Year of the Comet

Last updated
Year of the Comet
Year of the Comet.jpg
Directed by Peter Yates
Written by William Goldman
Produced byNigel Wooll
Peter Yates
Alan Brown
Phil Kellogg
Starring
Cinematography Roger Pratt
Edited by Ray Lovejoy
Music by Hummie Mann
Production
companies
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date
  • April 24, 1992 (1992-04-24)
Running time
91 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$18 million [1]
Box office$2,791,515

Year of the Comet is a 1992 romantic comedy adventure film directed by Peter Yates and starring Tim Daly, Penelope Ann Miller, and Louis Jourdan in his final film role. The film was written by William Goldman and produced by Alan Brown and Phil Kellogg. The plot concerns the pursuit of the most valuable bottle of wine in history. The title refers to the year it was bottled, 1811, which was known for the Great Comet of 1811, and also as one of the best years in history for European wine.

Contents

Plot

Margaret Harwood, the mousy daughter of esteemed wine merchant Sir Mason Harwood, discovers a magnum of wine, vintage 1811, bearing Napoleon's seal. Sir Mason instantly offers it to his best customer, T.T. Kelleher, who sends his friend, Oliver Plexico to retrieve it. Three other interested parties converge on the valuable rarity: a Greek billionaire, to whom Margaret's unscrupulous brother has independently sold the bottle; an amoral French scientist, who believes it contains the secret to a rejuvenation formula that he will kill to obtain; and a murderous thug, who wants to sell it himself.

The bottle changes hands several times as the parties race across Europe from the Scottish Highlands to Èze. In the end, the criminals are defeated, and Margaret and Oliver fall in love. Sir Mason offers the bottle in private auction to both the legitimate "owners", but they are outbid by Oliver, who is revealed as a multimillionaire adventurer scientist. Against advice, Oliver opens the $5 million bottle and freely shares the excellent wine.

Cast

Production

Development

William Goldman said he was inspired to write the film by his love of red wine, and a desire to do a romantic adventure comedy thriller in the vein of Charade (1963). He wanted to set it in the most romantic places he knew (London, the Scottish highlands, the French Riviera) which meant it became a chase focusing around a bottle of wine. Goldman created a wine, the most valuable in history, making it a large bottle for dramatic purposes. [1]

He wrote the script in 1978, the second of a three-picture deal he had with Joseph E. Levine following A Bridge Too Far . Goldman says he had Glenda Jackson in mind for the female lead, with Cary Grant his inspiration for the male lead (although Levine wanted to use Robert Redford). [2]

The script was not filmed in the late 1970s. When Levine died rights passed to his wife Rosalie. In the late 1980s Goldman wrote two successful films for Castle Rock Productions, The Princess Bride and Misery. At his suggestion, Castle Rock bought the script from Rosalie Levine. It was then known as A Very Good Year. [1]

Goldman said Castle Rock executives were "amazingly script-oriented. You sit with them — that is, Rob Reiner, Andy Scheinman, Marty Shafer — all three of them friends for 15 years. And they go over the (script), line by line, comma by comma. It's amazing to me that they'd be willing to do that. They all have a writer's mind, it's remarkable. Their theory is that they get the script right first, then shoot it." [1]

Goldman suggested Peter Yates direct. The two men were friends, Yates living across the street in New York, and having collaborated on The Hot Rock. [1]

Lead roles went to Penelope Ann Miller, coming off Kindergarten Cop and Timothy Daly, then the star of TV's Wings. "It's a great role," said Daly. "This movie has an old-fashioned feel to it-in the best possible sense. It's almost swashbuckling. My character is the kind of guy I've been dying to play for a long time. He's got a lot of strings-he's tough, resourceful, funny, irreverent, he has a skewed view of things and a few emotional walls that he keeps up." [1]

Filming

The film was filmed on location in France, Scotland including the ferry chase scene at Kyleakin, and at the Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, England.

"Wine is really the hero of this film," said Peter Yates. [3]

Goldman was on set much of the time. "The locations played a great part in my being here," Goldman said at the time. "But it's for little things-something will happen in the staging that will obviate a line. It's little stuff, but Peter (Yates) likes having a writer around." [1]

Daly wore a mustache in the film:

I thought it was kind of dope. [Laughs.] I mean, it was a little Robert Redford-esque, don’t you think? Or something. I kind of like it. It drove me crazy, though. I was always, like, pulling at it or licking it. But I thought it added a certain—I mean, it either added some panache, or it made me look like a ’70s porn star. Take your pick. [4]

Miller said, "Tim and I have a nice rapport. We banter a lot. We work similarly, and that's only going to enhance the chemistry of the film. It reminds me of those old William Powell and Myrna Loy movies, the way those two worked together." [1]

Release

Goldman says the film previewed poorly, which he attributed to the audience's lack of enthusiasm for red wine. A new opening sequence was added where the male hero says he hates red wine and has to be dragged to a tasting but he says it did not work. "There was nothing we could do because no matter how we fussed this was a movie about red wine and the moviegoing audience today has zero interest in red wine." [5]

