Trouble in Mind (film)
Encyclopedia
Trouble in Mind is a 1985
neo-noir
film which follows an ex-cop just released from jail after serving time for a murder sentence as he returns to the mean streets of the fictional "Rain City".
The film was directed and written by Alan Rudolph, and stars Kris Kristofferson
, Keith Carradine
, Geneviève Bujold
, and Lori Singer
, with an out-of-drag appearance by Divine. The movie starts with the world-weary 1920s blues standard "Trouble in Mind
" and ends with a song of love and reassurance, both performed by Marianne Faithfull
. The opening line is "I wouldn't say no to a woman or a job".
The movie flips between reality and unreality in a variety of ways, with the time, language and setting unclear. The leading characters all display traits of the opposite of what they seem to be (the heroic ex-cop, for example, is also a convicted murderer; the protective mother abandons her child; criminals show themselves to be sensitive philosophers; the wayward husband loves his wife; the straight woman shows a dark past; etc.). There are déjà vu
s and some uncanny look-alike side characters turn up in separate times and places. The four main characters convene by ones and pairs, get involved with one another, are joined by others, and end up in a final and absurd overall showdown to separate again as in a symbolic act of fertilisation, leaving the dead (and/or the past) behind.
, is arranged and accompanied by Mark Isham
. Peter R. Tromp (now Peter Trump
, author of Milk the Children and Poems and Portions) provided music as Divine’s strolling violinist. In the Chinatown restaurant scene Tromp performed Pachelbel’s Canon in D and J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3. During scenes filmed at the Seattle Art Museum Tromp performed Telemann’s Fantasia No. 6, “Autumn” from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik, Biber’s Passacaglia, and Reveille. Tromp’s appearance and music in Trouble in Mind were uncredited.
"Rain City" was constructed out of Seattle locations, largely older areas on the edges of downtown, giving an impression of a less modern city.
. On December 14, 2010 Shout! Factory
released a 25th Anniversary DVD of the film.
1985 in film
-Events:* 3 December - Roger Moore steps down from the role of James Bond after twelve years and seven films. He is replaced by Timothy Dalton.* The Academy Award for Best Picture was won by Out Of Africa, while the highest grossing film was Back to the Future.* Bliss wins AFI Award for best Movie...
neo-noir
Neo-noir
Neo-noir is a style often seen in modern motion pictures and other forms that prominently utilize elements of film noir, but with updated themes, content, style, visual elements or media that were absent in films noir of the 1940s and 1950s.-History:The term Film Noir was coined by...
film which follows an ex-cop just released from jail after serving time for a murder sentence as he returns to the mean streets of the fictional "Rain City".
The film was directed and written by Alan Rudolph, and stars Kris Kristofferson
Kris Kristofferson
Kristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson is an American musician, actor, and writer. He is known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...
, Keith Carradine
Keith Carradine
Keith Ian Carradine is an American actor who has had success on stage, film and television. In addition, he is a Golden Globe and Oscar winning songwriter. As a member of the Carradine family, he is part of an acting "dynasty" that began with his father, John Carradine.-Early life:Keith...
, Geneviève Bujold
Geneviève Bujold
Geneviève Bujold is a Canadian actress best known for her portrayal of Anne Boleyn in the 1969 film Anne of the Thousand Days, for which she won a Golden Globe Award for best actress and was nominated for an Academy Award....
, and Lori Singer
Lori Singer
Lori Singer is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Ariel Moore, the female lead in the 1984 feature film Footloose, and as Julie Miller in the television series Fame.-Film and television career:...
, with an out-of-drag appearance by Divine. The movie starts with the world-weary 1920s blues standard "Trouble in Mind
Trouble in Mind (song)
"Trouble in Mind" is a slow eight-bar blues song written by jazz pianist Richard M. Jones. The song was recorded in 1924 by singer Thelma La Vizzo with Jones providing the piano accompaniment...
" and ends with a song of love and reassurance, both performed by Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Evelyn Faithfull is an award-winning English singer, songwriter and actress whose career has spanned five decades....
. The opening line is "I wouldn't say no to a woman or a job".
The movie flips between reality and unreality in a variety of ways, with the time, language and setting unclear. The leading characters all display traits of the opposite of what they seem to be (the heroic ex-cop, for example, is also a convicted murderer; the protective mother abandons her child; criminals show themselves to be sensitive philosophers; the wayward husband loves his wife; the straight woman shows a dark past; etc.). There are déjà vu
Déjà vu
Déjà vu is the experience of feeling sure that one has already witnessed or experienced a current situation, even though the exact circumstances of the prior encounter are uncertain and were perhaps imagined...
s and some uncanny look-alike side characters turn up in separate times and places. The four main characters convene by ones and pairs, get involved with one another, are joined by others, and end up in a final and absurd overall showdown to separate again as in a symbolic act of fertilisation, leaving the dead (and/or the past) behind.
