Jenseits von Mitternacht

... but not as good as it wants to be. This sprawling drama plays out over a span of decades as it follows a pretty young Parisienne who is seduced and abandoned by an American flier, and who then marries into society with the non-specific purpose of either getting him back or getting back at him. Meanwhile the flier gets married and goes through various crises of his own. The production values are expensive and look good, but the script moves with languorous slowness and, despite some fashionable 70s-style sexual frankness, everything has an old-style Hollywood feel to it, as if the movie had been made 20 years earlier than it was. John Beck and Susan Sarandon in particular seem to have been time warped back to a Ross Hunter melodrama such as Back Street, making their performances seem out of date for the more naturalistic 1970s cinema. Marie- France Pisier emerges as the best thing in the movie, but it's a pretty dull affair otherwise, especially when she is not on screen. Sarandon's career survived this bomb, thanks to Atlantic City a few years later, but John Beck, who was supposed to vault to stardom after this, quickly found himself in the hell of TV guest star shots.

It's the time to breathe… to fall in love… to feel the heartbeat of every living moment of every endless day… It's a very romantic time… It's a time for dreams and heartbreak and hope… A time when fantasies can come true…

In Paris, the enchanting Noelle—young and vulnerable—lives out her fantasies at the jagged edges of her broken dreams dazzled by its glamor… In Washington, the beautiful Cathy—taken by surprise with her own success—is unaware of its price… Larry—loved by both women— is a sly liar… Constantine Demeris has the power that extends beyond wealth, the power that knows the price of every woman's heart and every man's soul…

Sidney Sheldon's story has all the suspense, the intrigue, and the emotions that explode when fantasy collides with destiny… His four unforgettable people live the romance, the passion, the betrayal, the hate and revenge against the midst of WWII, in Three countries: France, United States and Greece

During the summer of '77, I didn't get to see as many movies as I had been used to seeing the past three years. The only other movie I saw that summer was "Star Wars."

So here I am, 17 years old, and I go to this with my Grandmother and an aunt, cause, lets face it, this is what is a classic 'chick flick'. I dislike that expression cause it makes it seem like you have to be a woman to gain any enjoyment, and the only movie I'd personally attach that label to is "Thelma and Louise." Just cause the main character of a movie is a woman does not mean its not about a human being who is completely unbelievable.

Anywho, I saw this again last week, and it may as well be 900 years old. They don't make trash like this anymore, but maybe that's because they don't write trash novels anymore. Gone are Harold Robbins, Jackie Susann and the author of this, Sidney Sheldon. We have Jackie Collins, but her stuff ends up on television (I think). Why has the world given up on the trash novel, the one you read on the beach or on a plane?

This has it all, like the master checklist..epic length, betrayal, a lot of over- and under-acting, revenge, nudity, sex, self-abortion, international settings, a trial, an actress, a firing squad, a bitch, a virgin, a colorless leading man and even a surprise ending. 8/10.

If this were to have been done twenty years later with a modern sensibility, gullible stars, a more lethal editor, and a spot more atmosphere, it could well have ended up as a hit. The budget was obviously good, and the photography is mostly excellent despite its too-frequent descent into seventies syrup. The lighting (and look) tends to be pretty uniform - for example, Wartime Paris was apparently a beautifully colorful time, and the mood gay and sumptuous, but then so is everything else, right down to the fitted carpet. The debt owed to the black and white classics is apparent, but there is something very unconvincing about using the old styles of movie-making with full-on glossy, TV color. A shame they didn't go all the way, and let the hammers fly -for heavens' sake give me some deep shadow when the lights are on. All in all, the zoom lens is over-active, the script underwhelming, and the score dreary. The performances, however, are lively and committed and the styling and costumes sometimes inspired. "Entraptured" as I was, I couldn't help feeling I was watching a Judith Krantz novel....oh, that's right - it's Sidney Sheldon! Compelling nonetheless...

...that a film with copious amounts of nudity can be as dry as dirt. It looks like a handsome production replete with a Michel Legrand musical score and Oscar nominated costumes from Irene Sharaff. But the leads, Marie-France Pisier and John Beck, register zero on the charisma scale. It is hard to care about anything related to them. And the lamentable thing drags on for 166 minutes.

The one saving grace is Susan Sarandon, who, even in a bad film in a sadly supporting role, still has that certain zest and spark of a true star about her, even though her palmy days would not completely arrive for another decade or so. But the rest of the film is apathetic and completely bored me.