Sean Young was a promising ingenue when she played Myra Harper here. She did a terrific job in the role though. Megan Mullaly played a friend of hers too. Barnard Hughes played a dotty eccentric millionaire. I enjoyed watching Deanna Dunagan as Myra's mother, Louise. The film was adapted on a short story by the late F. Scott Fitzgerald. I enjoyed it until the end. I didn't know what to make of the ending or what led up to it. It's a joy to see Sean Young as Myra Harper. The film was produced and filmed on location Chicago, Illinois for the American Playhouse. I wished that they did this today.
4 Reviews
Absurd Behavior
martini-1319 April 1999
When I first saw this movie, I didn't know what to really make of it. It left me speechless, but at the same time, I was curious to watch it again, and watch it again I did. Without giving away the plot, the movie deals with the way we allow our insecurities to rule our lives to the point of absurdity. A fun movie from beginning to end.....
Unoccupied Swing
tedg3 December 2008
Warning: Spoilers
I am pretty sure that I have seen this F Scott Fitzgerald story adapted elsewhere, but I cannot find it. Its similar to the recent "Intolerable Cruelty," but with more surprise.
Its nearly the double-con genre, and there is some ambiguity about when our heroine discovers the plot.
This production isn't very good in the sense of allowing us to have fun with the material. Fitzgerald would have tossed us about with different styles of humor. The potential is good. What he would have done I think is seduce us into hating the gold-digging girl, then slowly make us feel sorry for her, with the successively bizarre encounters. He would have done it well enough that we would believe that this was the turn of the thing. The joy comes in the unexpected, that swoop at the end.
We see the carcass of this in many films, that "final twist" it is called. But usually those are simply clever surprises that are not integrated into the narrative flow. (An obvious exception is "Sixth Sense.")
One of the problems is Sean Young, who tried to make a career out of vacant prettiness. This was made between her two tolerable movies.
Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.
Its nearly the double-con genre, and there is some ambiguity about when our heroine discovers the plot.
This production isn't very good in the sense of allowing us to have fun with the material. Fitzgerald would have tossed us about with different styles of humor. The potential is good. What he would have done I think is seduce us into hating the gold-digging girl, then slowly make us feel sorry for her, with the successively bizarre encounters. He would have done it well enough that we would believe that this was the turn of the thing. The joy comes in the unexpected, that swoop at the end.
We see the carcass of this in many films, that "final twist" it is called. But usually those are simply clever surprises that are not integrated into the narrative flow. (An obvious exception is "Sixth Sense.")
One of the problems is Sean Young, who tried to make a career out of vacant prettiness. This was made between her two tolerable movies.
Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.
A Great Viewing Experience For Me.
JoeKulik29 August 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Neal Miller's Under The Biltmore Clock (1984) is an incredibly good film.
Never read the Fitzgerald short story from which this film is adapted, and I don't care because this is just an outstanding film on its own merits.
This film has a truly unique storyline, and is very innovative with several unexpected plot twists. The spooky, eccentric future in laws and the whole weird setting at the fiancé's mansion was superbly executed, and very surreal.
The period settings and period costumes were excellent, and Myra's wardrobe was very extensive, beautiful to look at, and very stylish for the period.
The acting by the whole cast was great, but Sean Young as Myra gave an incredible performance, going through several personality changes, and many emotional transitions quite believably, and quite smoothly.
This is a visually beautiful film with superb cinematography, and very effective editing.
This is a film that I want to view again, simply because now that I know all the devious and unexpected turns in the storyline, I can appreciate the film better on a second viewing.
Never read the Fitzgerald short story from which this film is adapted, and I don't care because this is just an outstanding film on its own merits.
This film has a truly unique storyline, and is very innovative with several unexpected plot twists. The spooky, eccentric future in laws and the whole weird setting at the fiancé's mansion was superbly executed, and very surreal.
The period settings and period costumes were excellent, and Myra's wardrobe was very extensive, beautiful to look at, and very stylish for the period.
The acting by the whole cast was great, but Sean Young as Myra gave an incredible performance, going through several personality changes, and many emotional transitions quite believably, and quite smoothly.
This is a visually beautiful film with superb cinematography, and very effective editing.
This is a film that I want to view again, simply because now that I know all the devious and unexpected turns in the storyline, I can appreciate the film better on a second viewing.
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