Blume in Love (1973)

Lawyer Stephen Blume, specialized in divorces, lives a paradoxical situation when, having his own marriage break up, is still in love with his ex-wife.

Director:

Paul Mazursky

Writer:

Paul Mazursky

Stars:

George Segal, Susan Anspach, Kris Kristofferson

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
George Segal	...	Stephen Blume
Susan Anspach	...	Nina Blume
Kris Kristofferson	...	Elmo Cole
Marsha Mason	...	Arlene
Shelley Winters	...	Mrs. Cramer
Donald F. Muhich	...	Analyst
Paul Mazursky	...	Hellman
Erin O'Reilly	...	Cindy
Annazette Chase	...	Gloria
Shelley Morrison	...	Mrs. Greco
Mary Jackson	...	Louise
Ed Peck	...	Ed Goober
Jo Morrow	...	Bar Hostess
Gigi Ballista	...	Older Man
Ian Linhart	...	Young Boy

Storyline

Lawyer Stephen Blume, specialized in divorces, lives a paradoxical situation when, having his own marriage break up, is still in love with his ex-wife.

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Plot Keywords:

divorce | marriage | lawyer | love | female nudity | 

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Taglines:

A love story for guys who cheat on their wives.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 February 1974 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Amantes em Veneza

Filming Locations:

St. Mark's Square, Venice, Veneto, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The title of the movie is a word play on "Love in Bloom" which was a hit song for Bing Crosby in 1934 and which later became Jack Benny's theme song.

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Connections

Referenced in Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Youve Got A Friend"
Music & Lyrics by Carole King

User Reviews

A masterfully crafted work of art, but potentially offensive to most women

BLUME IN LOVE is a great movie in every respect. It's exceptionally well shot (by brilliant cinematographer Bruce Surtees), the use of music is impressive and affecting, the performances are first rate (particularly George Segal, Marsha Mason and Kris Kristofferson), the dialogue is pitch-perfect and the satirical views of L.A. life are spot-on. However, the film is dead set on wrapping things up in such a manner that it virtually alienates the bulk - if not all - of its female viewers.

Segal plays Blume, a Beverly Hills divorce lawyer who meets and falls in love with Nina (Susan Anspach), a headstrong young woman who is obsessed with contributing to the betterment of society (she works in a welfare office and attends every charity event she can). They get married and do reasonably well together for six years, but just when Nina is starting to show signs of discontentment with her position in life, Blume makes the mistake of cheating with his secretary - and gets caught by Nina. After that, he becomes infatuated with the notion that he will win her back - and the means he employs to do so are underhanded (he befriends Nina's new boyfriend, a hippie dropout played by Kristofferson, with the intent of weaseling his way into Nina's home), immoral (he spies on Nina every chance he gets, going so far as to eavesdrop on her sessions with her analyst) and eventually even violent (he forces himself on her in a fit of drunken rage).

Writer/director Paul Mazursky was still fairly new to the movie game when he made this (he'd previously struck critical and box office gold with his debut, BOB & CAROL & TED & ALICE), but you'd never know it; BLUME IN LOVE looks and plays like the work of a veteran filmmaker. It's surprisingly kinetic and engaging, cleverly blending humor and pathos with skill and maturity. It was somewhat controversial among feminist groups when released, which isn't surprising given that most of the time it would seem that Blume doesn't deserve Nina, even on a friendship level... yet Nina continually allows him to get closer and closer to him after she's left him. It's all about the despair of seemingly impossible love and it tries to convince us that the questionable maneuvers Blume employs to get Nina back are forgivable under the circumstances; this makes the film a complex and at times very trying experience as our protagonist isn't the supremely nice guy we're used to identifying with in most Hollywood movies.

Whether you wind up agreeing with the film's views on relationships or not, it's a movie that deserves to be seen as it's probably Mazursky's most compelling effort, and it boasts some brilliant acting by the leads and also by Marsha Mason, as a woman who pacifies Blume's sexual needs during his quest to get Nina back, despite knowing that Blume is envisioning Nina whenever they go to bed together. The film is alternately powerful and amusing, and it was a major influence on several key American filmmakers of the period (Woody Allen's ANNIE HALL is something of a rip-off of this film's narrative structure and even lifts a great many of Mazursky's satirical elements, and Blake Edwards' SKIN DEEP is basically a slapstick reworking of this movie). If you're interested in audacious, realistic (for the most part) and expertly crafted cinema, you won't want to miss BLUME IN LOVE... but don't expect to like the hero very much.