Trouble in Fact
Added 7/24/2009
Trouble in Mind is a very strange film. It is set in either a parallel universe or a retro future -- no explanation is offered. Rain City is obviously a fictional version of Seattle, down to the Space Needle, and other Seattle landmarks/trademarks. Though filmed in Seattle, Rain City is more of an "It's a Wonderful Life" Potterville. Clarence, the angel, is showing George what life would look like if he hadn't existed.
Part Film Noir, part Sci Fi, TiM opens as ex cop John Hawkins, (Kris Kristofferson) -- the Hawk, is released from prison into a town controlled by crime lord Hilly Blue (Divine, in his first and only non-drag role). The Hawk holes up in a room above Wanda's Café, after date raping Wanda (Geneviève Bujold), an old pal, whose hospitality knows no bounds. She also takes in Georgia (Lori Singer), an innocent waif with a baby named Spike and a boyfriend named Coop (Keith Carradine). Coop is strictly bad news. He makes the Hawk look like Gandhi. When Coop hooks up with Solo, a well read, literate, criminal, just back from a foreign war with a case of Post Traumatic stress Buddhism, they go on a crime spree. Their free lance heists, however, aren't sanctioned by Hilly Blue, so their days as independent operators are numbered. The Hawk has Georgia on his mind, and yearns to save her from Coop. To protect her and take care of her he's willing to do anything -- even get a job -- but will he work for the police, or Hilly Blue?
This film was an earnest attempt to merge Sci Fi and Film Noir, but something went horribly awry. Director Alan Rudolph was a protégée of Robert Altman, and like Altman, Fassbinder, and other auteurs, he likes to use a core ensemble of actors that reappear in a lot of his films. Keith Carradine and Geneviève Bujold are two of his favorites.
I have yet to see any of Rudolph's other films except "The Moderns," but so far, I am not impressed. This is one auteur I could do without, and I think that "Trouble in Mind" and "The Moderns" are two prime examples of what I don't like about his films. They are hip, artistic, creative, all the things I look for in a film -- yet Rudolph finds a way to spoil them. On paper "Trouble in Mind" sounds Divine, yet in practice Rudolph the red nosed auteur will always find a way to inject something into the mix to wreck things.
Especially Keith Carradine, who in "Trouble in Mind" starts off in flannel, but once he parks his single-wide trailer in the alley behind Wanda's Café, he changes into a glam rock thug, with totally ridiculous hair, make up, and accessories. "Trouble in Mind" is worth seeing, just to see how bad his fashion choices are. His hair do, especially, is a hair DON'T. What was Alan Rudolph thinking?
Carradine can claim that he was supposed to be an unsympathetic character, as the audience would be rooting for the rapacious Hawk to get Georgia (he is THAT unsympathetic), but he was just as insufferable in "The Moderns" where he was supposed to be a cool, modern painter. He is always so smug for absolutely no reason. He can really turn on the opposite of charm.
Anyway, I enjoyed watching it, just BECAUSE it was so BAD. I am still interested in seeing some other Alan Rudolph films, like "Choose Me," "Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle," "Welcome to L.A.," and especially "Songwriter." That one has Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson playing, well, songwriters, and I think they both could do a really convincing job of that. But "Trouble in Mind" wasn't just trouble in mind, it was trouble in fact.
On the bright side, John Considine, brother of Tim Considine, (Mike Douglas on the classic TV show My Three Sons) played Nate, and Dirk Blocker who played Hilly Blue's henchman, Rambo, is the son of Dan Blocker, (Hoss on the classic TV Western, Bonanza); and Dirk's brother David Blocker is one of the producers of "Trouble in Mind." For players of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, please note that Lori Singer was in Footloose. Oh, yeah. Divine was actually convincing as a man. Much more so than Keith Carradine.
