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When Bobby Deerfield was marketed in the USA it was sold to the public as a racing picture like Grand Prix or Le Mans. I well remember the advertisements for it. The European racing scene however is only a background for an Erich Maria Remarque novel on which the film is based. It is a very typical Remarque story about doomed people.

Remarque was one of the most pessimistic of 20th century writers. His best known work however usually has a war background. He spent his entire life trying to out do his first great success All Quiet On The Western Front. Such other work as Three Comrades and Arch of Triumph which were also filmed had a war background or post or pre-war if you will.

The novel Bobby Deerfield is based on Heaven Has No Favorites and came out in 1961 and its protagonist was not an American. My guess is that in order to film it and insure box office the protagonist was changed to an American and a rising American star was cast. Al Pacino plays the title role, an American driver on the European circuit who is self involved in his career. In fact he goes visiting another injured driver, not out of any tremendous concern for him, but to find out information about the crash because he's driving the exact same type of car.

While at the hospital he meets Marthe Keller who leaves the hospital with him. She's a terminal tuberculosis patient and she wants to experience a little of life before it's too late. His kind of risk taking profession appeals to her. It takes a while, but the two develop a relationship.

Which was paralleled in real life between Al Pacino and Marthe Keller and that certainly helped the film a lot. Keller joins Ingrid Bergman from Arch of Triumph and Margaret Sullavan in Three Comrades as yet another of Remarque's doomed heroines. And like in war Pacino's in a job where his number can come up any time.

The film was shot on location in France. Sydney Pollack showed some of the style he did while making that other Oscar winning romantic film Out of Africa. The French countryside is captured beautifully.

Still I think it was bad for American audiences to expect another Grand Prix in Bobby Deerfield. There was enough racing scenes in the film to satisfy racing fans, maybe. But make no mistake, this is a tender romantic story and a good one.

I'm surprised to see it's actually not a racing movie but a love story, and a rather good one and among the few that did Pacino. Sure, for the asphalt lover, you will have a excellent introspective of a pilot(the danger, the uselessness of making circles) and a good retrospective of what was F1 in the late 70s. But, it's above all a dramatic romance that happens in Europa (Paris and Firenze essentially).

As it's an early Pacino, he's the nervous, a bit cold and not smiling easily actor of that period. What's interesting is that her girlfriend will change him as a more cool, compassionate that's actually the old Pacino. The good thing also is that the girlfriend is very funny, free, careless and it's a big change from the usual romance, even as if Al says, she's a bit difficult to follow. In addition, Marthe Keller is a fine woman and it's also the proof that charm doesn't mean sex appeal. Another thing that catches my eyes is the carefree way of life of those times(drinking, smoking) and the flashy fashion. In a way, it's like the rebellious generation of the sixties has reaches adulthood without losing their conviction. So, explain why now, in the 10s, everything is forbidden and it's the time of the dark suits!

This is the story of a racing car driver Bobby Deerfield (Pacino) who cheats on his unloved wife (Duperey) and finds solace in the arms of Lillian Morelli, a strange and irresistible woman (Keller). In the long conversations where they explore each other's lives, Lillian asks incessant questions and invents dramatic events of her past life just to add interest and excitement to their exchange of ideas. Lillian has a teasing manner and Bobby finds her mannerisms strange at first but then begins to realize that here is a woman of difference and he begins falling in love with her and seeks her out wherever she happens to be. Bobby's journeys take him to some of the most romantic spots in France and Italy, beautiful vistas that really enhance the film. But Bobby soon discovers that his wife knows more about this quirky woman than he does.

Unlike many of Pacino's films, this is an very subtle film. Nothing terribly exciting happens during the film, but the chemistry between the two leads is wonderful. The scenes with the two of them just talking are so romantic and interesting. Also, the scenery is gorgeous, as is the lush soundtrack.

Like many people, I prefer Pacino's work pre-'Scarface.' In film like this, and 'The Godfather I and II,' 'Panic In Needle Park,' 'Serpico' and 'Cruising,' Pacino creates fascinating characters, one never like the other. In 'Scarface' he went over the top and sadly has rarely come down since.

My favorite scene is when Bobby does an impression for Lillian that he used to do as a child. If this movie were made a decade later, this scene would have been painful to watch. But as he does his best imitation of Mae West, the scene is sweet, and Pacino reveals a vulnerability in Bobby that shoots straight to your heart.

