"FRIDAY MOVIE SUGGESTION NIGHT PRESENTS: "ALICE DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE"!

Martin Scorsese is an interesting director. Having seen The Rolling Stones "Shine A Light" twice now (my doctor said he can't wait to see it) I thought I'd reach back for a film often overlooked in the Scorsese portfolio. This is his 4th outing in ALICE DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE. It was filmed in 1974 starring Ellen Burstyn (who managed to beat out Faye Dunaway's performance in "Chinatown"--pretty heady stuff)!

_____

As the plot goes: Following the death of her husband, a 35 year old Alice Hiatt (Burstyn) and her smart-mouth 11-year-old son, Tommy (Alfred Lutter III) hit the highway from New Mexico to Monterrey, California where she intends to pursue her dream as a singer (in Monterrey?). Her cash runs out in Tucson, Arizona, where she and Tommy wind up renting a room in a motel by the week. Alice gets a job waitressing in a greasy spoon called "Mel's" run by a belligerent Vic Tayback as...well, Mel! If some of this is starting to sound like the late 1970's sit-com with actress Linda Lavin, you're right. But this original is no sit-com. It is gritty with a full range of emotions and real-life situations played out with Scorsese casting Alice as his protagonist. Credit must be given to Scorsese who was asked by Burstyn what he knew about women? His response was "Not much. But I'm willing to learn"! After a a series of abusive relationships, and even meeting up with a freak in actor Harvey Keitel, Alice runs into a farmer named David (Kris Kristofferson) who understands heartbreak and hard times. Diane Ladd is unforgettable as a foul-mouthed waitress Flo and the psychologically unstable Vera (Valerie Curtin) in this movie about ordinary people trying to articulate their dreams, while life derails them in one way or another.

_____

The Cast is: Ellen Burstyn as Alice Hiatt; Alfred Lutter III as Tommy; Billy Green Bush as Donald; Harvey Keitel as Ben; Diane Ladd as Flo; Vic Tayback as Mel;Valerie Curtin as Vera; Kris Kristofferson as David and Jodie Foster as Audrey. Produced by: Audrey Maas, David Susskind and Sandra Weintraub; Written by: Robert Getchell; Directed by: Martin Scorsese. 1975 ACADEMY AWARDS: WINNER Best Actress in a Leading Role: ELLEN BURSTYN; NOMINATED: Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Diane Ladd; and Best Writing, Original Screenplay: Robert Getchell. A beat off the beaten path? What can I say?

____

TRY IT

&

ENJOY!