Bobby Darin - O Amor é Eterno (2004)

A swooning study of "Mack the Knife" singer Bobby Darin and specifically his relationship with wife Sandra Dee.

Director:

Kevin Spacey

Writers:

Kevin Spacey, Lewis Colick

Stars:

Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, John Goodman

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Spacey	...	Bobby Darin
Kate Bosworth	...	Sandra Dee
John Goodman	...	Steve Blauner
Bob Hoskins	...	Charlie Maffia
Brenda Blethyn	...	Polly Cassotto
Greta Scacchi	...	Mary Duvan
Caroline Aaron	...	Nina Cassotto Maffia
Peter Cincotti	...	Dick Behrke
William Ullrich	...	Little Bobby
Michael Byrne	...	Dr. Andretti
Matt Rippy	...	David Gershenson
Gary Whelan	...	Jules Podell
Jake Broder	...	1st Assistant Director
Tayfun Bademsoy	...	Ahmet Ertegun
Tomas Spencer	...	Delivery Guy

Storyline

The life of crooner/actor Bobby Darin is presented as part fact, part fiction and much fantasy. It is framed around a biopic being filmed about and starring Darin as himself, with he being surrounded by many of his lifelong entourage from the Bronx. In that fantasy, the young actor portraying him as a child in the biopic emerges as his true younger self, questioning, knowing all, if his adult self wants the biopic to be all sugar and roses, as is the want of his manager, Steve Blauner, or if he wants to tell the truth. Regardless, what is presented of his life includes: his sickly childhood - where he was not expected to survive past his teens - with his vaudevillian mother, Polly Cassotto, his musical mentor, and his much older sister, Nina Cassotto, both who ultimately lived vicariously through his fame; his early singing career where the ultimate goal was not to rival but surpass the fame of Frank Sinatra; the meeting of who would become his wife, already famous actress Sandra Dee ...

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Plot Keywords:

sandra dee | bobby darin | career | marriage | singer | 

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Taglines:

The voice. The passion. The confidence.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music | Musical

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some strong language and a scene of sensuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

The James Toback draft which followed an earlier draft by Paul Attanasio concentrated on Sandra Dee's alcoholism and childhood molestation by her stepfather. This draft was then given to Lorenzo Carcaterra. His draft, the last before Warner Bros. and Barry Levinson left the project, was 164 pages long.

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Goofs

Ahmet Ertegun's Turkish accent is much too thick. The real Ertegun spoke with hardly any accent.

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Quotes

Sandra Dee: Bobby, why do you sing the same songs every night? Isn't it boring?
Bobby Darin: Well, honey, it's an act. What do you expect me to do, sing different songs every night?
Sandra Dee: Why not? I don't the same movies every time.
Bobby Darin: Well, actually, you do. Sweet little innocent Sandy.
Sandra Dee: Uh, excuse me. Excuse me, but I think I know what people want in the movies nowadays, okay? You may be the expert in music, but I... *I* have had years of movie experience.
Bobby Darin: Not bad, San. Would have been even better if you'd said it without the ...

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Crazy Credits

During the end credits we see Kevin Spacey performing another song. In the background there are lines moving to the music.

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Connections

References Hud: O Mais Selvagem Entre Mil (1963)

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Soundtracks

Artificial Flowers
(1960)
Written by Jerry Bock & Sheldon Harnick
Published by Jerry Bock Enterprises and Mayerling Productions Ltd.
Used by kind permission of Carlin Music Corp and Williamson Music
Performed by Kevin Spacey & The John Wilson Orchestra

User Reviews

Beyond The Songs

Bobby Darin was a great singer and entertainer. And his untimely death at age 37 was most unfortunate. But, aside from one interesting revelation about his parents, I'm not sure that his life was any more deserving of a film than dozens of other singers and entertainers from the fifties and sixties. The fact that "Beyond The Sea" is mostly a musical tribute rather than a traditional biography suggests a lack of substantive material on which to base a two hour movie.

The film's complex structure is unusual, in that the adult Darin (Kevin Spacey) talks with himself as a child (William Ullrich) and the two of them, via flashbacks and fantasy, direct a movie about the adult's life. It is an interesting, though at times confusing, structural approach.

What I liked most about the film is the music. Spacey himself sings the songs. And he does a terrific job with the big band sounds of "Dream Lover", "Artificial Flowers", "Some Of These Days", "Beyond The Sea" and, of course, "Mack The Knife". The film's secondary performances are quite good, especially John Goodman. Production design is high quality, and the dance routines are well staged.

Overall, listening to Darin's songs was great. But I would have preferred a more traditional, linear biography. This movie reinforces the perception that talented performers who die young are more likely to get film tributes than talented performers who live to an old age. Maybe, in some way, Hollywood feels guilty at the premature loss. Or, maybe, an early death makes the entertainer, over time, seem more idealized.

Details

Country:

UK Germany USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

10 March 2005 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

Bobby Darin - O Amor é Eterno

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

$23,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$45,264, 19 December 2004

Gross USA:

$6,318,709

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$8,447,615

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lions Gate Films, Archer Street Productions, QI Quality International GmbH & Co. KG

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1