End of the Road

Despite several what-must-have-been-at-the-time-neat editing tricks and sequences, inserted because the director was actually an editor and should have stuck to that, we have a film with the wrong person's personality stamped all over it. All you have to do is sit through five minutes of "The Magic Christian," if you can, and you'll see how Terry Southern applied his panacea of "Just add stupid" to Barth's beyond brilliant novel. I am only 30 minutes into the film and I don't think I can take anymore. The pathetic need to shock, impress and generally make people think he's so smart is evident if one picks up the book and reads along, seeing where Southern has stuck in obvious imagery, where he's put naked people, which masculine female nurse has been turned into a cross dressing psychotic gun wielding patient/nurse, where he's put people having sex with chickens and where he's put the American flag (a lot of places). It's even more embarrassing because he's raping the work of a fellow novelist, probably out of jealousy. Southern's idea of brilliance is to take a part that was serious in the book, James Earl Jones' Doctor, and have him dance around singing "Caledonia, Catatonia." In other words: moronic nonsense. The more the better. The scene where Southern has added masturbation to Jacob and Rennie's first telephone conversation is reminiscent of Gus Van Sant restoring it to Norman Bates in that celebrated "Psycho" remake. The scenes in the hospital are among the worst in cinema history and take up so much of the running time of the movie that Joe's character is cut out nearly entirely and what actually happens as a result of these brief encounters with lovers of chickens gets short shrift. Aside from this it is annoying to see that one of Harris Yulin's only what-could-have-been-supporting-lead-instead-of-character roles has been pared down, and that he's so miscast. Keach is somewhat miscast as well, he might have been better suited to playing Yulin's part the way it is written in the book, and he looks like a prototype for "Jedi" Mark Hamill with the scar. Strangely enough, this was Yulin's first movie and he did several more with Keach. The girl playing Rennie is actually somewhat appealing, but we never see much of her, she apparently writes schlock now so I guess this was good practice. James Earl Jones seems to be here because of this Southern connection (Strangelove), Southern has written most of his (terrible) dialogue and Jones really should have cleaned his toenails instead. But never mind that, never mind what is written in the book because Terry Southern is a writer too and he knows best. Now I have

to decide if I'm up to seeing how they lay waste to the rest of it. I did stick it out and thank the lord, the scenes outside the clinic are less stupendously mind-blowingly awful. The critic and erstwhile jerk John Simon said "the novel concludes with a harrowing abortion, whereas the film is an abortion from start to finish." Not quite as bad as Jan De Bont's "The Haunting" as lit adaptations go, but close. GO READ THE BOOK!

I would like to refute many of the negative comments about this film. It is the closest, I believe, that an American film of the period came to emulating the look and sound of late 60s' Godard or Bergman's Persona. End of the Road would be be a perfect companion to a series of films that might include Performance, the aforementioned Bergman, Mickey One (which director Avakian edited), or William Friedkin's adaptation of The Birthday Party. I am a big fan of Barth's novel, but I feel this radical adaptation extends the original in a way that is equally groundbreaking. The novel was more about the fifties, while the film is shaped by the explosive events of 1968 - Tet, the Kennedy and King assassinations, student riots, the rise of Nixon/Agnew - which take the whole idea of the novel's "politics of the personal" to another level. A DVD restoration of this misunderstood landmark is well overdue.

The End of the Road, is probably Terry Southern's most personal work for the cinema. One over which he had most input and control. Southern's presence is felt throughout the film, from the use of his own East canaan home as a location, to Keach holding a pair of Terry's legendary 'Bono' fly style shades, to Terry's own cameo appearance as a patient.

The film is superbly acted by all concerned, Keach especially and the film is shot and edited as a subversive assault on the psyche and hypocrisy of America at the end of the sixties. Family life and alienation are to the fore, and a profound sadness for the end of the sixties.

The film often goes too far and screams too loudly its in gags and cleverness, but it is genuinely moving and totally unique. One can also say that the ill judged inclusion of the protracted and unwatchable abortion scene, killed any chances the film had of success. Which is a great shame, as this is a film which deserves a wider audience beyond its status as a cult oddity. The End of the Road is one hell of a unique ride if you can stay on board and a great insight into the mind of one of cinema's greatest screenwriters, Terry Southern.

THE PLOT: Bizarre adaption of John Barth's already bizarre novel detailing the story of a man (Keach) who goes into a catatonic state at a train station. He is sent to a strange mental hospital run by a weird man named Dr D (Jones). After he is considered to be 'cured' he takes a job as a college Professor and proceeds to have an affair with the wife of one of his colleagues.

THE NEGATIVE: It has been noted that author Barth disliked this film version of his novel and it is easy to see why. It gives only a basic outline of the story while leaving out all of the deeper meanings. It also tried to tie the story to all the chaos and rebellion of the 60's even though the book was written in 1955. The final result is a very confusing and off putting mess with nothing coming together at all. The characters all act very odd and with no understanding of their motivations it becomes impossible for the viewer to relate to them or anything else that goes on. Most viewers, especially those that are not familiar with the John Barth book, will easily become confused and turned off by this film after the first five or ten minutes if not sooner.

THE POSITIVE: The film-making style is refreshingly audacious in a way that is rarely seen anymore. Everything is just thrown out there no matter how outrageous with little or no regard to mainstream acceptance. The kinetic imagery and music has a certain hypnotic effect that keeps you connected to it even if you don't understand what is going on. The film culminates with a very intense, grizzly, and tasteless abortion scene that will not be soon forgotten by anyone who sees it. Jones gives one of the most bizarre and over-the-top performances that you will ever see anywhere. Anyone who is a fan of his or has an interest in acting MUST see him in this film.

THE LOWDOWN: The film is a misfired experiment that manages to be enough of a period artifact to make it an interesting curio. It definitely has the ability to stay with you for awhile after it is over.

THE RATING: 6 out of 10.

End of the Road shouldn't be completely dismissed. It is hard to watch not only for what happens to the people in the cast but because it tries to be arty about something that isn't. A man in a catatonic state because he is overloaded by what is happening in society isn't arty. And if his catatonic state is played out too long with obscure or trite images we just become impatient. We aren't absorbing what we're seeing.

As hard as it is to allow yourself to become absorbed in this it's hard to shut it off. And when a female character decides to have an abortion we just know we're going to be subjected to the brutality of it and we don't want to be. Not after we have seen a man come out of a catatonic state and behave oddly in public and with his students. We're already alienated by the characters to have to endure anymore.

The acting is good by everyone even if we don't like any of the characters. The film does have an impact I'm just not sure what the message really is and why we need it. Maybe someone else can figure that out.