Flashbacks of a Fool
by Baillie Walsh
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Daniel Craig, Emile Robert, Eve, Harry Eden, Olivia WilliamsDirector: Baillie Walsh
Brand: Fox
Producer: Daniel Craig
Writer: Baillie Walsh
Producer: Brian Avery
Producer: Claus Clausen
Producer: Damon Bryant
Producer: Dianne Beatty
Producer: Genevieve Hofmeyr
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.40:1
Running Time: 110 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-11-04
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
Movie Reviews of Flashbacks of a Fool
Movie Review: THE CRYING MAN
Summary: 5 Stars
There is a shot in "Flashbacks of a Fool" where Daniel Crag is coming down the stairs in the elegant sterility of his Malibu beach house where he stands momentarily in front of a famous photography of himself from Sam Taylor-Wood's Crying Men series. The portrait is so arresting, real tears sparkle in the ravaged eyes of Mr. Craig as he tires to shield his face from the camera. This juxtaposition of the portrait with the manic cut off and out of control movie star, Joe Scott, whom he is playing, says volumes about the film and its theme as well as something about its gifted star.
Director-writer Baillie Walsh has made a gem of a small character driven film that is both deeply meaningful to him and moving to the viewer. Kudos to him for bringing this his vision to the screen and to producer Craig for lending his star clout, which got this film made.
John Matheison's cinematography is lush and richly fills the screen,. The score by Richard Hartley informs the scenes without overwhelming them. And the editing by Sturan Clay is well done and seamless.
Wonderful performances are turned in by the entire cast with stand outs by Olivia William, Ophelia Franklin (brilliantly low key performance) and felicity Jones. Yet with a plethora of wonders in this film, great screenplay, perfect score with fine song choices and lush cinematography the heart and soul of this story belongs to two men.
Harry Eden and Daniel Craig who play the role of young and middle-aged Joe. Mr. Eden is not only a perfect physical choice to play a younger version of Daniel Craig but he has an amazingly open and stunning talent that matches his older costar. When he is on the screen you can look at nothing else. He knows how to project the inner feelings of the character straight out though his laser eyes and into the soul of the camera. A young star on the rise indeed and one can only hope that he will continue in the film business.
Daniel Craig again brings his unique talents as an actor to the table as the fading film star whom "Millions of women want" yet who is a lost golden boy sliding into the oblivion of drugs and denial. His appearance in small films such as this after his international success in "Casino Royale" shows that he is about the work and substance and we can cheer him for it. He is the best actor of his generation, and one of such a range that it leaves one to wonder what will he do next. Behind the most famous blue eyes in film there is such an amazing creature that embodies every emotion from molten rage to the softest tenderest heart. It is our luck and his blessing that he is in the right business and has the talent and courage to let it all out on the screen.
Summary of Flashbacks of a Fool
Daniel Craig delivers a startling performance as Joe Scott, a washed-up Hollywood star adrift in a haze of sex, drugs and squandered fame. But when he receives news of the sudden death of his childhood best friend, Joe flashes back to his younger self (played by Harry Eden of Oliver Twist) in his small English seaside village and the summer of innocence and tragedy that would change his life forever. Olivia Williams (The Sixth Sense), Claire Forlani (CSI:NY) and Eve co-star in this powerful drama about love, loss and one man?s journey to redemption, executive produced by Daniel Craig and featuring songs by Scott Walker, David Bowie and Roxy Music.Leading man Daniel Craig apparently made Flashbacks of a Fool (he was also one of the executive producers) in between stints as James Bond, and you can see why he was attracted to it; Joe Scott, the character he portrays in this film, could hardly be less like the suave, ever-resourceful 007. Ensconced in a fab, oceanfront Malibu crib, Joe is a movie star on the skids. Hooked on coke and drink, engaging in group gropes with dumb Hollywood bimbos, he?s sunk so low that his sassy assistant (Eve) calls him "a disgrace to white folks," and even his agent is sick of him, which is somewhat akin to a parasite dissing its host (it?s a measure of writer-director Baillie Walsh?s script?s lack of depth that we never really see what made Joe so great in the first place, or so bad now). When a call comes that a childhood friend has died, Joe decides to return to his native England for the funeral, whereupon an extended flashback kicks in. Young Joe (Harry Eden), it seems, was as randy and hopelessly naïve as a lot of teenage boys. Though he had the hots for the sexiest young thang in town (a coastal village that?s as lovely in its way as the California setting, both of them handsomely photographed by cinematographer John Mathieson; the locations, in fact, are probably the most attractive element of the film), he also wasn?t immune to the advances of Evelyn (Jodhi May), the older married woman who lives next door. And when a tragedy involving Evelyn?s daughter struck while she and Joe were in flagrante, Joe handled it by leaving town, never to return--until now, that is. He discovers that his late pal?s widow is the same young girl Joe?d had his eye on, but otherwise his homecoming is a strangely muted affair; not a lot happens, which pretty much applies to the film overall. In the end, Flashbacks of a Fool has its touching moments, but it might have turned out better had it been both shaken and stirred. --Sam Graham
Stills from Flashbacks of a Fool (Click for larger image)
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