An Officer and A Gentleman

Directed by Taylor Hackford and written by Douglas Day Stewart, An Officer and a Gentleman is the story of a troubled man who joins the naval academy as he contends with an uncompromising drill sergeant as well as his own demons while falling for a local woman. The film is an exploration into a young man who is trying to find himself through the Naval academy as he tries to escape the life he is destined to be from his own father. Starring Richard Gere, Debra Winger, David Keith, Lisa Eilbacher, Harold Sylvester, Lisa Blount, Grace Zabriskie, David Caruso, Robert Loggia, Tony Plana, and Louis Gossett Jr. An Officer and a Gentleman is a riveting film from Taylor Hackford.

Set in the American Pacific Northwest, the film revolves a Naval officer candidate who arrives at the naval academy to make something of himself as he deals with a no-holds-barred drill sergeant while he falls for a local woman who is eager to get out of her small town life. It’s really a film that is about two people trying to make changes in their lives as they both have to contend with themselves and their own environments. Especially as they’re eager to have a chance to get a better life in a world where there’s many expectations and such. For Zachary Mayonnaise (Richard Gere), he hopes to succeed as a naval aviator officer in the hopes that he doesn’t become like his father (Robert Loggia) who has a reputation for being a drunk and chasing whores overseas where the young Zachary was forced to live him following his mother’s suicide.

Douglas Day Stewart’s screenplay explores Mayonnaise’s desire to better himself as he is also known for being a loner that feels guilty for his mother’s death. Upon arriving at this naval academy, he contends with Gunnery Sgt. Foley (Louis Gossett Jr.) who is uncompromising in his tactics but knows what to do in ensuring that his recruits would have to succeed as he sees Mayonnaise as a troublemaker. Even when he discovers that Mayonnaise does do a side business of selling pre-shined shoes and belt buckles for money where Sgt. Foley would haze him to wonder why Mayonnaise wants to be a pilot and why he’s at the academy. While Mayonnaise would befriend other candidates including Sid (David Keith), Seeger (Lisa Eilbacher), and Perryman (Harold Sylvester), he would also do whatever it takes to prove that he can be an officer.

During breaks at the academy, he would meet and fall for Paula Pokrifi (Debra Winger) as she is among the group of women who hopes to bag an officer so they can get out of their life of working in the factory and staying in a small town with little hope. Her friend Lynette (Lisa Blount) would bag Sid as Paula deals with Mayonnaise’s moody behavior and unwillingness to be close to someone as she copes with not having a good life. Especially as she is a naval officer’s daughter who abandoned her mother (Grace Zabriskie) when Paula wasn’t even born as it plays into the roles women have and uneasy one where Lynette would make an announcement for Sid that would compromise his chances to become a naval pilot. Especially as Mayonnaise becomes more reliable in helping others succeed instead of himself as he is unsure if he can be a gentleman for Paula because of his own demons.

Taylor Hackford’s direction is quite simple as he shoots the film largely in the state of Washington for its Pacific Northwest setting along with a few shots set in the Philippines for Mayonnaise’s flashback scene as a kid. Much of it is presented with simple compositions where Hackford use a few wide shots for the setting while maintaining an intimacy into the training sequences and other moments involving Mayonnaise and the hazing he would get from Foley. The usage of close-ups and medium shots are quite prevalent while Hackford does bring in moments of humor along with some intense moments to play into Mayonnaise’s loner persona as he doesn’t make him afraid of being selfish. Even as the moments where Mayonnaise would be hazed with such brutality as it would have this key emotional moment for Mayonnaise about why he refuses to quit.

Hackford also amps up the drama for the film’s third act as it relates to Sid’s own situation with Lynette that would prompt Mayonnaise to do something while coping with the people in his life that he lost. Even as he wonders if is destined to become his own father as it plays into this desire of wanting to not just an officer but also a gentleman in order to give Paula the sense of hope that she needs. Overall, Hackford creates a very engaging and compelling film about a man trying to start a new life in a naval academy and help a woman to escape her own dreary environment.

Cinematographer Donald E. Thorin does excellent work with the cinematography as it‘s quite straightforward to play into the look of its location where the colors are a bit dark and gray while going for more low-key lighting for the scenes at night. Editor Peter Zinner does brilliant work with the editing to capture the intensity of the training along with some straightforward cutting to play into some of dramatic events as well as some montage-style cutting for Mayonnaise‘s flashback scenes. Production designer Philip M. Jeffries, with set decorator James L. Berkey and art director John V. Cartwright, does terrific work with the dorm rooms the naval candidates live in as well as some of the locations such as the training bases and the motel where Mayonnaise and Paula would go to.