For me, one of the great roles of Al Pacino. and one of the most impressive love story films. for many reasons. in many forms. because it is a film about deep solitude. about escaping from yourself. about hope, in a manner who easyly escapes if you define it as a sport film. one of films reflecting, in inspired manner, the actors behind the roles. and this is one of basic motifs to see it time by time. not for artistic virtues, not for message but for a forme of precious honesty. and it is enough for admire "Bobby Deerfield" as one of admirable films.

Bobby Deerfield (Al Pacino), a tough Formula 1 driver, quits racing after his teammate dies in a car crash. Later on, Bobby meets a critically ill woman called Lillian (Marthe Keller) at a medical facility, he then falls for her and their relationship takes an unexpected turn when he learns why she's there.. Who is Bobby Deerfield? No one really knew !. Not the crowds who cheered him !. Not the women who made love to him !. Not the family who reached out to him. No one until now. No one until her. Al Pacino is Bobby Deerfield !. He never gave a damn !. Until her. He had to meet her - to find himself!

This Sydney Pollack film proves to be a stirring, enjoyable experience , immaculately photographed and splendidly acted. A classic example of a Hollywood filmmaker being struck down by a moving art attack as soon as he sets foot in Europe. Our great starring is terrific, here Pacino is a cripplingly introverted racing driver who falls in love with a dying heiress and he finally learns the meaning of life . And his partenaire, the french Marthe Keller, is frankly marvellous, as the sympathetic lover with an uncertain fate, her interpretation will not be far behind that of the already established Al Pacino, post-The Godfather. Although Pollack at times seems to be struggling to avoid the obvious pitfalls, he finally wallops in some of them, making the roles and settings into a something very like a prolonged contemplation of a fateful love story. The first half is nicely paced and competently performed, but greatness rather drifts away from the movie in the second half , somewhat helped by the slow-moving scenes and long runtime . The film is pretty well, but even with spectacular car races , soap opera stalls. Intelligently scripted by Alvin Sargent , based on a novel titled "Heaven Has No Favorites" written by the prestigious and successful writer Erich Maria Remarque. And beautifully filmed by cameraman Henri Decae on location in ravishing outdoors from Gadancourt, Val-d'Oise, Tower Eiffel, Paris, Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France, and Lake Como, Florence, Italy. As well as a splendid footage from European circuits, including Formula 1 races and car crashes: car racing scenes from Circuit de Magny-Cours, Nevers, Nièvre, France and El Jarama, Madrid, Spain. Special mention for the sensitive, rousing musical score by the great composer Dave Grusin.

The film was unevenly but acceptably directed by Sydney Pollack. His biggest success was Out of Africa (1985), this movie earned eleven Academy Award nominations in all and seven wins, including Pollack's two Oscars: one for Best Direction and one for Best Picture. Great Sydney Pollack was an Academy Award-winning director, producer, actor, writer and public figure, who directed and produced over 40 films. Pollack showed his best as a comedy director and actor in Tootsie (1982), where he brought feminist issues to public awareness using his remarkable wit and wisdom, and created a highly entertaining film, which was nominated for ten Academy Awards. This good professional was an excellent actor and director , making the following important movies : "The Property is condemned" , "The Slender Thread" , "The Scalphunters" , "They Shoot Horses , Don't They ?" , "Jeremiah Johnson" , "The Way we Were" , "Yazuka" , "3 days of Condor" , "Absence of Malice" , "Tootsie" , "Out of Africa" , "Havana" , "The Firm", "Sabrina" , "Random Hearts", and several others . Rating "Bobby Deerfield" (1977): 6/10. The picture will appeal to Al Pacino fans nd followers of Pollack's notorious film career .

This is the story of a racing car driver Bobby Deerfield (Al Pacino) who cheats on his unloved wife and finds solace in the arms of Lillian Morelli a strange and irresistible woman (Marthe Keller). In the long conversations where they explore each other's lives. Lillian asks incessant questions and invents dramatic events of her past life just to add interest and excitement to their exchange of ideas.

Lillian has a teasing manner and suggests that being a racing car driver must be extremely boring just going around in circles. Bobby finds her mannerisms strange at first but begins to realise that here is a woman of difference and he begins falling in love with her and seeks her out wherever she happens to be.

Bobby's journeys take him to some of the most romantic spots in France and Italy, beautiful vistas that really enhance the film.

The scene with the hot air balloons is a memorable one. Lillian invites him to join her in the basket but he refuses, somewhat put out by her unpredictable behaviour.

