Customer Reviews

Pennies From Heaven

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

should be an indication of something very special. For those expecting a happy, upbeat film reflecting the moony-spoony lyrics of the tin-pan alley song of the same name will be sorely disappointed. For those who love originality and can imagine the possibility of a singing/tap-dancing depression-era musical drama about seriously flawed people, each needing love which, even during the Great Depression, is harder to find than money... Well, maybe you get the picture.

But probably not. This film is almost impossible to describe but contains Steve Martin tapdancing through a fabulouly produced Busby Berkeley number, an amazing barroom tap dance dance number by Christopher Walken (yes, that Christopher Walken) and the title song interpreted by New Orleans performer Vernel Bagneris - a surreal elastic-body number in which it actually rains gold coins outside a seedy diner. The scene where teacher Bernadette Peters' first- grade classroom erupts into song and magically re- appear in tiny sequened tuxedos to tap dance on top their tiny desks is as surreal as it is refreshingly unexpected, like everything in this movie.

This film is brilliant. It's a thinking person's gem which juxtaposes the real world of The Great Depression with those happy-go-lucky songs of the same era that somehow helped people forget how bad things really were. This movie joyously, mischeivously, and darkly unites them. It's an amazing and truly original film. Don't miss it. .

This is a film for thinking people who love movies and aren't afraid to try something very different. The fact that this picture was made was a miracle in itself as it is almost unrelentingly grim, melancholy and dark, but so gorgeously shot, well-acted, and hauntingly scored that many will find quite a measure of joy in watching this film. The brilliant musical numbers (performed to perfection by the cast) are up to the standards of the Gingers/Rogers films of old, yet are so contrary to them thematically. Instead of the standard feel-good joi de vivre, they serve here instead to atually underscore the tragedy of the characters lives and demonstrate just how far away they are from the joyous visions the songs describe. So, if you're looking for a happy-go-lucky lightweight return to the MGM of the past, this likely isn't the picture for you. On the other hand, if you want a stunning homage to the musicals of the 30's, but one which does not sacrifice artful storytelling and an almost picture-quality reproduction of the grief, sorrow and anger of the Depression-era 30's, this is the pinnacle of filmmaking (and with sumptious musical numbers to back it).

IMO, this is hands down Steve Martin's best role and as well as Bernadette Peters (who should have been won the Academy that year). Both are incredible, as is Christopher Walken and Jessica Harper. As the main protagonist of the film, it is a rare distinction for Martin (as well as for this genre film) that he is not really a nice guy -- yet nor is he a true villain. There are sympathetic qualities to his character, but also irremedially selfish, childish ones. One of the great elements of this film is that all of the characters are fully three-dimensional and you don't really know where these characters are going to go or what decisions they're going to make. Behind the stylization, cinematography and dance numbers lies subtle artistic, poetic and psychological underpinnings wherein lie real people and their tragedies and the sorrow they bring upon themselves. Martin plays the frustrated husband who begins an affair with an innocent schoolteacher, destroying all of their lives, including his own, in the process. Make no mistake, this is a dark film which deals powerfully with themes of yearning and lost innocence, and which is fueled by an almost sexual rage. Sexual anger permeates nearly all of the musical numbers in ways that are surprising and original, yet almost always sad. Sex represents the catalyst for doom and evil in this film. There is hypnotizing -- almost trance-like -- and surreal quality to the way this film is shot, and the mood is pervasive and not one a mature film-lover is likely to forget right away...

As far as the DVD transfer is concerned: I'm very glad that it's in anamorphic widescreen as it should be. The color palette is deep and rich, and although there is some artifacting and pixellation, it is hardly distracting. A major treat is the commentary track by film critic Peter Rainer, a man who really understands the brilliance of this movie and its underlying themes. There is also a 20th Anniversary Cast and Crew Reunion (which unfortunately lacks Peters and Walken). The one sore spot of this disk is that it's missing deleted scenes, which is inexusable IMO, especially as one of crew discusses some beautiful scenes he was upset to cut out for the sake of pacing. Let's hope we get a Special Edition sometime in the near future.