Sound editor Clive Smith does nice work with the sound as it‘s very low-key as it plays into the training the candidates go through. The film’s music by Jack Nitzsche is superb for its low-key yet somber score as it features elements of triumphant pieces with its usage of guitars and keyboards while being low-key at times. The film’s music soundtrack features contributions from Pat Benatar, ZZ Top, Dire Straits, Van Morrison, Morris Albert, and the ballad Up Where We Belong that is sung by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warren that is written by Nitzsche, Buffy Sainte-Marie, and Will Jennings as it’s one of the finest love songs of the 1980s.

The casting by Lynn Stalmaster and Nancy Klopper is fantastic as it features notable small roles from Robert Loggia as Mayonnaise’s alcoholic naval seaman father, Tommy Petersen as a young Mayonnaise, Victor French as Paula’s stepfather who doesn’t like naval officers, John Laughlin as an unfortunate townie who got beat up by Mayonnaise, Grace Zabriskie as Paula’s mother, Ed Begley Jr. as the voice of an altitude chamber instructor, Tony Plana as officer candidate Serra, and David Caruso as the naïve officer candidate Daniels. Harold Sylvester is terrific as officer candidate Perryman as a family man trying to make it so he can provide for his family while Lisa Eilbacher is brilliant as officer candidate Seeger as one of the few women who is trying to make it as despite her lack of physical prowess in its obstacle course.

Lisa Blount is excellent as Lynette as a local woman who wants the same thing that Paula wants but a series of misunderstandings would put her into trouble with Sid. David Keith is superb as Sid as another officer candidate who is also trying to succeed until he learns that Lynette might be pregnant as he wonders about what to do. Louis Gossett Jr. is phenomenal as Sgt. Foley as a drill sergeant who is quite tough with his candidates yet is also preparing them for what is to come in combat as he’s also a man that is quite fair as he tries to push Mayonnaise to be a better man and see if he’s worthy of being an officer. Debra Winger is amazing as Paula as a factory worker who is eager to get out of her small town existence as she falls for Mayonnaise as well as try to understand his loner persona. Finally, there’s Richard Gere in an incredible performance as Zack Mayonnaise as a naval officer candidate eager to succeed as he copes with his own guilt and selfishness while finding ways to become a better man for himself and for Paula.

An Officer and a Gentleman is a remarkable film from Taylor Hackford that features great performances from Richard Gere, Debra Winger, and Louis Gossett Jr. It’s a film that isn’t just a compelling romantic drama but also a character study that explores a young man trying to make it in a naval academy to attain a better future for himself. In the end, An Officer and a Gentleman is a tremendous film from Taylor Hackford.

Taylor Hackford Films: (Bukowski) - (Teenage Father) - (The Idolmaker) - (Against All Odds) - (White Nights) - (Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll) - (Everybody’s All-American) - (Blood In Blood Out) - (Dolores Claiborne) - (The Devil’s Advocate) - (Proof of Life) - (Ray) - (Love Ranch) - (Parker 2013 film))

© thevoid99 2015

The Landlord

Based on the novel by Kristin Hunter, The Landlord is the story about a young rich white man who decides to buy an inner-city tenement where he would befriend the tenants and begins to find meaning in his life. Directed by Hal Ashby and screenplay by Bill Gunn, the film marks an exploration into the life of a naïve young man who finds himself in a new world as it would play into the themes Ashby would explore with the rest of his films in the 1970s. Starring Beau Bridges, Lee Grant, Marki Bey, Diana Sands, Pearl Bailey, and Louis Gossett Jr. The Landlord is a remarkable debut film from Hal Ashby.

Elgar Enders (Beau Bridges) is a 29-year old man from a rich white family who is eager to start his own life as he decides to buy an inner-city tenement in the hopes to get rid of its tenants and create a place all for himself. Upon arriving to Brooklyn at the building he just bought, he realized that he is in a place that is very different from the world he’s been living in as he befriends a middle-aged woman named Marge (Pearl Bailey) and later a woman named Fanny (Diana Sands) who is also a tenant. Elgar decides to become the landlord as he tries to get to know everyone while meeting another young woman named Lanie (Marki Bey) who is a dancer at a club. While Elgar’s family is shocked by Elgar’s sudden news, Elgar decides to defy them in the hopes to start something new for him.

While Elgar’s mother (Lee Grant) reluctantly decides to help him out as she briefly befriends Marge, Elgar’s relationship with Lanie goes well though a party at Fanny’s apartment leads to something as she laments her troubled relationship with her boyfriend Copee (Louis Gossett Jr.). After taking Lanie to a party where Elgar’s whole family is there, things go wrong where Elgar leaves very abruptly as he is later confronted by his mother over his actions. Things get worse when Elgar receives news that would change his life as it also gets him into bigger trouble. In the aftermath of everything he’s been through, Elgar makes a decision that would become a major turning point in his young life.

What happens when a young rich and privileged white man decides to buy an inner-city tenement in Brooklyn in the hopes to create something of his own and later become part of a strange community? That is simply the idea of the film as it is really about a naïve man who tries to interject his own place into a world that is foreign to him only to become part of this new world where he eventually becomes embraced though he still has a lot to learn. Yet, it would baffle his very rich family that lives this very sheltered and privileged life as they have a hard time accepting his new decisions as it would escalate into bigger problems.

