddie Jones is superb as the brutish yet disgusting Bytes who treats Merrick as a freak only to hate him more after he abducts him.

Wendy Hiller is phenomenal as the hard-nosed Mothershead, a chief nurse who is organized while being friendly to Merrick despite her disciplined, stern persona as she is real standout.  Anne Bancroft is superb in a cameo role of sorts as Madge Kendal, a stage actress who helps Merrick find his inner beauty.  John Gielgud is great as Carr Gomm, Treves' superior who isn't impressed by Merrick until hearing him recite Psalm 23 as he finds Merrick a fascinating figure while giving him a home at the hospital.

Anthony Hopkins is amazing as the sympathetic Frederick Treves, a doctor who is horrified by Merrick and his condition along with the way he is treated.  Hopkins' calm yet compassionate performance is truly mesmerizing in how he is trying to be balance in being a doctor and a man.  Even as Treves is aware that he might be like Bytes in exploiting Merrick as Hopkins shows that even someone as good as Treves can be flawed as it's one of Hopkins' finest roles.  Finally there's John Hurt in what is definitely his greatest role of his career.  Though he is hiding under heavy makeup, Hurt's haunting portrayal of a man seen as a monster is heart wrenching in the way Hurt plays him both physically and emotionally.  There's a bit of charm and kindness to his role as it's definitely a brilliant performance for the famed, veteran actor.

The Elephant Man is an entrancing yet haunting film from David Lynch featuring two superb performances from Anthony Hopkins and John Hurt.  The film is one that is hard to watch at first but it has a great emotional payoff at the end as it truly earns its reputation as a great weepie.  Fans of David Lynch will no doubt consider this to be one of his finest films while in comparison to the rest of his film work.  It's one of his most accessible despite the fact that he is one of cinema's most unconventional auteurs.  In the end, The Elephant Man is a heartbreaking yet powerful drama from David Lynch.

David Lynch Films: Eraserhead - Dune - Blue Velvet - Wild at Heart - Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me - Lost Highway - The Straight Story - Mulholland Dr. - INLAND EMPIRE

The Short Films of David Lynch Pt. 1 - The Short Films of David Lynch Pt. 2 - The Music Videos of David Lynch

The Auteurs #50: David Lynch: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 - Pt. 4

© thevoid99 2011