Customer Reviews

Play Misty for Me [VHS]

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(38)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Play Misty For Me is Clint Eastwood's directorial debut and it is an entertaining thriller about obsession that is a precursor for films like Fatal Attraction. Mr. Eastwood plays against type as a DJ Dave Garver, who works at a jazz station in Carmel, CA (The town where Mr. Eastwood would become the real life mayor ). Mr. Eastwood is usually the strong, silent type who seeks revenge or is an enforcer. In this film, he is a sensitive ladies man, who reads poetry on the air and plays jazz music. He is also the victim. He has what he thinks is a one-night affair with Evelyn Draper played by Jessica Walter. Evelyn claims that there's no strings attached, but that turns out to be the farthest thing from the truth. She stalks Garver, showing up unannounced at his home, at a bar he frequents and in one instance tries to kill herself in his bathroom. In the meantime, Garver is trying to get back together with his former girlfriend Tobie played by a young Donna Mills. Evelyn trashes Garver's house and almost kills his housekeeper, Birdie (Clarice Taylor) and is taken away by the police and put into an asylum. Garver thinks it's over, but Evelyn gets out of the asylum and there is one last chilling scene involving scissors and a knife. Mr. Eastwood uses the natural beauty of the Monterey Peninsula to great effect in the film, with wide shots of the rolling surf and picturesque sunsets. There is one odd montage in the middle of the film which is like a music video set to Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", in which Tobie & Garver roam through the landscape and end up in a secluded pond. The use of the two year old song in the film actually propelled it to number one on the charts and made a star out of the relatively unknown Ms. Flack. There is also a scene from the Monterey Jazz Festival with actual performances by Johnny Otis and Cannonball Adderley. The actors all give credible performances. Even though Mr. Eastwood is playing the sensitive type, he still exudes his famous cool. Ms. Mills is luminous and she is just fragile enough to be a victim. Ms. Walter is perfect as Evelyn. She plays the part of a psychotic, unhinged, scornful woman just enough over the top to be scarily believable, but not too over the top to become cartoonish. The film is a strong debut for Mr. Eastwood as a director and despite some dated material, the film holds up as an effective thriller.

Clint Eastwood made his directorial debut with this 1971 suspense/thriller, "Play Misty for Me," in which he also stars as Dave Garver, a late night radio disc jockey for a small station in Carmel, California. During his show, he opens the phones to take requests, at which times a frequent caller-- a woman named Evelyn (Jessica Walter)-- always asks for the same tune, "Misty." Her obsession, it turns out, is not with that particular record, but with Garver, who is currently sorting out a relationship gone bad with a young artist, Tobie (Donna Mills), but which may be on the mend in light of the fact that Tobie has just returned to town after a lengthy absence in the wake of their breakup. In the interim, Garver has become entangled with Evelyn, a fan he soon discovers gives new meaning to the term "fanatic."

Eastwood invades Hitchcock territory with this film, which it turns out was indeed a harbinger of the course his career would take from this point on, that of directing and starring in his own movies. With this one, it's apparent that he had that special touch from the beginning; he knows unequivocally what he likes, what works and how to deliver it. The only weakness in the film (if you can even call it a weakness), would be the use of longshots during a couple of scenes between Garver and Tobie that take place on the coast. It adds a scenic vista for a backdrop, but listening to the dialogue with the actors in the distance gives it a dialogue-added-later feeling. It's a minor flaw, however, that takes nothing away from the overall impact of the film, especially as Eastwood establishes a deliberate pace that allows the tension to mount throughout.

It would seem that for an actor to direct himself would be a monumental undertaking, especially the first time, but Eastwood proves here what has been corroborated over the years and with his films since, that he is his own best director. And it's a club to which few actor/directors belong, which puts him in the elite company of Welles, Branagh and most recently, Ed Harris (with "Pollock"), just to name a few of the select. As Garver, a minor celebrity whose biggest fan turns out to be his worst nightmare, Eastwood is thoroughly convincing, and though this may not be one of his most memorable roles, it is certainly well acted, and delivered with that subtle Eastwood charm.

Jessica Walter combines just the right amount of beauty, charm and menace for her role of Evelyn, which just may be her most memorable performance ever. She creates a character who is smoothly confident, if slightly vulnerable, and prone to instantaneous bursts of psychotic anger. It's an honest portrait of an extremely disturbed individual with the ability to conceal the true nature-- and danger-- of her mental state. Exceptionally well realized by Walter, Evelyn could be the older sister of Stephen King's Annie in "Misery," a role for which Kathy Bates received an Oscar for Best Actress some twenty years after Walter inhabited the body of Evelyn.

