Tweet
Released by: Olive Films
Released on: November 18, 2014
Director: Robert Altman
Cast: Sandy Dennis, Cher, Mark Patton, Karen Black, Kathy Bates, Sudie Bond, Ruth Miller
Year: 1982
Purchase From Amazon
The Movie:
Twenty years after the death of teen heartthrob James Dean, six members of his fan club, calling themselves The Disciples of James Dean, reunite in a Woolworth's five and dime in McCarthy, Texas, to reminisce. At the time of his death, Dean had been shooting the movie Giant for Warner Brothers in nearby Marfa. He left an indelible impression on the young adults of McCarthy and Marfa and may have fathered a love child with one of the teenage girls who is now a member of the club. The club's topics of conversation not only include their favorite actor but also what's been going on in their own lives in the intervening decades. As the evening wears on, tensions mount and revelations are made.
Written by Ed Graczyk in 1976 after years of living in West Texas, Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean was first performed at the Player's Theater in Columbus, Ohio. The play came to the attention of noted film director Robert Altman, who brought it to the stage in the early 1980s. He considered Shelley Duvall for the role of Mona before finally deciding on Sandy Dennis. Cher made her interest in the play clear but it was only after she read for a part that Altman gave her the role of Sissy. Rounding out the top-notch cast were Kathy Bates, Mark Patton, and Karen Black. Unfortunately, like his movie adaptation of Popeye in cinemas, Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean was panned by critics and failed to leave much of a mark on Broadway. Seen as too old-fashioned and the characters too unbelievable, its failure didn't stop Altman from shooting a theatrical film version anyway.
Not so much an adaptation as it is a live-action play shot and edited for cinematic distribution, the film is an interesting experiment. While many stag plays had been filmed before, usually on video and released directly to television, Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean was shot on Super-16mm and later converted to 35mm, giving the proceedings a fairly dreamlike quality not usually associated with the stage. In true film fashion, it features close and medium shots, a high number of edits, and an occasional zoom. There are also a couple of in-frame special effects that add a touch of magic to the proceedings. It's not entirely successful, in part because film cannot replicate the feel of a live-action performance, confirming the old adage that you had to be there. But neither is it unwatchable. If anything, it's a moderately interesting diversion.
Altman took the film to a couple of festivals before making a deal with an independent distributor to release it to art-house theaters throughout the United States. It did decent box office, making back its cost before debuting on home video. The film was no more critically received than the Broadway play had been, in part because the whole affair never escapes a certain amount of stiffness. The performances are excellent, with an uncompromising and charming Cher stealing her scenes. (In fact, she received a Golden Globe nomination for her performance.) But the one-room set, the often stilted and unbelievable conversations, and Altman's inability to bring any of it to life ultimately condemn it right out of the gate. It doesn't help that the women look the same age in the flashbacks as they do in the 'present,' making it sometimes difficult to distinguish between the two, a problem exacerbated by their characters' inability to escape their high school hair and clothing styles twenty years after they graduated.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean comes to Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films, who have leased the rights from Paramount. The film is presented in 1080p in an MPEG-4 AVC codec. The image is 1.78:1 widescreen. Unfortunately, the film doesn't benefit from the BD format. Super-16mm has never been the sharpest film, and its weaknesses are exposed in high definition. There is less detail than one would expect from even a standard DVD, and grain is ever-present and often distracting. Colors are dull, and black levels are weak. Compounding the problem, Olive has chosen to place the film on a 25GB disc, a mistake given the film's lengthy running time and inclusion of a twenty-minute extra, also in hi-def. The result is a thin layer of noise not to be confused with the film's natural grain lying overtop everything. Thankfully, most viewers' eyes will grow accustomed to it after a while.
The film's soundtrack is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio Mono, which is appropriate. The audio is almost entirely made up of dialogue with only a few moments containing musical accompaniment (obviously played on set). There are even fewer sound effects. As a result, the sound is not in need of surround or stereo devices. As such, it works.
The BD contains one extra, an interview with playwright Graczyk, who discusses the reception to the original run of his play (which he directed), the film's long road to Broadway, and its trip into cinemas. It's an interesting interview, lasting approximately twenty minutes in length.
The Final Word:
Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean is something of an experiment gone awry. It has none of the charm of live theater, nor does it reflect the style of a cinema auteur. It's still worth watching, at least once, for the performances, particularly Cher as the funny, endearing, sassy Sissy and Karen Black as a stuffy intruder who isn't what she seems. There are a couple of nice surprises, but in the end they can't save the film from a needlessly claustrophobic and overly talkative approach. The video quality is subpar, so it comes as a bit of a surprise that Olive would release the film in the format at all (though Altman followers will no doubt rejoice). At least the sound is decent, and there's one interesting extra for hardcore fans.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
