Bobby Deerfield (1977)

Bobby Deerfield, a famous American race car driver on the European circuit, falls in love with the enigmatic Lillian Morelli, who is terminally ill.

Director:

Sydney Pollack

Writers:

Alvin Sargent (screenplay), Erich Maria Remarque (novel)

Stars:

Al Pacino, Marthe Keller, Anny Duperey

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Al Pacino	...	Bobby
Marthe Keller	...	Lillian
Anny Duperey	...	Lydia
Walter McGinn	...	The Brother
Romolo Valli	...	Uncle Luigi
Stephan Meldegg	...	Karl Holtzmann
Jaime Sánchez	...	Delvecchio (as Jaime Sanchez)
Norm Nielsen	...	The Magician
Mickey Knox	...	Tourist
Dorothy James	...	Tourist
Guido Alberti	...	Priest In The Garden
Monique Lejeune	...	Catherine Modave
Steve Gadler	...	Bertrand Modave
Van Doude	...	The Flutist
Aurora Maris	...	Woman In The Gas Station

Storyline

Bobby Deerfield, a famous American race car driver on the European circuit, falls in love with the enigmatic Lillian Morelli, who is terminally ill.

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Plot Keywords:

race car | love | terminal illness | love triangle | foreign language adaptation | 

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Taglines:

He had to meet her - to find himself!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

4 November 1977 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Um Momento, Uma Vida

Filming Locations:

Paris Studios Cinéma, Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Warner Bros., First Artists

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

Mono Dolby Digital (DVD version)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The race car used by Al Pacino in the movie is a Brabham Alfa Romeo BT-45, which belonged to the Brazilian Racer José Carlos Pace, who actually drove it during the race (South African GP, in 1976) scenes.

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Quotes

Lillian Morelli: You're such a turtle!
Bobby Deerfield: Turtle?
[she nods]
Bobby Deerfield: Nobody's ever called me that before. A turtle.
Lillian Morelli: Perhaps you are the world's fastest turtle, but just the same, you are a ...
Lillian Morelli, Bobby Deerfield: turtle!

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Connections

Referenced in De Dageraad: Aflevering 26 (1991)

User Reviews

A bit deep, but very good.

I must admit, I had heard of this film, but never got round to seeing it.

When I did, i just caught the start of it in time, flicking through channels for something to watch.

I was glad I did, as this was a really good film, not the usual hour and a half of rootin' tootin' and shootin' that Hollywood likes to push out from time to time, but a really good film, where the actors were the stars and not the special effects.

Pacino, as always was excellent, I like his sullen and silent roles, and there are few who carry this off better, I also like him when he talks, but in this film there were shades of Michael Corleone, not the menace, but the deepness.

Marthe Keller, the female lead, was ideal to counterpoint Pacino, he was dark, deep and thoughtful, and she was, witty, bright and a little bit off beat.

As for the storyline, a love story would almost cover it, but not quite.

The Motor racing angle is a hook, with a very small cameo from Bernie Ecclestone, Formula Ones supremo, it adds to the film but doesn't overtake it ( please pardon the pun!) but if you want a film with lots of race cars and aggression watch James Garner in Grand Prix instead.

This is well worth seeing, and I would recommend that you do.