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IMDbPro

Save the Tiger

  • 19731973
  • RR
  • 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
5K
YOUR RATING
Save the Tiger (1973)
A disillusioned war veteran has two days to let go of his shaken morals if he wants his small fashion company to survive.
Play trailer3:33
1 Video
23 Photos
  • Drama
A disillusioned war veteran has two days to let go of his shaken morals if he wants his small fashion company to survive.A disillusioned war veteran has two days to let go of his shaken morals if he wants his small fashion company to survive.A disillusioned war veteran has two days to let go of his shaken morals if he wants his small fashion company to survive.
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
5K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • John G. Avildsen
  • Writer
    • Steve Shagan
  • Stars
    • Jack Lemmon
    • Jack Gilford
    • Laurie Heineman
Top credits
  • Director
    • John G. Avildsen
  • Writer
    • Steve Shagan
  • Stars
    • Jack Lemmon
    • Jack Gilford
    • Laurie Heineman
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 61User reviews
    • 38Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 2 wins & 5 nominations total

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 3:33
    Trailer

    Photos23

    Jack Lemmon in Save the Tiger (1973)
    Jack Lemmon in Save the Tiger (1973)
    Save the Tiger (1973)
    Jack Lemmon in Save the Tiger (1973)
    Jack Lemmon and Jack Gilford in Save the Tiger (1973)
    Jack Lemmon, Jack Gilford, Janina, and Lara Parker in Save the Tiger (1973)
    Jack Lemmon in Save the Tiger (1973)
    Jack Lemmon and William Hansen in Save the Tiger (1973)
    Jack Lemmon in Save the Tiger (1973)
    Jack Lemmon in Save the Tiger (1973)
    Jack Lemmon in Save the Tiger (1973)
    Jack Gilford in Save the Tiger (1973)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jack Lemmon
    Jack Lemmon
    • Harry Stoneras Harry Stoner
    Jack Gilford
    Jack Gilford
    • Phil Greeneas Phil Greene
    Laurie Heineman
    • Myraas Myra
    Norman Burton
    Norman Burton
    • Fred Mirrellas Fred Mirrell
    Patricia Smith
    Patricia Smith
    • Janet Stoneras Janet Stoner
    Thayer David
    Thayer David
    • Charlie Robbinsas Charlie Robbins
    William Hansen
    William Hansen
    • Meyeras Meyer
    Harvey Jason
    Harvey Jason
    • Ricoas Rico
    Liv Lindeland
    • Ulaas Ula
    • (as Liv Von Linden)
    Lara Parker
    Lara Parker
    • Margoas Margo
    Eloise Hardt
    • Jackieas Jackie
    Janina
    • Dustyas Dusty
    Ned Glass
    Ned Glass
    • Sid Fivushas Sid Fivush
    Pearl Shear
    • Cashieras Cashier
    Biff Elliot
    Biff Elliot
    • Tiger Petitioneras Tiger Petitioner
    • (as Biff Elliott)
    Ben Freedman
    • Taxi Driveras Taxi Driver
    Madeline Lee
    • Receptionistas Receptionist
    Rosalee Calvert
    Rosalee Calvert
    • Modelas Model
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • John G. Avildsen
    • Writer
      • Steve Shagan
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Jack Lemmon was in Europe filming Avanti! (1972) for director Billy Wilder when this film was edited and scored. A print was flown to show Lemmon and he invited Wilder to see it. Afterwards, Lemmon asked for Wilder's opinion. Wilder advised one change, cut out the scene in the film where Lemmon's character visits his mistress early in the story. Wilder felt it slowed down the momentum of the story. The scene was cut, the picture was released to box office success and Lemmon won a second Oscar.
    • Goofs
      Harry wipes Fred's face almost completely clean of the red body paint. In a subsequent shot, Fred's face is covered with red paint again.
    • Quotes

      Myra: Are you OK? Do you want something?

      Harry Stoner: Yes. I want that girl in a Cole Porter song. I wanna see Lena Horne at the Cotton Club - hear Billie Holiday sing fine and mellow - walk in that kind of rain that never washes perfume away. I wanna be in love with something. Anything. Just the idea. A dog, a cat. Anything. Just something.