The supporting cast includes John Larch (Sergeant McCallum), Jack Ging (Frank), Irene Hervey (Madge), James McEachin (Al Monte), Clarice Taylor (Birdie) and Don Siegel (Murphy). A film that will have you on the edge of your seat by the end, "Play Misty for Me" withstands the test of time and works every bit as well today as when it was originally released. A tale from the dark side, it's engrossing entertainment that may give you second thoughts about that casual acquaintance you've just invited to your house for dinner. Eastwood chose a perfect setting for his film, using one of the most beautiful spots along the California coast as a background against which to contrast the grisly events of the story. It all adds up to a wild ride for the audience, and an auspicious debut for Eastwood as the Man Behind the Camera.

Play Misty for Me is Clint Eastwood's first movie as a director/actor and he does a fine job with it. Released in 1971, this movie is Fatal Attraction before fatal attraction.

Eastwood plays a local popular disk jockey in a relatively small town who is a bit of playboy as well. His girlfriend, whom he loves, left him because he can't keep it in his pants long enough. One night Eastwood runs into an attractive woman in a bar played by Jessica Walter and of course he winds up in bed with her. The problem for Eastwood is the woman becomes more and more crazily obsessed with him and can't get rid of her. She shows up at not only is house unexpectedly, but other places as well. Things really start to boil over when his girlfriend comes back to town and he wants get back with her. The crazy fatal attraction just gets even crazier and scarier at this point.

Overall, this is a well done, entertaining, and at times, suspenseful movie. Eastwood did a fine job in debut as a director.

Probably the best film ever directed by Clint Eastwood.
This film opened the door for other later to come "Female-Psycho" films such as "Fatal Attraction", Misty is an immaculate film capturing all the qualities of a true suspenseful and horror film, and manages to sustain superb acting quality from start to finish. The character Evelyn Draper, portrayed by Jessica Walter, is this lovable, attractive and very insecure wacko who has a very in depth obsession with disc jockey David Garber played by Clint. When Clint learns of her mental tipsiness and turns his back, her obsession turns to a complete nightmare, turning his world completely upside down.
The film is shot in a very mysterious and beautiful part of California, and has a very simplistic style throughout. Without a lot of characters, the film allows you to really sink your teeth into the story.
Definitely a must see for anyone who appreciates good film.

Clint Eastwood stars as radio disc jockey Dave who has an obsessed fan named Evelyn (Jessica Walter). She calls the station every night and asks Dave to "play 'Misty' for me." They meet and have a one-night stand, and then Dave is ready to return to his old girlfriend, Tobie (Donna Mills). Evelyn has other plans, however. Obsessed with Dave, she begins stalking and threatening him.

"Misty" was quite a unique thriller back in 1971 (It was the inspiration for the movie Fatal Attraction) and is still effective today. The story is believable, intense, and fast-paced, with a few very violent moments that are guaranteed to make you jump. Walter is outstanding as the deranged woman, Eastwood is convincing as the sexy DJ, and Mills does a good job as his romantic interest. The movie was filmed in lovely Carmel with its secluded beaches and crashing surf, and features the song, "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face."

This was the first film that Eastwood directed and it is really good. The DVD has some very interesting commentaries by the three stars. I recommend it to those who like romantic thrillers with mature stars, a compelling script, and lots of creepy atmosphere.

Kona

1971's "Play Misty for Me" was Clint Eastwood's debut as a director. The story features Clint as a DJ in Carmel, the scenic coastal town south of San Francisco. He has what he thinks is a casual fling with one of his devoted listeners (Jessica Walter). When Eastwood starts to see how clingy and wacko the woman is he tries to end it, but she is determined to have a relationship. Things get crazier and bloodier from there. Donna Mills co-stars as Clint's other (real) girlfriend.

"Play Misty for me" is the obvious precursor to the more popular later film "Fatal Attraction" (1987), but I haven't seen "Fatal" for so long I can't compare the two.

The story and acting are completely realistic, which I find refreshing, as well as engaging. One of the highlights is definitely the gorgeous Carmel coastal locations.

Personally, I don't find Jessica Walter very attractive so I can't relate to Eastwood's interest in her in the story, but -- then again -- maybe that's why he just wanted to "use her and lose her." Also, I feel he should have caught on a bit quicker that she was too clingy and looney -- I would have.

Lastly, I realize that Clint's attitude toward women and sex in the story simply reflects the zeitgeist of that era, but doesn't he share at least some of the blame for the problems that ensue? In the film Clint's character views sex as a mere physical encounter and Misty as a throwaway object in which he can satisfy his lust and pride. On the contrary, Misty is a real person who understandably sees their sexual union as something deeper. Something not just physical, but emotional and spiritual as well. Is it any wonder that she starts to increasingly lose it after Eastwood breaks off the relationship? Not that I'm justifying her actions.

I'm not preachin' to anyone here, anymore than the film itself. I'm just pointing out how "Play Misty for Me" potently illustrates the possible consequences of treating people like throwaway sex objects. In the vast majority of cases, of course, the consequences aren't nearly as extreme, but there are always repercussions, even if it's just a broken or hardened heart. Try as we might, separating the physical from the spiritual is a lost cause.

