Friends | |
---|---|
Directed by | Lewis Gilbert |
Written by |
|
Story by | Lewis Gilbert |
Produced by | Lewis Gilbert |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Andréas Winding |
Edited by | Anne V. Coates |
Music by | |
Production company | Lewis Gilbert Productions |
Distributed by | Paramount British Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 101 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Friends is a 1971 British-French teen-romance film directed and produced by Lewis Gilbert and written by Gilbert, Vernon Harris and Jack Russell. The soundtrack, with music composed by Elton John and Paul Buckmaster and lyrics written by Bernie Taupin, was released as John's Friends album, and John's recording of the title selection charted when released as a single in the United States. [1]
Neglected 15-year-old English boy Paul Harrison, living in Paris with his wealthy businessman father, befriends an orphaned 14-year-old French girl named Michelle Latour who has recently arrived in Paris to live with her cousin. However, Michelle finds the situation in her cousin's Montmartre apartment to be disturbingly unwholesome.
Together, Paul and Michelle decide to run away. They travel to the idyllic marshlands of the Camargue where Michelle has a very small cottage to which she and her recently deceased artist father periodically escaped from their home in Arles. Paul and Michelle settle into the house, become lovers, have a baby and play at being responsible adults. Along the way, they each discover many of the troubles of family life.
The couple's adventure ends when the police finally find Paul and Michelle.
In the 1974 sequel, Paul and Michelle, the young family has been reunited, and Paul must cope with not only Michelle's new love interest but also the difficulties that he faces balancing work, college and family.
The film was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best English-Language Foreign Film at the 1972 Golden Globe Awards. It was also nominated for a Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture at the 1972 Grammy Awards. [2]
Roger Ebert awarded the film a one-star rating, heavily criticizing it for its portrayal of teenage sex: "The archness of their 'innocence' toward sex is, finally, just plain dirty. And the worst thing is that the movie seems to like it that way." [3] Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune also gave the film one star and called it "a saccharine story" that teases the payoff of the two characters sleeping together until "the audience are made to feel like Peeping Toms." [4] Arthur D. Murphy of Variety agreed and found the film's plot "requires a sensitive adult mind" but "lacks by a wide margin the requisite treatment, more often than not being patronizingly voyeuristic." [5] Howard Thompson of The New York Times called the film "rather exasperating" until the "deeply touching finale" when it finally makes its point about pure love with the birth of the baby. [6] Brenda Davies of The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote that producer-director Gilbert "sometimes seems to be inviting guffaws rather than sympathy. The story itself is riddled with improbabilities, and the dialogue seems out of touch with the contemporary teenage idiom." Anicée Alvina, however, was singled out by Davies for praise as an actress with "an alarmingly precocious charm, and she manages to survive the most embarrassing situations with aplomb." [7]
Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times wrote a positive review, calling Friends "a film of rare tenderness and charm" with "winning performances" from both leads. [8] Scott Murray, writing for the April 2005 issue of Senses of Cinema , challenged the largely negative critical reception to Friends, believing that the movie's greatest strength is "its evocation of Arcadia, that magic, protected place where life may be lived as the rest of us can only dream." [9]
Roger Joseph Ebert was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert became the first film critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. Neil Steinberg of the Chicago Sun-Times said Ebert "was without question the nation's most prominent and influential film critic," and Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times called him "the best-known film critic in America."
Dangerous Liaisons is a 1988 American period romantic drama film directed by Stephen Frears from a screenplay by Christopher Hampton, based on his 1985 play Les liaisons dangereuses, itself adapted from the 1782 French novel of the same name by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. It stars Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer, Uma Thurman, Swoosie Kurtz, Mildred Natwick, Peter Capaldi and Keanu Reeves.
Only When I Laugh is a 1981 American comedy-drama film based on Neil Simon's 1970 play The Gingerbread Lady.
Eugene Kal Siskel was an American film critic and journalist for the Chicago Tribune. Along with colleague Roger Ebert, he hosted a series of movie review programs on television from 1975 until his death in 1999.
American Gigolo is a 1980 American neo-noir crime drama film written and directed by Paul Schrader and starring Richard Gere and Lauren Hutton. It tells the story about a high-priced escort in Los Angeles (Gere) who becomes romantically involved with a prominent politician's wife (Hutton), while simultaneously becoming the prime suspect in a murder case.
At the Movies was an American movie review television program produced by Disney–ABC Domestic Television in which two film critics share their opinions of newly released films. Its original hosts were Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel, the former hosts of Sneak Previews on PBS (1975–1982) and a similarly titled syndicated series (1982–1986). Following Siskel's death in 1999, Ebert worked with various guest critics until choosing Chicago Sun-Times colleague Richard Roeper as his regular partner in 2000.
