A Flash of Green

Just finished viewing "Flash of Green" on the Sundance Channel & was amazed by it's laid-back, easy yet altogether potent quality. Catch this if you can.

It's a wonderful example of the all-American one-good-man theme in journalism, and in the context of the coastal Florida south 'round about the early 1960s. It's about how an individual can both belong to and resist the toxic tides in his or her own immediate environment; has a delicate sense of place without (New York City style) shoving it in your face. Thematically one will also find delicious shades of Rachel Carson & Oliver Sachs (i.e., think out of the box) -- and the acting is superb. Sure, it's a bit of a melodrama; but so what. Isn't that part of what good story telling is about?

For many years I treasured my 4:3 VHS copy of this film, assuming it had been photographed on 16mm on a very low budget. As it turns out this is not the case. Two years ago this film appeared on Netflix Instant in HD. It was available for about six weeks before disappearing without a trace. I watched it in full, stunned to see a gorgeously photographed 35mm film in crystal clear widescreen. One of the things you cannot appreciate when watching the VHS copy is the stellar art direction and costume design. The lush pastel colors, the swampy Florida locations, the 1950s cars, the grimy office interiors. It's all vividly presented. I wish the company or persons sitting on that HD copy would release it on bluray or put it back up somewhere for a while. This film is one of those lost 1980s films that deserves a wide release.

This a very compelling drama directed by Victor Nunez and produced by Richard Jordan who also starred in the movie along with Ed Harris and Blair Brown. And all three give excellent performances. And this came out right after Ed Harris did The Right Stuff and before he became one of today's major stars. I just wish this movie was more widely known than it is. It deserves more recognition than it got when it first came out in 1984 and when you have three great talents like Richard Jordan, Blair Brown and Ed Harris working together you know the movie will be top-notch. I have the book that the movie was based on and unlike other movies that are based on a book, this movie stays true to its original source. So I highly recommend this movie to anybody that appreciates fine acting and a compelling story.

I completely agree with the positive reviews. A lovely, subtle film, and I can attest to its verisimilitude. I was a reporter in West Palm Beach, Fla. for 1 1/2 years from 1981 to 1983 and this story hits the nail right on the head -- development issues, land use issues, environmental issues and journalism/ethics issues. It's fictional, but it's also completely real.

I had seen Harris in The Right Stuff and Under Fire but happened to catch this little movie - unexpectedly - and fell in love. I watched FoG because of Blair Brown; had just recently seen her in Altered States, but Harris gives a performance that I believe is one of his best. It is a real shame this is not out on DVD; I have only seen it twice and would love to see it again but not on grainy VHS. I thought that after the success of Pollock that this might get ported over to newer media, but not so far....

Richard Jordan is wonderful as smarmy small-town big fish, but this is Harris' movie. And the flash is for real.