LOVERS AND OTHER STRANGERS: Blu-ray (ABC Pictures, 1970) Kino Lorber
Tapping into the
working-class milieu that was fast becoming ‘a
thing’ in pop culture, and would see its evolution complete on the small
screen with hit sit-coms like All in the
Family (1971-79), Alice (1976-85)
and Angie (1979-80), director, Cy
Howard’s Lovers and Other Strangers
(1970) is a blisteringly funny 48-hr. ‘slice
o’ life’, centered on a young couple about to tie the proverbial knot under
the most curious and awkward of circumstances. The groom, Mike Vecchio (played
with affecting, if goony aplomb by Michael Brandon) hails from a hard-working
Italian family; his bossy mother, Bea (Beatrice Arthur) and lovably boorish
father, Frank (Richard Castellano), consternated over the looming divorce of
their eldest son, Ritchie (Joseph Hindy) from Joan (Diane Keaton). Divorce. Big
Catholics. Big no-no! The bride, Susan Henderson (Bonnie Bedelia), is to the
manor born, her affluent WASP parents, Hal (Gig Young) and Bernice (Cloris
Leachman) hiring a fastidious wedding planner (Anthony Holland) to give their baby
the perfect wedding. On the surface, Hal and Bernice are in top form. Behind closed
doors, it is a different story. Hal is having an affair with his wife’s sister,
the neurotic Kathy (Anne Jackson) who is utterly terrified of becoming an old
maid. And, in yet another corner of New York, we get Susan’s best friend and
maid of honor, Wilma (Anne Meara) and her husband, Johnny (Harry Guardino) –
proud parents, for whom the spark of sexual attraction has decidedly cooled, much
to Wilma’s chagrin. She wants passion – a lot of it. All Johnny wants is to
watch late night reruns of Hitchcock’s Spellbound
(1945) on the boob tube. Finally, there
is Jerry (Robert Dishy) – Mike’s best man: a self-professed lady-killer. He just
wants to get in the pants of Susan’s ultra-shy, wallflower/cousin, Brenda (Marian
Haley). So, how does it all end? Predictably.
The 1970’s were
a strange time in the picture-making biz. Gone was the well-oiled system that
had once seemed so indestructible; the media pundits and corporate mandarins of
their generation eager to pillage Hollywood’s reputation and back lots for the
remaining scraps; the former, prematurely eulogizing ‘going to the movies’ as a quaint – and soon to be extinct - ‘past
time’, the latter, all but fulfilling this prophecy by buying up the giants –
MGM, Universal, Paramount, and Fox; stripping the studios of their assets for some
quick cash, leaving behind only skeletal remains of these once vibrant
pop-culturing leviathans. At the same time, Hollywood’s creatives – many, from
the old guard nearing retirement, refused to give up on the dream. And thus, the
movies made in the seventies emerged from a curious amalgam of old school vs.
burgeoning new talents, with a clash over content. The corporate ‘investors’,
who had invaded these dream factories with little to zero interest in generating
their own product – but liked the idea of owning glamorous real estate in
Tinsel Town – were nevertheless not altogether closed-minded. So, newly graduated
film school wunderkinds like Scorsese, Lucas and Spielberg were pretty much
handed the keys to these kingdoms, if also to be kept on a shoestring.
Lovers and Other Strangers is based on Renée
Taylor and Joseph Bologna’s hit play – with an assist from writer, David Zelag
Goodman – Howard’s adaptation, opened up for the requirements of a movie, and
produced on a relatively miniscule $2,550,000 budget. That it too proved a
colossal hit with audiences, earning back $7,700,000, and also, winning an
Oscar for Best Original Song (the enchanting love ballad, For All We Know) is a testament, not only to the snappy, farce-laden
dialogue of Taylor/Bologna’s original, but also the cast, who just seem
wholeheartedly invested and genuine in their verve for this material. In
hindsight, the movie was perfectly situated to kick-start the seventies’ yen for
‘smaller’ dramas with bigger-than-average social commentaries. In lieu of that
ole-time/big-time glamour that had once been its bread and butter, Hollywood
now mined unkempt and imperfect ‘everyday
life’ for its inspiration. Lovers
and Other Strangers typifies this trend in so many ways. Its characters, as
example, despite wavering into archetype territory, are very much ‘real people’
at heart, brought together and into focus by the not terribly extraordinary
event of a wedding – just two more people in love, if, from different
backgrounds. The groom has cold feet. The bride is gingerly concentrated on
warming up her man to her way of thinking. Yes, Mike and Susan have already broken
the ‘big taboo’; shaking up in their low rent apartment for nearly a year, while
lying to their respective parents about having a ‘roommate’ of the same sex to
help pay the bills. Oddly enough, this bit of misdirection never gets played
for a quick crack later on.
