Purple Hearts (1984 film)

Last updated
Purple Hearts
Purple hearts poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Sidney J. Furie
Written by
  • Sidney J. Furie
  • Rick Natkin
Produced by
  • Sidney J. Furie
  • Rick Natkin
  • Lope V. Juban, Jr.
Starring
Cinematography Jan Kiesser
Edited byGeorge Grenville
Music by Robert Folk
Production
company
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date
  • March 30, 1984 (1984-03-30)
Running time
116 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2.8 million [1] [2]
Box officeUS$2,075,282 [3]

Purple Hearts is a 1984 war film directed by Sidney J. Furie and starring Ken Wahl and Cheryl Ladd. The screenplay concerns a Navy surgeon and a Navy nurse who fall in love while serving in Vietnam during the war. Their affection for one another provides a striking contrast to the violence of warfare.

Contents

Plot

Cast

Production

Despite having made a Vietnam War movie with The Boys in Company C , director Sidney J. Furie felt he had more to say about the war and wanted to explore romance and the “hunger for intimacy” in the setting. [1] Reteaming with The Boys in Company C co-writer Rick Natkin, Furie delivered the script to The Ladd Company who while enthusiastic about the script voiced concerns over the budget of a war film, which were abated after Furie worked out a relatively modest %2.8 million budget using his experience from The Boys in Company C. [1] Furie wrote the script with Ken Wahl in mind for Don Jardian who accepted the role immediately upon receiving the script. [1] Over a hundred actresses auditioned for the part of Deborah Solomon, until Cheryl Ladd was suggested, leading Furie to hire her on the spot following a cold reading. [1]

Reception

Purple Hearts received mostly currently holds a 20% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 5 reviews, with common points of criticism being the lack of chemistry between Wahl and Ladd, or too much of a reliance on coincidence and convenience in the plotting. [4] [3]

In his review for the Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert awarded the film half a star, writing, "This isn't war, this is bad plotting. And this isn't romance, it's soap opera.". [5]

In her review for The New York Times, Janet Maslin wrote Purple Hearts had "an ending so contrived it may make your teeth ache.". [6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "AFI|Catalog". Catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  2. Kremer, Daniel. Sidney J. Furie: Life and Films. The University Press of Kentucky, 2015. p 277
  3. 1 2 ' "Purple Hearts (1984)". tcm.com. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  4. "Purple Hearts". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster, Inc. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  5. Ebert, Roger (January 1, 1984). "Purple Hearts". Chicago Sun-Times . Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  6. Canby, Vincent (4 May 1984). "'PURPLE HEARTS,' SET IN VIETNAM". The New York Times . Retrieved 11 April 2024.