...as portrayed by actor James Aubrey, Mike's life is spinning out of control...his career, his credibility, the respect of his friends & family, his lifestyle, all in jeopardy...and for all intent and purpose, there doesn't seem to be a damn thing he can do about it. It all started when he happenstance afforded an innocent ride to a young and beautiful hitchhiker, Jenny, who had been left to her own destinational vices by her friend, Carol, who herself had found spontaneous diversion in a romantic encounter, some time previous. Given the fleeting opportunity of conversation. whereby Mike and Jenny reciprocate introductions during transit, things become more intimate, and the both of them embrace mutual attraction with each other, with the clearly impressionable Jenny, impressed and turned on by Mike's exciting vocation. Soon after, Mike and Jenny are seeing each other on a regular basis...even sleeping with each other...with Mike being casually and unquestionably accepted by Jenny's parents, and Jenny finding acceptance amongst Mike's circle of friends, who seem quite taken aback, as to how incredibly young Jenny looks...
...on a leisure boating trip, Mike indeed stumbles upon just how and why Jenny appears so young, thanks to an engraved piece of her jewelry. Initially enraged at finding out that Jenny is only 14 years of age...with himself, the age of 28...Mike nonetheless resignedly concedes to a relationship that has grown to the point where they both really need each other, and between the both of them, they decide to continue seeing each other, under the utmost of caution. Caution, which is haphazardly thrown to the wind, when Jenny's parents...quite suspicious and taken aback at having found birth control pills in their daughter's bedroom...and now aghast and enraged, when they happen to tune into a televised broadcast interview of the members of a band, whom Mike has been writing for...during which intimate and risque commentary is bantered about, regarding Mike's recent relationship...and with Jenny, clearly & publicly mentioned, identified and ousted...
...now in the limelight...and clearly not in a good way...Mike finds his life spiralling uncontrollably...down, down, down...himself now forcibly segregated from Jenny, scrutinized by the authorities, ostracized by his friends & family, shunned by those who benefit from his talent, arrested, detained and prosecuted in a court of law...and to make matters worse, the charges against him are made all the more severe and deliberating, when Jenny...quite scared at the potential repercussions...is coerced, pressured, manipulated and intimidated into providing false testimony against Mike, making him the ultimate scapegoat, in the midst of the unveiled and exposed incident...
...overall, a fairly by-the-numbers melodrama about forbidden love, poor judgement and authoritative discrimination, right?? An almost Lifetime Channel broadcast staple...that is, of course, had the Lifetime Channel existed, back then. However, in quite multifaceted ways, director Pete Walker, with regards to "Home Before Midnight", has carried the ball well past the initially intriguing and compelling melodrama presented herein, and taken it well into his able-bodied, line-crossing realm of exploitation and provocative reflection. Right off the bat, it starts with the mere and startling fact of actress Alison Elliot, having been cast in the role of 14-year-old Jenny...who clearly looks so much as if she's in her early 20's, it just has to be so...and the fact that it is so, alternately exudes a strain in the credibility of the performance...as surprisingly effective as it is...and yet, at the same time, an aura of exploitative provocativeness and abundantly risque fervor...especially in scenes where Jenny and Mike engage in some rather steamy tristes...
...authority figures are self-serving, discriminate and hypocritical, in these proceedings, which all the more adds to the overall controversy and edginess of the events that transpire. The legal prosecutors and law-enforcement representatives are quick to candidly admit that their own offspring might well be guilty of the very same indiscretions, as what has befallen the Mike character, and yet are equally quick to persecute and tear him asunder...more concerned of their own positions, both socially and economically. The old philosophy of 'yeah, this does happen...just don't get caught doing it..." Even Jenny's school masters, who make open claim toward their concern over Jenny, and wanting to know the truth about the affair, instead alternately exhibit an underlining and self-serving emphasis toward protecting the school's reputation. Jenny's parents themselves prove equally hypocritical, by way of their oddly, touchy-feely inner-family behavior, as well as their initial sense of naive-ness, as the relationship between Mike and Jenny unfold before them, and the seemingly 'innocent' activities that ensue...
...amusingly enough, "Home Before Midnight"...much like it's accompanying trailer, which emphasizes the 'music scene' over the dramatics, when in fact, the setting and character vocation could have been anything, as long as it was, in some way shape or form, impressionable to the Jenny character...is cleverly and manipulatively written in such a way that we, the unsuspecting viewers of the film, are 'coerced into relating immediately with the Mike character; we're drawn towards Jenny...we like her...we are stunned at finding out the truth about her, at the same time as Mike does...despite knowing what he does is wrong, we cannot help but feel for Mike, who despite the legality...or rather, illegality of the situation, we genuinely want these two love-crossed souls to go on...and ultimately, we feel Mike's helplessness, as the affair is discovered & exposed, with any sense of normalcy, shaken asunder, and left helplessly & uncontrollably spiraling down the drain...
...In having engaged this exceptional, albeit provocative film, for the very first time, this viewer cannot help but exude upon a relevational surprise, as far as the film's deliciously period soundtrack, which is provided by the '70's British band, Jigsaw. Yes, folks...Jigsaw, whose musical fame is driven by their 1974 one-hit wonder pop classic, "Sky High" (...although they did have a respectable follow-up single, with 1975's "Who Do You Think You Are"). Though their singular hit song is naught to be seen nor heard herein the film, the group is amiably represented...quite literally in fact, as they portray the film's feature band, Bad Accident (...with the lead singer, played by rock legend Mick Jagger's lookalike sibling, Chris), whom the Mike character specifically writes for...by a set of catch, albeit generic and ultimately negligible singles. Nonetheless, great to see and hear from you guys, after all these years...
...Kino Lorber, under the accompanying macabre Redemption banner...the latter of which, from a melodramatic sense, seems out of place, but considering the realization that the film was directed by exploitative exhibitionist director Pete Walker...well, the banner is hardly out of place...has afforded this Blu-Ray edition, a rather sharp and crisp print, both visually and aurally...perhaps just a teeny tad bit washed out and color-softened, an aspect that genuinely accents the period sense of the film, which could have easily played second fiddle co-feature, following a major studio production, at the drive-in (...the music itself lends an appreciative tone, which would have been ideally sounding, even on those tinny-sounding, heavy metal drive-in speakers). Pete Walker himself, is featured in a quick, 10-minute interview session, where he dotes on the exceptional cast, and offers at least some reflection on the production...how he felt about it...
...you want the intrigue and compelling appeal of great melodramatics?? It's here. You want the provocative edginess and exploitative verve, which is the expected signature aspect of a typical Pete Walker production?? You got that, too. It's the best of both worlds, and make no mistake..."Home Before Midnight", in large, hardly looks out of place next to his more visceral, horror/terror/thriller-themed classics...give it a chance, post haste.....
No comments:
Post a Comment