The Picasso Summer

This unusual film is the collaboration of several creative forces - a Ray Bradbury story, with animation created by the Hubleys (directed and "conceived" by producer Wes Herschensohn), a spectacular musical score by Michel Legrand, and co-direction by the near-forgotten Serge Bourguignon (of "Sundays & Cybele"). Unfortunately, it doesn't appear as if all of these people were properly introduced to one another. A successful architect (Finney) decides to chuck it all and run off to the south of France to visit his favorite painter, Pablo Picasso. Alas, Pablo isn't welcoming visitors and despite several attempts at stalking him, our architect-hero finally gives up. Albert Finney gives a frenetic performance with Yvette Mimieux never looking more beautiful beside him. Nothing in the film has anything linear about it, which is probably to its advantage. It is part fiction film, part docu-drama, part art documentary (the amimated Picasso paintings are probably the only real excuse for it - and they often come off as over-literal interpretations of his work). Ah, well, there is the lush music and the Vilmos Zsigmond photography and the elusive spirit of Picasso. Worth watching at least once.

Good movie about a San Francisco couple (Albert Finny, Yvette Mimieux) who go to France to find Picasso. Beautiful location shooting and some humorous situations as the stars meet various locals and eccentrics in their search. Simple plot is accompanied by music by Michel Legrand.

On the down side are a long and violent sequence in which Finney seeks out a famous toreador who is friends with Picasso. There are also three long and tedious animation pieces that depict Picasso's art and themes of war, love, and the bullfight. These are done in a pulsating psychedelic style and seem interminable.

On the plus side are Finney and Mimieux. Familiar faces include Graham Stark as the postman, Georgina Cookson as the loud lady at dinner, Jim Connell as the artist at the party, and Peter Madden as the blind artist.

The final scene on the beach was filmed on Catalina Island and tacked on. The film was never released in US theaters but has been shown on television.

I'll never understand Albert Finney's apparent popularity. His average looking face is usually frozen in a slight smirk, and he's only slightly more animated during one scene when he comes back drunk to their hotel room.

Yvette is both beautiful and authentic, although why she would be married to fussy Finney is a question not explored.

The big problem is this movie has too many moving parts: travelogue? Ode to Picasso? Or the story of a conflicted marriage? The cartoon sequences seem garish, almost frightening.

Just like in A Light in the Piazza, Yvette is a lovely focal point as she wanders ( alone ) the streets of southern France, and those are my favorite scenes.

I had the pleasure of working on this film in a small capacity. At the time I worked for the Campbell, Silver, Cosby Corporation (the producer's) as a secretary. The office was in Beverly Hills where I met, writer Ray Bradbury who was a dear person. One day Ray asked me to Xerox copies of the script he had written. As I made the copies I began to read the pages. I saw where there was a singer for one of the scenes. I asked Ray if I could be the singer. Ray told me it was fine with him but I would have to speak with Bruce (Campbell) and Roy Silver. I did speak to Roy and he told me Cass Elliot was doing the music for that scene. I very brazenly said to Roy "If Cass doesn't do it can I? He said yes I could. Long story short --Cass was not able to do it and I did. The part of the movie I am in is a party scene that was filmed at attorney Melvin Belli's home. I am in a gray suede slip dress standing by a piano with a pianist (I don't recall his name) who was such a nice person. I am singing an old madrigal called "Hard by a Fountain." In the background is the San Francisco Bay with a freighter passing in the shot. On the terrace is the rock band Sopwith Camel. The animation in this film is amazing. I haven't seen it in years and would love a copy.

I'd rather be in Guernica. Can you imagine how bad Serge Bourguignon's rough cut must have been for Warner Brothers to reject it in favor of this...what? Call it an R rated Rick Steves episode with stupid Picasso animated psychedelia alternating with dopey devices like the ol split screen/jigsaw puzzle as Albert Finney and Yvette Mimieux bike around southern France, swim in the Med and copulate at the Carlton. Kind of a "Two For The Road" for idiots. And good luck getting that syrupy Michel Legrand score out of your head anytime soon. I bailed right around the time Mimieux and Finney temporarily split up and suggest you do the same before that. C minus.