On B List of Movie Reviews
(For optimum viewing, adjust the zoom level of your browser to 125%.)
Bobby Deerfield (1977)
Rate:
2
Viewed:
2/25
2/25:
I avoided Bobby Deerfield for decades because I knew it was going to be a bad movie.
Finally, I took the plunge for the first time ever, and...no shock. Al Pacino had a great decade during the 70's,
and this, his first failure, is the one that broke his string of four straight Oscar nominations. He'll pick
himself up again in the next film ...And Justice for All, earning
another nomination.
A terrible actress in general, Marthe Keller is no Faye Dunaway. I even got Anny Duperey mixed up with
her given their looks and almost similar-sounding characters' names: Lydia and Lillian. One of the biggest mistakes
is letting Marthe Keller control the picture as soon as she first showed up when it's supposed to be about Al Pacino.
They have no chemistry, and it's never clear what he sees in her, even after their pathetic conversations.
The first half is a waste of time and has occasional sucky editing. At least, it's nice to see the photography of
Italy by Henri Decaë who's one of the best in business. After the twist comes during the second half, it's easy to
be reminded of Love Story, causing Al Pacino to find his groove in the hopes
of salvaging Bobby Deerfield after sleepwalking most of it. Well, the tactic didn't ultimately work. His
character should've asked himself, "How come I met the woman at the clinic?" Now, cue the theme music of
The Twilight Zone.
Initially, I thought I would be watching a dreadful racing picture, but it's more of a diversion. At any rate,
the most serious issue is the script which is surprisingly adapted from a novel by Erich Maria Remarque who's famous
for All Quiet on the Western Front. It's very bad and
full of nonsense, enough to invoke unintentional laughter, such as:
"You're from a secret place in America?"
"I have always heard that the man who race in cars...that the car is really nothing but an extension of the penis."
"Somebody told me that the intestine is 32 feet long. But we control only the first few inches of it."
"I can do an imitation of Mae West."
The last line was said by Al Pacino. Imagine that, and then die of shame. When Lillian told his character,
"Take off the glasses, and in three blocks you will not be recognized," that's easy for her to say when the
person is a race car driver. Let's try the line again when it's really Al Pacino, and he'll be instantly mobbed
before taking a few steps.
All in all, Bobby Deerfield can be safely skipped over unless you're hell-bent on seeing Al Pacino's
imitation of Mae West.