Cast
- Kris KristoffersonKris KristoffersonKristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson is an American musician, actor, and writer. He is known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...
as Hawk - Keith CarradineKeith CarradineKeith Ian Carradine is an American actor who has had success on stage, film and television. In addition, he is a Golden Globe and Oscar winning songwriter. As a member of the Carradine family, he is part of an acting "dynasty" that began with his father, John Carradine.-Early life:Keith...
as Coop - Lori SingerLori SingerLori Singer is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Ariel Moore, the female lead in the 1984 feature film Footloose, and as Julie Miller in the television series Fame.-Film and television career:...
as Georgia - Geneviève BujoldGeneviève BujoldGeneviève Bujold is a Canadian actress best known for her portrayal of Anne Boleyn in the 1969 film Anne of the Thousand Days, for which she won a Golden Globe Award for best actress and was nominated for an Academy Award....
as Wanda - Joe MortonJoe MortonJoseph Thomas "Joe" Morton, Jr. is an American stage, television, and film actor.-Early life:Morton was born in The Bronx, a borough of New York City, New York. He is the son of Evelyn, a secretary, and Joseph Thomas Morton, Sr., a U.S. army intelligence officer. Because of his father's...
as Solo - Divine as Hilly Blue
- George KirbyGeorge KirbyGeorge Kirby was an American comedian, singer, and actor from Chicago, Illinois.Kirby broke into show business in the 1940s at the Club DeLisa, a South Side establishment that employed a variety-show format and preferred to hire local singers, dancers, and comedians...
as Lieutenant Gunther - John ConsidineJohn ConsidineThis article is about the writer and actor. For his grandfather, the vaudeville pioneer, see John Considine . For the former Florida state representative, see John J...
as Nate Nathanson - Dirk BlockerDirk BlockerDennis Dirk Blocker is an American actor and the son of late actor Dan Blocker, of the popular TV series, Bonanza.Dirk Blocker began appearing in American television in 1974, acting in an episode of Marcus Welby, M.D. at the age of sixteen...
as Rambo - Albert Hall as Leo
- Gailard SartainGailard SartainGailard Sartain is an American comedic and serious actor, often playing characters with roots in the South. He is also an accomplished and successful painter and illustrator.-Early years and education:...
as Fat Adolph - Robert GouldRobert GouldRobert Gould was a significant voice in Restoration poetry in England.He was born in the lower classes and orphaned when he was thirteen. It is possible that he had a sister, but her name and fate are unknown. Gould entered into domestic service...
as Mardy Stoog - Antonia Dauphin as Sonja Nathanson
- Billy Silva as Elmo
Production notes
The music, performed by Marianne FaithfullMarianne Faithfull
Marianne Evelyn Faithfull is an award-winning English singer, songwriter and actress whose career has spanned five decades....
, is arranged and accompanied by Mark Isham
Mark Isham
Mark Isham is an American trumpeter, synthesist, and film composer. He works in a variety of genres, including jazz, electronic, and film.-Life and career:...
. Peter R. Tromp (now Peter Trump
Peter Trump
Peter Trump is a German former field hockey player who was a member of the West-German team that won the golden medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.-External links:...
, author of Milk the Children and Poems and Portions) provided music as Divine’s strolling violinist. In the Chinatown restaurant scene Tromp performed Pachelbel’s Canon in D and J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3. During scenes filmed at the Seattle Art Museum Tromp performed Telemann’s Fantasia No. 6, “Autumn” from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik, Biber’s Passacaglia, and Reveille. Tromp’s appearance and music in Trouble in Mind were uncredited.
"Rain City" was constructed out of Seattle locations, largely older areas on the edges of downtown, giving an impression of a less modern city.
Release
It was entered into the 36th Berlin International Film Festival36th Berlin International Film Festival
-Jury:* Gina Lollobrigida * Rudi Fehr* Lindsay Anderson* August Coppola* Werner Grassmann* Otar Iosseliani* Norbert Kückelmann* Francoise Maupin* Rosaura Revueltas* Naoki Togawa* Jerzy Toeplitz-Films in competition:...
. On December 14, 2010 Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory is an entertainment company founded in 2003 that was started by Richard Foos , Bob Emmer and Garson Foos initially as a specialty music label...
released a 25th Anniversary DVD of the film.