Primavera en otoño

Clint Eastwood's 2nd directorial effort is a gentle, pleasant surprise that probably will evoke a completely different reaction if one were to observe a strict adherence to societal norms. A 50 plus well-to-do business guy with a 19-year-old hippie drifter? Not necessarily uncommon but in this film the girl's not in it for the money and the guy's not in it for the sex. They genuinely love and cherish each other, and strangely, this is the element of controversy.

William Holden plays Frank, a cynical divorced real estate broker who lives by himself with only a series of uncommitted relationships for companionship and a mental rulebook that precludes serious involvement. He is likewise surrounded by like-minded cynics that all want for something they have long since given up on . . . youth. Not so much in chronological terms, but more in attitude and that sense of wonder about life. Breezy is the very embodiment of that sense of wonder, and despite her 19 years, possesses a wisdom that cuts through the cynical disillusionment of Frank, who unlike what you'd expect, never makes a sexual advance toward the younger girl, even though she's very attractive and probably willing. For her part, Breezy recognized the sensitive soul that Frank has taken pains to suppress and confounds his suspicions by giving of herself to him without asking for anything in return. When he eventually gives in to his feelings, the age difference becomes irrelevant, but Breezy and Frank do not exist in a vacuum and the outside world eventually fills his head with doubt. His best friend, while being envious of the "zing " Breezy has put into Frank's life, laments thus: "Why should a young girl like that love an old fart like me? I'd be a meal ticket for her and nothing more." And even if it could be more, "where could I go with her without feeling like a child molester?" And so Frank smolders in a crisis of perception that already had been countered by Breezy in an earlier scene. "Is that how it is Frankie? Do you start believing what you see in the mirror and forget about what you feel inside? Do you stop feeling because the outside of you makes it seem foolish? Does becoming older mean feeling foolish? What's there to look forward to if you can't go on loving and being loved?" Surely this bit of wisdom transcends any distance of years between two people.

When William Holden took the part of Frank Harmon in Breezy it was a dress rehearsal for the same kind of role in Network where he was the older man who had fallen out of love with his wife and looking for something new and different. Of course his taste in women is a whole lot different. In Network Holden falls for the chic Network news executive Faye Dunaway and in Breezy he's entranced by the free spirited young hippie chick in the title role which Kay Lenz got her breakout role. These two women are about as different as they come.

One thing that the story and director Clint Eastwood failed to do is give us all that much information about Breezy and how her character developed as it did. She's a type that was quite common in 1973 and it's assumed by the audience that the Vietnam War and the counterculture of free love makes her typical of young people. So when she drops into Holden's life by kind of forcing him to give her a lift in his car after a night of sex with Dennis Olivieri who picked her up.

Holden's gone through a bitter and nasty divorce and we also are not quite sure about the whys and wherefores there. But Eastwood kind of takes care of it from his end when Holden and Lenz at a fancy restaurant encounter his ex-wife Joan Hotchkiss who's there with a date. Her one scene with Holden and Lenz is Breezy's most unforgettable point. This is one bitter and drunken women and while we don't really know what went wrong, it's clear why Holden wanted out of the marriage and why he's soured on the female of the species.

There was a 33 year age difference between Holden and Lenz and most wouldn't give odds for this lasting, but you never know.

Both Holden and Lenz give a good account of themselves making up for some plot deficiencies in Breezy.

Breezy (1973)

Never mind the Clint Eastwood penchant for having old men sleep with young women. This is a fairly nuanced story about exactly that problem—and it's a problem on one level or another when two people fall in love who are very different in age.

It also helps that veteran, 54 year old actor William Holden pulls off a delicate, charming, perfectly grumpy performance as the older guy—someone with a beautiful house in the hills near Hollywood, but where he won't be found floating dead in the pool at the end, or the beginning. Yes, this is the Holden of "Sunset Blvd." It feels odd to remind people (some of you) about an actor who was once, briefly, both a screen idol and an box office success. His rocky career never quite reached its intended peak, but there are some really fine roles he took on with surprising ease and sincerity. This is one of them.

The young woman in this case is Kay Lenz, a little known actress (19 at the time) with some television and a tiny part in "American Graffiti" under her belt before the director pulled her in for this role, which fits her like a glove. The very naive purity of the character is exactly what this actress seems to actually have in excess. When she meets Holden early in the film, they are exactly opposites—except that they are both deep down very kind. And so the differences become ways to learn and grow— especially for the old man, who doesn't quite get the hippie mentality for its better sides.

