Blume in Love (1973)

Retrospective 35 years later

I first saw this film as a new release in 1973, and was, at the time, a 22 year-old licking wounds from his first "lost love", and wondering what the future would bring. What a remarkable opportunity to see it again (for the first time) almost 35 years on, after a life-time of experiences against which to measure my reaction. I simply loved the film in 1973, but simply rejected the ending outright. I am relieved to report that 35 years have left little changed. It is a remarkable film about love, marriage,and the human condition, with superb perfomances and a capture of '70's zetigeist that needs to be experienced and can not easily be described. And the ending is still unfair to the heart and beauty of the film... but that is OK. The many strengths surprisingly more than outweigh Mazursky's curious insistence to assert that "love conquers all". May 13, 2007

A bitttersweet 1970's Los Angeles romance for adults

When I was a college student in 1970's Los Angeles, I fell in love with Paul Mazursky's bittersweet BLUME IN LOVE (1973). It is now on DVD, and I recommend it to all romantics of the world. Beverly Hills divorce lawyer Stephen Blume (George Segal in a career-best performance) finds himself getting divorced from wife Nina (Susan Anspach) when he stupidly cheats on her with his secretary. Blume befriends a sweet woman named Arlene (Marsha Mason), but still loves Nina. But she now has a hippie boyfriend named Elmo (Kris Kristofferson, who made PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID the same year). Nina met Elmo in a Los Angeles welfare office, where she works. Blume befriends Elmo to try and get to Nina. She keeps telling Blume to get lost, but secretly misses him also.

This is an extraordinarily insightful and superbly acted movie about human relationships and divorce. The dialogue is wonderful. ("I've seen GONE WITH THE WIND eleven times because I know it will be good." "I raped my ex-wife, and her boyfriend beat me up.") Writer/director Mazursky gives it an interesting structure, beginning and ending in Venice (Italy) with a bearded Blume sipping expresso in an open plaza and watching people around him. They are in love, and he misses Nina. In flashback, we learn how the two met and married in Venice, moved to Los Angeles, then several years later how they got divorced in Las Vegas. And we learn how Blume meets Arlene, who kind of resents having him always talking and thinking about Nina during sex. On the other hand, Nina claims she never thinks of Blume after the divorce. That's not true, as the last couple of reels reveal. I personally find the last scene optimistic, but still true-to-life.

Watching a wonderful Sidney Poitier drama called TO SIR, WITH LOVE (1967), I told myself it could only take place in 1967 London because of the character relationships, the dialogue, and the city. Watching BLUME IN LOVE, which was photographed by Bruce Surtees and designed by Pato Guzman, I told myself it is a time capsule of my college heyday in 1973 Los Angeles. I was 22. If it was released in Spring, I was graduating from UCLA; if it was a Fall release, I was just starting at USC's School of Cinema. The characters bed one another freely without condoms in a pre-AIDS age and say "the f--- word" often enough to get an "R" rating; and they smoke pot and use the expression "my old lady" for girl friends.

BLUME IN LOVE is definitely a 1970's movie, one of the finest. I gets 1973 Los Angeles just right, down to the details. I highly recommend it to adult moviegoers.

February 18, 2007

BLUME IN LOVE DVD

Finally out on dvd in 2007. This is a wonderful overlooked film. Paul Mazursky made a name for himself as one of the great 70s Directors and this is the apex of his output. A fantastic movie that is actually a good representation of a realistic attempt by a "not so weak " man to right his wrongs. The ending is enchanting as is the entire film. An absolute classic in every way. February 16, 2007

Character study of a weak man

This movie is about a man (George Segal) who loses his marriage because he brought his secretary home and had sex with her there. He didn't think he was doing anything really wrong by cheating on his wife and he felt entitled to because cheating is a commonplace activity and "everybody does it". He didn't think his wife would know and he seems genuinely puzzled that she minds when she catches him. The question the film left me with was, has he become any less selfish by the end of the movie? He decides he wants his wife back, and he gets her, as he easily gets most everything he wants -- but I wondered if he wouldn't do the same thing again if temptation crossed his path another time. And I wondered also why his wife would go back to such a proven loser. It's an uncomfortable movie, but it's worth seeing if one keeps in mind that these are not heroic people and not meant to be seen that way. June 4, 2006

I just love this movie.

And Chester... God he was a good ol' goat. February 26, 2002

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