| Judy Berlin |
One of the heartbreaking things about the 28th New Directors/New Films festival at New York City's Museum of Modern Art was learning that the opening night selection, Eric Mendelsohn's wonderful Judy Berlin, was then still seeking distribution. It had a great pedigree as well having received the imprimatur of the 1999 Sundance Film Festival (where Mendelsohn picked up a prize) Even a sterling cast that includes Edie Falco, Barbara Barrie, Madeline Kahn and Bob Dishy wasn't enough. Ah, right! That cast may have been part of the problem. These are mature actors, not the twinks, tweens and twentysomethings that the marketing men in Tinseltown are pushing on movie going audiences. No, these are established craftspeople, award-winners for their previous film and stage work who can truly act. And Mendelsohn has given them all three-dimensional characters to play. Indeed he crafted a gemlike film that would require special handling and bless the people at The Shooting Gallery who finally sealed a deal to distribute the picture. While they delayed the film until 2000, in hindsight, that was probably a mixed blessing. Falco, who was known predominantly in theatrical circles when the film first premiered emerged as a full-fledged TV star as Carmela on the HBO hit "The Sopranos". On the other hand, the film also marks the final screen appearance of Madeline Kahn, who succumbed to ovarian cancer in December 1999. Judy Berlin is that rare film -- one that is both entertaining and enlightening. It opens a window into the world of schoolteachers and families who live in the suburbs of New York -- in this case Long Island. The action of the film is set on one day in the fall when there is a solar eclipse (thereby allowing for some rich and gorgeous black-and-white sequences superbly shot by director of photography Jeffrey Seckendorf). While Falco ostensibly has the title role, playing a woman in her early thirties who is about to head to California to try her luck at acting, the film is really an ensemble piece about a community. Barrie is Judy's mother, a prissy not well liked schoolteacher who is attracted to the principal (Dishy). Kahn is Dishy's stay-at-home wife and newcomer Aaron Hartnick (Barrie's real-life son) is their son, who has returned home after an unsuccessful showbiz career. He and Judy were high school classmates and they bond during this particular day when the world turns dark and day seems like night. Discussing plot specifics is almost pointless. Mendelsohn brilliantly has assembled a series of vignettes demonstrating how small moments and brief encounters can have a powerfully cumulative affect on a life. Judy Berlin is deliberately paced and it does take a while to kick in. Mendelsohn takes his time in introducing the main characters, delineating their relationships and allowing them to flower. That he successfully has written characters that reflect an almost forgotten segment of society and has done so in such rich detail is part of the pleasure of the film. His cast is comprised of predominantly stage-trained performers and they all offer incisive and beautifully realized portraits. The standouts are Barrie, Dishy, Falco, Hartnick and especially Kahn. Watching the film now after her death only adds to the poignancy she captures as a bored suburban matron. It is one of her finest performances and stands as a great testimony to her prodigious talent. Barrie captures the loneliness and bitterness of a woman disappointed by life while Dishy is befuddled by his attraction to her and his duty to his wife. Falco and Hartnick have a lovely chemistry as a mismatched pair who under different circumstances might have ended up together. There is also memorable work from Bettie Henritze, Carlin Glynn, Novella Nelson and comic cameos by Anne Meara and Julie Kavner. While it may have taken a while for this beautifully realized feature to hit the movie screens, it was well worth it. Judy Berlin is a rarity; an intelligent, finely performed first feature. Rating: B+ |
| © 2005 by C. E. Murphy. All Rights Reserved. |