Hearts of Fire (1987)

User Rating:

4.0/10   

Director:

Richard Marquand

Writers:

Joe Eszterhas (screenplay)
Scott Richardson (writer)

Release Date:

1987 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Musical

Plot Keywords:

Independent Film

Cast

Bob Dylan	...	Billy Parker
Fiona	...	Molly McGuire
Rupert Everett	...	James Colt
Julian Glover	...	Alfred
Suzanne Bertish	...	Anne Ashton
Susannah Hoffman	...	Blind Woman (as Susannah Hoffmann)
Larry Lamb	...	Jack Rosner
Maury Chaykin	...	Charlie Kelso
Tony Rosato	...	Woody
Ian Dury	...	Bones
Richie Havens	...	Pepper Ward
Timmy Cappello	...	Nico
Stella Duncan-Petley	...	Eliza
Lesleh Donaldson	...	Penny
Billy Block	...	Donnie

Runtime:

USA:95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | USA:R | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Bristol, England, UK

Nowhere nearly as bad as people say!

Bob Dylan fans tend to be an overearnest lot, scratching their beards whilst pondering every syllable of their great idol's often interminable lyrics. So it's no wonder the majority of the miserable pseudo-intellectual ex-hippies hate this film. For starters, the love interest (Rupert Everett looking like Frankenstein's monster) is a new romantic type, and as we all know, Dylan freaks don't approve of synthesizers or frilly shirts. Secondly, the female lead is a singer-guitarist. Dylan fans, like those tiresome blues-rock fanatics who clutter up bars at the weekend, scaring the youngsters with their paisley waistcoats, extra-tight jeans and greasy grey ponytails, tend to disdain all female musicians. "They probably can't even play those guitars", "You can bet it's all done by session men", "Get your t*ts out for the lads", that kind of thing. Finally, the fact that His Bobness chose to appear in something so unpretentious, lightweight and obviously commercial just aggravates the hell out of these pompous prudes. I can hear them now, spluttering with unconcealed disgust, "B-b-but this is THE ZIM! This is the bloke who wrote Subterranean Homesick Blues and Like A Rolling Stone! He's not meant to have FUN! He's meant to be a serious artist!". Well, lighten up and get a life. Sure, this isn't the greatest film of all time, but I doubt it was ever meant to be. Bob sleepwalks through his role amusingly enough (and I dare you not to crack a smile at his raspy vocals, especially during his serenading in the barn!), Fiona is absolutely adorable (I do have a somewhat unhealthy fetish for big-haired rock-chicks toting Telecasters!) and Everett is laughably wooden. You'll love seeing him get smacked by the Zim, I promise. I had a fun time watching this movie, and I was never bored, once. I can't say that about a lot of the so-called 'classics' out there...