Pennies from Heaven DVD coming soon!

[Unknown User]

Posted: 4/2/04 at 7:58pm

Pennies from Heaven Starring
Bernadette Peters and Steve Martin will soon be available on DVD!

7/27/04!!

So for all you Bernie fans, get ready!
VIEW DVD COVER ART

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/2/04 at 8:14pm

Love. That. Movie.

[Craig]

Posted: 4/2/04 at 8:19pm

Ditto Namo. Some classic scenes - love the # at the bank...

[Unknown User]

Posted: 4/2/04 at 8:24pm

rob, i'm sorry that it's not the original british tv series with bob hoskins and cheryl campbell. light years ahead of the tacky hollywood film version. the film, in my opinion, is another example of a poor imitation of the real goods. i remember finding it a real disappointment. if you have never seen the original british series it's well worth seeking out.

jose'

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/2/04 at 8:34pm

But, see, we're talking about the movie that's coming out on DVD, Jose'.

Craig, loved the scene that recreated Edward Hopper's Nighthawks.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 4/2/04 at 8:48pm

For those of you who prefer class to crass read about the original Dennis Potter series broadcast on BBC.

It is far superior to Herb Ross' film (eventhough Dennis Potter did write the screenplay).

Jose'
PENNIS FROM HEAVEN--The Original BBC Series

[Craig]

Posted: 4/2/04 at 8:52pm

How can one not appreciate Christopher Walken's performance in the film version.

I'm not counting out the Bob Hoskins version as great. I just wouldn't consider Steve Martin's version tacky in comparison...

and actually, both are due out on the same day...

Updated On: 4/2/04 at 08:52 PM

[Unknown User]

Posted: 4/2/04 at 8:59pm

Another of the very many points of disagreement we share Craig.

Walken is overrated.

I forgot he was even in the film.

Great News about the BBC Mini Series upcoming release on 7/27. Thanks for the tip! Updated On: 4/2/04 at 08:59 PM

[Unknown User]

Posted: 4/3/04 at 7:32am

[mother cabrini]

Posted: 4/3/04 at 10:55am

bob mackies costumes are worth the price alone!

[magruder]

Posted: 4/3/04 at 10:56am

Is it fair to love them both? The BBC version is darker and more probing, but I also love the Hollywood version, and Danny Daniels' fantastic choreography, and the incredible art direction.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/3/04 at 11:33am

Apparently the rules of engagement for this thread are that you take a stance, either/or, one or the other. And apparently if you've seen both and the original isn't your favorite then you are a rube, a crass sucker without taste, and dare I say it? Good breeding.

[magruder]

Posted: 4/3/04 at 11:41am

If we're talking about the BBC and Hollywood versions of The Singing Detective...well, there's a world of difference and quality between those two films. But the two Pennies from Heaven? I really don't feel that Hollywood betrayed Dennis Potter's original vision with the movie version. And I'd like to echo Craig's sentiment about Christopher Walken...he's terrific with the tap dance/striptease to "Let's Misbehave". So fun to see Walken tap back into his chorus boy past. (He was in the ensemble of Broadway's High Spirits in 1964).

Updated On: 4/3/04 at 11:41 AM

[Craig]

Posted: 4/3/04 at 11:49am

And PFH aside, I loved his (CW's) performance in the music video for Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice" which was directed by Spike J.

Is that available on DVD anywhere?

(just found a place to watch it online..

http://www.astralwerks.com/fbs/woc/

)

Updated On: 4/3/04 at 11:49 AM

[magruder]

Posted: 4/3/04 at 12:07pm

He's amazing in the Fat Boy Slim video, and also compellingly creepy in Madonna's "Bad Girl" video. (Anthony will be so proud of me.)

[Craig]

Posted: 4/3/04 at 12:11pm

Magruder - right you are. As for Walken - he's one of the people I enjoy seeing whatever he's in. Loved his brief appearance in Annie Hall. Chilling in The Dead Zone (probably one of the best King adaptations) and most recently in Catch Me If You Can.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 4/3/04 at 1:02pm

Magruder, you got the word right, in my opinion, for Walken--creepy. A creep on stage in SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH with Irene Worth, and the creepiness never stopped. In CATCH ME IF YOU CAN he did catch me off-guard and it was the first time I didn't have a negative response to his performance.

As for PFH, of course one can like both. I generally liked Peters' numbers in the film. Martin was miscast. For my taste the Hollywood treatment of PFH was akin to turn ANNA KARENINA into a toe-tapping musical with a happy ending. PFH on film pales by comparison to the BBC mini-series, in my opinion.

Listening to the soundtrack of the BBC original as I type. Great songs!

Cheers! Updated On: 4/3/04 at 01:02 PM

[Unknown User]

Posted: 4/3/04 at 1:40pm

"Love is good for anything that ails you."

Oh, yes!

[TheaterBaby]

Posted: 4/3/04 at 3:10pm

"As for Walken - he's one of the people I enjoy seeing whatever he's in."

I completely agree with that statement. I always list Christopher Wallken as one of my top three favorite actors (usually ranking number 1). People are always saying he's creepy and whatnot, but I've heard that he's very funny and nice...and I think he's one hell of an actor and dancer! Bring Christopher Walken back to Broadway!!!

[Roscoe]

Posted: 4/4/04 at 8:40pm

I've actually seen both the MGM film starring Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters and the BBC series with Bob Hoskins. I find both films to be intelligent challenging works. The series goes places that the film cannot, and the film is able to concentrate the story more effectively than the series does. If the film lacks some of the depth of the series, the series can be fairly thought to go on rather too long and wallow in human misery a bit too much.

In a nutshell, the film by Herb Ross is as good a distillation of the series as anyone could hope to get.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 11:48am

PENNIES TO HAVE IN YOUR POCKET


From The New York Times, Sunday, July 25, 2004

Before the Detective Sang
By JOYCE MILLMAN

Published: July 25, 2004


N a 1930's-style suburban bedroom, a sleeping man awakens and murmurs with haunted eyes, "Someday, if luck is kind, someday . . ." He wakes his wife, who is huddled on the far side of the bed, and makes a desperate plea for sex, but she calls him a "filthy beast." Suddenly the man begins to sing. But instead of his voice, we hear an old recording of a female vocalist singing the dance band number "The Clouds Will Soon Roll By." The woman's voice yearns for something brighter, softer, truer, and watching the song being mimed with heartbreaking conviction by this stocky, stubbly man is jolting and unforgettable.

(edited for copyright) Updated On: 7/29/04 at 11:48 AM

[Unknown User]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 12:26pm

Bob Hoskins and Cheryl Campbell

PENNIES FROM HEAVEN, The BBC Series by Dennis Potter

Updated On: 7/25/04 at 12:26 PM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 7/29/04 at 12:12am

Christ, I sure hope they charge you for all that bandwidth.