Butterflies Are Free

I have been wanting to see this hard to find flick since I had the chance to play the "Goldy" character in the stage play.

Although the film dates to '72 it really isn't even dated, although in one segment it does reference two out of operation airlines--sign of the times.

The cinematic version retains many of the features one would find in the stage play. I found the experience of watching "Butterflies are Free" so much more rewarding then many more countless modern pictures I've forked out 8 bucks for at the theater.

The character development is fantastic, Goldie Hahn is really classic as a

"reformed hippie" San Fran transplant.

However, I feel the supporting characters really shine with their nuanced

performances. The long camera angles and the sets really allow you to see the interaction between the actors and the talent shines. This film is entertaining and enjoyable without expensive special effects, graphic violence or vulgarity-- just a young Goldie in her cute panties and tiny, svelte figure.

I bumped into this movie, a Goldie Hawn feature that I hadn't heard of. It turned out to bit of a gem. Clearly, written for the stage rather than the big stage, it did translate into a watchable couple of hours although I still consider that the stage is probably the most suitable home for this piece. The acting was terrific. Hawn was quirky, charming, frustrating, not to mention sexy. Such a confused and immature character, yet you couldn't help but like her. You wanted to sympathise with Edward Albert as the blind neighbour and yet, he didn't want people to sympathise with him. He displayed admirable courage and yet a fragility that could break at any second despite his noble. independence. Eileen Heckart won an Oscar for the mother. She was frustrating to start with and then her love and determination to look after her son shone through and you ended up being so full of admiration for her. Lots of talking and yet you get drawn in from an early stage so that you really, genuinely care. Don't let this butterfly pass you by.

Need strong proof to support the argument that Goldie Hawn is the finest of actresses? Watch this classic one along with her masterpiece Private Benjamin. In Butterflies she's funny, tragic, serious and as endearing as she could possibly could be as Jill, the wacky new girl in town who finds herself surprised when her neighbour Don (Edward Albert, Eddie Albert's son) reveals to her that he's completely blind. They have lunch, go shopping, get to know each other, and worst of all meet Don's mother. Don't mistake Eileen Heckart or her awards in the role of the domineering matriarch, she ain't just any aging woman playing a mother. The character is annoying, callous, loving and wise and the relationship that develops between the three characters is very moving. All this presented with great dialogue provided by Leonard Gershe (based on his own stage play).

I really enjoyed the movie, but one thing I noticed and appreciated was the long shots. Modern movies usually are changing angles and context every few seconds; while like a play, this movie will hold a shot for minutes at a time. I think it shows the strength of the actors, while most contemporary movies can mask poor acting with editing. This is especially true towards the end of the movie, in the scene where Don and Jill confront each other's feelings. I was amazed at how Goldie was able to hold the emotion of the scene and keep me drawn in for such an extended period.

I've never been a big Goldie fan, but I had never seen this movie until recently. I have to say this movie changes my opinion and makes we wonder what other films of hers from this period are like.

A light drama set in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury area of the early 70's. It is the latter days of the Vietnam War, an innocent time for us here in the 90's prior to the advent of AIDS & gay liberation & Watergate. Young cute and blind Don Baker(Edward Albert) makes a concerted effort at independence from his home and his clinging over-protective mother(Eileen Heckart) by moving into his own apartment. He meets and falls for the girl next door,literally. Goldie Hawn, here in one of her more successful & effortless roles as an extrovert gregarious actress. Young Don must come to terms with his blooming relationship together with his handicap.There is also mothers apparent disapproval of her son's budding affair.(her silence on the matter is thunderous). Enough said.

There are some wonderful scenes in this movie especially those moments between Heckart & Hawn. For her role Heckart deservedly won an oscar that year. Domineering & disapproving she may be but she is not an ogre rather a contrast in femininity to Jill, the other woman in Don's life. The emotional change as she slowly accepts her son's independence gives the film some substance it would not otherwise have. Wonderful scene when mother & girlfriend first meet, in his kitchen, and Jill in her underwear !.The chill in the air is palpable but both characters size up the situation without even a hint of discomfort. The ending was surprising and very apt, a very touching moment between mother & son. Edward Albert does a convincing turn here and his circumstances are clearly the pivotal link for the other two characters coming into conflict. But it does seem superfluous at times in view of Hawn & Heckart's strong performances. A not too serious romance not to be missed by the romantics in all of us.