Die Straße der Ölsardinen

There were a few newspapers, here and there, that named CANNERY ROW as one of the Best of the Year, and they were the few that truly appreciated what is one of the finest capturing of Steinbeck ever on the screen. The film unites a couple of Steinbeck works that also became the book for Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Pipe Dream". Unfortunately, Steinbeck goes in and out of favor, and, at the moment, he is not lionized. But CANNERY ROW is a total delight -- replete with an extraordinary capture of the Steinbeck dialogue, a magnificent mise en scene of coastal California, a delicious group of characters captured to perfection, exquisite photography, and a soundtrack that united Bach with a melodic and playful score that deserved soundtrack status. Everything works... the humor is handled with a touch of wonderful madness by Nick Nolte, Debra Winger, and a gleeful bunch of farceurs playing giddy prostitutes and aging drop-outs who live along the desolate Cannary Row. Classic moments include the jitterbug between Nolte and Winger that temporarily interrupts their insults; the infamous frog hunt; Doc's special treat at the diner.... This David Ward film should be elevated to a classic status. It must be rediscovered so that audiences can delight in it for ages to come. See it..... Relax... Enjoy....and listen to the narration of John Huston - another element that is right on the mark !!!

When this film was released, it was under-marketed and for studio-based political reasons, all but buried. Additionally, some critics tried to frame it as a failed attempt at "art-house" cinema. However, this simply is one of the best films ever made of a Steinbeck work, and one of the best films of the 1980s. Poignant, masterfully photographed, funny and sweet, brilliantly acted and directed, it is a must see for anyone who loathes mainstream American film making and yearns for literate cinema. Nolte is at his best, acting with a magnificent range. Winger is perfect as Suzy. The adaptation of Steinbeck's "Sweet Thursday" is spot on. The ensemble acting of the tramps led by one of the greatest character actors of all time, M. Emmett Walsh and Frank McRae and the soundtrack including Doctor John's piano stylings, make this a film of metaphor and wonderful enchantment. If you haven't seen this film, turn off your phone, light a fire, and settle in for the ride of your life, emotionally and artistically.

The first time I saw this movie, I almost walked out of the room (watching on a laser disc), but I decided to stay...and I'm glad I did. The film spends the first half developing the characters, among which are a PHD doing research on "Octopii" (Nick Nolte), a group of "ladies of the night", and a group of "bums". All of this is taking place around an old sardine cannery plant that is no longer in operation.

The movie begins to pick up steam toward the second half and is filled with laughs and giggles. The bums steal the show when they go frog hunting...hoping to sell the frogs to "Doc" so that they can have a party (for Doc). "Hazel" is hilarious and "Mac" (the head bum) has a unique approach to philosophy.

The bottom line is that the movie will make you laugh and has a happy ending. When (if) the movie comes out on DVD, I will buy it for my collection of classics.

PS: The film is narrated throughout, but the narration actually adds to the movie.

The one author whose writing I consistently enjoy reading is John Steinbeck.

Cannery Row is my favorite of his stories. I've read my way through one paperback and am now preserving my second. His short novel "Sweet Thursday" is as much of a sequel to Cannery Row as it's possible to be.

The only non-paper version of the tale that I rate at least as highly as the book is the audio version, narrated by Jerry Farden. If the book is a 10, Jerry's reading is a 15. It's difficult to track down, though. If you want a real treat for your ears and your mind, get it.

Back to the movie. It's difficult to appreciate a film when you've read the book beforehand. And vice versa. So when I borrowed the VHS a few years ago, I had plenty of preconceptions, and some eager anticipation. It didn't take long for my preconceptions to shatter the anticipation.

This movie is NOT Cannery Row, but a mix of parts of it and Sweet Thursday.

I could easily be critical of it... Nick Nolte is much too much of a Man, and does not fit my mental image of Ed Ricketts at all. Debra Winger fits, more or less. The mix of two books changed the whole pace of the story, and spoiled it wholesale. There were bright spots, but tainted with those same old preconceptions.

So, don't expect to see a visual equivalent of the books, because it isn't. I don't go along with those who say that it's not worth watching. It's different than the book, and sometimes that can be hard to work through.

But, standing apart from the books, the movie is good. Darn good. It is well worth at least two viewings. And, I think, the more it's viewed, the better it gets.

MGM was in a slump in 1982, and nobody knew how to market this episodic, whimsical adaptation of two plot-light John Steinbeck novels. So a lot of people were deprived of a life-affirming, atmospheric wartime romance that preserves the democratic, people-loving tone of the Steinbeck originals. Shot partly on an elaborate sound stage and partly on or near Monterey seaside locations, it's a leisurely collection of likable losers and near-losers inhabiting the titular sardine- canning center that's seen better days. Nick Nolte as Doc, a marine biologist with a not-too-secret past, is perfection, as is Debra Winger as Suzy, a combative but yearning drifter--the movie captures the character's mercurial, changeable nature far better than Rodgers and Hammerstein did in their own adaptation, "Pipe Dream." We'd like to see more of the gang, and don't really get to know Mac (M. Emmett Walsh) and his cohorts very well. But Frank McRae's a wonderful Hazel, and John Huston's narration, much of it verbatim Steinbeck, ties things together neatly. A bit slow, and a bit fanciful, it's nonetheless a wonderful date movie, best experienced with a good California wine.