Paul255378

As a huge Rock and Roll fan, I found this to be an interesting look into a transitional period of Rock and Roll music. I say transitional because in the late 60's music tastes seemed to be moving in more of a "hard rock" or "acid rock" as it was called, direction. This was before the explosion of arena rock and many of the groups shown here were still playing small clubs on either coast. But then some of these groups would go on to play at Wood Stock the same year that this was being filmed.

This documentary is a look at both men and women often called, "hangers on", or groupies that followed this music scene and trying to gain access to the performers at any cost. The drug scene was certainly in full swing by this time and plays heavily into the lives of the people depicted here. This is a story of damaged individuals, runaways, drug addition and psychosis. The film could very well have been titled, " Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll. It would be interesting to know what became of some of these people later in life. One in particular I know had a very tragic end.

It seems like over the past 20 years, every time I have seen a documentary on the golden age of Hollywood, they play the last scene from this movie where Paul Henreid lights two cigarettes at once and hands one to Bette Davis.

I have always wanted to see the movie and recently I watched it. Bette Davis is superb in the role of Charlotte Vale, a woman under the thumb of an overbearing mother. Equally impressive are Claude Rains, as her doctor, Dr. Jaquith and Paul Henreid, as Jerry Durrance, a man who befriends her on an ocean voyage.

The movie takes you along on her journey from an insecure spinster to that of a woman who has everything.

If you are a fan of film, this is an essential.

I saw this in the mid 60's as it was shown as the afternoon movie on a local TV station. Every afternoon this station showed an old movie starting at 4:00 PM. Just in time for school kids to get home. As an 8 year old, I found this movie terrifying. My childhood friend, his younger sister and me watched most of it peeking from behind a couch. Great memories! I will need to purchase the DVD and now watch as an adult to see if it is still that frightening! I remember the anticipation of what was going to happen next to scare the bejesus out of us! Not an academy award winner, but fun none the less. I can imagine a young couple on a 1st date back in 1958 clinging to each other in a dark movie theater!