Customer Reviews

Circle of Two

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I agree with another reviewer, this is one of my favorite hard to find videos. I titled this review an American French Film, because of the subject matter. Normally we Americans steer away from the older man, much younger girl romance story. Something the French do with ease. Look at Beau Pere, which you can get right here at Amazon.com. Richard Burton gives a fine performance as the older man while Tatum O'Neil gives us a look at what I consider to be one of, if not her finest performance. A love story for the ages, too bad most ages will never see this film. If you can find this film, buy it. It is a keeper.

I first saw this movie years ago on cable tv when I was a teenager home sick from school one day. I sat and cried my eyes out because I too fell in love with Ashley (Richard Burton) and vowed to name my first child after him.

His character has morals and values and that is why he takes the high road and turns down the love from a younger woman, not quite of legal age, despite the fact that her love brings him to life again as an artist. He honors and respects the American culture of age appropriateness and for that his character becomes even more endearing to me. He's a safe man for a young girl to have a crush on.

Tatum ONeal is fabulous in this story, playing well beyond her years in maturity... and I will never forget the look on her face in the busy streets of New York as she slowly walks away and stands there as Ashley sticks to his resolve to send her back home after she shows up without his invitation all alone to confront her love for him.

Love is like that sometimes, it makes no sense, but in the end, if it's love, it always does the right thing and that's what I love about this movie.

This was an interesting film to watch because of the story line of an older male and a young female. Richard Burton always picked movies to make you think and after seeing this I am still thinking about it. He was one of the best actors of all time.
Worth my time to see this movie and it would be worth your time.
Get it used on Amazon. It will be a great deal.

This may not be the greatest film Richard Burton was ever in but he brings a magical element to it, Richard Burton. The young Tatum O'Neal does an excellent job despite a rather weak story line. It is worth a look if you are a fan of either actor. If you are a fan of Burton it is required viewing simply because it is one of the last full length films that this true genius made.

Burton fans of the world, look at this film and see what a genius of an actor can bring to a less than spectacular film. I still bow to his memory.

I got this movie in a 10 pack. This film pays for the whole thing! Burton is excellent! No over acting; very realistic. It may just be his best role! Tatum is very good. Young girls CAN be very smart. I love the line: robbing the cradle, robbing the grave (something like that). I like the realism of all the characters. Hey, it's an old guy's best daydream, like me. Let's see, he was 60; she was almost 16. I am 63, so maybe I have a chance at a 19 year old? But I am not a famous artist, and I don't look like Burton. Back to the movie. It starts out kinda slow--but with some nice dialogue--and gets more interesting towards the end. I really think they could have gotten away with a full nude Tatum, instead of hiding her lower part behind the chair. It would have not offended anyone and made it more realistic.

This movie has been my all time favorite hard to find video. A story of an innocent youth (Tatum O'Neal) following her heart with no detour due to outside presures as the repectable aging man (Richard Burton) who recaptures his soul through her eyes which inspires him not only in his paintings, but in the heart and soul as well. A must see movie for all ages young and old alike.

Quite the obscure film this Circle of Two but just because it's obscure doesn't deem it unworthy of a serious look. Definitely not the case here. The film is based on the long out of print novel, A Lesson in Love by Marie-Therese Baird. An amazing story! Find it and read it.

In one of the last few roles before his passing in 1984, Richard Burton is cast perfect as Ashley Sinclair, a sixty year-old once famous artist who for ten years has been idle with no creative spark. By chance he meets sitxeen year-old aspiring writer, Sarah Norton who is played by a young and impressive Tatum O'Neal who put her child-actor image in the past at this pivotal time in her career.

Their first meeting happens at a porn theater (where she goes on a dare by school friends) while walking out, Sarah accidentally hits a slumped over and asleep in his seat, Ashley in the head with her shoulder bag. They exchange a few words and she turns and walks away quickly as if embarrassed and then days later at a café they meet again after she has publicly dumped her boyfriend, Paul. (Played by Michael Wincott).

Future meetings take place and soon these two form an emotional bond. Note: Emotional bond. The late, great film director, Jules Dassin (not a Frenchman but a born and raised US citizen who had the unfortunate fate of being blacklisted by Hollywood in the MCarthy era witch-hunt) expertly handled the sensitive subject matter to avoid the obvious dangers and pitfalls. So, if you're thinking Lolita or some soft-core smut fest, this film is neither and prouder for it. Even the waist-up nudity of Tatum O'Neal lasts only for a few seconds and is hardly worth mentioning but what is worthy of mention is Richard Burton's character and how he handles the moment. When the scene unfolds you realize the man knows in his heart the impossibility of it all even though he does have feelings of love for the young, bright land beautiful girl. He handles the delicate situation with a moment of hostility but mostly with wisdom and grace. A lesser man would've failed miserably.

For Ashley, Sarah inspires him and reconnects him to life and a feeling of worth. He's alive again because of her. For Sarah, she experiences love for the first time in her life with this older and refined gentleman. The time they share together opens a whole new world for them both. The film does a fine job of showing an affinity between these two people. Inevitably, their relationship is discovered not only by Ashley's on-again-off-again girlfriend, Claudia (played by Nuala Fitzgerald) who senses something when she comes for a visit but also due to an incident involving the authorities brought on by Sarah's jealous ex-boyfriend while he spies on her being at Ashley's home one afternoon.

Shortly afterwards, Ashley's and Sarah's relationship is clearly on track to its demise once her parents interfere with strict grounding and no less a house visit by a psychiatrist (played by the late, Kate Reid) who sympathizes with Sarah and sees her for what she really is, a maturing young woman very much in love.

There's a touching final scene where Sarah has finally tracked down Ashley and confronts him about why he left town on her birthday and gave no information on his whereabouts. The gentle girl with the broken heart forces him to explain himself.

Not a great film but a damn good one with its unique portrayal of both innocence and wisdom providing of course you can view it with an open mind and think above and beyond conventional relationships. In this day and age movies like this can no longer be made and it's refreshing to find a rare gem like this. You'll be thinking about it for days afterwards.

I saw this movie when I was about 18 or 19 and I loved it then. Its corny and a bit sappy, but its a great movie if you believe in love at first sight or that it can happen any place and time. I especially love the song written by Stanley Jay Gelber and sung by Kacey Cisyk. Buy this movie at the low price, then sit back and relive a time when you were young and open to all things concerning love and enjoy!!

Tale of a sixty year old artists relationship with a sixteen year old school has charm, humour and pathos. The leads are more than adequate and the script is thoughtful.

Sometimes you run across a movie that just moves you. I've been moved to get up and walk out on some movies, but others like Circle of Two moved me to tell my friends about it. I had the good fortune to see this movie just after it came out and I had a copy for a long time. To many viewings I guess. Burton and O'Neal play their parts very well. If you are a romantic, give it a glance, it will turn into a long look.