    • Connections
      Featured in Paramount Presents (1974)
    • Soundtracks
      Air Mail Special
      Composed by Jim Mundy, Benny Goodman & Charlie Christian

    User reviews61

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    A Movie You Can Watch Many Times and Always Enjoy
    "Save the Tiger" is a great movie, perhaps because its strongest moments come in rather conventional situations where the believable characters are realistically profane but never gratuitously vulgar, which is a common failing in today's films. Some might call this unpretentious realism "slow pacing," but I don't think there's anything "slow" about it unless your attention wavers with anything less engaging than several gruesome deaths or graphic sex scenes per hour. On the contrary, I find this interesting flick to be sophisticated and entertaining. Having seen it at a theater when it first came out, and then having watched a heavily censored TV version on numerous occasions since that time, I rented the new DVD and was once again blown away by the original, uncensored script.

    The often biting interplay between pragmatic businessman, Harry Stoner (played by Jack Lemmon), and his more idealistic partner, Phil Greene (played by Jack Gilford) supplies among the film's most dramatic moments as they wrestle with a rather drastic solution designed to keep "Capri Casuals" afloat for another season. Equally effective is the gritty exchange between Stoner and a kinky Midwestern buyer who becomes adamant that he be supplied with a favored prostitute as a precondition for placing his usual generous order. Stoner's attempts to discourage him prove fruitless and only make him more determined to get what he wants. Facing this unexpected resistance, the client pleads, "I need these little diversions," explaining that his wife is, "a sick woman all scarred up from all those damn operations."

    But the callgirl is all booked up for the day. "That's a very popular lady," Stoner explains. "Why didn't you call me from Cleveland?" "Harry," the client responds, beginning to lose his cool, "I don't make calls like that from Cleveland." When Stoner makes one last attempt to weasel out of pimp duty by bringing up the expense involved, the client finally blows his stack. "You rotten son of a bitch," he cries. "The whole goddamn thing is a write off! I throw my heart across your desk and you're giving me cost!" Suddenly, Phil pops into the office and things cool down immediately. This is good stuff.

    As well, the tension boiling over between the old Jewish cutter and the pompous gay designer provide grist for some brief fireworks. Another high point is Stoner's interaction with a naive young hippie girl named Myra who hitches a ride with him down Sunset Blvd. She at first comes off as rather superficially and stereotypically drawn, but in time becomes more appealing, offering Harry non-judgmental affection with no strings attached and a temporary refuge from the pressures and stresses that are edging him ever closer to a nervous breakdown. In contrast, while he's obviously cracking up, the only attention he gets from his concerned yet emotionally distant wife is, "Go see Dr. Frankfurter." A guy in a white coat named "hotdog" is supposed to fix him right up? Gee, I don't think so. Why doesn't she try putting out a little more?

    The scenes in the porno theater with the cool and efficient arsonist are also good, as is the one in which Stoner's bitter memories from WWII surface rather inconveniently while he's onstage, attempting to address the assembled buyers at the all-important fashion show. There, he suffers a disturbing hallucination in which audience members are suddenly replaced by his fallen comrades in Charlie Company who died at Anzio. His grip on "reality" takes a serious nosedive right in front of his potential clients. I suspect that scene is considered the best one by professional critics and members of the Academy, but ironically, it is my least favorite moment. In any case, Jack Lemmon has so many good scenes in this movie that it is difficult to single out any one of them as the best. In my most recent viewing, I got the biggest kick out of one of the early scenes, in which Lemmon imitates the windup and delivery of a great pitcher from the good old days, his fond memories of baseball and jazz being all that inspire him anymore.

    When you want to see a good movie from the past, cue this one up. It never gets old.
    helpful•20
    3
    • writerasfilmcritic
    • Jan 16, 2007

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 14, 1973 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Spanish
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Rettet den Tiger!
    • Filming locations
      • Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Filmways Pictures
      • Cirandinha Productions
      • Jalem Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,000,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 40 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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