February 20, 1925 november 20, 2006 was an american film director, screenwriter, and producer. Every character in this film was made the fool and that is why the film s title was fool for love. Shepards play is magnificently imagined from a visual standpoint, as altman restlessly picks over the neonlit motel set, staging flashbacks in. The deliberately trashy surface, however, conceals deeper levels of feeling, and by the end of fool for love we have witnessed some sort of classic tragedy, set there in the texas backlands. In this robert altman film, eddie sam shepard and may kim basinger are on againoffagain lovers who havent seen each other in a while. That truthful flavor is missing from fool for love, the first sample of altmans decadelong filmed play era to make it to dvd. Fool for love is an english movie directed by robert altman released in the year 1985. If this is a less successful altman film, its not because of him, or for lack of shepard trying with a role he wrote though originally not for himself, and i lament that. In an interview published last year, sam shepard said that robert altmans 1985 movie version of his play, fool for love,was largely a mistake. Cowboy drifter eddie shepard reconnects with may basinger, the love of his life, in a seedy desert moteleven though shes taken up with a new boyfriend randy quaid. Fool for love play wikimili, the free encyclopedia. It was submitted into the cannes film festival, not because it was a great film, but because it had big names attached.
Featuring the songs suicide is painless by lady and bird, he needs me by shelley duvall, a fool for love by sandy rogers and im easy by keith carradine. Sep 12, 2010 love is a theme everything and everyone can touch. This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of fool for love. Theres something oddly engaging about the majority of the film, which follows several characters as the navigate the arduous world of professional ballet. Moreover, director robert altman actually once made a movie called quintet 1979. A collection of five movies directed by robert altman.
Cowboy drifter eddie shepardreconnects with may basinger, the love of his life, in a seedy desert moteleven though shes taken up with a new boyfriend randy quaid. Robert altman s movie version of shepards play stars shepard himself, in a strong performance as eddie. Robert altmans adaptation of shepards stage play proves a fortuitous meeting of two artistic giants, with the directors lushly. Fool for love is based off of a play by sam shepard. May is waiting for her boyfriend in a rundown american motel, when an old flame turns up and threatens to undermine her efforts and drag her back into the life that she was running away from. Based on shepards own awardwinning play and directed by seventime oscarar nominee robert altman, fool for love is a stunning collaboration newsweek. From the film fool for love, directed by robert altman, written by sam shepard. Shepards play is magnificently imagined from a visual standpoint, as altman restlessly picks over the neonlit motel set, staging flashbacks in the same frame as the present action. The play focuses on may and eddie, former lovers who have met again in a motel in the desert.
Dec 06, 1985 perhaps inevitably, a lot of this intensity escapes robert altmans film version, which, however, has been opened up with intelligence, at least much of the time. With a small cast and limited locals due to its basing on a play, the film feels incredibly claustrophobic. The play was a finalist for the 1984 pulitzer prize for drama. Overall, the film shows great use of music and is great at showing the audience the symbolism of music and sounds. The museum of modern art presents a comprehensive career retrospective of the maverick film and television director robert altman 19252006, comprising 50 programs, including theatrical features, television films, cable series, and rarely seen music videos, industrial shorts, and documentary pieces.
Sam shepards play was a short, strindbergian chamber piece, in which a semiincestuous affair between halfbrother and sister was enacted largely by them. The production was designed by robert altmans son, stephen, who also designed for altmans vincent and theo. Fool for love 1985 next to secret honor, fool for love is probably the bestknown of altmans filmed plays, because it had a decent budget and a healthy home video release, and because it. It establishes shepard as one of our finest screenwriters, and confirms the staying power of. Fool for love by robert altman robert altman, sam shepard. That truthful flavor is missing from fool for love, the first sample of altman s decadelong filmed play era to make it to dvd. Fool for love 1985 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. In the canon of robert altmans extensive oeuvre, fool for love is not a film that initially stands outeven to some hard core altmanphiles. He was among the most prolific film makers of the 1970s, churning out movies stuffed with innovative style and genrebusting content. Sam shepards play fool for love became altmans fourth independent, smallbudget theatrical adaptation during his estrangement from hollywood.
The film stars sam shepard, who also wrote both the original play and the adaptations screenplay, alongside kim basinger, harry dean stanton, randy quaid and martha crawford. For the moment, at the start of sam shepards fool for love, may. Oscars best picture winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comiccon sundance film festival toronto intl film festival awards central. Obviously, this is the intent, but it really hurts since it is an altman film. In this robert altman film, eddie sam shepard and may kim basinger are onagainoffagain lovers who havent seen each other in a while. Fool for love is an important film for a number of reasons. Robert altman a list of 47 titles created 09 apr 2016 best to worst. It was filmed in eldorado and las vegas, new mexico. Fool for love is not one of robert altmans most popular films, nor is it among his most successful films box office wise, nor is it considered to be among his greatest films period.
