One from the Heart
Encyclopedia
One from the Heart is a 1982 musical film
directed by Francis Ford Coppola
. The characters themselves do not actually sing but the powerful score dominates the movie. It is set entirely in Las Vegas
, on the Las Vegas Strip
and the desert surrounding the city. Though the film realistically evokes the feeling of being on the busy Las Vegas Strip, there were no location shot
s used in the film. Rather, it was shot on studio sound stages, with the single exception of one space on the back lot for a "Las Vegas junkyard" set, described by a character in the film as being "the garden of the Taj Mahal
".
, One from the Heart rapidly ballooned from a projected budget of $2 million to over $25 million. Rather than shooting on location, Coppola insisted on building sets, to add to the artificiality of the proscenium.
Set construction proceeded to such an extent that a replica of Las Vegas' McCarran Airport
—complete with a jetway and jet airliner (built from the nose section of a crashed plane)—was built and used for the penultimate scene. The sets for the film consumed the entirety of sound stage space at Coppola's recently acquired American Zoetrope
studio. Because of the maze of wiring and flammable scrims, backdrops and other materials, Dean Tavoularis half-jokingly referred to the Vegas Strip set—the centerpiece of the film—as a "firetrap", saying it caused him to have "nightmares about fires" during the film's production.
Coppola has stated that the films he made during the rest of the 1980s and most of the 1990s, such as The Outsiders
, The Cotton Club
, The Godfather, Part III, Jack and The Rainmaker
, were done to pay off the debts incurred by the production of One from the Heart.
One from the Heart features an original soundtrack from Crystal Gayle
and Tom Waits
. Waits received an Academy Award nomination for Best Musical Score. Dean Tavoularis, whose art department was next door to the musical rehearsal space, used Tom Waits' music as tonal inspiration which was incorporated into the film's highly stylized 'look'. Mickey Hart
, drummer for The Grateful Dead, and musician Bobby Vega were also credited for their contributions to the production.
Los Angeles street musician and one-man band Arthur Nakane
claims to have been cut from the film, his scene having been integral to the main character hearing "You Are My Sunshine
" during a performance by Nakane (unnamed in the film) on the Vegas Strip, which explains the song's appearance later in the film.
, to an audience in which the city's then current celebrities were well represented. At the time the film opened, Janet Maslin
's review in the New York Times called it an "innovative, audacious effort", but continued that the film lacks story and tension, and that "the sets are invariably more interesting than the people who inhabit them."
A DVD of One From the Heart has been released. The DVD contains many extras, including an alternate version of the theatrical trailer.
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...
directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
. The characters themselves do not actually sing but the powerful score dominates the movie. It is set entirely in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, on the Las Vegas Strip
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
and the desert surrounding the city. Though the film realistically evokes the feeling of being on the busy Las Vegas Strip, there were no location shot
Filming location
A filming location is a place where some or all of a film or television series is produced, in addition to or instead of using sets constructed on a movie studio backlot or soundstage...
s used in the film. Rather, it was shot on studio sound stages, with the single exception of one space on the back lot for a "Las Vegas junkyard" set, described by a character in the film as being "the garden of the Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is a white Marble mausoleum located in Agra, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal...
".
Plot
The evening of July 4, in Las Vegas, Hank (Frederic Forrest) and Frannie (Teri Garr) break up while celebrating their 5 year anniversary, due to Hank's insensitivity to Frannie's yearning for adventure and excitement. They both spend a night with their idealized partner—Leila, a nubile and beautiful circus girl (Nastassja Kinski), for Hank, and Ray, a dark, handsome musician (Raúl Juliá), for Frannie. After their nights of passion, Hank breaks down and tracks Frannie to her lover's apartment and abducts her. On returning home she refuses to go in and walks away, saying that this time it is definitely goodbye forever. Hank follows her to the airport where she is about to leave for her dream trip to Bora Bora with Ray. Hank sings to her to prove he is willing to be more romantic, but she boards the plane, saying it is too late. Hank, distraught, goes home and is about to burn her clothes when Frannie returns, realising she "made a mistake".Production
The cost of the production of this film would lead to Coppola's declaring bankruptcy. Originally intended as a small film after the enormous cost, pressures and production problems of Apocalypse NowApocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American war film set during the Vietnam War, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The central character is US Army special operations officer Captain Benjamin L. Willard , of MACV-SOG, an assassin sent to kill the renegade and presumed insane Special Forces...
