Blue Sky (B or 3/4 stars)
Before he died in 1991, beloved Oscar-winning director Tony Richardson finished his last film, 'Blue Sky'. After his death, the movie took another hit when its studio (Orion) went bankrupt. After sitting for 3 years on the shelf, the film found new life in 1994 and provided Jessica Lange with a deserving 2nd Oscar. Set in the early 60's & based on one of the writer's childhood, the film combines 3 things: a timely anti-nuclear message, a family-in-crisis melodrama, and an examination on love. The film stars Tommy Lee Jones as Hank Marshall, an Army scientist working on nuclear testing, and Lange as his wife, Carly; a sexy, voluptuous woman who loves to have a good 'ole time (this is shown in the opening scene where a Marilyn Monroe-like Carly flaunts her topless body to Hank's crew as they scan a Hawaiian beach from a helicopter). Their station in Hawaii is short-lived, though; and Hank must move his family (including 2 teen girls) to dreary Alabama.
Hank is a stable, straight-laced man who knows his wife's tendencies to be nutty. The rootlessness & conformity of the family situation is what gets her unhinged. But he loves her anyway. Drama ensues when Hank becomes a thorn in the side of the Army after gathering info that their nuclear testing could be harming nearby civilians. And Carly's near-unforgivable antics with Hank's base commander (Powers Boothe) only add to the drama. She stirs up intrigue on the army base & wreaks havoc in her family's personal life so much so that even her 2 teen girls can't stand her. Is Carly mentally unstable, or just a promiscuous free spirit? Regardless, she does love Hank and reigns in her behavior to think of a way to save him from a fate that his base commander already decided for him.
I enjoyed 'Blue Sky' well enough. I like that the original story is exactly what it is. There are no bells & whistles. There's no huge climactic twist. There's no overt political message that anyone's trying to impart. It's just a melodrama; and a lovingly old-fashioned one, at that. The 2 lead performances from Jones & Lange are truly great; creating a fascinating, enigmatic married couple. Jones exhibits great restraint in the role of Hank. He is disconsolate about his wife's volatile, adulterous ways. But he also loves her SO much & knows that - despite her antics - she doesn't mean to hurt him. Jessica Lange modulates Carly extremely well. It's difficult to make a character such as Carly likeable & sympathetic, even when we see her unbridled behavior. It's as if she can't help herself. But as mentioned, Carly pulls herself together for Hank when it matters most. It's an emotionally-charged and versatile performance from Jessica Lange. She's dynamite.
All that said, 'Blue Sky' unfolds with a dramatic narrative that seems to be at war with its early self. Initially, I thought I was watching a character study on Carly, Hank & their kids. But then the mildly preposterous army subplot(s) kick-in. And then the final 15 min. or so (satisfying in-&-of itself) feel like they came out of a different film, completely. I didn't dislike any portion of the film (that I just mentioned), but it made the movie feel uneven, at times -- disjointed, really. But on the whole, I recommend 'Blue Sky' for its nostalgic/old-fashioned qualities & for its intriguing performances.
Hank is a stable, straight-laced man who knows his wife's tendencies to be nutty. The rootlessness & conformity of the family situation is what gets her unhinged. But he loves her anyway. Drama ensues when Hank becomes a thorn in the side of the Army after gathering info that their nuclear testing could be harming nearby civilians. And Carly's near-unforgivable antics with Hank's base commander (Powers Boothe) only add to the drama. She stirs up intrigue on the army base & wreaks havoc in her family's personal life so much so that even her 2 teen girls can't stand her. Is Carly mentally unstable, or just a promiscuous free spirit? Regardless, she does love Hank and reigns in her behavior to think of a way to save him from a fate that his base commander already decided for him.
I enjoyed 'Blue Sky' well enough. I like that the original story is exactly what it is. There are no bells & whistles. There's no huge climactic twist. There's no overt political message that anyone's trying to impart. It's just a melodrama; and a lovingly old-fashioned one, at that. The 2 lead performances from Jones & Lange are truly great; creating a fascinating, enigmatic married couple. Jones exhibits great restraint in the role of Hank. He is disconsolate about his wife's volatile, adulterous ways. But he also loves her SO much & knows that - despite her antics - she doesn't mean to hurt him. Jessica Lange modulates Carly extremely well. It's difficult to make a character such as Carly likeable & sympathetic, even when we see her unbridled behavior. It's as if she can't help herself. But as mentioned, Carly pulls herself together for Hank when it matters most. It's an emotionally-charged and versatile performance from Jessica Lange. She's dynamite.
All that said, 'Blue Sky' unfolds with a dramatic narrative that seems to be at war with its early self. Initially, I thought I was watching a character study on Carly, Hank & their kids. But then the mildly preposterous army subplot(s) kick-in. And then the final 15 min. or so (satisfying in-&-of itself) feel like they came out of a different film, completely. I didn't dislike any portion of the film (that I just mentioned), but it made the movie feel uneven, at times -- disjointed, really. But on the whole, I recommend 'Blue Sky' for its nostalgic/old-fashioned qualities & for its intriguing performances.