Road to Salina | |
---|---|
Directed by | Georges Lautner |
Screenplay by | Georges Lautner Pascal Jardin Jack Miller |
Based on | the novel Sur la route de Salina by Maurice Cury Denoel Editions |
Produced by | Robert Dorfmann Yvon Guezel |
Starring | Mimsy Farmer Robert Walker Rita Hayworth |
Cinematography | Maurice Fellous |
Edited by | Michelle David |
Music by | Clinic Bernard Gerard Christophe Ian Anderson |
Production companies | A Robert Dorfmann– Yvon Guezel Production |
Distributed by | Joseph E. Levine Avco Embassy |
Release date |
|
Running time | 96 minutes |
Countries | France Italy United States |
Language | English |
Road to Salina (French : La Route de Salina) (Italian : Quando il sole scotta) is a 1970 French-Italian psychological thriller film directed by Georges Lautner. It stars Robert Walker, Mimsy Farmer and Rita Hayworth. The film is based upon Maurice Cury's novel Sur la Route de Salina. A French-Italian coproduction, it was shot in English in the Canary Islands. Interiors were shot at the Billancourt Studios in Paris with sets designed by the art director Jean d'Eaubonne.
Jonas, a young drifter, is wandering in a deserted area on the road to Salina, Kansas. He stops to drink some water at a desolate roadside service station when Mara, the owner, identifies him as her son Rocky, who disappeared four years ago. Jonas is overwhelmed by the awkward situation, but tired and hungry, accepts Mara's offer of room and board. Feeling sorry for Mara, he pretends to be her beloved son and soon comfortably assumes Rocky's identity. Initially, he believes that Mara is simply delusional, but when Mara's old friend and neighbor Warren arrives for a visit, surprisingly, he also acts as if Jonas were Rocky.
When Billie, his alleged sister, comes home, Jonas thinks that the game is over and that he'll finally be unmasked as an impostor. But even the attractive and carefree Billie appears to recognize him as her brother and soon takes him under her wing. They spend the days together, and after skinny dipping in the ocean, an erotic relationship develops between them. Everything seems to be fine and Jonas begins to relax in his new role as Rocky. Mara, Billie and Warren enjoy a dinner party together celebrating Rocky's return.
Realizing that Billie is having a passionate affair with her alleged brother, Mara and Warren fear that the harmony that had so recently returned would soon be broken. Uneasy, Jonas becomes increasingly interested in finding out the reasons for the disappearance of the true Rocky. He gets the first clues in his search from Warren who, never outwardly expressing any doubt that he is Rocky, mentions during the conversation the name of Rocky's girlfriend, Linda, who runs a local restaurant. In search of answers, Jonas goes to Salina and finds Linda at the restaurant. He drops a glass at the bar to draw attention to himself, and finds that Linda is the first person who fails to recognize him as Rocky. Back at the house, Jonas steals some old photographs from Billie's bedroom that confirm his suspicions that he does not even resemble the real Rocky. When he confronts Billie with the truth, she tells him that she lied to protect Mara and that she loves Rocky and wanted him back.
In an attempt to resolve his mounting confusion, Jonas visits Linda again. She tells him that she was going to elope with Rocky the day he disappeared. The surprise visit of Charlie, an old friend of Jonas, once again threatens to completely destroy the façade that he is Rocky, and Mara may have heard Charlie call Jonas by his real name (it's not certain she heard Charlie or not). Charlie and his companions have a good time with Mara, Billie and the bewildered Jonas. Instead of accepting his friend's offer of leaving with him, Jonas stays with Billie and Mara.
Jonas finally learns the shocking truth about the nature of his "sister's" behavior. When Rocky wanted to leave the incestuous relationship with his sister, Billie unintentionally killed him with a rock while trying to stop him. The revelation marks a turning point in Jonas' relationship with Billie, and from then on, she avoids him. Rebuked by her, Jonas explodes during an argument with Billie. Shaking her against a wall, he accidentally kills her. He runs away in the middle of a rainstorm in spite of Mara's protestations. Mara begs him to stay, and even calls Jonas by his real name, verifying that she was sane and knew Jonas wasn't Rocky all along. Mara offers to help him hide Billie's body under the station as Billie had done with Rocky, but instead, Jonas goes to Salina and tells the sheriff what has happened. The story is told in flashback.