And director robert altman, who has made a comeback of sorts filming small plays. When robert altman cast her in his film adaptation of shepards acclaimed play fool for love, he moved her career into the arena of serious, some might say. Fool for love 1985 may is waiting for her boyfriend in a rundown american motel, when an old flame turns up and threatens to undermine her efforts and drag her back into the life that she was running away from. In a rundown desert motel in the american west, themes of incest and child abuse are touched upon when a cowboy shepard attempts to reunite with a woman he claims is his sister. Fool for love was filmed on location in santa fe, new mexico. As a woman awaits her boyfriend at a seedy motel, her old flame resurfaces, as does a threat that could destroy their last chance for happiness. Movie, fool for love movie,fool for love trailer,fool for love 1985, robert altman,harry dean stanton, kim basinger, randy quaid, sam. When drifter eddie suddenly turns up in mays new mexican town, the two struggle to deal with the implications of their past and present emotions.
The play premiered in 1983 at the magic theatre in san francisco, where shepard was the playwrightinresidence. Well before he directed the 1985 movie adaptation of sam shepards play fool for love, robert altman had already made trips into. With sam shepard, kim basinger, harry dean stanton, randy quaid. Starring sam shepard, kim basinger, randy quaid, and harry dean stanton. The play premiered in 1983 at the magic theatre in san francisco, where shepard was the playwrightinresidenc. Altman explores another tumultuous relationship in the southern, faulkneresque tale of a cowboy who comes back to town in an attempt to reunite with his former love may. Robert altman, greg carson, sam shepard, greg carson, mati raz, menahem golan, scott bushnell, yoram globus, sam shepard, kim basinger. The film stars sam shepard, who also wrote both the original play and the adaptations.
Sam shepards play was a short, strindbergian chamber piece, in which a semi incestuous affair between halfbrother and sister was enacted largely by them. Certainly altmans most publicized film from this period was fool for love 1985, based on sam shepards pulitzernominated offbroadway hit. Jan 22, 2014 short film adaptation of the play fool for love written by sam shepard producer eric hicks associate producer keith kelley acting coach matthew harrison cast eddie eric hicks may chloe j. Fool for love is too removed from the real world to. In the early 1980s, when altman found himself unable to make a film at any of the studios, he turned first to directing theater and then to filming lowbudget versions of such plays as come back to the 5 and dime, jimmy dean, jimmy dean. Fool for love, a kinship that breaks hearts and knuckles sam rockwell and nina arianda in the broadway production of sam shepards play fool for love, at the manhattan. Robert altmans movie version of shepards play stars shepard himself, in a strong performance as eddie. In fact, a few even forget that the multifaceted and always busy american director helmed the thingits a sam shepard creation all the way.
Fool for love is among his most successful works from this time period, both critical and commercially but it is one of the altmans most inaccessible films. Set in a rundown motel room, it featured brawling lovers who learned too late in their affair that they share the same philandering father. This movie had sam shepard, kim basinger, randy quaid in the lead roles of the film. Fool for love, a kinship that breaks hearts and knuckles sam rockwell and nina arianda in the broadway production of sam shepards play fool for love, at. One of robert altmans many playto film adaptations in the 1980s, fool for love largely feels like the director was on autopilot. In fool for love, we see various forms of love from sibling, to parental, to lover, to oneself. Altman is known as fivetime nominee of the academy award for best director and an enduring figure from the new hollywood era with such directors as martin scorsese, woody allen, sidney lumet, and david lynch. Robert altmans movie version of shepards play stars shepard himself, in a. Watch fool for love 1985 full movie free online streaming. Shot in the middle of the santa fe desert, the film plays itself out like a disturbing, nostalgic dream. Fool for love is a 1985 american drama film directed by robert altman. In addition, the screen play of the film was superb and.
With shepard, kim basinger, harry dean stanton, randy quaid. Fool for love film wikimili, the free encyclopedia. Robert altmans adaptation of shepards stage play proves a fortuitous meeting of two artistic giants, with the directors lushly surreal visual style adding intriguing dimension to the actorwriters finely wrought words. Though there are several actors in fool for love, two share the majority of screen time.
Robert altman one of robert altmans many playto film adaptations in the 1980s, fool for love largely feels like the director was on autopilot. Altmans adaptation is much more leisurely in approach, allowing a good halfhour for the arrival of eddie shepard himself at the motel in the. Fool for love robert altman directs a fine cast with all the authority and finesse a good play deserves, so its too bad the play fooled them all. Therefore, i agree with this statement by noel murray, the fool for love dvd adds an interview with altman and a written statement in which he explains that though some people have seen fool for love as a comedy or a thriller, that was never his vision for it. The film was released theatrically in december 1985. Perhaps inevitably, a lot of this intensity escapes robert altmans film version, which, however, has been opened up with intelligence, at least much of. Perhaps inevitably, a lot of this intensity escapes robert altmans film. These include all three plays from shepards family trilogy, curse of the starving class 1976, buried child 1979, and true west 1980, as well as fool for love 1983 and a lie of the mind 1985.
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