Fade-In (1968) (TV)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Directors:

Jud Taylor
Alan Smithee

Writer:

Jerrold L. Ludwig (writer)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A sophisticated Hollywood film editor, on location for a film she is working on, falls for a local cowboy who is hired to work on the film. |

Cast

Burt Reynolds	...	Rob
Barbara Loden	...	Jean
Patricia Casey	...	Pat
Noam Pitlik
James Hampton
Joseph V. Perry	...	George (as Joseph Perry)
Lawrence Heller

Also Known As:

Iron Cowboy

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:M

Filming Locations:

Castle Valley, Moab, Utah, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

This was the first ever movie to use the DGA pseudonym Alan Smithee. After major re-cutting by Paramount without director Jud Taylor's involvement, Taylor demanded that his name be taken off the picture.

Movie Connections:

Features Blue (1968)

Interesting despite its flaws

The setting of this film is unusual. The story takes place during the real life filming of the movie "Blue" and we catch glimpses of the stars and crew at work on that picture. It begins brightly. Terence Stamp makes a star's entrance, in a sports car, roaring past lines of wannnabe extras that include Burt Reynolds who is trying to get a job as a driver. He's taken on and soon meets Barbara Loden who plays the part of an assistant editor. Their romance quickly blossoms but unfortunately, like the film itself, seems to have nowhere to go. There are signs of some ferocious editing with several abrupt changes of mood and music and the scene in which Loden shows Reynolds how to edit a film is presumably either unintended irony or a despairing editor's in-joke. I read somewhere that it was never given a theatrical release in the USA and the removal of the director's real name from the credits indicates conflict having arisen amongst its makers and backers. Even so, despite its shortcomings, it's not wholly without interest.