I read the book many years ago, under the kind of full moon that induces rapport with lunatics. The prose style of J. R. Salamanca's novel was obviously influenced by Vladimir Nabokov's mellifluous "Lolita" but the Warren Beatty character is no Humbert Humbert. He's a dull bulb, well intentioned but capable of being a vicious at times and dragging along a lot of baggage from his childhood. All the poetry, the philosophical originality and twist, is supplied by Jean Seberg, as the schizophrenic Lillith. When in the book she uses a word like "chatelaine", he must ask her what it means.
The story is this. Warren Beatty is recently returned from the Army and manages to find a job as an Occupational Therapist at an up-scale psychiatric hospital in Maryland. One of the patients is Jean Seberg. Another is Peter Fonda. The latter is in tentative, shy, but serious love with the former. "She's all I have to live for," he tells Beatty and he means it literally.
It doesn't take long for the initially aloof Beatty to be seduced by Jean Seberg. And why should it? She's Hollywood gorgeous, all golden and creamy, and comes on to him when they're alone with a sweetly demonic grin. Beatty's responsibilities involve taking her to picnics and jousts and walks through the woods. In other words, these are paid trysts with Jean Seberg. My kind of job. I've worked in psychiatric hospitals but they must have been the wrong kind.
Seberg's self-proclaimed love for Beatty begins to reveal some curious and unexpected aspects, like the scintillating crystals that absorb her attention. For instance, on a public street, she kneels down to chat with two little boys, kisses their fingers, and whispers something shocking into his ear. Beatty yanks her away, half offended and half jealous. He's even MORE jealous when he catches Seberg in a lesbian encounter with another patient. And when she begins to show an interest in the love-stricken and fragile Fonda, he begins to hum with an inner rage. "If you found that your God loved others as much as you, would you hate him?", she asks Beatty, very sensibly, I thought.
Beatty deceives Fonda into thinking that Seberg has rejected his gift of an intricately hand-carved cedar pencil box. That's enough for Fonda and he falls on his sword. His death drives Seberg irretrievably mad. The last shot has Beatty approaching his kindly supervisors at the hospital and asking, "Can you help me?" It's an adult, dramatic movie. There is no violence or street language or nudity, although I could have wished for some of the last. But it's very well done by everyone involved. There is no clichéd "crazy music" in the score. Fonda doodles on a flute but nobody practices the scales on a maddening piano. The direction is just fine. Some brief scenes consist of nothing more than two people looking at each other. One makes a remark or asks a question. The other looks back quizzically. Dissolve to the next scene. It's not nearly as dull as it sounds.
Warren Beatty does a good job. He ALWAYS does a good job, if never delivering a bravura performance. At the time of release, Pauline Kael's review dismissed Beatty as having the kind of high-school good looks that fade quickly. There are misses -- and then there are MISSES. Forty or so years later Beatty made his last appearance (so far) in a romantic part. Jean Seberg, I don't think we need to go on about. She's hot as hell. And she does fine in suggesting psychosis.
But, at that, it's a romantic model of schizophrenia. It's very genteel. Oh, sometimes I guess the guests at this expensive clinic are swept up in a storm of pointless laughter, but nobody takes a dump in the communal sink as sometimes happens in real life. (That's a real example.) Fonda's character is formal and polite. And Seberg has some lines that are unique and enfilade the normal powers of reason.
A strong story with competent actors and professionals behind the camera.
The story is this. Warren Beatty is recently returned from the Army and manages to find a job as an Occupational Therapist at an up-scale psychiatric hospital in Maryland. One of the patients is Jean Seberg. Another is Peter Fonda. The latter is in tentative, shy, but serious love with the former. "She's all I have to live for," he tells Beatty and he means it literally.
It doesn't take long for the initially aloof Beatty to be seduced by Jean Seberg. And why should it? She's Hollywood gorgeous, all golden and creamy, and comes on to him when they're alone with a sweetly demonic grin. Beatty's responsibilities involve taking her to picnics and jousts and walks through the woods. In other words, these are paid trysts with Jean Seberg. My kind of job. I've worked in psychiatric hospitals but they must have been the wrong kind.
Seberg's self-proclaimed love for Beatty begins to reveal some curious and unexpected aspects, like the scintillating crystals that absorb her attention. For instance, on a public street, she kneels down to chat with two little boys, kisses their fingers, and whispers something shocking into his ear. Beatty yanks her away, half offended and half jealous. He's even MORE jealous when he catches Seberg in a lesbian encounter with another patient. And when she begins to show an interest in the love-stricken and fragile Fonda, he begins to hum with an inner rage. "If you found that your God loved others as much as you, would you hate him?", she asks Beatty, very sensibly, I thought.
Beatty deceives Fonda into thinking that Seberg has rejected his gift of an intricately hand-carved cedar pencil box. That's enough for Fonda and he falls on his sword. His death drives Seberg irretrievably mad. The last shot has Beatty approaching his kindly supervisors at the hospital and asking, "Can you help me?" It's an adult, dramatic movie. There is no violence or street language or nudity, although I could have wished for some of the last. But it's very well done by everyone involved. There is no clichéd "crazy music" in the score. Fonda doodles on a flute but nobody practices the scales on a maddening piano. The direction is just fine. Some brief scenes consist of nothing more than two people looking at each other. One makes a remark or asks a question. The other looks back quizzically. Dissolve to the next scene. It's not nearly as dull as it sounds.
Warren Beatty does a good job. He ALWAYS does a good job, if never delivering a bravura performance. At the time of release, Pauline Kael's review dismissed Beatty as having the kind of high-school good looks that fade quickly. There are misses -- and then there are MISSES. Forty or so years later Beatty made his last appearance (so far) in a romantic part. Jean Seberg, I don't think we need to go on about. She's hot as hell. And she does fine in suggesting psychosis.
But, at that, it's a romantic model of schizophrenia. It's very genteel. Oh, sometimes I guess the guests at this expensive clinic are swept up in a storm of pointless laughter, but nobody takes a dump in the communal sink as sometimes happens in real life. (That's a real example.) Fonda's character is formal and polite. And Seberg has some lines that are unique and enfilade the normal powers of reason.
A strong story with competent actors and professionals behind the camera.