I begin by saying that I am a huge fan of 'Sam's Song', and I have watched it with genuine curiosity—first for its newness, of course—then for its art, its craft and style. It's a movie the American cinema could take pride in; much better than Polanski's early cruise movie. Obviously influenced by the French New Wave, this movies tosses intellectuality, cultural references, satire, alienation, _dreamscapes, tensions, restrained violence, suspicions, mesmerizing cityscapes right at the start (De Niro's walk to his office, something worthy of the early Demme—but perhaps almost 15 yrs earlier, and in less awarded hands), flirts, hipsters, a husband who's a womanizing blockhead and a sour jerk, a broads' fight, and there's a lot about the physical life—party, dance, swimming, adults' games, cruise. A young filmmaker is invited to a villa, for a party, where he meets a supposedly awesome blonde, and charms her, she's easygoing; but De Niro is unlikable. The role, one of De Niro's _juvenilia, seems harshly misplayed, anyway unconvincing as the part of a mild, sensitive, soft—spoken and decent young intellectual—because this actor was always, right from the beginning, too much of a heavy guy, menacing and more or less vaguely chilling; his smirks, grins and grimaces are already those of the countless future sociopaths and psychotics he was to play. Even when lazy and relaxed, he looked too much like a thug. His role, even if in the careless key, simply can't be enjoyed, as he shows too much of his thuggish sloth and menace.
De Niro was begging for typecasting. His whole demeanor and look ask for typecasting, that unpleasant future gallery of raving psychopaths.
But then again, there's something interesting here—and maybe there's no contradiction at all—De Niro's performance as Sam is of the thuggish, Kowalski type, masquerading as a Godard character, streetwise despite his intention—but maybe this is precisely why it can be _homologated to a Belmondo part. You remember, there's also the Belmondo side of the French New Wave, besides the mainstream of Truffaut, Rohmer, Chabrol; though De Niro as Sam reminded me of Depardieu, that kind of _thuggishness, Belmondo's not like that, Depardieu is, and so let's hope the character was, in European terms, written like for Belmondo—and played like by Depardieu.
The broads are Erica (who bares her shapely breasts, quotes Céline, etc.) and the less appealing Carol; she undresses, too.
'Sam's Song' registers as an exercise, of ineffable freshness, somewhat loose in form, willingly so, a realist étude, incisive, convincing, often very beautiful; perhaps the finest movie De Niro was ever in. I also believe that the director was mighty good.
I know nothing about either the director, or the movie's fate, though, when I have found it two years ago, the title sounded quite familiar.
De Niro was begging for typecasting. His whole demeanor and look ask for typecasting, that unpleasant future gallery of raving psychopaths.
But then again, there's something interesting here—and maybe there's no contradiction at all—De Niro's performance as Sam is of the thuggish, Kowalski type, masquerading as a Godard character, streetwise despite his intention—but maybe this is precisely why it can be _homologated to a Belmondo part. You remember, there's also the Belmondo side of the French New Wave, besides the mainstream of Truffaut, Rohmer, Chabrol; though De Niro as Sam reminded me of Depardieu, that kind of _thuggishness, Belmondo's not like that, Depardieu is, and so let's hope the character was, in European terms, written like for Belmondo—and played like by Depardieu.
The broads are Erica (who bares her shapely breasts, quotes Céline, etc.) and the less appealing Carol; she undresses, too.
'Sam's Song' registers as an exercise, of ineffable freshness, somewhat loose in form, willingly so, a realist étude, incisive, convincing, often very beautiful; perhaps the finest movie De Niro was ever in. I also believe that the director was mighty good.
I know nothing about either the director, or the movie's fate, though, when I have found it two years ago, the title sounded quite familiar.