4.0 out of 5 stars
An Overlooked Classic in Pacino's Portfolio, April 6 2004
By A Customer
This has got to be one of Pacino's best -- and deserves to stand alongside his more well-known classics. But if you're looking for the slow burn-to-rage formula Pacino mastered in "Serpico" and "Dog Day Afternoon," look elsewhere. This is an altogether different film. Silence is used to great effect. The viewer is left to ponder dialogue and action rather than having the characters explain.
As the rigid Formula One driver who has never considered death -- until a crash and a dying girl are suddenly thrust upon him -- we watch Pacino undergo a convincing change. Little by little we see a simple adage, 'everything is sweeter when you take a risk,' take hold and help him reclaim the reality of his life.
Deerfield's story -- and the power of that little phrase -- should be a motto for us all! And the irony of this movie is that the story upon which it is based, by Erich Maria Remarque, is called Heaven Has No Favorites.
Pacino once said that he felt closer in spirit to this character than any other he'd played, and it's not difficult to see why. The onscreen romance between Deerfield and Lillian Moretti also became an true-life love affair between Pacino and actress Marthe Keller, who gives a remarkably sympathetic peformance.
It doesn't hurt that the setting for this film is summer in late '70s Europe, with terrific scenes in Switzerland, Paris, Florence, and the Tuscan countryside. (Someday, this viewer will treat himself to Leukerbad to Milan drive a la Bobby). And it also doesn't hurt that the soundtrack was composed by the master of '70s movie music, Dave Grusin.
Now if the powers that be will only re-release "Bobby Deerfield" on DVD, concurrently with the soundtrack on CD, we'll all find a bit more happiness in our lives.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
underappreciated gem, Feb 17 2004
This is a great movie based on an original story by the German author Erich-Maria Remarque (of "all quiet on the western front" fame). The story sees Pacino as the main protagonist Deerfield transform from a controlled and efficient race driver to a confused and soft-hearted lover. He meets the love of his live while visiting a Swiss sanatorium. She is terminally ill with cancer. Despite the tragic topic the movie and the characters achieve an air of lightness and sublimity that is almost unreal. So is the wonderful and sensitive cinematography and direction of the great Sydney Pollack. Long before we would go ooh! and ahhh! over his "out of Africa" splendor he created this perfect and minimalistic mood piece, where the camera work is right on, be it on the race track or in quiet apartment scenes. Marthe Keller and Al Pacino are wonderful as well and the soundtrack will haunt your memory.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
This movie is good, but not for everyone, Jan 4 2003
By A Customer
I saw this movie a while ago and I could not let others be misguided by those who think it's not worth it. I won't say it's Pacino's best, but there is a certain mood and subttlety about this flick that really captivated me when I first watched it on cable. I believe many of us can relate to the main character's drifting away from his everyday, stressing life and wandering into something new, that will give him a broader view of life, his life. This is not a movie to watch with all your friends, but rather to enjoy by yourself on a lazy saturday afternoon.
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