Roseland [The Merchant Ivory Collection]

Roseland [The Merchant Ivory Collection]
by James Ivory

Roseland [The Merchant Ivory Collection]
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DVD Cover Information

Actor: Christopher Walken, Geraldine Chaplin, Lilia Skala, Lou Jacobi, Teresa Wright
Director: James Ivory
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Mono, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 104 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-09-21
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Home Vision Entertainment (Merchant Ivory)

Movie Reviews of Roseland [The Merchant Ivory Collection]

Movie Review: a bed of bittersweet roses
Summary: 3 Stars

this 1977 release merchant-ivory production came some years before the duo hit pay dirt with films like 'the bostonians', 'maurice' and 'howards end'. written by co-collaborator ruth prawer jhabvala, it is both aimless and sharp, unfocused and direct but always haunting and thought-provoking.

in its short running time, we get three stories that feature mostly characters that are in their 50s and 60s (a surefire ingredient for box office failure in the 1970s). the first, called 'the waltz', features academy award winning actress teresa wright as a woman that finds a little love and companionship within the decaying walls of the once-luxurious roseland ballroom.

the second, and most linear of the three, is titled 'the hustle'. christopher walken, just two years before he would create his most enduring film character in 'the deer hunter', plays a sleek gigolo-like dancer that enjoys three relationships with helen gallagher (who plays his former dance teacher), joan copeland (the rich widow that is keeping him) and geraldine chaplin (the nervy divorcee that WANTS to keep him). gallagher is fabulous as the tough, exacting dance teacher that drills her two newest protegees while pining for walken. copeland is heartbreaking in her role as well. chaplin keep slipping in and out of her new york accent but she delivers as well. walken is most interesting because he is just about to lose his once pretty boy looks at this point but still produces a slow, smoky heat and danger in his portrayal of an essentially weak and indecisive man (another ingredient for failure in the 1970s--audiences didn't like weak men in their films). his performance is echoed by the presence of conrad janis as a former ballroom dancer/gigolo type.

the film concludes with a segment, in which the sum is not as strong as the parts. lilia skala is in top notch form as a harsh older woman that wants nothing more that to win the prize for doing the best peabody, a ballroom step. her partner, who loves her dearly, cannot keep the pace and dies one night after their last dance at the roseland. she, in turn, cannot give up her dream. she has her last dance with the m.c of the ballroom, a death-like figure with smooth dreamy moves and a too-slick wardrobe.

merchant and ivory produced this film on a shoe string. and while they do show much control over the many elements of the film, it never comes together. it is impeded by an almost muzak-quality score, and the choppy narrative style of the third episode. but the arresting performances of many fine 1970s, new york-based actors, and the incisive camera work on a then rotting broadway will stay with you for a long time after the last twirl on the floor.

Summary of Roseland [The Merchant Ivory Collection]

Three interlocking stories set in New York City's legendary Roseland dance palace make up this charming film, the third to be shot by Merchant Ivory Productions in America. In the first segment, The Waltz, Teresa Wright is a widow who comes to the Roseland in order to sustain the memory of her late husband, but meets Stan (Lou Jacobi), a man who offers her an opportunity for happiness in the present. In The Hustle, Christopher Walken stars as a gigolo with three women in his life, all of whom depend on him for different degrees of romance and companionship. In the final segment, The Peabody, an older Viennese woman (Lilia Skala) sets out to win a dance competition despite warnings that it could imperil her health. Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's understated screenplay delivers an uncharacteristic bit of sentiment not present in other Merchant Ivory efforts.

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