Tim Daly later recalled:

What a bummer, man. I loved that movie, I loved doing it. It was just a great part for me! And that was my shot, right? That was my shot to be a movie star. I mean, on paper, it was a William Goldman script, Peter Yates directing, it was a Castle Rock production, it had a good budget—and the movie just did not work. But I still think—as I recall, I think I was pretty good in that movie. [Laughs.] I mean, I don’t blame myself for the lack of success. There was also the added novelty that it was released the weekend of the Rodney King riots, where every white person in the United States was locked in their safe room. So I don’t think a lot of folks were traipsing out to the movies. I think it may still hold the record for being the biggest flop in Castle Rock history. A dubious distinction. [4]

The film went on to perform disappointingly at the box office.

Critical reaction

The film was panned by critics. It currently holds a 0% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 13 reviews, with an average rating of 3.7/10. [6]

Dave Kehr of Chicago Tribune said, "The characters are completely undeveloped, the action wholly arbitrary and the continuity non-existent. The picture appears to have been edited with a Cuisinart, with occasional backup from a dull ax." [7] Louis Black of the Austin Chronicle gave it one star out of five, saying, "This one should pretty much sink without a trace, so I hate to even stir the waters by detailing how inept it is." [8]

Rita Kempley of The Washington Post said, "(Screenwriter) Goldman ... just happens to be (director) Yates's neighbor in the south of France. Yates, whose achievements include The Dresser , and Goldman, who is the screenwriter's screenwriter, wanted to make a movie about their three favorite things: the Scottish Highlands, the Riviera and red wine. And that's exactly what they did. The scenery's pretty and one can practically smell cork." [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Goldman</span> American novelist, screenwriter and playwright

William Goldman was an American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He first came to prominence in the 1950s as a novelist before turning to screenwriting. Among other accolades, Goldman won two Academy Awards in both writing categories—once for Best Original Screenplay for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and once for Best Adapted Screenplay for All the President's Men (1976).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Comet of 1811</span> Astronomical object

The Great Comet of 1811, formally designated C/1811 F1, is a comet that was visible to the naked eye for around 260 days, the longest recorded period of visibility until the appearance of Comet Hale–Bopp in 1997. In October 1811, at its brightest, and when it was 1.2 AU from Earth, it displayed an apparent magnitude of 0, with an easily visible coma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penelope Ann Miller</span> American actress (born 1964)

Penelope Ann Miller, sometimes credited as Penelope Miller, is an American actress. She began her career on Broadway in the 1985 original production of Biloxi Blues and received a Tony Award nomination for the 1989 revival of Our Town.

<i>Caddyshack II</i> 1988 film by Allan Arkush

Caddyshack II is a 1988 American sports comedy film and a sequel to the 1980 film Caddyshack. Directed by Allan Arkush and written by Harold Ramis and PJ Torokvei, it stars Jackie Mason, Robert Stack, Dyan Cannon, Dina Merrill, Jonathan Silverman, Brian McNamara, Marsha Warfield, Paul Bartel, and Randy Quaid with special appearances by Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd. It tells the story of a wealthy and widowed real estate developer who goes up against Bushwood County Club's snobbish president in a golfing tournament.

<i>Magic</i> (1978 film) 1978 American psychological horror film by Richard Attenborough

Magic is a 1978 American psychological horror drama film starring Anthony Hopkins, Ann-Margret and Burgess Meredith. The film, which was directed by Richard Attenborough, is based on a screenplay by William Goldman, who wrote the novel upon which it was based. The score was composed by Jerry Goldsmith.

<i>The Tomb of Ligeia</i> 1964 American horror film by Roger Corman

The Tomb of Ligeia is a 1964 British horror film directed by Roger Corman. Starring Vincent Price and Elizabeth Shepherd, it tells of a man haunted by the spirit of his dead wife and her effect on his second marriage. The screenplay by Robert Towne was based upon the short story "Ligeia" by American author Edgar Allan Poe and was the last in his series of films loosely based on the works of Poe. Tomb of Ligeia was filmed at Castle Acre Priory and other locations with a mostly English cast.

<i>Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot</i> 1992 American film

Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot is a 1992 American buddy cop action comedy directed by Roger Spottiswoode and starring Sylvester Stallone and Estelle Getty. The film was released in the United States on February 21, 1992. The film received highly negative reviews upon release but grossed $70.6 million worldwide.

<i>Which Lie Did I Tell?</i> Book by William Goldman

Which Lie Did I Tell?: More Adventures in the Screen Trade is a work of non-fiction first published in 2000 by novelist and screenwriter William Goldman. It is the follow-up to his 1982 book Adventures in the Screen Trade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Holmes (musician)</span> American guitarist

Christopher John Holmes is an American heavy metal guitarist. He started his musical career in the Pasadena, California area in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He is best known as the lead guitarist of heavy metal band W.A.S.P. Together with Blackie Lawless and Randy Piper he was one of the founding members of the band. Holmes was a member of W.A.S.P. first from 1983 to 1990, and again from 1996 to 2001.

