Customer Reviews

Brass Ring (1983)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the 1983 movie starring Dina Merrill and Sylvia Sidney. It is a slice-of-life story about a mentally ill mother and her three young children. It is not a horror story about a surgeon, even though that description appears on the back of the DVD case. The story, I think, could be improved but the actors give good performances.

DVD-R mfr. SYNERGY offers no commentary, deleted scenes, subtitles or other bonus features. Dubs are "best available source" and can vary from very good to only fair.

The synopsis printed on their back cover of THE BRASS RING that's reproduced on this product page is for the campy horror classic, THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE (1962).

(Spoilers follow!)

Dina Merrill and Sylvia Sidney are listed as stars of this 1983 TV movie, but that honor goes to 14-year-old April Lerman, who ably carries the story as Merrill's oldest child, Merle. As directed by Bob Balaban (he was flaky Capt. Orr in CATCH-22), this concerns a mentally-disturbed mom and her three kids. Merrill is living under her aged mother's roof and care (these characters don't have first names). She and Sidney often quarrel; one such fight results in Merrill gathering her kids and a few belongings and pitching a tent on a remote lake.

To these NYC kids their extended vacation is an adventure, to Miss Merrill it's an escape from the perceived tyranny of her mother. She finds a job as a double entry bookkeeper and rents a shabbily unfurnished house on the lake. They set up canvas cots and two beach chairs in the living room and use a cooler chest for a table. The kids are OK with these meager surroundings.

The balance of the story is Merle's adventures in school and her social life. She meets a boy who dumps his wealthy girlfriend for her but their relationship falls apart at a school dance. While this is occurring, Merrill, who stopped taking her meds and has lost her job, begins to hallucinate and have panic attacks which lead to a complete nervous breakdown. Grandma rescues the kids; Merle returns to school in NY and seems happy.

Parenthetical number preceding title is a 1 to 10 imdb viewer poll rating.

(4.9) The Brass Ring (TV-1983) - Dina Merrill/Sylvia Sidney/April Lerman/Keith Reardon/Carrie Kei Heim/Michael T.W./Tichina Arnold/Dana Barron/Lisa Esposito/Joe Ponazecki

Finally I have been looking for this movie for at least 15 years! I watched it and its still the same as I have remembered. This is a great movie a one of a kind :)

My sister and I have been searching for this movie for years, I was so excited when I found it. It is about a mentally ill mother and her children. A very profound movie for the 1980's, acting is not the best but what can you say....it is a made for TV movie.