The film is notable for its cast. The lead is played by Robert Walker Jr., son of famous actors Robert Walker and Jennifer Jones. It was the last film of Ed Begley who died in April 1970, and the second-to-last of legendary screen siren Rita Hayworth. [1]
|
|
|
The score was composed by a varied team that included popular French artist Christophe, the rock group Clinic, and arranger-composer Bernard Gerard. Recording took place in Paris at the legendary Studio Davout. The eclectic soundtrack features songs and underscore written and performed by both singer-songwriter Christophe and the US/British/Canadian progressive rock band Clinic, whose lineup included Phil Trainer (Steele), Alan Reeves and Philip Brigham. Orchestral arrangements were written and conducted by Gérard. [2] Under the guidance of director Lautner, the diverse team created a sound palette according to the dark tone of the film. The now-classic soundtrack album was re-released in 2003 by Sony France on the Dreyfus label, and would receive further widespread acclaim the following year when Christophe's theme "Sunny Road to Salina" and Clinic's "The Chase" were used by Quentin Tarantino in his Hollywood blockbuster Kill Bill Vol. 2. The Christophe title got widespread usage in Kill Bill trailers around the world, while "The Chase" was among the tracks chosen for the Grammy Award-nominated Kill Bill Vol. 2 Original Soundtrack album.
In the U.S. Road to Salina had a modest and brief release. Its play-date was usually on the lower half of a double feature. [3]
Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called it " An admirable ambitious film of strictly sophisticated appeal." He described the film as:" A fable showing how tragedy can occur when reality intrudes upon the lonely lives of those who live in a world of fantasy". The review in Newsday called Road to Salina " A very strange film... More perversely compelling than it has a right to be". [4] In The Village Voice , Robert Colaciello wrote: " If your taste runs to 70s actors having 60s sex in a 50s film so that a 40s star can suffer, then Road to Salina is for you " [4]
Rita Hayworth was an American actress, dancer, and pin-up girl. She achieved fame in the 1940s as one of the top stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood, and appeared in 61 films in total over 37 years. The press coined the term "The Love Goddess" to describe Hayworth, after she had become the most glamorous screen idol of the 1940s. She was the top pin-up girl for GIs during World War II.
Affair in Trinidad is a 1952 American film noir directed by Vincent Sherman and starring Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford. It was produced by Hayworth's Beckworth Corporation and released by Columbia Pictures.
Gilda is a 1946 American film noir directed by Charles Vidor and starring Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford.
Kill Bill Vol. 2 Original Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the second volume of the two-part Quentin Tarantino film, Kill Bill. First released on April 13, 2004, it reached #58 on the Billboard 200 and #2 on the Billboard soundtracks chart in the US. It also reached the ARIA Top 50 album charts in Australia. It was orchestrated by Tarantino's fellow filmmaker and personal friend Robert Rodriguez, as well as RZA from the Wu-Tang Clan.
You Were Never Lovelier is a 1942 American musical romantic comedy film directed by William A. Seiter and starring Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth. The supporting cast also features Adolphe Menjou, Xavier Cugat and Adele Mara. The music was composed by Jerome Kern and the lyrics by Johnny Mercer. The picture was released by Columbia Pictures and includes the elaborate "Shorty George" and romantic "I'm Old Fashioned" song and dance sequences.
Down to Earth is a 1947 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Alexander Hall and starring Rita Hayworth and Larry Parks. It is a sequel to the 1941 film Here Comes Mr. Jordan, also directed by Hall. While Edward Everett Horton and James Gleason reprised their roles from the earlier film, Roland Culver replaced Claude Rains as Mr. Jordan.
My Gal Sal is a 1942 American musical film distributed by 20th Century Fox and starring Rita Hayworth and Victor Mature. The film is a biopic of 1890s German-American composer / songwriter Paul Dresser and singer Sally Elliot. It was based on a biographical essay, sometimes erroneously referred to as a book, by Dresser's younger brother, novelist Theodore Dreiser. Some of the songs portrayed as Dresser's work were actually written by him, but several others were created in the 1890s style for the film by the Hollywood songwriting team of Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin.
