Desert Bloom (film)

Last updated

Desert Bloom
DesertBloomJoBeth.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byEugene Corr
Written byEugene Corr
Linda Remy
Produced byMichael Hausman
Starring
Cinematography Reynaldo Villalobos
Edited byCari Coughlin
Music by Brad Fiedel
Production
company
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release dates
  • January 24, 1986 (1986-01-24)(US Film Festival [1] )
  • April 18, 1986 (1986-04-18)(United States)
Running time
105 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$5 million [2]
Box office$416,393

Desert Bloom is a 1986 American drama film directed by Eugene Corr and starring an ensemble cast led by Jon Voight and JoBeth Williams. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival and funded through the Sundance Film Festival Institute. [3]

Contents

Plot

Six years after World War II has ended, Jack Chismore, a veteran suffering from PTSD, runs a gas station in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Jack is married to Lily, and stepfather to Lily's three daughters including Rose, a teenager at an impressionable age. Lily's sister, Starr, has come to Las Vegas for a quick divorce and comes to live with them, upsetting the routine of what is already a small and cramped house.

Lily lands a job with the Atomic Testing Office and cannot tell Jack or the girls when the military is conducting atomic-bomb testing in the desert region nearby. This embitters and frustrates Jack, who takes his anger out on Rose many times.

When Rose runs away, it is Jack who shows the most courage and concern.

Cast

Reception

In the Chicago Sun-Times , critic Roger Ebert wrote:

Desert Bloom contains the material for a very good film and it certainly contains the performances, but it moves in too many directions and contains too many issues. It's about the bomb, McCarthyism, the role of women, alcoholism and child abuse, and it's a wonder it doesn't get around to gambling.

There are scenes that start out as perfectly observed moments and end up as a series of speeches as the movie tries to keep track of all of its issues. If they had just gone through and strengthened the characters and allowed the messages to find themselves, they would have really had something here. [4]

Gene Siskal however disagreed with Ebert on this film, calling it a "near classic" and unforgettable. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Voight</span> American actor (born 1938)

Jonathan Vincent Voight is an American actor. He has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and four Golden Globe Awards as well as nominations for four Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2019, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts. Films in which Voight has appeared have grossed more than $5.2 billion worldwide.

<i>Missing</i> (1982 film) 1982 historical drama film

Missing is a 1982 American biographical thriller drama film directed by Costa-Gavras from a screenplay written by Gavras and Donald E. Stewart, adapted from the book The Execution of Charles Horman: An American Sacrifice (1978) by Thomas Hauser, based on the disappearance of American journalist Charles Horman, in the aftermath of the United States-backed Chilean coup of 1973, which deposed the democratically elected socialist President Salvador Allende.

<i>Runaway Train</i> (film) 1985 film by Andrei Konchalovsky

Runaway Train is a 1985 American action thriller film directed by Andrei Konchalovsky and starring Jon Voight, Eric Roberts, Rebecca De Mornay and John P. Ryan. The screenplay by Đorđe Miličević, Paul Zindel and Edward Bunker was based on an original 1960s screenplay by Akira Kurosawa, with uncredited contributions by frequent Kurosawa collaborators Hideo Oguni and Ryūzō Kikushima. The film was also the feature debut of both Danny Trejo and Tommy "Tiny" Lister, who both proceeded to successful careers as "tough guy" character actors.

<i>They Shoot Horses, Dont They?</i> (film) 1969 film by Sydney Pollack

They Shoot Horses, Don't They? is a 1969 American psychological drama film directed by Sydney Pollack, from a screenplay written by Robert E. Thompson and James Poe, based on Horace McCoy's 1935 novel of the same name. It stars Jane Fonda, Michael Sarrazin, Susannah York, Gig Young, Bonnie Bedelia, and Red Buttons. It focuses on a disparate group of individuals desperate to win a Depression-era dance marathon and an opportunistic emcee who urges them on.

<i>Mask</i> (1985 film) 1985 American biographical drama film by Peter Bogdanovich

Mask is a 1985 American biographical drama film directed by Peter Bogdanovich, starring Cher, Sam Elliott, and Eric Stoltz with supporting roles played by Dennis Burkley, Laura Dern, Estelle Getty, and Richard Dysart. Cher received the 1985 Cannes Film Festival award for Best Actress. The film is based on the life and early death of Roy L. "Rocky" Dennis, a boy who had craniodiaphyseal dysplasia, an extremely rare genetic disorder known commonly as lionitis due to the disfiguring cranial enlargements that it causes. Mask won the Academy Award for Best Makeup at the 58th ceremony, while Cher and Stoltz received Golden Globe Award nominations for their performances.

<i>Kiss of Death</i> (1995 film) 1995 film by Barbet Schroeder

Kiss of Death is a 1995 American crime thriller film directed and produced by Barbet Schroeder, and starring David Caruso, Samuel L. Jackson, Nicolas Cage, Helen Hunt, Ving Rhames and Stanley Tucci.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JoBeth Williams</span> American actress (born 1948)

Margaret JoBeth Williams is an American actress. She rose to prominence appearing in such films as Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), Stir Crazy (1980), Poltergeist (1982), The Big Chill (1983), The Day After (1983), Teachers (1984), and Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986). A three-time Emmy Award nominee, she was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for her work in the TV movie Adam (1983) and the TV miniseries Baby M (1988). Her third nomination was for her guest role in the sitcom Frasier (1994). She also starred in the TV series The Client (1995–96) and had recurring roles in the TV series Dexter (2007) and Private Practice (2009–11).