Bill Gunn’s screenplay is very engaging for the way it explores the big difference between the world of rich white folks and urban blacks from the perspective of this young and rich white man. In the course of the film, Elgar would not only have a realization about the building he owns but also the people whom he would grow to care for as he would slowly but carefully do whatever it takes to help them. In the women he meets such as the tenant Fanny and the mix-skinned dancer Lanie, Elgar would get not just a unique perspective about women but also the idea that skin-color doesn’t make a difference. Still, Elgar is flawed and he knows that as he is still a child at heart while finding himself more at odds with his parents old ways. When he starts to be more on his own away from his family and more into the inner-city community that he’s begun to embrace, trouble does brew due to his time with Fanny. Notably in an aftermath where Elgar begins to do something in his life that would finally have take a major step into adulthood.

Hal Ashby’s direction is very stylish in the way he portrays the differing worlds of white and black culture. Notably in how very staged and precise Ashby frames the world of white culture from the car show they attend as well as a scene where Elgar is playing croquet with his family as they’re all dressed in white and positioned in some way. For the scenes in Brooklyn, things are much looser and more lively as there’s this great mix of comedy but also some light drama as well as more entrancing compositions in some of the love scenes. Ashby also employs a lot of humorous moments including a scene between Elgar’s mother and Marge that shows the similarities between the two women as well as strange fantasy sequences about a life where things get mixed up. Overall, Ashby creates a very captivating yet witty film about a young man growing up in a new world that is different from everything he had lived before.

Cinematographer Gordon Willis does excellent work with the film‘s very colorful and stylish cinematography from the way many of the interior scenes look as well as the contrast in visual palettes that differentiate the world of white rich places and the ghetto. Editors William A. Sawyer and Edward Warschilka do brilliant work with the editing as it plays to a lot of editing styles from jump-cuts and dazzling montages to play out some of the film‘s humor. Production designer Robert F. Boyle and set decorator John Godfrey do terrific work with the sets from the look of the posh home that Elgar‘s family lives in to the world of Brooklyn that he starts to embrace.

Costume designer Domingo A. Rodriguez does nice work with the costumes from the clothes many of the African-American characters wear to the more posh clothes that Elgar‘s mother wears. Sound editors Marvin I. Kosberg and James Richard do wonderful work with the sound from the chaos in some of the big group scenes to the more intimate moments that occur between characters. The film’s music by Al Kooper features a wonderful mixture of folk, soul, and rock to play up the energy and dramatic elements of the film as the soundtrack itself features music from Lorraine Ellison and the Staple Singers who collaborate with Kooper in the opening song.

The casting by Lynn Stalmaster is incredible for the ensemble that is created as it features some noteworthy small roles from Susan Anspach as Elgar’s very liberal sister Susan, Will Mackenzie as Elgar’s buttoned-up older brother, Walter Brooke as Elgar’s more conservative father, Douglas Grant as Fanny’s son Walter Gee, Stanley Greene as the Enders family butler Heywood, and Mel Stewart as the Afro-centric Professor Dubois. Louis Gossett Jr. is wonderful as the conflicted activist Copee who thinks he’s also a Native American as he becomes more unhinged. Marki Bey is very good as the light-skinned, mixed-race young dancer Lanie who dates Elgar as she deals with his immaturity. Diana Sands is terrific as Fanny who has a tryst with Elgar while dealing with her own issues in her tumultuous family life.

Pearl Bailey is great as the middle-aged Marge who shows Elgar around the building and almost become a mother of sorts for him as she also meets Elgar’s mother in a superb scene. Lee Grant is amazing as Elgar’s mother Joyce who tries to deal with her son’s new life as well as the world he’s in as it’s a very complex role to a woman who really doesn’t understand the world of the ghetto while trying to make sense of what her son is doing. Finally, there’s Beau Bridges in a marvelous performance as Elgar Enders as a young man eager to start a life of his own as he later deals with his new surroundings while getting a big understanding on what he has to do to become an adult as well as embrace his new life.

The Landlord is an excellent debut film from Hal Ashby that features a terrific Beau Bridges in the lead role. Along with superb supporting performances from Lee Grant and Pearl Bailey, the film is an engaging future about a young man entering a new world and embracing his new surroundings while rebelling against the privileged lifestyle he once lived in. For those new to Ashby, this film is a good start though his subsequent films in the 70s are better introductions. In the end, The Landlord is a brilliant film from Hal Ashby.

Hal Ashby Films: Harold and Maude - The Last Detail - Shampoo - Bound for Glory - Coming Home - Being There - Second-Hand Hearts - (Lookin’ to Get Out) - (Let’s Spend the Night Together) - (Solo Trans) - (The Slugger’s Wife) - 8 Million Ways to Die

© thevoid99 2012