Remember My Name

This startling movie shows how an abrasive character can be created by simply not using the words please or thank you.

Geraldine Chaplin as Emily interacts with nearly every other character in the story like metal striking flint, she creates sparks by just entering the scene.

It takes a while to understand why she is intruding into the lives of married couple Neil and Barbara Curry (Anthony Perkins and Berry Berenson). But the story eventually comes to light and we realise Emily had an agenda all along.

The casting is against type. Just look at the films Tony Perkins made before and after "Remember My Name", where nearly all the characters he played could trace their roots back to Norman Bates. Here it's Geraldine Chaplin's Emily who is the character on the edge. She is the one with a touch of the Norman B's. Even though there is little violence, this film keeps the tension ramped up, much of it because of our expectations.

The film is discussed in a good biography by Ronald Bergan, "Anthony Perkins: A Haunted Star". He tells how Berry Berenson, Perkins real life wife, got the part of his wife in the movie when she inadvertently arrived with their children in producer Robert Altman's office. Altman asked her to play the part impressed with her natural qualities although she had never acted in a film.

Bergan's biography, which covers the conflicts in Perkins life, also tells how happy he and Berenson were before illness overwhelmed him. The book was published in 1995, before Berry lost her life in one of the planes on 9/11. At least Anthony Perkins was spared that knowledge.

"Remember My Name" is unique, with a soundtrack of songs by Alberta Hunter that acts like a strolling minstrel following the protagonists with tracks such as "You Reap Just What You Sow".

If you haven't seen it, "Remember My Name" makes for a brilliant discovery.

I suppose the main criticism you can level against a film like REMEMBER MY NAME is that it has a distinctly tame, quiet, television-movie style feel to it, so that the drama feels oddly muted for a movie made for the cinemas. It's a late '70s stalker story along the lines of PLAY MISTY FOR ME, although not quite as good as the Eastwood movie.

What REMEMBER MY NAME does have going for it is an excellent cast of past and future stars who enliven an otherwise ordinary tale. The story involves a seemingly happily married couple who are disturbed by the arrival of the husband's old flame who seems obsessed with resuming their relationship. What follows is quietly gripping in places, although the film as a whole is let down by a non-existent ending and a definite lack of incident.

Anthony Perkins is excellent at playing these mild-mannered characters hiding dark secrets but the real acting honours go to Geraldine Chaplin, who invests her disturbed character with real authenticity; she's absolutely frightening in the part. The supporting cast includes plenty of faces who would go on to become famous in the future: Tim Thomerson, Dennis Franz, and best of all a skinny Jeff Goldblum. Blaxploitation actor Moses Gunn also has a role.

You need not have to wade through any over-intellectualized reviews of this film! Breaking it down into basics: (1) it is a low-budget indie; (2)you can figure it out by at least midway through for those with above a lukewarm IQ; (3) some very wasted time; (4) not quite as satisfying as it could have/should have been, since the predator who is really a victim is completely unsympathetic Skip it unless you really enjoy slogging through old B&W B-movies which offer little more than simple revenge as character motivation.

An interesting and well-acted psychological drama about an unhappily married man (Perkins) who finds himself stalked by his first wife (Chaplin), a mentally unbalanced woman who spent the last 12 years in prison for murder. You've seen this kind of insane-female-admirer plot before, but here it's handled more intelligently and tastefully than usual. It remains refreshingly unpredictable all the way through.

Chaplin is particularly impressive, managing to exude fragility, menace, and just plain craziness all at once. It's a solid performance if you're willing to overlook her ever-changing accent (is her character supposed to be American or English?). The film also features an overbearing blues soundtrack that, while decent enough in itself, sounds like it belongs in another film. Still, it's a good movie, probably worth viewing more than once.

In Director Alan Rudolph's REMEMBER MY NAME, Neil and Barbara Curry (Anthony Perkins and Berry Berenson) find themselves haunted by a bizarre woman (Geraldine Chaplin) who simply appears in their town one day. As the story unfolds, the woman becomes increasingly unhinged and more of a danger.

We eventually learn that Neil has a past connection with this woman, and that there's far more to the story than what we initially thought.

Mr. Rudolph keeps the tone of his film somber, with a definite hint of creepiness. Mr. Perkins uses his powers of twitchiness to help add to the overall oddness. Ms. Berenson -real-life wife of Mr. Perkins- plays her role with just the right amount of sane incredulity.

Special mention must go to Ms. Chaplin, whose portrayal of seemingly unfettered psychopathy is a wonder to behold! Some of her character's escapades are uncomfortably jaw-dropping and squirm-inducing!

Watch for Jeff Goldblum in a small early role as a store owner.

A strange thriller full of unexpected events...