Remember My Name

I suppose the main criticism you can level against a film like REMEMBER MY NAME is that it has a distinctly tame, quiet, television-movie style feel to it, so that the drama feels oddly muted for a movie made for the cinemas. It's a late '70s stalker story along the lines of PLAY MISTY FOR ME, although not quite as good as the Eastwood movie.

What REMEMBER MY NAME does have going for it is an excellent cast of past and future stars who enliven an otherwise ordinary tale. The story involves a seemingly happily married couple who are disturbed by the arrival of the husband's old flame who seems obsessed with resuming their relationship. What follows is quietly gripping in places, although the film as a whole is let down by a non-existent ending and a definite lack of incident.

Anthony Perkins is excellent at playing these mild-mannered characters hiding dark secrets but the real acting honours go to Geraldine Chaplin, who invests her disturbed character with real authenticity; she's absolutely frightening in the part. The supporting cast includes plenty of faces who would go on to become famous in the future: Tim Thomerson, Dennis Franz, and best of all a skinny Jeff Goldblum. Blaxploitation actor Moses Gunn also has a role.

This startling movie shows how an abrasive character can be created by simply not using the words please or thank you.

Geraldine Chaplin as Emily interacts with nearly every other character in the story like metal striking flint, she creates sparks by just entering the scene.

It takes a while to understand why she is intruding into the lives of married couple Neil and Barbara Curry (Anthony Perkins and Berry Berenson). But the story eventually comes to light and we realise Emily had an agenda all along.

The casting is against type. Just look at the films Tony Perkins made before and after "Remember My Name", where nearly all the characters he played could trace their roots back to Norman Bates. Here it's Geraldine Chaplin's Emily who is the character on the edge. She is the one with a touch of the Norman B's. Even though there is little violence, this film keeps the tension ramped up, much of it because of our expectations.

The film is discussed in a good biography by Ronald Bergan, "Anthony Perkins: A Haunted Star". He tells how Berry Berenson, Perkins real life wife, got the part of his wife in the movie when she inadvertently arrived with their children in producer Robert Altman's office. Altman asked her to play the part impressed with her natural qualities although she had never acted in a film.

Bergan's biography, which covers the conflicts in Perkins life, also tells how happy he and Berenson were before illness overwhelmed him. The book was published in 1995, before Berry lost her life in one of the planes on 9/11. At least Anthony Perkins was spared that knowledge.

"Remember My Name" is unique, with a soundtrack of songs by Alberta Hunter that acts like a strolling minstrel following the protagonists with tracks such as "You Reap Just What You Sow".

If you haven't seen it, "Remember My Name" makes for a brilliant discovery.

Geraldine Chaplin's character has been in prison for years. She murdered her husband's (Tony Perkins') lover. She leaves prison institutionalized and inept and full of vengeance. She begin to stalk the ex- and his wife, damaging property and actually invading the home and confronting her. Of course, she has reason for anger in the most unbalanced of ways. Geraldine Chaplin does a great job in what is mostly a plodding film. We have to feel sorry for her in a way because she has been robbed of the tools to integrate into society and, instead, keeps the tunnel vision going. Perkins is, as usual, pretty weird, and still seems to have some feelings toward here. It's an intense, uncomfortable film, with a very good soundtrack.

In Director Alan Rudolph's REMEMBER MY NAME, Neil and Barbara Curry (Anthony Perkins and Berry Berenson) find themselves haunted by a bizarre woman (Geraldine Chaplin) who simply appears in their town one day. As the story unfolds, the woman becomes increasingly unhinged and more of a danger.

We eventually learn that Neil has a past connection with this woman, and that there's far more to the story than what we initially thought.

Mr. Rudolph keeps the tone of his film somber, with a definite hint of creepiness. Mr. Perkins uses his powers of twitchiness to help add to the overall oddness. Ms. Berenson -real-life wife of Mr. Perkins- plays her role with just the right amount of sane incredulity.

Special mention must go to Ms. Chaplin, whose portrayal of seemingly unfettered psychopathy is a wonder to behold! Some of her character's escapades are uncomfortably jaw-dropping and squirm-inducing!

Watch for Jeff Goldblum in a small early role as a store owner.

A strange thriller full of unexpected events...

This movie is about sweet revenge for a betrayal.

Chaplin's character was once a trusting innocent and was used; now she gives him his fair due. Perkins and Chaplin and Gunn are all so right in their characters (though Chaplin's accent is "off," as it was again in "Nashville"), but they each gave real humanity to their characters. And the haunting music is for me the best part of the show. This film introduced me to Alberta Hunter, and in the years following this film I searched out five more albums by her. Bravo! And when shall we EVER get a DVD publication of the full film? Evidently Ms. Hunter died before signing a release for a commercial VHS (or DVD), so it's legal wrangling that prevents us from having our own copies of this powerful character study.