The plot actually fits into a few clichés a little too easily, and overall it's a bit simple. The details around the couple—her friends and his—are tossed in like peanuts on the ice cream, and the movie is worse for it. Holden is meant to struggle with being, on the surface, a kind of child molester, but it is carried only in his face, not in the external conversations. (Luckily this is enough.) The utter naiveté of Lenz's girl, named Breezy, leaves us with less to do inside her head, which is too bad because she seems smart and street smart, both. There was more here by far than gets plumbed.

Another aspect that makes this worth watching is the feeling of 1970 or so in the overall scenario. (The movie was filmed in 1972 but the hippies, and the clash of cultures, feels a couple years earlier.) Unlike some movies where the mis-en-scene feels timeless from this New Hollywood period ("Five Easy Pieces" perhaps), this movie is particularly dated, and that might be a good thing. It's so much about the era, and a product of it, that is drips with symbols from the time.

It also drips with sappy folk-rock music for a soundtrack, which is a product of the time and of Eastwood's lifelong attempt to make music in his movies pull from "real music" including his own compositions. It's a distraction here.

Despite all the gaffes and shortcomings, "Breezy" is really worth watching for all that works, especially the shimmering, contrasting main characters.

I saw "Breezy" last night on the Universal HD channel. I hadn't seen it since the '70s when I saw the TV version. One would expect to enjoy a film such as "Star Wars" in HD-you wouldn't immediately think that a film like "Breezy" would benefit from this treatment. However, the crystal-clarity of the presentation brings back the look of Southern California of the early Seventies in all of its glory that can only really be appreciated by those who lived here back then. Seeing the locations in Topanga Canyon, Malibu, and the Valley; the hippies, the straights in their suits and ties, and the way the Generation Gap (back in the day when there REALLY was one) is treated is definitely a trip down memory lane.

Anyone who has ever had a love that has dissolved into sadness with the passing of time (most of us) can fully relate to this film. This is a story about a young woman who has so much to share: her exuberance, her unique way of looking at the world, her evolving femininity, her inner and outer beauty. It's also about a powerful and successful man who is at the crossroads in his life. It is a film is about two people that, for a brief moment, are able to look beyond the constraints of societal disapproval and just simply appreciate what the other has to give.

When I first saw this film, I was the same age as Breezy. Now thirty three years later, I'm getting close to Frank's age. Nobody prepares you for the passing of time. They don't teach you how to handle it in school, there's no handbook that you can refer to as the years slip away. No, the greatest challenge in life is something you can't prepare for, you can only live through it, and each person's journey is different from the rest. In that aspect, this film is a wise and knowing look at real life. Sure, there's some stilted dialogue, and some of the scenes are a bit too predictable. but if you scratch the surface, you'll find a diamond underneath.

I am fortunate to be able to say that I see Kay Lenz frequently. I'd like everyone to know that she still has a unique beauty that is greatly unaffected by the passing of the years. Sure, she's not twenty anymore, but who is? She has an easy, graceful way about her that is a pleasure to experience, and just hearing her angelic voice, which has changed only slightly through the years, brings me back to that world of beach walks, undeveloped L.A. canyons, and six bedroom houses in the Valley that cost $88,000 (!!). For you non-actors out there, remember, Kay was playing a role. Breezy was a character, not a real person. However, if you were smitten with that character, you would not be disappointed to see the real Kay today. If anything, she is even more endearing in 2006 than she was in 1973.

Let's face it folks, growing old stinks. Falling out of love is even worse. This film handles both of these issues with a grace and acceptance that is missing from most of the films made about these themes. I truly believe that there is something in this film for all who care to look for it.

William Holden is always a good reason to watch a film. I thought he was wonderful in this. And even though his face looked much older, his body certainly did not!!Nice!! He gave a terrific performance and was very cute in the cotton candy scene and when he was rolling up her sleeves(love that scene and dialogue). Kay Lenz was so natural and I thought their relationship was very believable. It's always nice to see a heart open up and let the happiness take over. No matter what your age, or differences. This is such a nice quiet movie and it really stays with me for days after watching it. Can't wait to buy it and watch it anytime.