He's Just Not That Into You (2009) .... Kris Kristofferson was Ken Murphy
... aka Er steht einfach nicht auf Dich! (Germany)
Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994) .... Keith Carradine was Will Rogers (Directed by Alan Rudolph)
The Moderns (1988) .... Keith Carradine was Nick Hart and Geneviève Bujold was Libby Valentin (Directed by Alan Rudolph)
Big Top Pee-Wee (1988) .... Kris Kristofferson was Mace Montana
Songwriter (1984) .... Kris Kristofferson was Blackie Buck (Directed by Alan Rudolph)
Choose Me (1984) .... Geneviève Bujold was Nancy, Keith Carradine was Mickey, and John Considine was Dr. Ernest Greene (Directed by Alan Rudolph)
Footloose (1984) .... Lori Singer was Ariel Moore
Pretty Baby (1978) .... Keith Carradine was Bellocq
Welcome to L.A. (1976) .... Keith Carradine was Carroll Barber and John Considine was Jack Goode (Directed by Alan Rudolph)
The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea (1976) .... Kris Kristofferson was Jim Cameron
Pink Flamingos (1972) .... Divine was Divine and Babs Johnson
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Why isn't this available in the U.S.?
Added 12/31/2008
There should be a U.S. version of this, with commentary by Mr. Rudolph and, ideally, some of the other players. I've been watching it repeatedly for over 20 years and it always holds up.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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A permeating feeling of blues, with an eighties look
Added 7/31/2007
This movie is a mindset on its own. Watch it as a wonderful videoclip to the unforgettable soundtrack.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Every Seattleite has to own a copy!
Added 6/9/2007
If you know Seattle, it is hard to look at this movie objectively -- it's too much fun! Like the Seattle Asian Art Museum converted into Divine's mansion; the shoot-out that shatters Dale Chihuly's reject glass scultures (and caused the local artists to cheer when it was shown in the theaters). Then there's our joke of a monorail built for the Seattle World's Fair (what? You didn't know Seattle had a world's fair?). In the movie it is periodically shown racing through the night, while in reality it's only a few blocks long.
As I recall (it has been decades since I saw it) it is an enjoyable movie, and with such big name stars, I can't understand why it isn't out on DVD. If it was I'd buy one for mysef and several others as presents.
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A brilliant piece of cinema
Added 4/3/2007
Trouble in Mind is a film that needs to have a DVD release, not just to satisfy those who love it, but to prove that there aren't just a few directors in the world who know how to pay homage to the best films of the '40s and '50s. This was one of the best films of the 1980s.
The characters of the film are impressive: Hawk, Wanda, Georgia, Hilly Blue, Coop, and Solo. As equally important as the characters is the atmosphere of Rain City, and the life it has to offer. Alan Rudolph manipulates the characters to interact with the city expertly, as if the city were a living, breathing character all its own. This is direction perfected by Welles in A Touch of Evil, and was so common in many films with Humphrey Bogart.
This is Film101, and needs to be on a DVD. The storyboards need to be published. The screenplay needs to be read. Rudolph's commentary needs to be heard. This film needs to be seen.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Trouble in Fact
Added 7/24/2009
Trouble in Mind is a very strange film. It is set in either a parallel universe or a retro future -- no explanation is offered. Rain City is obviously a fictional version of Seattle, down to the Space Needle, and other Seattle landmarks/trademarks. Though filmed in Seattle, Rain City is more of an "It's a Wonderful Life" Potterville. Clarence, the angel, is showing George what life would look like if he hadn't existed.
Part Film Noir, part Sci Fi, TiM opens as ex cop John Hawkins, (Kris Kristofferson) -- the Hawk, is released from prison into a town controlled by crime lord Hilly Blue (Divine, in his first and only non-drag role). The Hawk holes up in a room above Wanda's Café, after date raping Wanda (Geneviève Bujold), an old pal, whose hospitality knows no bounds. She also takes in Georgia (Lori Singer), an innocent waif with a baby named Spike and a boyfriend named Coop (Keith Carradine). Coop is strictly bad news. He makes the Hawk look like Gandhi. When Coop hooks up with Solo, a well read, literate, criminal, just back from a foreign war with a case of Post Traumatic stress Buddhism, they go on a crime spree. Their free lance heists, however, aren't sanctioned by Hilly Blue, so their days as independent operators are numbered. The Hawk has Georgia on his mind, and yearns to save her from Coop. To protect her and take care of her he's willing to do anything -- even get a job -- but will he work for the police, or Hilly Blue?