<i>The Impostors</i> 1998 American film

The Impostors is a 1998 American farce motion picture directed, written and produced by Stanley Tucci, starring Oliver Platt, Tucci, Alfred Molina, Tony Shalhoub, Steve Buscemi, and Billy Connolly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Yates</span> English film director

Peter James Yates was an English film director and producer. He is known for directing such films as Bullitt (1968), John and Mary (1969), The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973), Breaking Away (1979), and The Dresser (1983). He received nominations for four Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards.

<i>Evil Under the Sun</i> (1982 film) 1982 film by Guy Hamilton

Evil Under the Sun is a 1982 British mystery film based on the 1941 novel of the same name by Agatha Christie and directed by Guy Hamilton. Peter Ustinov stars as Hercule Poirot, the Belgian detective whom he had previously played in Death on the Nile (1978).

<i>The Hot Rock</i> (film) 1972 film by Peter Yates

The Hot Rock is a 1972 American crime comedy-drama film directed by Peter Yates from a screenplay by William Goldman, based on Donald E. Westlake's novel of the same name, which introduced his long-running John Dortmunder character. The film stars Robert Redford, George Segal, Ron Leibman, Paul Sand, Moses Gunn and Zero Mostel. It was released in the UK with the alternative title How to Steal a Diamond in Four Uneasy Lessons.

<i>The Lion in Winter</i> (1968 film) 1968 film by Anthony Harvey

The Lion in Winter is a 1968 historical drama film set at Christmas 1183; it centres on political and personal turmoil among the royal family of Henry II of England, his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, their three surviving sons, and the French king. The film was directed by Anthony Harvey; written by James Goldman ; produced by Joseph E. Levine, Jane C. Nusbaum, and Martin Poll; and starred Peter O'Toole, Katharine Hepburn, John Castle, Anthony Hopkins, Jane Merrow, Timothy Dalton and Nigel Terry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bo Goldman</span> American screenwriter (1932–2023)

Bo Goldman was an American screenwriter and playwright. He received numerous accolades including two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two Writers Guild of America Awards as well as the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998. He also received two BAFTA Award nominations.

Brian Wolfgang Bodison is an American actor and creative director best known for playing Lance Corporal Harold W. Dawson in the 1992 drama film A Few Good Men.

<i>Bottle Shock</i> 2008 film by Randall Miller

Bottle Shock is a 2008 American comedy-drama film based on the 1976 wine competition termed the "Judgment of Paris", when California wine defeated French wine in a blind taste test. It stars Alan Rickman, Chris Pine, and Bill Pullman and is directed by Randall Miller, who wrote the screenplay along with Jody Savin and Ross Schwartz. It premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.

Take a Girl Like You is a 1970 British romantic comedy drama film directed by Jonathan Miller and starring Hayley Mills, Oliver Reed and Noel Harrison. Based on the 1960 novel Take a Girl Like You by Kingsley Amis, it was adapted by George Melly.

<i>Dudes</i> (film) 1987 film

Dudes is a 1987 American independent film directed by Penelope Spheeris, written by Randall Jahnson, and starring Jon Cryer, Catherine Mary Stewart, Daniel Roebuck, and Lee Ving. A Western revenge story in a contemporary setting, its plot concerns three punk rockers from New York City who attempt to make their way to California. When one of them is murdered by a vicious gang leader, the other two, played by Cryer and Roebuck, find themselves fish out of water as they pursue the murderer from Arizona to Montana, assisted by a tow truck driver played by Stewart.

Johanna Harwood, a.k.a. J. M. Harwood, is a retired Irish screenwriter. She was born and raised in County Wicklow, Ireland. She co-wrote two James Bond films, and went uncredited for adaptation work on a third.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 A Vintage Approach to Filmmaking Script Gets Star Treatment in Old-Fashioned Romance Caper: [Home Edition] Gritten, David. Los Angeles Times 7 Jan 1992: 1.
  2. ↑ Goldman p 51-52
  3. ↑ Van Gelder, Lawrence (June 21, 1991). "At the Movies". The New York Times . Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  4. 1 2 Harris, Will (September 19, 2018). "Tim Daly on Madam Secretary, voicing Superman, and killing Steven Weber". The A.V. Club . The Onion . Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  5. ↑ Goldman p57
  6. ↑ "Year of the Comet (1992)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  7. ↑ Kehr, Dave (April 27, 1992). "'YEAR OF THE COMET' A BLACK HOLE OF A MOVIE". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  8. ↑ Black, Louis (May 1, 1992). "Movie Review: Year of the Comet". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  9. ↑ Kempley, Rita (April 27, 1992). ""Year of the Comet" Review". The Washington Post . Retrieved April 10, 2018.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.