Wives have ways and means of discovering what their husbands have been up to and Bobby soon discovers that his wife knows more about this quirky woman than he does. We have here a very interesting and absorbing script.

The characters throughout are believable with Lillian doing the oddest things to alleviate any moments of boredom and Bobby completely bewildered by her antics and capacity to tell lies.

How many of us have been approached by strangers to take their photograph while on a holiday? And so it is here. In one happy romantic moment an American takes a snapshot and promises to send them a print. What follows rounds off a very enjoyable film.

Esteemed screenwriter Alvin Sargent, working from the novel "Heaven Has No Favourites" by Erich Maria Remarque, seems to have overdosed here on a cinematic double-feature of "A Man and a Woman" and "Love Story". American racecar driver Bobby Deerfield, in France to drive in the Grand Prix, refuses to get back on the track until it can be determined why another driver perished in a fiery crash; while visiting an injured comrade at a Swiss medical clinic, Bobby meets an enigmatic young woman who talks in riddles ("Are you sick?" he asks her. "Do I look sick?" she answers). Sydney Pollack has directed this film for its images, not its characters. We are offered a color-supplement spread of European bridges, canals, hotels, boats, and hot-air balloon rides in place of living, hurting people. In the lead, Al Pacino scratches the surface of a performance, but cannot dig any deeper with the ridiculous dialogue and situations he's been given (at one point, Pacino is required to do a Mae West impression, and even this falls flat). Beautiful Marthe Keller is the chipper but frightened, fading love-interest, who is not above flashing some skin. The movie attempts not to romanticize death but instead to romanticize the FEAR of dying. It's dead, all right. *1/2 from ****

One of the most peculiar oft-used romance movie plots is this one: A seriously messed-up man falls in love with a terminally ill woman, who turns his life around before dying. Occasionally this story is done well and realistically (as in "The Theory of Flight", an excellent weepie), but more frequently it's done like it is here, where as usual the heroine dies of "Old Movie Disease". You know, the terminal illness that has no symptoms but one fainting spell and a need to lie down as you're telling your lover goodbye forever; and your looks aren't affected one bit (and since this is the 70's, neither is your sex life). This is one of the worst versions made of that particular story, where a very silly script puts two incompatible and unbelievable characters together, and they're played by actors who are completely at sea.

This has got to be the worst performance of Al Pacino's career, and I say that after having seen "The Devil's Advocate" only two days ago! He plays a control-freak, emotionally constipated race-car driver, and plays an unlikeable character lifelessly. He seems to constantly be asking himself why he's staying around the grating Marthe Keller (so does the audience), and spends most of the movie just... standing there, usually with his mouth hanging open. The only time he shows any sign of life is towards the end, where his character proves that he's changed from uptight to liberated by doing a hilariously bad Mae West imitation. Hey, it *was* the seventies!

Marthe Keller is equally terrible as the dying love interest; her character was conceived as bold and free and touching and uninhibited and full of life even though dying, and was probably meant to be played with an actress with the sensitivity of, say, Vanessa Redgrave or Julie Christie. Instead, they got the expressionless face and heavy German accent of Ms. Keller, who comes across as more of a scary Teutonic stereotype ("You VILL eat ze omelet!") than anything like lovable. She's supposed to be reforming Pacino and filling him with courage and spirit and all that, but it doesn't work that way, it's more like she's harping on his faults in the most obnoxious possible fashion. This makes for one of the least convincing romances in movie history, where you can't believe she'd be with someone she finds so worthless, and you can't believe he's with someone who gets on his nerves that much.

Some bad-movie fans call this a cult classic, mostly because of Pacino's silly "liberating" Mae West imitation. The scene is a scream, especially in context, but not worth sitting through the rest of the film for. No, only see the film if you're a serious bad-movie aficionado who is especially interested in studying Extreme Lack of Chemistry between leading actors, or Very Bad Casting (not only are the leads terrible, but Pacino's other girlfriend is played by an actress who looks and sounds just likes Keller with shorter hair, I got them totally confused). This isn't one of those laugh-a-minute bad movies like "The Conqueror", it's just a really, really bad movie.

Al Pacino is BOBBY DEERFIELD in this touching and moving film about a race car driver in a indifferent marriage who falls in love with Lillian (Marthe Keller). Deerfield buries his feelings and forgets his past until a reckless and passionate woman (Keller) who also lives in death's shadow shows him life's possibilities to the fullest. Beautiful scenes shot in France and Italy make this film even more romantic as well. As Pacino said during the filming of Bobby Deerfield, "I might have been closer to that character, what he was going through, than any character I've played". Why this film is not out on dvd is beyond me, it is fantastic. Funny and touchingly romantic. This was during Pacino's best years.

