Bobby Deerfield (1977)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Sydney Pollack

Writers:

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

Release Date:

4 November 1977 (Denmark)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

He had to meet her - to find himself!

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Race Car | Sunglasses | Racecar Driver | Hot Air Balloon | Commercial

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe.

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Heaven Has No Favorites (Australia)

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Dolby Digital (DVD version)

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG (Approved No. 24936) | Canada:PG (Ontario) (Canadian Home Video rating) | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Al Pacino didn't know how to drive a car prior to this film. He had to take driving lessons before he was able to drive in the race car scenes.

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!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Directors: The Films of Sydney Pollack (#2.4)" (????)

Lost and Forgot.. but a real GEM!

Al Pacino is BOBBY DEERFIELD in this touching and moving film about a race car driver in a indifferent marriage who falls in love with Lillian (Marthe Keller). Deerfield buries his feelings and forgets his past until a reckless and passionate woman (Keller) who also lives in death's shadow shows him life's possibilities to the fullest. Beautiful scenes shot in France and Italy make this film even more romantic as well. As Pacino said during the filming of Bobby Deerfield, "I might have been closer to that character, what he was going through, than any character I've played". Why this film is not out on dvd is beyond me, it is fantastic. Funny and touchingly romantic. This was during Pacino's best years.