Single Room Furnished
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Movie Reviews of Single Room Furnished
Movie Review: Blech
Summary: 2 Stars
Disclaimer: The version of the film that I watched was included in the Big Screen Bombshells Collection, and as such, I cannot comment on the quality of the DVD package offered here. My review is concerned with the entertainment value of the film only.
Jayne Mansfield, in her last screen role, is the central figure in this determined-to-emote screen adaptation of Gerald Sandford's play, a sketch-work examination of love and morals in late sixties New York. Full of weighted movements and freighted relationships, Ms. Mansfield tries her hand at three incarnations of the same woman - Johnnie, a young, soon-to-be abandoned bride; Mae, a girl alone and in trouble; and Eileen, a street walker who has lost touch with reality - and it's her story that loops its way through the lives of the rest of the residents in her New York walk-up. Tying the narrative together is Pops, the building manager, who tells Johnnie/Mae/Eileen's story as a warning to another young woman, one who is desperate to get away from the guiding influence of her immigrant mother - but not yet experienced enough to know what she might be getting into.
Good intentions pave the way for this particular hour-and-a-half road to hell. First time director Matt Cimber (credited with his real name of Matteo Ottaviano) obviously tried to turn in an earnest effort, and the film was well-photographed by László Kovács - even Ms. Mansfield was credible if not entirely convincing in her role. But it's the melodramatic style of the production that ends up being squirm-inducing - anyone who has seen the Coens eviscerate this kind of phoney drama in 'Barton Fink' will immediately pick up on its presence in 'Single Room Furnished'. Perhaps this sort of tripe resonates on the stage, but it's painful to watch as filmed.
There is one startling image in this film, though, one that I still have in my head days later. It's a simple scene with no dialog, and only lasts for a few seconds, but is repeated right before the closing credits - Ms. Mansfield, in her street-walker persona, is leaving the bar she frequents and is walking home under the streetlamps past shops closed for the evening. The scene is shot from across the street, and there is something intangible about this attractive woman staring into the shop windows and walking under the night's lights that suggests an atmosphere of aching loneliness that the rest of the film desperately aspires to but, except for this brief scene, never achieves. This bit of cinematic excellence is small payback for sitting through the rest of the film, but I'm glad I saw it - although it doesn't amount to enough to recommend the entire picture for what amounts to probably less than ten seconds of screen time.
Doubtless there are some viewers who will still appreciate this film, despite what I consider it's overarching, portentous dialog and ham-fisted situations. From a technical standpoint, it matches up well with other films from the 'Hollywood as Royalty' era of the late sixties and earlier, and those films certainly have their fans. Unfortunately, its serious demeanor looks ridiculous today, despite some decent performances by Debra Keller and Fabian Dean in a subplot as later-in-life lovers, and the film comes across almost like a caricature of Arthur Miller or Eugene O'Neill - or else it's a spot-on imitation of those playwrights. I suppose it depends on what sort of esteem you hold O'Neill and Miller.
The audio and picture contained in the 'Bombshells' box set is actually quite nice - an anamorphic widescreen transfer with little or no defects in the print, or at least none that I noticed on one viewing. This OOP Rhino version is listed at a 1.33:1 aspect ratio, nor does imdb list any extras for this package, so for those who are interested in this film, it may pay to compare prices with Mill Creek's 'Bombshell' collection.
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