One From the Heart

Francis Ford Coppola, the genius director of Apocalypse Now and The Godfather, tries his hand at romance and does it in a style that could uniquely be called his own. Whilst the film is cleverly designed and strangely dreamlike at times, it just misses the mark by the narrowest of margins.

Franny (Teri Garr) and Hank (Frederic Forrest) are stuck in a rut. Celebrating their fifth anniversary on the Fourth of July weekend, they argue for the last time and break up. What follows is their apparent remorse at the death of their relationship, their taking of new lovers and their exploration of innermost desires and dreams.

"I didn’t come here to lose you to some Rudolph Vaselino guy!"

It’s a strange love story, all told in a strange manner. This film has been shot entirely on indoor sets, though some are massive desert vistas, whole streets and even the Strip of Las Vegas. This lends the whole feature the look of a stage play, and upon reflection, this is what the script seems to have been. Everything tends to happen within the confines of Hank’s house, Franny’s best friend’s house or on the Strip, which contributes to the claustrophobia of the stage. All characters appear a little exaggerated from life, all conversations a little swifter to get out of control than in real life and events occur just a little faster than they do in reality.

The story is an unusual one, and one that seems a touch outdated by its characters and their passions. With the enormous sets and clever ‘double sets’ that allow scenes to shift using only lighting and clever camerawork, a dreamlike state exists in an original way that will interest the modern viewer, though events within the story may not. There is a different chemistry between the two major players of Garr and Forrest that amplifies their parts’ ‘ordinary people’ label, allowing us to see them as ourselves, or people like us. This works well, editing any ‘Hollywood star’ feel the actors themselves may carry and allowing them to interact on a more human level.

This has only been transferred in 4:3, but does seem to have been restored or at least cleaned up in some part. The picture is true with very few artefacts and has made great use of lighting to set moods and scenes. Flesh tones tend to follow the lighting around like a puppy, being dictated to by the neon buzz of the Strip or even simple home sets. This works to effect, garnering a feel in scenes that use little dialogue to get their emotion across. Shadows have a greeny blue feel in parts and detail tends to get a touch washed away at these times, but they are relatively infrequent and for the most part insignificant. Some of the colour levels get pretty feisty at times, particularly surrounded by neon signs or flashing lights down on the Strip, but again these are used effectively to show moods and are quite deliberate for the most part.

The audio is only Dolby Digital 2.0, which is adequate for the purposes of this feature. Most dialogue is sharp and well defined, though some of Raul Julia’s lines get a little run together by his accented character. Even in scenes where passengers in a moving convertible are conversing (that’s how well devised the sets are), sound effects are limited to the essential to allow the dialogue to make its point. Music is such a massive part of this film, particularly evident in scenes of sombre moods or extravagance of life, that it tends to get the pole position in a lot of instances. Ultimately, the music of this film stays with you after the film is done. Originally scored by Tom Waits with Crystal Gayle (remember her?) lending her vox, it underlies the whole film with the misery of heartbreak, the joy of life or the power of inflamed passions. It’s delivered crisply and with a clear resonance that doesn’t sound tinny or thick and is well controlled throughout, with volume levels appropriate to the scenes it supports.

A bizarre thing with the extras on this disc: There’s only a Theatrical Trailer, but it almost seems to be for an alternate version of the film. So many scenes in which a character is delivering a line are not the same way they were delivered in the final movie, nor are they even on the same set at times. I would estimate that only about two-thirds to half of the trailer is accurate to the finished product. In this regard, the extras are pretty good on one hand, but wildly inaccurate and therefore not so good on the other. It depends upon your own personal tastes, I suppose. It is well worth a look anyway, although it has its fair share of scratches and artefacts, which isn’t unusual for older trailers.

If you’re a fan of Coppola’s work you will probably find this unlike his other works, though characters do resemble his usual ‘underbelly of society’ types. Of his major work, this is his only real romantic feature and thereby different to begin with. The acting is well accomplished and the sets are extraordinary, but the story is just a little flat when all is said and done. Not really his greatest work, but it has its own unique feel and is worthy of sitting alongside his others.