The Strawberry Blonde is a 1941 American romantic comedy film directed by Raoul Walsh, starring James Cagney and Olivia de Havilland, and featuring Rita Hayworth, Alan Hale, Jack Carson, and George Tobias. Set in New York City around 1900, it features songs of that era such as "The Band Played On", "Bill Bailey", "Meet Me in St. Louis, Louie", "Wait Till The Sun Shines Nellie", and "Love Me and the World Is Mine". It was nominated for an Academy Award in 1941 for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture. The title is most often listed beginning with the word The, but the film's posters and promotional materials called it simply Strawberry Blonde.
The Loves of Carmen is a 1948 American adventure drama romance film directed by Charles Vidor. The film stars Rita Hayworth as the gypsy Carmen and Glenn Ford as her doomed lover Don José.
Salome is a 1953 American drama Biblical film directed by William Dieterle and produced by Buddy Adler from a screenplay by Harry Kleiner and Jesse Lasky Jr. The music score was by George Duning, the dance music by Daniele Amfitheatrof and the cinematography by Charles Lang. Rita Hayworth's costumes were designed by Jean Louis. Hayworth's dances for this film were choreographed by Valerie Bettis. This film was the last produced by Hayworth's production company, the Beckworth Corporation.
Philip (Phil) Brigham is a Canadian rock singer, composer and guitarist.
Pal Joey is a 1957 American musical comedy film directed by George Sidney, loosely adapted from the Rodgers and Hart musical play of the same name, and starring Rita Hayworth, Frank Sinatra, and Kim Novak.
Fire Down Below is a 1957 adventure drama film with a screenplay written by novelist Irwin Shaw, starring Rita Hayworth, Robert Mitchum and Jack Lemmon, and directed by Robert Parrish. Based on Max Catto's 1954 novel with the same title, the picture was made by Warwick Films on location in Trinidad and Tobago, in Technicolor and CinemaScope, and released by Columbia Pictures.
Hit the Saddle is a 1937 "Three Mesquiteers" Western B-movie starring Bob Livingston, Ray Corrigan, Max Terhune, and Rita Hayworth, before she became famous. It was second in The Three Mesquiteers series released by Republic Pictures. The film was directed by Mack V. Wright.
Separate Tables is a 1958 American drama film starring Rita Hayworth, Deborah Kerr, David Niven, Burt Lancaster, and Wendy Hiller, based on two one-act plays by Terence Rattigan that were collectively known by this name. Niven and Hiller won Academy Awards for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress respectively for their performances. The picture was directed by Delbert Mann and adapted for the screen by Rattigan, John Gay and an uncredited John Michael Hayes. Mary Grant and Edith Head designed the film's costumes.
Malibu is a 1983 American made-for-television drama film based on a novel by William Murray. Featuring Kim Novak, Susan Dey, Troy Donahue and James Coburn, the miniseries involves a young couple from Milwaukee, who move into the fabled, high-society Malibu beach community, and become involved with the lives of the various people living in the community.
Anita Ellis was a Canadian-born American singer and actress. She famously dubbed Rita Hayworth's songs in Gilda.
Abduction is a 2011 American action thriller film directed by John Singleton, produced by Roy Lee and Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, and written by Shawn Christensen. The film stars Taylor Lautner in the lead role, alongside Lily Collins, Alfred Molina, Jason Isaacs, Maria Bello, and Sigourney Weaver in supporting roles.
Paddy O'Day is a 1936 American comedy drama film directed by Lewis Seiler and released by 20th Century Fox. It stars Jane Withers, Pinky Tomlin, and Rita Hayworth. The story follows the adventures of a plucky Irish girl who arrives at Ellis Island only to discover that her mother, a cook in a wealthy Long Island home, has died. Hiding from the immigration officers who want to deport her, she charms everyone she meets, including the service staff and reclusive young master of the house. She goes to live with a family of Russian dancers that she met on the ship, and performs with them in their nightclub. Withers uses a heavy Irish brogue for her character and sings one song with an Irish accent and another song with a Russian accent. She also dances in several numbers, while Hayworth performs a traditional Russian dance in a nightclub revue.
Harry L. Decker (1887–1959) was an American film producer associated with Columbia Pictures where he mainly oversaw production on western films. As an editor he was active in Hollywood from the 1910s through the 1930s. As a producer, he primarily worked on B-movie Westerns.