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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Celebration of Life!, May 31, 2002
I refuse to even contemplate living in a world in which Ray Bradbury does not exist. For within Bradbury's mind resides an entire universe filled with metaphor and dreams; galaxies teeming with life and love and poetry, with tales told and untold of such things as this world has never known and would never know, except for that magic that flows from his heart, through his brain and out through his fingertips, where they are born on the keys of his typewriter. And within that very same, ever fertile imagination, that wellspring of creativity, the words were formed, in a rush! and a swirl!, then tempered on Bradbury's mental forge of the fantastic, that ultimately came together and burst! forth as "The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit," a transporting film directed by Stuart Gordon.Gomez (Joe Mantegna) lives in the barrio; a poor man, except in spirit, for Gomez has dreams, ah, such dreams! of something better, of a better life, of the magic that can happen if you but want it badly enough and will it to! And Gomez knows how to make that magic happen. There is a store, a certain clothing store, and in the window there is a suit; not just any suit, but a magnificent white suit, as white as the clouds, as white as the snow that falls in the mountains. Oh, such a suit! The kind of a suit that can make the man who wears it anything he wants to be. And the price? The cost of this bottle holding a genie who can grant your every wish, your every desire? $100.00! Gomez has $20.00... But, he has a plan! If he can only find four others like himself-- others with dreams but no means-- and of equal size and weight (and, of course, $20.00), they could buy the suit together, and share the magic! Ah, such a plan for such a suit! For one day at a time, taking turns, they could each wear the magnificent suit that's as shiny and bright and as white as ice cream; and for a time be able to realize their dreams. And so, very quickly, or even sooner, at that very moment! Gomez puts his plan into action, driven on by the vision he holds in his mind's eye of himself, wearing that wonderful ice cream suit. Ray Bradbury wrote the screenplay for this film, which he adapted from his own play of the same title, and this is vintage Bradbury. Under the auspices of director Gordon, the film successfully captures the very essence of Bradbury the writer, Bradbury the poet, Bradbury the genius, Bradbury the beautiful dreamer; this man from Illinois, who walks with kings and dines with gods, and dares to dream such dreams. More than a film, this is a celebration of life; an acknowledgement of the joys of living, captured exuberantly in music and song, poetry, performance and, of course, in Bradbury's words-- those exquisite, noble, transcendent words, born of some special, personal, inner muse-- that flow so splendidly in time with the rhythm of his heart and conjure up the images of his singular vision. All of which Gordon manages to grasp, grab hold of and transfer so resplendently to the silver screen. The performances are first rate, beginning with Mantegna as the indomitable Gomez, who believes he can rule the world when wearing that wonderful suit; Esai Morales, as Dominguez, who dreams of enchanting beautiful women with his music and songs, and knows he can with the suit; Gregory Sierra, as Villanazul, who looks to the suit for the words of hope and encouragement he can take to his people; Clifton Gonzalez-Gonzalez, as Martinez, hoping that the suit will attract the girl of his dreams; and Edward James Olmos, as Vamanos, who just wants to have a good time! Respectively, their portrayals are alive, and with their collective breath, they bring this film to life, as well. The supporting cast includes Liz Torres (Ruby Escadrillo), Sid Caesar (Sid), Howard Morris (Leo), Lisa Vidal (Ramona), Mike Moroff (Toro) and Mercedes Ortega as the beautiful Celia Obregon. From the opening credits, awash with dazzling color and brilliant imagery, "The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit" is an exhilarating, unique treasure to be embraced with the heart; a masterpiece of delights to be watched again and again. And most importantly, it honors the man who created it all, Ray Bradbury; a man who is, himself, invested with the same kind of life and joy his film brings to the screen. It's a fitting tribute to the inimitable Bradbury, Purveyor of Happiness, Magistrate of Joy. --Then through an open window blew
the winds of night, and creatures,
dark they were and golden-eyed;
and calling to the Son of Kong they whispered
"Something wicked this way comes!"
And then, a sound of thunder!
She rises! She rises!
And from twenty thousand fathoms came
the dragon,
as if summoned by his master from the deeps;
and the Man from Illinois
held his sword above the crowd,
the blue flame cracked and sparked
and leapt into our bodies! then,
"Farewell, my friends," said he
as on the dragon's back he mounted,
"Live forever!"
"Live forever!"
Live forever... (From the poem, "Bradbury," by JH Clues)
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