Promises in the Dark

If you saw The Betsy (or read my review), you'll know why I was interested in seeing Promises in the Dark, way back in 1980 on HBO. Yet it wasn't Kathleen Beller's natural attributes that made this modestly soapy melodrama so effective. It was the fact that the story genuinely tries to address the issues of death and dying.

Beller is an active and normal teen who snaps her leg in some sort of trip or collision in PE at high school. The severity of the injury in relation to the activity sparks the interest of the medicos, and it's discovered she has an aggressive cancer.

Therein lies the heart of the story: The destruction of a young girl by cancer and the terrible strain her illness puts on those around her. We want Beller to survive, but I remember the movie telegraphing the end from the beginning; this kid's going to die and the movie is about how she-and we-will handle it.

There are lots of strong character actors in PITD. Marsha Mason leads the cast as Beller's Oncologist, Ned Beatty and Susan Clark are her parents, and Michael Brandon is an MD who is a balance to Mason. Yet, it's Beller's show. I don't remember her milking the pathetic angle in what could have been a "Disease of the Week" TV-movie on the big screen.

Promises in the Dark didn't make much of a stir at the box office, probably because, although well-acted, serious, and heartfelt, it had a kid slowly being smashed to pulp by cancer--a downer no matter what positive things can be said about it. But, it still stands as a legitimate and innovative counter to trash like Love Story (where anyone with two brain cells to rub together was cheering when Ali McGraw assumed room temperature).

If you can find a copy, buy it. And while you're at it, pick up the astonishingly, laughably awful The Betsy to see Beller looking much, much healthier!

Divorced Dr. Alexandra Kendall (Marsha Mason) has 17 year old patient Buffy Koenig (Kathleen Beller) who broke a leg for no apparent reason. A cancerous tumor is found in her leg and it has to be amputated. Her parents (Ned Beatty, Susan Clark) are desperate to keep upbeat but Buffy insists on the truth. The cancer is spreading.

The more compelling story is Buffy. The doctor's romantic issues just don't measure up. I get the premise of her finding herself by helping Buffy. In the end, her romance don't feel anywhere near as important. The emotional climax is Buffy's talk with her boyfriend. This movie is better off concentrating on Buffy.

The bottom line is that this is part melodrama, part character study. Mason and Beller give excellent performances. Clark does, too; but Beatty's character feels like an afterthought, making it hard to judge his performance.

At the time this movie was made, the subject was topical. Cancer was in the throes of coming to the forefront of conversations; and it was movies like this that confronted the viewer with certain realities not addressed before. That being said, there are some elements that don't jive, as the IMDb reviewer who rated it 3 points out.

It drags around the middle mark; nonetheless, the directing is actually pretty good. The music score is tender. The "extra songs" are a nice touch. This was about the time that movies started incorporating Billboard Top 20 selections, which would change the face of movie soundtracks forever.

Good, but not fantastic. A definite for fans of Marsha Mason.

A teenage girl is treated for a leg injury, but it's soon discovered she has an aggressive form of cancer, which begins taking its toll--physically and emotionally--on the victim, her family, and the female doctor who forms a bond with the youngster. Kathleen Beller plays the unfortunate girl with a mix of belligerence and brashness that is, quite simply, off-putting; her straight-forward cynicism is certainly convincing, and it may be exactly how many cancer patients react when they discover there's very little time left, but it makes for a strident central character who doesn't do much to involve the audience. However, as the doctor, Marsha Mason just about saves the day with a wonderfully natural, sensitive and grounded performance. Given great dialogue by screenwriter Loring Mandel, Mason is able to revel in telling dramatic scenes that evoke whole lives (such as when she talks about her ex-husband, a movie-junkie who could sit through a double feature and then come home and watch television). Mason never sermonizes or stands on a soap-box, she is a caring professional who becomes a close friend (and may have become a mentor) to this girl. The film is occasionally pedestrian or heavy-handed--particularly when focusing on Beller--and that woeful title didn't help it at the box-office. Yet it is strengthened considerably by Mason, one of the finest actresses of the 1970s. **1/2 from ****

Saw this on TMC, of all places, while I was recovering from an illness. Watched in amazement as every TV movie of the week cliche was clumsily checked off. OF COURSE the patient is a "brave," independent," "courageous" young girl who "takes control" of her fate and "challenges" the system." And OF COURSE the doctor is all sad and withdrawn from her divorce, and the girl "awakens" her to life's value, and the doctor "challenges the system" . . . How many damn times have we seen this? I remember this kind of crap from the 70s and it irritates me to realize how much of my time I probably wasted watching crap like this. And by the way how many of these cheesy movies did Marsha Mason make? Seems like she was always in these melodramas that usually involved some teenage issues. Clearly in the 70s we were a far less critical audience and would embrace this garbage which would be laughed at today.