Bernadette on screen — Page 2

Updated On: 6/7/11 at 09:03 PM

During lockdown I've been revisiting this. I find it fascinating because unlike her stage appearances, where Bernadette has typically always had at least a positive mention in the NYTimes, mostly prestigious productions (e.g. famous composes, directors, shows, producers etc.), and more than a few hits - her screen career is more complicated/interesting/sad in the sense that she has dabbled in major hollywood studio productions, independent films and TV to a much more spotty and inconsistent affair. Most of her Hollywood starring roles were box office bombs.

A couple of recent viewings (or re-viewings) - all available to stream in HD from Amazon.

* Pennies from Heaven 1981 - so far this is by far in my opinion Bernadette's best and most successful screen role, and probably the closest she ever came in reality to being considered for an oscar nomination. The movie is surprisingly dark and avant-garde. Bernadette gets to dig into a complex character that, at least at the beginning, on the surface is a shy, probably lonely, teacher. Through her transformation in the musical production numbers we can see under the surface that she wants to be confident, sexy and loved. After meeting Steve Martin's character, her whole character transforms into something quite different and darker than the beginning. She won the Golden Globe, and it is one of the few screen appearances of hers I feel I really do get lost in the character rather than seeing Bernadette. Sadly, the movie was a catastrophic box office failure.

This frame (the full one, annoyingly cropped here) almost feels iconic:







* Pink Cadillac 1989 - The movie appears to be trashed and was a major box office failure, but I think it was really fun to watch this, think back to 1989 and imagine Bernadette having the opportunity to star in a major studio release in a kind of trashy weekend action/comedy blockbuster. I can just imagine studio execs thinking that this was going to be a major success, with a Clint Eastwood 'bro' crowd being attracted to the action elements & Bernadette's sex appeal, but the movie being 'girly' enough to attract to females as well.

The highlights for me are visually the image of Bernadette driving around in that Pink Cadillac, the character development she was able to explore, and the humour/sexiness she brought to the role. As a movie, while it might not fully 'work' and has many cringeworthy moments, the idea of a group of displaced white supremacist men does not actually feel widely implausible in today's climate. The role really suited her.



* Alice 1990 - Bernadette makes a short cameo in this Woody Allen film. Mia Farrow's Character (Alice) is a well-kept but unfulfilled rich house wife in New York City, who uses 'herbal remidies' (i.e. drugs) sourced from China Town to help her seek relationships with others & persue a creative activity (writing). Bernadette's character appears in one of these episodes with advice on how to improve her writing career. It's quite a funny cameo and it was interesting to see her speak so confidently and quickly in a scene. The movie does not make sense half the time, but it is visually really nice and artistic, and a good character exploration for Mia Farrow. There is a certain prestige of Bernadette being involved in a Woody Allen film, which I think is nice. Her appearance had a special mention in the NYTimes review.

Updated On: 6/22/20 at 05:31 AM

Looove Pennies from Heaven and Bernadette in it to distraction. Technically, she's wrong for the role, of course (why on earth does an Illinois farm girl have that thick Queens accent?), but it's such a stylized film, it doesn't matter. It also has one of my favorite screen actresses, Jessica Harper. It's one of the rare times I liked Steve Martin, who really took a chance. And that's not even getting around to all that talent behind the camera! It is one of the all time great movie musicals.

Not the real Ms Peters but ...

Updated On: 6/23/20 at 02:19 AM

She appeared on The CW's Katy Keene

Mmmm. In terms of Hollywood (cf. TV & Theatre*) it does seem like a major drawcard for her casting was her looks. I thought that Pink Cadillac might have killed her chance to continue playing leading Hollywood roles because it was a nail in the coffin of a string of box office failures, but actually while watching I couldn't help but realise she was starting to 'age out' of her youthful, girlish look she was associated with - and this couldn't have helped her find roles.

* Even in theatre she had to escape nudity, with Sunday in the Park with George!

Sondheim (from his second book):

"In the first draft of the show, James had written a scene in Act Two based on another of Seurat's major paintings, Les Poseuses, which depicts three naked models in the artist's studio, each of them in actuality the same model. This was the draft that we sent Bernadette in the hope that she would accept the role of Dot. Although I had never met her, she telephoned me from California to say how much she liked the script, except for one problem. "I don't do nude,", she said. I assured her she wouldn't have to do nude, although I dreaded the prospect of her playing the scene in a body stocking, a ploy that is never effective unless it's on a darkened stage. The problem was obviated when we cut the scene because of a structural change in the story, but she would have looked great - a lot better, in fact, than the skinny androgyne that Seurat chose. In fact, if Bernadette had "done nude", the show might still be running."

Updated On: 6/27/20 at 07:35 AM

Fall From Grace (1990). A dramatic recount of the PTL/Jim Bakker & Tammy Faye Bakker scandal, Bernadette is Tammy Faye, starring opposite Kevin Spacey as Jim Bakker. I enjoy the movie for several reasons:

* Watching Kevin Spacey's character get involved in a scandal being accused of rape & homosexual activities, and then wanting to kill himself at the end of the movie is a lttle bit too close to mirroying the end of his own acting career that you can't help but see extra meaning in the movie now. At the same time, annoyingly I imagine this has almost 0 chance of ever being released on a streaming platform or being widely distributed because of Kevin Spacey.

* The role fits Bernadette so well - her character tries a little too hard to look good, she wears too much makeup, she has probably had a bit too much plastic surgery. Her character also gets the chance to sing several times since Tammy was a singer. Underneath the surface is a deeply insecure person and a drug-addict - and her character seems to be honest in her convinctions and wants to do good despite her husband's curruption - there is a lot for Bernadette to work with here. I'm surprised she wasn't nominated for an Emmy for this.

* Any piece of media that criticises organised religion has an important message, to me.

In one of the chilling scenes, Kevin Spacey's character is trying to film a commercial with his wife asking for more donations. Bernadette's character cycles between fake smiles & not being able to hold it together as she reflects on the issues with her personal life and marraige - Kevin Spacey coldly and relentlessly thinks that this emotion is actually good for business because to viewers it looks like Tammy is crying for more money, not her personal struggles.



This is a movie that, if I squint hard enough, get intoxicated enough and daydream enough - I can imagine if it were made after Kevin Spacey broke out as a major critically acclaimed actor, in Hollywood with a well known director, some higher quality filming and a slightly revised script - Bernadette could have been considered for an oscar.

Updated On: 6/27/20 at 08:38 AM