Another musical didn't emerge again until Moulin Rouge and Chicago, both of which received great accolades. Without disprect to those, Pennies from Heaven is a far superior film in many ways: Uncompromising and artful, with touches of noir and mystery; at times a strange ride, and profoundly sorrowful, this is one of those rare classics that has not been seen by enough people.

The title piece done by Vernel Bagneris has stayed with me since I saw this movie in the theater years ago. I just watched the movie again, and that wonderful and amazing dance in the rain, Christopher Walken's strip tease (who knew he was a fabulous song-and-dance man?), the classroom production number, and the wonderful cinematography all had me rewinding and watching things over again. This movie is tailor-made for someone who likes quirky musicals starring Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters with a supporting cast of great talent. What's not to love?

Pennies from Heaven is a most unusual film - a combination of musical fantasy and melodrama. Great acting and performances from all the leads. This is probably Steve Martin's best effort to play a serious role with deep characterization. Bernadette Peters is vulnerable and tantalizing. This film could have been their breakthrough feature, if the audience had accepted Steve Martin as anything other than for his zany comedies. I remember Steve Martin jokingly said to Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show that those who liked this movie were intelligent and humanistic. I think it is not far from the truth.

While the radically shortened film of Potter's British television mini-series necessarily leaves out a great deal--including some of what was most devastating in the original, this adaptation written by Potter and directed by, of all people, Herbert Ross, is a major work, too. It uses the big screen to full advantage, turning the lip-synched numbers into full Busby Berkeley-esque parodies. And none of the original's brilliance or darkness has been lost. Know--this is no light-hearted romp. It's probably the bleakest work of art ever made for TV, and the film's very modest commercial success is undoubtedly a testament to that. But it's really something. You'll never forget Vernel Bagneris's dance to the title number. And both Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters give the performances of their careers. Their eyes will haunt you. END

The audience was not ready for this movie.

Steve Martin is an exceptionally intelligent, articulate individual who refuses to take himself seriously.

However, his honest puzzlement about human misery is exemplified in this film. He does not know why we had to suffer so much in the 1930s and, moreover, why the relatively young entertainment industry decided that the misery would become a personal mission of organized denial.

Things are as bad as you might think they are, so we will simply think differently.

At the time, socialists crticized any effort to divert attention from unending and honest fixation on the abundant misery. However, their agenda was to bring down a capitalistic system they'd already concluded was morally wrong and, oh yeah, ineffective, too.

Martin's movie mixes a utilitarian view with a meditation on the role of the entertainer which, he knows, he is. Ain't it awful that Hollywood distracted us from how bad the depression was?

Martin insists that we work this calculus out for ourselves. If Hollywood made us forget about our obligation for social revolution, your political point of view dictates whether that was good or bad. One thing he makes clear here, though: who we are today was made back then.

Or, as Frank Zappa said, "Do you love it? Do you hate it? There it is, the way you made it..."

A great movie; if you think it is flawed, it may be because your expectations going in could be examined more carefully. Definitely don't go if you want to forget about the Depression.