This movie was soothing to watch. I enjoyed taking in all the scenery, all the dialogue, and every slight change in facial expression to drink in the richness of the story.

Over the course of the movie, Bobby Deerfield becomes a different person, or perhaps, returns to the person he was as a child: his true self.

That being said, Lillian comes off as a manic pixie dream girl. She doesn't have an arc of her own, but is only a catalyst for Bobby's growth. Lillian isn't a believable character, so she dilutes the beauty of the story.

My favorite scene is when Bobby sits with an Italian gardener. Neither person can speaker the other's language very well, yet there is a mutual understanding. I've thought about that scene every day since watching it four days ago. Now, that's a movie worth watching.

I saw this movie when I was too young to really "get" it. Then, I tried watching it again a few years later, and I thought it was boring. HOWEVER, I absolutely LOVED the soundtrack and I wish it would become available again. The music is so moving, and it's great to listen to when one is in a 'sad' mood....it has a feel to it which is strangely enjoyable. I wonder how many people are aware, really, that they experience a sense of 'joy' even in their own pain/grief? I doubt many are aware of it at all. But I've noticed this myself. There is music for every mood. And the music in this movie is peculiarly uplifting, perfect to induce a "feel good" pleasure, while experiencing the various emotions that most people might try to deny, yet secretly enjoy within. If I was rating the music, I'd give it a 20! But I want to get this movie, just to have the music, since they don't make the soundtrack. If you're lucky enough to know someone who has an LP, consider yourself fortunate! You could then have the honor of listening to a great, original score!

Charming, if slightly patronizing 70's drama. Superb direction. Subtle and understated script. Pacino at his most gorgeous. Howlingly funny, despite it's tragic subject matter. A memorable ending, brilliantly realised. I'd forgotten about the "look, it's Bobby Deerfield" scene as well as all that stuff about salami. Pacino's reactions, especially after first dropping off Marthe Keller at her uncles, are perfectly pitched, dead pan gems. Inexplicably maligned by many, this hidden jewel may be due a timely re-assessment, not least because Keller's performance now seems perfectly in tune with the Ritalin generation.

I didn't enjoy Bobby Deerfield much, although I do admit that Al Pacino's performance has a hypnotic quality. His screen presence manages, at times, to hold together a film that deflates in almost every other aspect. The movie feels hollow, relying more on clichés and visual packaging than on any real emotional depth.

There are very few racing sequences-this isn't truly a racing film. The action is minimal, and the one actual race scene is disappointing, shot with a camera style that feels more like a video game than cinema.

The story presents itself as a romantic melodrama, but the relationship between Bobby (Pacino) and Lillian (Marthe Keller) ends up being more flat than moving. Neither character is well-developed; they come across not as people, but as symbols, attitudes, or hollow figures. Their connection lacks direction, much like the plot itself, which feels vague and aimless.

Aside from Pacino, what stands out most is the film's surface appeal: it looks beautiful. The natural settings in France, Italy, and Switzerland are stunning, the wardrobe is elegant, Dave Grusin's melancholic score fits nicely, and the cinematography is lovely. But all of that can't make up for the story's lack of substance.

Without a doubt, this is one of Sydney Pollack's least remembered films-and it's not hard to see why.

The entire thing is very beautiful to look at..the European location shooting was a good idea. The lead actors are attractive. The score is servicable.

BUT THEN THEY SPOKE! And the non-plot developed! And it was all downhill from there. Pacino is sleepwalking and Keller keeps talking about how bored she is..hello, dear, you're not alone. When he does a Mae West imitation, you might have to hide your face, its that painful to watch.

I can't imagine how either actor or director Sydney Pollack got involved with this, or a better question, why it ended up stinking so bad?

Since death is represented in almost every scene, one way or another, maybe you're supposed to have low enjoyment here. Maybe its supposed to feel as empty and cold as death. But I still can't recommend it.

During the 1960s and into the 70s, several really great race films debuted which were set in Europe and which starred America actors, such as "Le Mans" (Steve McQueen) and "Grand Prix" (James Garner). While "Bobby Deerfield" is about Formula-1 racing, is set in Europe and stars a big America star (Al Pacino), it's not much like these other two films...mostly because the emphasis definitely is NOT on racing but on a relationship between the lead and a strange woman. It bombed with the public back in 1977 and isn't considered by many to be a classic...unlike these other race films. In fact, some consider it among Pacino's worst pictures. But is it really that bad? Is it worth your time?

