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the audience applauded

Pretty Good

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

A lot of fun.

Although I liked for the most part "Remember My Name" and I am recommending it, I do agree with one critic's viewpoint that I read, that being that the movie is not for all tastes. I know that many viewers will probably be frustrated that the past of Chaplin's character (namely what she did in order to be imprisoned for years) is not fully spelled out. These same viewers will probably be also annoyed that the ending of the movie is left vague and with several plot threads not finished. But if you are a viewer who wants to see an unconventional look at stalking, the movie does have its rewards. For starters, it's a rare look at when the stalker is a woman and is stalking a man. And the performances are very good. Certainly, Chaplin gives a very good low key performance that all the same suggests serious mental disturbance, but Anthony Perkins also deserves kudos for playing a more "normal" type of character than usual, yet effectively. This is a slow moving drama, I admit, which also may throw off viewers. But if the plot description and cast interest you, and you are in a patient mood, you'll probably find the movie does have enough rewards.

An odd movie with a very abrupt ending, but underneath its oddness and artistic flourishes it's still a spurned-woman-getting-her-revenge story.The plot: Extremely pretty "Emily" (Geraldine Chaplin looking like she hadn't aged a day since playing "Tonya" in 1965's "Dr. Zhivago") is an oft-kilter ex-con who tries to readjust to society while at the same time stalking a married couple, the "Curry's" (Anthony Perkins and his real-life wife Berry Berenson). She decidedly fails at the former despite adapting a feminine appearance by re-teaching herself to walk in heels and getting a job as a cashier at a dollar store owned by the son (young Jeff Goldblum) of a former prison friend.Twelve years in prison has turned Emily into a bundle of jangled nerves with a hair-trigger temper and finely-honed defense mechanisms for dealing with "snitches" and "predators" which is how she seems to view everyone. Her revenge on a conniving co-worker (Alfre Woodard in an early role) and then avoiding retaliation by that co-worker's boyfriend (Alan Autry) make for the comic highlights of the film. (Watching Mrs. Tonya Zhivago "shank" someone has to be seen to be believed.) She's also learned that offering-up feminine vulnerability to authority figures is how to get what she wants as shown by her manipulating her super (Moses Gunn).The bulk of the film, though, involves her aggressively stalking the Curry's. The wife, "Barbara," is bewildered and frightened by the behavior of this complete stranger. The husband, "Neil," is far less confused by it upon getting a good look at the stalker. You see Emily was his first wife- a fact that he conveniently forgot to mention to Barbara. Also (SPOILERS), Neil was not faithful to Emily while they were married which apparently led to Emily removing his mistress from the planet and landing herself in prison. Neil is circumspect about what actually happened claiming that Emily didn't really commit murder even though it "looked" like she did. Did Neil set her up? Yet, that all appears to be water under the bridge for Emily as she seems set on winning Neil back. Still sporting her wedding ring and donning very feminine attire that she knows appeals to him (in contrast to Barbara who never seen wearing anything but blue jeans), she sets-out to seduce him back. Or does she? By film's end, it appears that twelve years in prison that resulted out of her husband's philandering and his moving on with his life as if she never even existed were not so readily forgiven by Emily.In some ways, "Remember My Name" is a slow-moving and artsy early version of the "Fatal Attraction" story with its warning to men not to sleep with crazy, but without the bunny-boiling extremes. Underneath its blues score and talky script, "Remember My Name" has a pretty standard scorned woman exacting her revenge plot. Yet, it's watchable for the performance of Geraldine Chaplin. As mentioned above, seeing the prim and pretty Ms. Chaplin as a hardened ex-con can be quite amusing. With her comes-and-goes "Nu Yawk" accent and a socially awkward persona even when she's trying to be "normal," Chaplin gives a very interesting performance and it's the highlight of this film.

After carving out eccentric, obtuse molds for her personality while co-starring in Robert Altman's "Nashville" and Alan Rudolph's "Welcome to L.A.", Geraldine Chaplin finally earned a full-bodied (though still utterly eccentric) leading role in Rudolph's "Remember My Name", which was produced by Robert Altman. Chaplin plays an ex-convict and sociopath seeking a reunion with her former husband, a carpenter who has remarried and resides on the west coast; lacking interpersonal skills of any kind, she decides to get his attention by stalking he and his wife and breaking into their house. Intriguing, if unpleasant, modern-day melodrama with noir-ish overtures, made memorable by Chaplin's high-wire performance. Tough and unyielding, and possibly schizophrenic, Chaplin creates a portrait of a woman obsessed by the past, and wilting under the untouchable persona she has created for herself. The narrative goes a little batty in the final stretch, leading to a perplexing conclusion; however, the film's detached tone is very deliberate and assured--it creates a monotone ambiance which is hard to shake off. Director Rudolph, who also wrote the screenplay, seems to feel this material very deeply. It's a twisted and melancholy valentine. **1/2 from ****

I saw this film last night at the George Eastman House. The announcer said that it would not be released for video because of the rights to the soundtrack. The singer died without releasing the rights. In any event, I found it fascinating. However, the conclusion seemed rushed and didn't clarify the motives of the protagonist Emily.Don't read further if you haven't seen it!!!---- All of a sudden Emily gets Neil to her place, sleeps with him, steals his credit card and then drives down the road that she drove in on at the beginning of the film. As languid as the rest of the film is, this happens so quickly you don't understand the meaning or purpose to Emily's actions. I felt like I wished I'd brought someone with me to the film so that we could discuss what the ending might have meant-