I had the privlidge of telling Peter Bogdanovich exactly what I thought...
One Sunday, in Cleveland, Peter Bogdanovich came for a talk to the Cleveland Public Library downtown. It was about a book he'd just written. This had to be about twelve or so years ago. I brought my original movie poster of At Long Last Love & my original LP soundtrack of Paper Moon. I not only wanted to get his autograph on both (which I did), but I just wanted to tell him EXACTLY what I thought of At long Last Love. I said how this film was a brilliant amalgamation of both the RKO-Pandro S. Berman musicals of Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers, and relations between the sexes circa the sexual reveloution of the 1970's. This film is one of the best I've ever seen about intrapersonal communication between and amoungst the sexes, using the lyrics of Cole Porter (a brilliant composer and closeted homosexual who had lyrics with hidden meanings rampant throughout his entire career--lyrics designed to express true feelings and yearnings without being too too literal). In spite of this, the film...
FINALLY!!!! It's Delightful, It's Delicious, It's Delovely!
I love this movie! It introduced me to Cole Porter. I wore out the album and still have two LP's left. Of all the movies I have had on my list to get since DVD came out, this is the only one that was not released. I could understand why at the time it wasn't attracting audiences. Musicals were dead. They sung live! Like in Les Miserables (fortunately they had much better equipment to use for that). I feel bad the director never got to know how many people actually loved this movie. I can't wait to finally see this in widescreen! Burt Reynolds was a hoot singing and dancing. Cybil Shepard was absolutely adorable. There aren't too many movies with the late great Madeleine Kahn, so that alone is worth the watch. Eileen Brennan with that deadpan delivery - priceless! "Most Gentlemen Don't Like Love" is on my list of all the great movie showstoppers. "But baby if I'm the bottom, you're the top". I had no idea what that meant at 11, but it started a life long love and...
IT'S THE TOP!
At long last, At Long Last Love! This hugely under-appreciated gem is finally released, on blu-ray. Unseen by millions, an absolute joy, with a superb cast, stunning production design, and of course, Cole, all the way. Long before all the fuss about Les Mis and the 'groundbreaking' live musical recording, Bogdanovich used this method for absolute spontaneity, employed in the earliest musicals. In his own words, taken from the movie soundtrack album, he states 'I didn't want to make a musical that was about singing and dancing: I wanted to make a musical about some people who sing and dance instead of walk and talk'. What a fantastic movie, and i can't wait to recapture the excitement, on seeing it several times on its original release. The LP soundtrack album has kept the memories alive since 1975!
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