Tommy Boy is a 1995 American buddy adventure comedy film directed by Peter Segal, written by Bonnie and Terry Turner, produced by Lorne Michaels, and starring former Saturday Night Live castmates and close friends Chris Farley and David Spade. This was the first of many films that Segal has filmed with former SNL castmates. It tells the story of a socially and emotionally immature man (Farley) who learns lessons about friendship and self-worth, following the sudden death of his industrialist father.
North is a 1994 American comedy-drama adventure film directed by Rob Reiner. The story is based on the 1984 novel, North: The Tale of a 9-Year-Old Boy Who Becomes a Free Agent and Travels the World in Search of the Perfect Parents by Alan Zweibel, who wrote the screenplay and has a minor role in the film. The cast includes Elijah Wood in the title role, with Jon Lovitz, Jason Alexander, Alan Arkin, Dan Aykroyd, Kathy Bates, Faith Ford, Graham Greene, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Reba McEntire, John Ritter, and Abe Vigoda. Bruce Willis narrates and plays several different roles throughout the film, and a 9-year-old Scarlett Johansson appears briefly in her film debut. This was the final theatrical film for Alexander Godunov before his death the following year. The film was shot in Hawaii, Alaska, California, South Dakota, New Jersey, and New York. It was a box office bomb, grossing just $12 million against its $40 million budget, and received largely negative reviews from critics, many of whom called it one of the worst films ever made.
Willard is a 1971 American horror film directed by Daniel Mann and written by Gilbert Ralston, based on Stephen Gilbert's novel Ratman's Notebooks. Bruce Davison stars as social misfit Willard Stiles, who is squeezed out of the company started by his deceased father. His only friends are a couple of rats raised at home, including Ben and Socrates, and their increasing number of friends. When Socrates is killed by Willard's boss, he goes on a rampage using his rats to attack.
Trash is a 1970 American drama film directed and written by Paul Morrissey and starring Joe Dallesandro, Holly Woodlawn and Jane Forth. Dallesandro had previously starred in several other Andy Warhol/Paul Morrissey films such as The Loves of Ondine, Lonesome Cowboys, San Diego Surf, and Flesh.
City Heat is a 1984 American buddy-crime-comedy film starring Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds, written by Blake Edwards, and directed by Richard Benjamin. The film was released in North America in December 1984.
Fool for Love is a 1985 American drama film directed by Robert Altman, and starring Sam Shepard, Kim Basinger, Harry Dean Stanton, Randy Quaid, and Martha Crawford. It is based on the original 1983 play written by Shepard, who also adapted the screenplay. It was entered into the 1986 Cannes Film Festival. It was filmed in Eldorado and Las Vegas, New Mexico.
Anicée Alvina, also known as Anicée Schahmaneche (born Anicée Shahmanesh or Anicee Schahmane was a French singer and actress.
The Ritz is a 1976 British-American comedy farce film directed by Richard Lester based on the 1975 play of the same name by Terrence McNally. Actress Rita Moreno – who had won a Tony Award for her performance as Googie Gomez in the Broadway production – and many others from the 1975 original cast, such as Jack Weston, Jerry Stiller, and F. Murray Abraham, reprised their stage roles in the film version. Also in the cast were Kaye Ballard and Treat Williams. The film, Jack Weston, and Rita Moreno all received Golden Globe nominations in the comedy category. It opened to mixed reviews.
Hustle is a 1975 American neo-noir crime film directed by Robert Aldrich and starring Burt Reynolds and Catherine Deneuve.
Fuzz is a 1972 American action comedy film directed by Richard A. Colla and starring Burt Reynolds, Yul Brynner, Raquel Welch, Tom Skerritt and Jack Weston.
Forever Young is a 1983 film written by Ray Connolly and directed by David Drury for Channel 4 as part of their First Love series.
The Slugger's Wife is a 1985 romantic comedy film about a baseball star who falls for a singer. Written by Neil Simon, directed by Hal Ashby and produced by Ray Stark, the film stars Michael O'Keefe, Rebecca De Mornay, and Randy Quaid. It was distributed by Columbia Pictures and released on March 29, 1985.
Paul and Michelle is a 1974 drama film directed and produced by Lewis Gilbert, whose story Vernon Harris and Angela Huth dramatized. It is a sequel to the 1971 film Friends, by the same director and with the same lead actors.
Brighton Beach Memoirs is a 1986 American comedy film directed by Gene Saks, written by Neil Simon, and starring Jonathan Silverman and Blythe Danner. The film is adapted from Simon’s semi-autobiographical 1982 play of the same title, the first chapter of what is known as the Eugene trilogy, followed by the adaptations Biloxi Blues and Broadway Bound.