<i>F/X</i> 1986 film by Robert Mandel

F/X is a 1986 American action thriller film directed by Robert Mandel, written by Gregory Fleeman and Robert T. Megginson, and starring Bryan Brown, Brian Dennehy, Diane Venora, Cliff De Young, and Angela Bassett in her film debut. The film follows a special effects expert who is hired by the U.S. Department of Justice to stage the murder of a mobster about to enter the Witness Protection Program, but complications arise when he is targeted for murder himself; meanwhile, an NYPD detective becomes suspicious of the circumstances of the case.

<i>Greetings</i> (1968 film) 1968 film by Brian De Palma

Greetings is a 1968 American black comedy film co-written and directed by Brian De Palma. A satirical film about men avoiding the Vietnam War draft, it marked Robert De Niro's first major role.

<i>Femme Fatale</i> (2002 film) 2002 mystery film by Brian De Palma

Femme Fatale is a 2002 erotic thriller film written and directed by Brian De Palma. The film stars Antonio Banderas and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos. It was screened out of competition at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.

<i>Limbo</i> (1999 film) 1999 drama film by John Sayles

Limbo is a 1999 American adventure drama film written, produced, edited, and directed by John Sayles. It stars Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, David Strathairn, Vanessa Martinez, and Kris Kristofferson. It is the first theatrical film to be released and distributed by Screen Gems.

<i>Come See the Paradise</i> 1990 historical drama film by Alan Parker

Come See the Paradise is a 1990 American historical drama film written and directed by Alan Parker, and starring Dennis Quaid and Tamlyn Tomita. Set before and during World War II, the film depicts the treatment of Japanese Americans in the United States following the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the subsequent loss of civil liberties within the framework of a love story.

<i>Down by Law</i> (film) 1986 film by Jim Jarmusch

Down by Law is a 1986 American black-and-white independent neo-beat noir comedy film. It was written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, and stars Tom Waits, John Lurie, and Roberto Benigni.

<i>The General</i> (1998 film) 1998 Irish-British film by John Boorman

The General is an Irish crime film written and directed by John Boorman about Dublin crime boss Martin Cahill, who undertook several daring heists in the early 1980s and attracted the attention of the Garda Síochána, Irish Republican Army (IRA) and Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) .The film was shot in 1997 and released in 1998. Brendan Gleeson plays Cahill, Adrian Dunbar plays his friend Noel Curley, and Jon Voight plays Inspector Ned Kenny.

<i>The Van</i> (1996 film) 1996 film by Stephen Frears

The Van is a 1996 film, based on the novel The Van by Roddy Doyle. Like The Snapper (1993), it was directed by Stephen Frears. The first film of the trilogy, The Commitments (1991), was directed by Alan Parker. It was entered into the 1996 Cannes Film Festival. The film stars Colm Meaney and Donal O'Kelly.

<i>Honeysuckle Rose</i> (film) 1980 film by Jerry Schatzberg

Honeysuckle Rose is a 1980 American romantic drama western film directed by Jerry Schatzberg, written by John Binder, Gustaf Molander, Carol Sobieski, Gösta Stevens, and William D. Wittliff, and starring Willie Nelson, Dyan Cannon, and Amy Irving. It is a loose remake of the 1936 Swedish film Intermezzo.

<i>Lost in Yonkers</i> (film) 1993 American film

Lost in Yonkers is a 1993 American film adaptation of Neil Simon's 1991 Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name, directed by Martha Coolidge. It stars Irene Worth, Mercedes Ruehl, and Richard Dreyfuss. It was the first theatrical feature film to be edited on Avid Media Composer. It was the last film to use the 1981–1993 Columbia Pictures logo.

<i>Streamers</i> (film) 1983 film directed by Robert Altman

Streamers is a 1983 American war drama film directed and produced by Robert Altman, adapted by David Rabe from his play of the same name. It stars an ensemble cast, featuring David Alan Grier, Mitchell Lichtenstein, Matthew Modine, Michael Wright, George Dzundza, and Guy Boyd.

<i>Looking for Eric</i> 2009 film by Ken Loach

Looking for Eric is a 2009 sports comedy-drama film directed by Ken Loach and written by Paul Laverty. It is an international co-production between the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Belgium, and Spain. It stars Steve Evets, Eric Cantona, John Henshaw, and Stephanie Bishop. It follows a middle-aged postman who, working for the Manchester sorting office, is going through a dreadful crisis.

<i>Bodies, Rest & Motion</i> 1993 film by Michael Steinberg

Bodies, Rest & Motion is a 1993 American drama film written by Roger Hedden based on his 1986 play, and directed by Michael Steinberg. The film stars Phoebe Cates, Bridget Fonda, Tim Roth, and Eric Stoltz: they play four friends who are interested in the relationships they have and changing their own lives, but along the way their interests in life and each other start to change. The film also takes place at small gas stations in the Arizona desert, and Bridget Fonda's real-life father, Peter Fonda, has a cameo as a motorcycle rider. Bodies, Rest & Motion premiered at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival and was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival.

References

  1. "Indie Aussie Films; U.S. Preems Listed For Utah Festival". Variety . November 27, 1985. p. 5.
  2. "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com.
  3. "Festival de Cannes: Desert Bloom". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved July 17, 2009.
  4. Roger Ebert (August 15, 1986). "Desert Bloom". RogerEbert.com. Chicago Sun-Times.
  5. https://www.google.com/search?q=siskal+and+ebert+on+Desert+bloom&oq=siskal+and+ebert+on+Desert+bloom&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCDk1MzhqMGoxqAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:9d840652,vid:OEXSLHtEuGA,st:0 [ bare URL ]