Believe in Me

Better than expected. Michael Sarrazin has never been overly convincing in anything really but Jacqueline Bisset is a revelation. It is also an interesting docu of the US in the 70s. For movie buffs.

Originally filmed in 1970 as "Speed is of the Essence" (the title of Gail Sheehy's story about her sister that appeared in New York Magazine), this virtually-unknown film so alarmed MGM in its unflinching depiction of drug abuse that the studio ordered extensive re-shoots directed by John G. Avildsen (who receives no screen credit). The mangled result briefly appeared in theaters in 1971 and then vanished into obscurity. MGM's attempt to make the movie more "palatable" and "upbeat" proved disastrous (What did the studio want--"Love Story" with needle marks?) Among the approximately 50 minutes of the original version that hit the cutting room floor were several poignant scenes featuring George Rose and Geraldine Fitzgerald as Jacqueline Bisset's parents, frightened and helpless when confronted in their placid Connecticut home by their daughter's decline into amphetamine addiction. Even so, the drastically re-edited release print still glows with the warmth, sincerity and lacerating honesty of the performances by Michael Sarrazin and Jacqueline Bisset. In fact, Francois Truffaut was so impressed by Ms. Bisset's multi-faceted portrayal of a doomed young woman that he subsequently cast her in "Day for Night." "Believe in Me" has never aired on commercial or cable TV, nor has it been released on videotape. It is apparently a "lost" film, and a shame, because Ms. Bisset's and Mr. Sarrazin's work is exemplary.

Remy (Michael Sarrazin) is a medical student working in a hospital. He is friendly with the patients but he's stealing drugs from his work. He starts dating Pamela (Jacqueline Bisset) and they move in together. The two become drug addicts.

It's a druggie movie. It's a little more realistic than the old government issued drug prevention shorts shown in high schools. It's still somewhat awkward like a lesson of the week movie. It doesn't have a free-flowing plot. They are druggies and they need the drugs. That seems to be the extend of the ideas in the writing.

Michael Sarrazin is an intern in a big hospital. He develops rapport with the patients, and spends their entire date saving a life, which enchants children's book editor Jacqueline Bisset. How does he do it? He's a speed addict, and soon hooks Miss Bisset. Their lives go to pot, although they continue to look fabulous and dress well to the end.

It's a problem with Hollywood productions about people who lose their fabulous lives because of drugs, that they still look fabulous and wear good-looking clothes. Of course we don't want want to see our stars look the way their characters should -- although Christian Bale is willing to lose or gain 30 or so kilograms for artistic verisimilitude -- but Miss Bisset's performance, while spot on, isn't convincing when she continues to look so gorgeous, and Sarrazin ends looking like he's sleepy instead of strung out.

Sometimes you have to make sacrifices in order to tell a tragic story. They didn't here.

This movie has haunted me for more than 35 years! I remember how beautiful Jacquelline Bissett was in the beginning and how she, the character, changed over the years with the use of drugs. I can still see the final scene - this from a fan who can barely remember the movies I saw last week! In the drug culture of the 1970's, this would have been a potent film to use as a drug deterrent for teens and adults alike. Her changing appearance was amazing! The family didn't looks at things very realistically either. My kids were pretty young then, so I didn't realize just how much this lifestyle could and would affect my own family's lifestyle. I have looked for this movie on all the TV movie channels and on movie sources for years, in the hopes to see it again. This space is the first I have found that tells that it hasn't been made into a CD. No wonder I haven't found it. However, I still would welcome an opportunity to see it again. The performances were outstanding and so important, even today.