Customer Reviews

[DVD] Double Feature - Angie Dickinson in A Sensitive Passionate Man & Dean Smith in Seven Alone from Movie Classics

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

 

 

A Sensitive Passionate Man is an extremely depressing story. A man loses his job and becomes an alcoholic. He disintegrates in front of our eyes. That is basically the whole plot. It is difficult to watch. His wife and children must go on. The "happy ending" is that the destroyed man finally dies, and the wife and kids are well rid of him. I'd give this movie 2 stars and I feel sorry for anyone who puts himself through watching it. It is not well directed, though the acting is good. The early pacing is much too slow. It takes too long to grab our interest.

Seven Alone is better, although still too heavy. A mid 19th century man decides to leave his established home, and take his wife and children across country to live out his dream to be a pioneer in Wyoming. The wife sensibly resists until neighbors and relatives entice them all to go. The husband and wife both die on the trip, leaving leadership of the family up to the oldest child, a troublesome boy. The boy insists on going all the way to the original destination despite some good reasons to cut the trip short. This foolish and reckless dream nearly kills them all, but there is a happy ending, as the boy keeps his family together after all, arriving at the destination and meeting an unbelievably irresponsible Kit Carson, who basically gives moral support and allows the children to be placed in an almost impossible situation on their own.

The movies are memorable. That's one thing I can say for them. That's worth something. They are both ponderous.

I believe this was made as a television movie of the week, rather than a theatrical release. It is the story of a couple who have been married for 13 years living the American Dream--nice house, husband with great job, wife with two adorable kids. The husband loses his job and his sense of self worth and their whole world crashes as the husband(David Janssen)spirals into alcholism.
Angie Dickinson plays the long suffering wife desparately trying to save the man she loves and the father of her children. She may seem too noble to some but having been in alcoholic family circumstances I know the extent one spouse will go to try to save the other. At the time this film was made, it was just being understood that alcoholism is indeed a disease and there is some reference to this.

I thought Janssen should have gotten an award for his performance. Some of the things that happened in that film were portrayed with such realism it was frightening. As with real life, there is not always a happy ending.

David Janssen's show business associates must have been trying to tell him something when he was persuaded to take on this role of a brilliant but self destructive professional man in this hard hitting made-for TV film. As the camera close-shots his bloated, alcohol ravaged features and watery eyes, you get the feeling it wasn't all acting. Tragicaly, he died just a couple of years after this was made. Tough to watch, but with a strong message for every one who has wrestled with the Demons.

There's nothing pretty about A SENSITIVE,PASSIONATE MAN. It's for me deeply sorrowful.Not everyone escapes from the misery of addiction_ David Janssen's character does not , nor does his family. Feel for the kids. I believe neither of the leads got nominated for an Emmy. Perhaps subject matter too much of a downer for those selectors/ voters. David Janssen & Angie Dickinson both give outstanding performances. A film of torment, turmoil, a little hope that is soon dashed & one of the sad pathetic ends inevitably ensues.
I noticed at least one of the photos used on the film was a still from a FUGITIVE episode that they both were in (BRASS RING).In the latter half of the film there is one scene which lasts only a few minutes were the audio & video is slightly out of synch. Glad to say was isolated to to this small short scene.
It is for A SENSITIVE,PASSIONATE MAN that I bought this disc & for which I give the 5* rating.
Of the second film SEVEN ALONE there is for me not much to say. I almost did not watch it because of the horrendous smaltchzy introduction. I tried again- most of the time I amused myself with a few other activities whilst it was on. So boring ! and so badly put together. Apparently a true story-Shame such a mess was made of the film. It sort of got a little watchable towards the end. That's the best that I can say about it.