This film was an earnest attempt to merge Sci Fi and Film Noir, but something went horribly awry. Director Alan Rudolph was a protégée of Robert Altman, and like Altman, Fassbinder, and other auteurs, he likes to use a core ensemble of actors that reappear in a lot of his films. Keith Carradine and Geneviève Bujold are two of his favorites.
I have yet to see any of Rudolph's other films except "The Moderns," but so far, I am not impressed. This is one auteur I could do without, and I think that "Trouble in Mind" and "The Moderns" are two prime examples of what I don't like about his films. They are hip, artistic, creative, all the things I look for in a film -- yet Rudolph finds a way to spoil them. On paper "Trouble in Mind" sounds Divine, yet in practice Rudolph the red nosed auteur will always find a way to inject something into the mix to wreck things.
Especially Keith Carradine, who in "Trouble in Mind" starts off in flannel, but once he parks his single-wide trailer in the alley behind Wanda's Café, he changes into a glam rock thug, with totally ridiculous hair, make up, and accessories. "Trouble in Mind" is worth seeing, just to see how bad his fashion choices are. His hair do, especially, is a hair DON'T. What was Alan Rudolph thinking?
Carradine can claim that he was supposed to be an unsympathetic character, as the audience would be rooting for the rapacious Hawk to get Georgia (he is THAT unsympathetic), but he was just as insufferable in "The Moderns" where he was supposed to be a cool, modern painter. He is always so smug for absolutely no reason. He can really turn on the opposite of charm.
Anyway, I enjoyed watching it, just BECAUSE it was so BAD. I am still interested in seeing some other Alan Rudolph films, like "Choose Me," "Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle," "Welcome to L.A.," and especially "Songwriter." That one has Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson playing, well, songwriters, and I think they both could do a really convincing job of that. But "Trouble in Mind" wasn't just trouble in mind, it was trouble in fact.
On the bright side, John Considine, brother of Tim Considine, (Mike Douglas on the classic TV show My Three Sons) played Nate, and Dirk Blocker who played Hilly Blue's henchman, Rambo, is the son of Dan Blocker, (Hoss on the classic TV Western, Bonanza); and Dirk's brother David Blocker is one of the producers of "Trouble in Mind." For players of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, please note that Lori Singer was in Footloose. Oh, yeah. Divine was actually convincing as a man. Much more so than Keith Carradine.
He's Just Not That Into You (2009) .... Kris Kristofferson was Ken Murphy
... aka Er steht einfach nicht auf Dich! (Germany)
Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994) .... Keith Carradine was Will Rogers (Directed by Alan Rudolph)
The Moderns (1988) .... Keith Carradine was Nick Hart and Geneviève Bujold was Libby Valentin (Directed by Alan Rudolph)
Big Top Pee-Wee (1988) .... Kris Kristofferson was Mace Montana
Songwriter (1984) .... Kris Kristofferson was Blackie Buck (Directed by Alan Rudolph)
Choose Me (1984) .... Geneviève Bujold was Nancy, Keith Carradine was Mickey, and John Considine was Dr. Ernest Greene (Directed by Alan Rudolph)
Footloose (1984) .... Lori Singer was Ariel Moore
Pretty Baby (1978) .... Keith Carradine was Bellocq
Welcome to L.A. (1976) .... Keith Carradine was Carroll Barber and John Considine was Jack Goode (Directed by Alan Rudolph)
The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea (1976) .... Kris Kristofferson was Jim Cameron
Pink Flamingos (1972) .... Divine was Divine and Babs Johnson
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Why isn't this available in the U.S.?
Added 12/31/2008
There should be a U.S. version of this, with commentary by Mr. Rudolph and, ideally, some of the other players. I've been watching it repeatedly for over 20 years and it always holds up.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
A permeating feeling of blues, with an eighties look
Added 7/31/2007
This movie is a mindset on its own. Watch it as a wonderful videoclip to the unforgettable soundtrack.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