Two days before
the wedding, Mike comes up with a multitude of excuses why marriage is a bad
idea. Can we really blame him? He sees what tying the proverbial ‘knot’ has
done to his brother, Ritchie – hopelessly depressed, separated, on the cusp of
divorce, and, under siege from their parents. Bea insists that, while marriage
is no picnic, it is essential. Frank just wants to know ‘what’s the story?’ Repeatedly skirting the issue, Ritchie cannot
convince his parents his marriage is over. Meanwhile, after being virtually
ignored at the wedding planners, Kathy suffers a minor breakdown, reduced to a
rubble of tears and rushing off to lock herself in Hal and Bernice’s bathroom.
While Hal hurries off to console his paramour, with Bernice just out of
earshot, but none the wiser, Mike works up the gumption to tell Hal he will not
be marrying his daughter. In reply, Hal cleverly tells Mike a story: when Susan
was just eight, she arrived at a Halloween party dressed as a bride. Aaawwwww! And
although Mike emphatically insists, he is not the marrying kind, his
stubbornness quickly dissolves whenever Susan puts her arms around him. So, the
wedding is on. To seal the deal, as it were, the happy singles arrive at the
hotel where their reception will be, the night before their big day, and rent
the bridal suite for the evening – a way to kick the tires and burn a little
exhaust, trying married life on ‘for size’ while taking the edge off their big
day.
Meanwhile, Mike
arranges for his best man, Jerry to hook up with Susan’s cousin, Brenda. Jerry
envisions this as nothing more than a one-night-stand. But Brenda, despite her naiveté
where men are concerned, is not so easy a mark. Indeed, she has done a lot of
reading up on sex and feminism, and is able to wax intellectually and
philosophically on these subjects; enough to get Jerry all hot and bothered,
but also, leave him flat and panting for more of something he has yet to
experience with her. Platonic love is
not Jerry’s bag. Still, he is distracted and fascinated enough to pursue Brenda
further. We move into the movie’s pivotal moment: the wedding, played in montage
under the Fred Karlin/Robb Wilson/Arthur James’ ballad, ‘For All We Know’ (performed by Larry Meredith herein, but endlessly
covered thereafter by artists as diverse as Petula Clark, The Carpenters, and
Shirley Bassey. Clark actually sang it for
the annual Oscar telecast, where it won Best Original Song). The big day having
come and gone, we move into the reception. Jerry is repeatedly stalled in his
seduction; Brenda, insisting she cannot make love in his hotel room, only hers.
In another suite, Wilma confronts Johnny about their lack of intimacy. What has
happened to them? They used to be hot and heavy for each other. Now, Johnny
just makes excuses. He’s tired. He ‘owes her’. Wilma lashes out. Johnny belts
his wife in the chops. Only then, is he reduced to shame. Wilma realizes he
still loves her. Moreover, she loves him – having taken her vows ‘for better or
worse’ seriously.
At the
reception, still in full swing in the hotel’s ballroom, Ritchie’s estranged
wife, Joan finally arrives. Bea takes this as a sign Ritchie and Joan will be
able to patch up their differences and remain man and wife. But Frank is more
circumspect about the couple’s future, if indeed, they actually have one. And
Joan, while tender towards her in-laws and Ritchie, whom she obviously cares
for, has nevertheless realized he is not the right man for her. A genuine pity
everyone likes everyone so gosh darn much! So, why divorce? As the evening
winds down, Kathy comes to the realization Hal will likely never leave Bernice
for her, despite having promised as much countless times before. Tearfully, she
becomes resigned to being alone. Frank instructs Ritchie to drive Joan back
into the city – a chance for the estranged couple to have a long talk. And
while Frank might wish for his eldest son to have a long and happy life with his
daughter-in-law, he likely realizes this is not going to happen. Bea is not yet
ready to throw in the towel. The movie concludes open-ended with these
uncertain futures; Mike and Susan given the best start of the lot. Hopefully,
this will be enough for a rewarding life together.
