At Long Last Love
Encyclopedia
At Long Last Love is an American motion picture
musical
that was released in 1975. It was written, produced and directed by Peter Bogdanovich
and stars Burt Reynolds
and Cybill Shepherd
.
The film pays homage to the great Hollywood
musicals of the 1930s such as Swing Time
and Top Hat
. It features 16 songs with music and lyrics by Cole Porter
.
Backstage at Kitty's show, it turns out she and Brooke are old friends who attended public school together. The foursome does the town, accompanied by Brooke's companion Elizabeth, who throws herself at Michael's butler and chauffeur Rodney James.
The four friends change partners at a party, where Brooke and Michael step outside behind the backs of Kitty and Johnny. In an effort to make the others jealous, Kitty and Johnny begin a romance and genuinely fall in love, as do Brooke and Michael, and as do Elizabeth and Rodney.
to a previously recorded soundtrack.
of apology printed in newspaper
s throughout the U.S.
At Long Last Love was cited in Harry and Michael Medved
's The Golden Turkey Awards: Nominees and Winners, the Worst Achievements in Hollywood History
(1980). They also listed the film in The Hollywood Wall of Shame, writing "The choreography set new standards for flat-footed incompetence, while Bogdanovich's perfectionist refusal to lip-synch the musical numbers drove the budget through the roof. To date, the movie has earned back less than one-fourth its cost of $6 million."
To date, there has never been a home video release of the film in any format, though it became available to stream online
in early 2011.
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
musical
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
that was released in 1975. It was written, produced and directed by Peter Bogdanovich
Peter Bogdanovich
Peter Bogdanovich is an American film historian, director, writer, actor, producer, and critic. He was part of the wave of "New Hollywood" directors, which included William Friedkin, Brian De Palma, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, Michael Cimino, and Francis Ford Coppola...
and stars Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds
Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
and Cybill Shepherd
Cybill Shepherd
Cybill Lynne Shepherd is an American actress, singer and former model. Her best known roles include starring as Jacy in The Last Picture Show, as Betsy in Taxi Driver, as Madeleine Spencer in Psych, as Maddie Hayes on Moonlighting, as Cybill Sheridan on Cybill, and as Phyllis Kroll on The L...
.
The film pays homage to the great Hollywood
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Hollywood is a famous district in Los Angeles, California, United States situated west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word Hollywood is often used as a metonym of American cinema...
musicals of the 1930s such as Swing Time
Swing Time
Swing Time is a 1936 RKO musical comedy film set mainly in New York City and stars Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Helen Broderick, Victor Moore, Eric Blore and Georges Metaxa, with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Dorothy Fields...
and Top Hat
Top Hat
Top Hat is a 1935 screwball comedy musical film in which Fred Astaire plays an American dancer named Jerry Travers, who comes to London to star in a show produced by Horace Hardwick . He meets and attempts to impress Dale Tremont to win her affection...
. It features 16 songs with music and lyrics by Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
.
Synopsis
Spoiled heiress Brooke Carter runs into spoiled gambler Johnny Spanish at the race track. Spoiled playboy Michael O. Pritchard nearly runs into spoiled showgirl Kitty O'Kelly with his car.Backstage at Kitty's show, it turns out she and Brooke are old friends who attended public school together. The foursome does the town, accompanied by Brooke's companion Elizabeth, who throws herself at Michael's butler and chauffeur Rodney James.
The four friends change partners at a party, where Brooke and Michael step outside behind the backs of Kitty and Johnny. In an effort to make the others jealous, Kitty and Johnny begin a romance and genuinely fall in love, as do Brooke and Michael, and as do Elizabeth and Rodney.
Production notes
The film is unique as it is the first movie since the early 1930s in which all of the musical numbers were recorded live, without the actors lip-synchingLip sync
Lip sync, lip-sync, lip-synch is a technical term for matching lip movements with sung or spoken vocals...
to a previously recorded soundtrack.
Reception
The film opened in March 1975 to scathing reviews and poor box office returns, prompting Bogdanovich to have an open letterOpen letter
An open letter is a letter that is intended to be read by a wide audience, or a letter intended for an individual, but that is nonetheless widely distributed intentionally....
of apology printed in newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s throughout the U.S.
At Long Last Love was cited in Harry and Michael Medved
Michael Medved
Michael Medved is an American radio host, author, political commentator and film critic. His Seattle, Washington-based nationally syndicated talk show, The Michael Medved Show, airs throughout the U.S...
's The Golden Turkey Awards: Nominees and Winners, the Worst Achievements in Hollywood History
The Golden Turkey Awards
The Golden Turkey Awards is a 1980 book by film critic Michael Medved and his brother Harry Medved.The book awards the fictional "Golden Turkey Awards" to films judged by the authors as poor in quality, and to directors and actors judged to have created a chronically inept body of work...
(1980). They also listed the film in The Hollywood Wall of Shame, writing "The choreography set new standards for flat-footed incompetence, while Bogdanovich's perfectionist refusal to lip-synch the musical numbers drove the budget through the roof. To date, the movie has earned back less than one-fourth its cost of $6 million."
To date, there has never been a home video release of the film in any format, though it became available to stream online
Netflix
Netflix, Inc., is an American provider of on-demand internet streaming media in the United States, Canada, and Latin America and flat rate DVD-by-mail in the United States. The company was established in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California...
in early 2011.
Cast
- Burt ReynoldsBurt ReynoldsBurton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
.... Michael Oliver Pritchard III - Cybill ShepherdCybill ShepherdCybill Lynne Shepherd is an American actress, singer and former model. Her best known roles include starring as Jacy in The Last Picture Show, as Betsy in Taxi Driver, as Madeleine Spencer in Psych, as Maddie Hayes on Moonlighting, as Cybill Sheridan on Cybill, and as Phyllis Kroll on The L...
.... Brooke Carter - Madeline KahnMadeline KahnMadeline Kahn was an American actress. Kahn was known primarily for her comedic roles in films such as Paper Moon, Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, What's Up, Doc?, and Clue.-Early life:...
.... Kitty O'Kelly - Duilio Del PreteDuilio Del PreteDulio Del Prete was an Italian actor, dubber and singer-songwriter.Del Prete was born at Cuneo, Piedmont. As a singer-songwriter, he wrote political songs and recorded an album of Jacques Brel's covers; he also wrote songs for several artists.As an actor, he participated to several films of the...
.... Johnny Spanish - Eileen BrennanEileen BrennanEileen Brennan is an American actress of film, television, and theater. Brennan is best known for her role as Doreen Lewis in Private Benjamin for which she received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She reprised the role in the TV adaption and won a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy...
.... Elizabeth - John HillermanJohn HillermanJohn Benedict Hillerman is an American actor, known for his starring role on the television show Magnum, P.I.-Early life:...
.... Rodney James - Mildred NatwickMildred NatwickMildred Natwick was an American stage and film actress.- Early life :A native of Baltimore, Maryland, she was born to Joseph and Mildred Marion Dawes Natwick. She graduated from the Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore...
.... Mabel Pritchard - M. Emmet WalshM. Emmet WalshMichael Emmet Walsh is an American actor who has appeared in over 100 film and television productions.-Life and career:Walsh was born in Ogdensburg, New York, the son of Agnes Kathrine and Harry Maurice Walsh, Sr., a customs agent...
.... Harold
External links
- At Long Last Love at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Roger EbertRoger EbertRoger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
's review at the Chicago Sun Times website