, One from the Heart rapidly ballooned from a projected budget of $2 million to over $25 million. Rather than shooting on location, Coppola insisted on building sets, to add to the artificiality of the proscenium.
Set construction proceeded to such an extent that a replica of Las Vegas' McCarran Airport
McCarran International Airport
McCarran International Airport is the principal commercial airport serving Las Vegas and Clark County, Nevada, United States. The airport is located five miles south of the central business district of Las Vegas, in the unincorporated area of Paradise in Clark County. It covers an area of and...
—complete with a jetway and jet airliner (built from the nose section of a crashed plane)—was built and used for the penultimate scene. The sets for the film consumed the entirety of sound stage space at Coppola's recently acquired American Zoetrope
American Zoetrope
American Zoetrope is a studio founded by Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas. Founded on December 12, 1969, American Zoetrope was an early adopter of digital filmmaking, including some of the earliest uses of HDTV...
studio. Because of the maze of wiring and flammable scrims, backdrops and other materials, Dean Tavoularis half-jokingly referred to the Vegas Strip set—the centerpiece of the film—as a "firetrap", saying it caused him to have "nightmares about fires" during the film's production.
Coppola has stated that the films he made during the rest of the 1980s and most of the 1990s, such as The Outsiders
The Outsiders (film)
The Outsiders is a 1983 American drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, an adaptation of the novel The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton. The film was released in March 1983...
, The Cotton Club
The Cotton Club (film)
The Cotton Club is a 1984 crime-drama, centered on a famed Harlem jazz club of the 1930s, the Cotton Club.The movie was co-written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, choreographed by Henry LeTang, and starred Richard Gere, Diane Lane, and Gregory Hines...
, The Godfather, Part III, Jack and The Rainmaker
The Rainmaker (1997 film)
The Rainmaker is a 1997 American drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Matt Damon. Coppola wrote the script, based on the 1995 novel of the same name by John Grisham....
, were done to pay off the debts incurred by the production of One from the Heart.
One from the Heart features an original soundtrack from Crystal Gayle
Crystal Gayle
Crystal Gayle is an American country music singer best known for her 1977 country-pop hit, "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue". An award-winning singer, she accumulated 18 number one country hits during the 1970s and 1980s...
and Tom Waits
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
. Waits received an Academy Award nomination for Best Musical Score. Dean Tavoularis, whose art department was next door to the musical rehearsal space, used Tom Waits' music as tonal inspiration which was incorporated into the film's highly stylized 'look'. Mickey Hart
Mickey Hart
Mickey Hart is an American percussionist and musicologist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band the Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 to February 1971, and from October 1974 to August 1995...
, drummer for The Grateful Dead, and musician Bobby Vega were also credited for their contributions to the production.
Los Angeles street musician and one-man band Arthur Nakane
Arthur Nakane
Arthur Nakane is a Los Angeles-based musician/songwriter and screenwriter, best known for being the subject of the 2000 documentary film "Secret Asian Man" and also being a star on the 2010 TV show "America's Got Talent"....
claims to have been cut from the film, his scene having been integral to the main character hearing "You Are My Sunshine
You Are My Sunshine
"You Are My Sunshine" is a popular song first recorded in 1939. It has been declared one of the state songs of Louisiana as a result of its association with former state governor and country music singer Jimmie Davis. The song is copyright 1940 Peer International Corporation, words and music by...
" during a performance by Nakane (unnamed in the film) on the Vegas Strip, which explains the song's appearance later in the film.
Reception
The movie received mixed reviews. As of January 2009, it has a 50% "rotten" rating on RottenTomatoes.com. The film had a glamorous New York City preview on January 15, 1982, at Radio City Music HallRadio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city...
, to an audience in which the city's then current celebrities were well represented. At the time the film opened, Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for The New York Times. She served as the Times film critic from 1977–1999.- Biography :...
's review in the New York Times called it an "innovative, audacious effort", but continued that the film lacks story and tension, and that "the sets are invariably more interesting than the people who inhabit them."
Box office
The movie grossed $389,249 on its first weekend on 41 theaters to a disastrous total gross of only $636,796 against a US$26 million budget.A DVD of One From the Heart has been released. The DVD contains many extras, including an alternate version of the theatrical trailer.
Cast
Cast notes:
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