Lovers and Other Strangers was made and
released by ABC Pictures – a short-lived offshoot of TV’s American Broadcasting
Corporation that, nevertheless produced, or otherwise financed, some solid
entertainments throughout the decade and well into the 1980’s, including the
tender-hearted and Oscar-nominated Charly
(1968), Robert Altman’s masterpiece Nashville
(1975), and, Silkwood (1983). Lovers
and Other Strangers is a congenial enough comedy that makes its points
about modern marriage and the means and mishaps by which people casually meet,
find one another, and, on occasion, muck everything up by their own stupidity.
We get young love – guileless, pure and based on carnal attraction - mostly;
middle-aged love, bored and rife for mid-life crises and extramarital affairs,
and finally, time-honored love – the bloom long-gone, the veneer worn
perilously thin, or perhaps, completely rubbed off, until all that remains is
the best kind of love; based in a mutually hot-wired understanding, where one
partner can channel the other’s inner flaws, finishing their sentences or even
tapping into their inner most thoughts.
As a treatise on
love itself, the Taylor/Bologna screenplay draws its deft parallels between these
relatively unfussy newlyweds and the elder statesmen (and women) of the group;
optimism weighed against latter-day conciliation two people, gone beyond the
threshold of their vows, are challenged daily to make in order to keep their
sanity and their union intact. At one point, Mike questions his parents’
marriage with his rudimentary understanding of what married life is, or rather,
should be – hypothetically speaking. Are they happy? “Of course not,” Frank brutally admits, followed by an emphatic, “Certainly not!” from his mother, with a
caveat, “But we’re together. What’s
happy? We’re together. That’s what counts!” And indeed, as ironic – or even
moronic as this may sound, it just might be the most succinct summation ever
for achieving longevity in the ever-evolving battle of the sexes. How do I love
thee? Let me count the angst, insecurities and emotional scars. Then let me
kiss them all better and start anew.
Lovers and Other Strangers arrives on
Blu-ray via a 1080p transfer that Kino Lorber is claiming as a ‘brand new 4K scan from the original camera
negative.’ And while the results easily best the tired old MGM/Fox DVD from
2002, what is here can hardly be considered as reference quality. For starters,
color density is all over the place, not only from scene to scene, but shot to
shot with some shots appearing to have been sourced from second or third
generation prints. When the image does snap together, colors are rich, though
leaning toward a red push, with very pink flesh tones. Contrast is solid and
fine details abound as they should. But when the elements are out of whack, we
get a softly focused/slightly blurry visual presentation with washed out and
wan colors, a modest jump in film grain, and contrast that is weak and milky at
best. Is this a deal breaker? In my opinion – no – as most of the movie has an
appropriately ‘dated’ mid-seventies quality many will find familiar and true to
the era. Less impressive: the huge tear that permeates the image during Jerry
and Brenda’s first ‘cute meet’ at the bar. There is also minor gate weave
scattered throughout, with sporadic age-related artifacts cropping up for just
a moment or two.
The audio is DTS
mono and quite acceptable for this presentation, with inherent limitations but
no real issues. Kino has even splurged on a new audio commentary from noted
film historian, Lee Gambin, who talks for the entire 104-minute run-time with rapid
fire delivery and always has something pertinent and interesting to say (well
worth the price of admission alone). Bottom line: Lovers and Other Strangers is a charming time capsule about the way
we used to think of love, sex and marriage. With the passage of time, the
picture’s frank and humorous take has become quaint rather than cutting edge.
But the laughs are still genuine and the acting is solid. This Blu-ray is not
exactly winning any awards, despite its ‘4K remaster’. What Kino should have advertised is a ‘brand new 4K remaster from a flawed original
negative with no restoration applied to correct issues inherent, due to the
ravages of time!’ This is much closer to the truth of what is here for your
consumption. Judge and buy accordingly.
FILM RATING (out of 5 – 5 being the best)
4
VIDEO/AUDIO
3
EXTRAS
1
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