Ah, the vagaries of memory. I almost didn't purchase this film because of a review that claimed the elevator scene in the film had been cut. But I enjoyed the film so much in its theatrical and video incarnations I picked it up in DVD for the scene menu. A previous writer was incensed that in the film version he saw ( 25 years ago) Arthur and Eileen break into a musical number after he relates the story of the band members in the elevator, but on the DVD the elevator appears in Eileen's living room, they skip into it...then back to reality. In point of fact they DO break into a musical number ( Ms. Peters' very sexy lyp-synching of Helen Kane's " I Want To Be Bad"), the elevator appears IN THE MIDDLE of the number, they skip in and.. do their thing.( What you see is the shocked look of the elevator operator). The soundtrack is complete- no jumps- and so is the scene. While I'm sure it ( and Ms. Peters) has been the source of many a male fantasy, there was always more implied than shown in the film. Just as people will swear they've seen the knife penetrate Janet Leigh's skin in the "Psycho" shower scene, so has one man misremembered the elevator sequence in "Pennies from Heaven". The film is COMPLETE! For my part, I could have sworn Denholm Elliot played Eileen's schoolmaster in the film, delivering the memorable line about Adam offering the apple to Eve, but in fact he appears in neither the film nor the miniseries it's based on, so go figure.
Speaking of apples, to compare this and the BBC miniseries it's based on is much like apples and oranges, but it's worth noting that Dennis Potter himself adapted the series for this film, so blaming hollywood for bowdlerizing his masterpiece is simply a waste of time. I enjoy both versions. The miniseries of course has more depth and characterization, ( even the most minor characters have their own emotion-revealing musical numbers) but if you're unwilling to sacrifice up to 7 hours to view it, this 1 hour 47 minute version is quite good on its own. Potter put all his main themes in place, it's Ms. Peters finest performance on film, perfectly capturing her rare mix of innocence and sexuality, and Mr. Martin too does a fine job as Arthur, an American sheet music salesman in Chicago, as opposed to Bob Hoskins' masterful cockney version. (Mr. Martin once did a TV special with Gregory Hines; the man CAN dance. So too can Christopher Walken , whose performance is always specifically cited). Some of the musical choices are different, yet express the same sentiments: when Arthur first sees Eileen, he segues into "Seeing Is Believing" on the BBC, but here lip-synchs " Did You Ever See A Dream Walking?"
The material is disturbing, the musical numbers surreal; brilliance can be uncomfortable. This is certainly not to everyone's taste, but if you occasionally like noir, give this a look. As has been noted elsewhere, if you liked CHICAGO, this has a similar, slightly sordid feel. And by the by, there is no happy ending "tacked on" for American tastes; the ending is exactly the same as in the miniseries, down to using the same musical number ( "The Glory of Love") sung by Arthur and Eileen,( though the film version has made it a bigger production number) and even to the same camers pan up to blue skies. A great film.

The woman below stated that every copy of this film should be burned. It is attitudes like that that make me lose sleep. This advocacy of censorship is exactly what has made films like Pennies from Heaven necessary. Cynical, painful, and truthful social satire and commentary. For those of you who are open-minded and not so reactionary, please see this innovative and insightful piece of art. The writer, Dennis Potter, is also the writer of The Singing Detective, which is a BBC mini-series (available here on Amazon) and widely considered the greatest thing ever to appear on television. So I think Mr. Potter's work is better viewed than burned thank you very much. Let's not trample on the rights of people to express their views.

This is an imaginative and crazy spoof of those extravagantly corny movie musicals of the 1930s. Steve Martin stars as a failed sheet music salesman, unhappily married to the up-tight Jessica Harper, who just wants to find someone passionate to love. He finds her in Bernadette Peters, but all does not lead to a "happily-ever-after" conclusion. The comedy occurs as the characters burst into song and dance, often at the most depressing moments, mimicking (lip-synching, actually) the famous singers of the '30s such as Bing Crosby and Helen Kane (the "Boop-boop-a-doop" girl), and aping Busby Berkeley big-number dance routines. Many of these are hilarious (the schoolkids hoofing on their desks in tuxedos, Christopher Walken in a wowser tap-dance rendition), but the joke is of a single nature and might feel old by the time the movie ends. The attention to details in the sets is amazing, and the photography is superb. A creative comedy idea that is just wacky enough to satisfy most fans of Steve Martin.

Pennies from Heaven is a disturbingly uncomfortable musical film which seems to take a lot of criticism. If you look a little deeper, you may find that it really has intentions of satire. Classic musicals like "Singin' in the Rain" (1952) rely on many of the same techniques that "Pennies" relies on. However, "Pennies" makes no attempt at verisimilitude. In one scene, the old stodgy banker lip-syncs to a female voice! It is moments like these that make Pennies from Heaven worth watching. It does a great job with Arthur(Steve Martin) and Bernadette Peters is always fun to watch. Christopher Walken is unbelievable. I had absolutely no idea that he could dance at all. Don't take this film too seriously as a musical; rather, take it as a satire on the classic "MGM Musical." 3 1/2 stars.