A story about a poet who is struggling to find the inspiration to finish his epic poem? That story gives every indication of a mammoth snooze fest, or at the least a "chick flick" of the worst kind.
But when you add that the poet is Sean Connery who is giving reluctant readings to ladies' poetry clubs to pay his back alimony while being pursued by every woman he meets, the story starts to get more interesting.
When we discover that the poet is a lunatic who lives with a waitress while drinking, womanizing and dodging subpoena servers it becomes something worth checking out. When you find that everyone, including his publisher thinks he should seek mental help (from a doctor whose wife he just happens to hook up with) the story has just gotten good. When that doctor decides there is nothing to be done short of putting this raging madman in the hospital and lobotomizing him, who do you think we are actively rooting for? Based on the politically incorrect novel by Elliot Baker
The entire cast is brilliant, but it is the young Connery, just after Bond, playing a character that we should not like at all, makes this thing a low budget spectacle. When he lunges at people screaming, " Where are my bloody poems?" you will, somewhere in your secret soul, be cheering.
There are shallow people, honorable people, beautiful people and "beautiful people" throughout this tale. There are funny situations, tender situations, horrific (in intent, not depiction) situations filling this film. But when you are through there is just Connery. After you see "A Fine Madness" you will understand why the man is a star, 007 or not.
Here is the cast:
Sean Connery . . . . Samson Shillitoe
Joanne Woodward . . . . Rhoda Shillitoe
Jean Seberg . . . . Lydia West
Patrick O'Neal . . . . Dr. Oliver West
Colleen Dewhurst . . . . Dr. Vera Kropotkin
Clive Revill . . . . Dr. Menken
Werner Peters . . . . Dr. Vorbeck
John Fiedler . . . . Daniel K. Papp
Kay Medford . . . . Mrs. Fish
Jackie Coogan . . . . Mr. Fitzgerald
Zohra Lampert . . . . Evelyn Tupperman
Sorrell Booke . . . . Leonard Tupperman
Sue Ane Langdon . . . . Miss Walnicki
Bibi Osterwald . . . . Mrs. Fitzgerald
Mabel Albertson . . . . Chairwoman
This film did a modest Box Office, if only for the Connery name, but it deserved so much more. Check it out and see if you don’t agree with me.
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