LOVE AT LARGE
US, 1989, 90 minutes, Colour.
Tom Berenger, Anne Archer, Elizabeth Perkins, Ann Magnusson, Annette O'Toole, Kate Capshaw, Ted Levine, Ruby Dee, Barry Miller, Neil Young.
Directed by Alan Rudolph.
Love at Large was written and directed by Alan Rudolph, an idiosyncratic American writer-director. Having worked with Robert Altman, he began to direct in the late '70s with films like Welcome to LA, Remember My Name. He is unpredictable with films like Roadie, Songwriter, Made in Heaven, as well as the much more serious and offbeat Trouble in Mind and Choose Me.
Here he takes the private eye conventions and reworks them - with a touch of the red herring and with humour. He is obviously affectionate towards the genre.
Tom Berenger is the almost seedy private eye used by one of the most alluring femme fatales in the person of Anne Archer. Elizabeth Perkins is shadowing him - a female version of himself. There is a strong cast including Kate Capshaw, Annette O'Toole, songwriter Neil Young, Ted Levine.
It may not make all that much sense to the uninitiated - but for those who enjoy the genre and variations of the theme, it is both an affectionate parody and spoof.
1.The work of Alan Rudolph, audience expectations?
2.The private eye genre, the conventions? Affection and spoof?
3.The city, the ranch, the atmosphere, the songs and the score? The theme song and its being played throughout the film, the credits - as well as Miss Dolan singing it in Harry's dream, his singing it?
4.The screenplay and the use of the conventions, the way the private eyes talk, tough genre, the femme fatale, the villain, the mystery, the red herrings?
5.Tom Berenger's portrait of Harry Dobbs: seeing him with Doris and their fighting, lovemaking? the phone call for the job? The Blue Danube and the meeting with Miss Dolan, her sexual attraction, his taking the job, the enigma? His style, identifying the wrong man? Following him with attention, clever following? King and his work, family? The plane and the farewells? Getting a ticket, on the plane, the taxi and his following him, the interaction with the taxi driver? The motel and seeing Stella? Buying the car - and its explosion? Getting a lift from Stella? The ranch, looking at King, the entry into the house, the phone call, summing up Ellen's situation? The phone calls to Miss Dolan? The return, Stella on the plane? The visit to Mrs King and her being uncomfortable? Stella persuading him to be a partner? His attraction towards her? The hotel, Miss Dolan? The thug and the fight? The plan, the climax, the fight in the hotel? The real Rick? Meeting Miss Dolan at the station, farewell, returning to Stella - a future or not?
6.The first introduction to Stella, shadowing Harry? Her work as a private eye, giving him the lift? Talking, wanting to be partners, the plane ride home, the discussion afterwards? Her going back to see Ellen, confronting Ellen with the phone call, meeting the husband, the fight, her rescuing her? Her return, the final encounter with Harry - after the discussions with Marty and his accosting her?
7.Doris, erratic emotionally, sex-mad, jealousy, paying for Stella to tail Harry, the phone call and her social life?
8.King and his wife, at the nightclub, going home, the family, Harry not believing him to be Rick? His going to the farm, the relationship with Ellen? The two families? The change of lifestyle from executive to rancher? His relationship with each wife? Suspicions of Ellen, the confrontation, the fight in the bar? His return home to his wife?
9.Ellen, her love, the relationship with art, the phone calls, leaving?
10.Mrs King and her devotion to her husband, the farewells, the visits by Harry, her puzzle, receiving her husband home?
11.Art, work on the ranch, relationship with Ellen, the drinks of water, the fight?
12.The real Rick, at the nightclub, with the women, with Miss Dolan, in the hotel, his preparing to kill Miss Dolan, the fight and his being literally left hanging?
13.Miss Dolan as the femme fatale, parody, real? Her glamour, singing in Harry's dream? The phone calls, the hotels, a figment of the private eye imagination? The new hotel, encounters with Harry, with Rick, being seen off on the train?
14.The love manual and the descriptions of emotions, waiting - as applied to the characters? The title of the film - and its relationship with the characters? The lyrics of the song?