"Play Misty for Me" is a deceptively quiet film that slowly builds momentum to the emotionally explosive climax. It probably won't blow you away or anything, but it gave me everything I could possibly want in this type of film. Recommended.

Play Misty For Me,starring Clint Eastwood,(also the first film he directed)is an excellent movie,and quite suspenseful at times.Eastwood plays a radio disc jockey named Dave Garver,who has a one night stand with the wrong woman,Evelyn Draper.(Jessica Walter)She turns psychotic when he doesn't want to take their relationship any further,and proceeds to make his life very miserable.I won't say any more about the plot.Eastwood is very good as Dave,as is Jessica Walter as Evelyn,and Donna Mills as Tobie,the woman Dave really wants to have a relationship with.The rest of the cast is good,too.The California locations were great and the music soundtrack was excellent.Overall,an excellent movie.

Clint Eastwood kicks off his directorial debut with a flying start. As late night DJ Dave Garver, he repeatedly gets requests from a seductive female(Jessica Walter) to play Errol Garner's "Misty." He soon meets her in his favorite nightspot he frequently plugs on his program. He sleeps with her; but by morning they have decidedly different ideas about where this is heading. He intended a casual affair, she dives headfirst into his life and he can't get her out. He begins to realize that her mental state is debatable. Things get complicated when Eastwood gets involved with a former girlfriend. The knife scenes in this movie are fast and furious, and I would compare them to "Psycho." Jessica Walter, for my money, is the scariest female psycho we've yet seen. Sixteen years later, "Fatal Attraction" adopted this formula, even having the nerve to directly lift some scenes. Unlike Michael Douglas, Clint Eastwood is single and openly states he's not looking to complicate his life--Michael Douglas is married with a child, and encourages his nemesis more than Clint Eastwood does. I think Clint is much less deserving of the punishment that follows. I watched this on a first date with the wonderful woman I'm now engaged to, so at least we have a happy ending!

This is a damn fine picture, and it's Clint Eastwood's first film as a director. It's not Citizen Kane, but it isn't Fear and Desire (Kubrick's abysmal first film), or Pirahana 2: The Spawning, James Cameron's first feature. either. It's a very good film, and considering this was the first time Clint stepped behind a camera, he did a very good job. The story is quite contemporary as Clint is playing a DJ who beds a woman (played very well by Jessica Walker) who turns out to be a bit unstable and homicidal. The word stalker had not entered the American vocabulary at the time, but this is in fact what she was. It's a terrifying film, very well acted, directed, edited, and shot mostly on location (an Eastwood favorite). It's a fine debut.

There's an interesting backstory behind this film. Clint has always had ambitions to direct, and he asked the studio heads at Universal if he could direct this film. They were understandably weary and cautious about letting an actor who had never directed before direct a film, but instead of Clint pulling the "I'm the biggest actor in the world! DO AS I SAY!" route, he told Universal he would do the film for no money, and take a percentage of the gross. Well, it turned out that Clint finished the movie early and under budget (he almost always does), and it was a box office hit, so Clint earned more from the gross than he would have from a straight salary.

Clint was never really taken seriously as a director (at least by American critics) until Unforgiven. Many critics just thought of him as an actor who was just amusing himself by directing occasionally. The truth is that he was directing many of his own films after Play Misty for Me. Clint has only worked with 3 major directors (other than himself) in his career: Sergio Leone, Don Siegel (who has a cameo here), and Wolfgang Petersen (in the film In the Line of Fire). He's really unique in the film industry in that he really controls his own creativity, along the lines of Charlie Chaplin and Woody Allen (both of them rarely ever acted for others). Clint's remarkable career just keeps getting better, as he has a new film due out (Changeling), and one due out not too far after that (Gran Torino). So it turns out Clint was a much better artist than most made him out to be, and he keeps getting better and better.

This is just my opinion as if you watch it too close to bedtime it'll scare the living daylights out of you. That one scene where Clint is asleep, and then it seems as though he's dreaming about Jessica standing over him, and it's all still, but then she lunges forth with a knife, and blood curdling scream wakes him back into reality. This scene alone should've won the film an oscar for best picture as it's one of the all time scariest scenes in movie history. Clint plays a local dj who can't seem to keep his hormones under control, and is romanticizing 2 women at the same time, but the character played by Jessica Walter is taking it very seriously, so when Clint wants Donna Mills only Jessica doesn't seem to get the message, and anyone who gets in her way it would be better for them to commit suicide. The moods in this movie are rather dark as the lighting, and use of color reveal itself here. The music also shows a rather dark side as well. Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" is a love song, but it's just brought out in a dark light here. There's also the instrumental piece where Clint tries to rescue Donna from Jessica...is it Manavotti? If it is then this should've won a grammy and an oscar. This is Clint's first directing job on a movie, and he does a rather splendid performance here. As I said don't watch too close to bedtime.