Bobby (Pacino) has been a successful race driver in Europe and this does make you wonder why he isn't driving in the States. But regardless, his life is changed when he meets Lillian (Swiss actress, Marthe Keller).

Now the relationship between Bobby and Lillian that follows is very strange...as if it's between caricatures instead of real people. Lillian often talks in riddles or says outrageous things (such as her long rant about phallic imagery and car racing) and this makes her VERY difficult to believe or even care about at all. As for Bobby, it summed it up when he told her flat out that she was confusing him and what she said often didn't make any sense. It really feels like in many scenes that she's from some pretentious European art film and Pacino is just sitting there...baffled by the whole thing! I am sure audiences felt much the same.

So let's cut to the chase. Despite Lillian being, at best, an acquired taste, you eventually learn that she's dying and the film becomes a tragic romance, much like "Love Story". The problem is that by then, many viewers will dislike Lillian so much that they are left not caring...or hoping she'll go sooner than later! In addition, expecting Bobby to care so much seems to be a stretch.

Overall, a film that obviously confused a lot of viewers. Most, I assumed, were expecting a racing film with lots of action. Instead, there's practically no action and the film is about existential angst....which might appeal to folks to love Ingmar Bergman films but probably not people wanting to see a racing or Pacino picture. To me, it was boring and I felt very disconnected from the picture...and much of it was because I disliked Lillian so much. On the plus side, and there aren't a lot of pluses, the European locations made for a pretty film...so it's not a total waste of time.

By the way, if this film leaves you cold and you need a pick me up, try "Talladega Nights"...a race film that is pretty much the complete opposite in every possible way! Yes, there's romance and racing but otherwise you would NEVER mix up the two movies!!!

In prime 1970s fashion, the beginning of this movie, as well as many scene transitions, are shown with long shots, awkward zooms, lengthy silences, and random cuts. During the first ten minutes, I wondered what I was getting myself in for, besides two solid hours of Al Pacino eye candy. The good news is my hobby of staring at beautiful people on the screen won out, and I was rewarded by a really beautiful film . . . and two solid hours of Al Pacino eye candy.

Ladies, this is what a chick click looked like in the 1970s. A closed-off, cold racecar driver can't resist the kooky, outspoken woman he meets by chance, and his soul learns about love and life. If your boyfriend sits through this movie with you, keep him. There's nothing manly about this movie, even including the very brief racing scene and the presence of Al Pacino.

Somehow, director Sydney Pollack knew exactly what women in 1977 wanted to see and filmed it. Even despite the 1970s camera angles and the European pacing, this movie resonates with women. Every woman wants to meet a man who's lost his passion for life; every woman wants to be able to be completely herself, win the guy, and have him fall so desperately in love with her he'll feel his world will end without her. Every woman wants a man to look at her the way Al Pacino looks at Marthe Keller. Ladies, rent this movie, fall in love with Al Pacino, and then go rent Frankie and Johnny.

On a more serious note, this movie is a drama. I'd hate to recommend it and have some unsuspecting female watch it thinking it's on par with Pillow Talk. It's more on par with Love Story, but it's an infinitely better film. Marthe isn't annoying or riddled with an entitled attitude, and Al has so many layers of love, pain, gratitude, and sorrow in his expressions, it's just rude to compare him to Ryan O'Neal.

One of those movies you start watching, expecting something wonderful, but finish it wishing to God you hadn't. Al Pachino is far too good an actor to have made a film this bad.

"Bobby Deerfield" enjoys,so to speak ,a very low rating on the site ,which is probably unfair.Pacino's usual characters and Bobby Deerfield are worlds apart.And coming after the brilliant " dog day afternoon" it could only be a let down.

I saw the movie when it was released and even at the time it seemed rather obsolete and old-fashioned.Adapted from an Erich Maria Remarque novel,it mixed a Douglas Sirkesque melodrama with French nouvelle vague with a bit of the long Cassavetes-like conversations thrown it. It's European to the core.Besides,the two actresses are Swiss (Keller) and French (Duperey).The former is the only interesting character of the movie but it's an endearing one:a short chat with a nurse tells us about her health ,but it will be an hour and a half before Pacino learns it.Keller's joie de vivre is infectious and sometimes the things soar.But it never really lasts and some scenes are boring.The metaphors are a bit ponderous ,as Keller is off on a balloon trip.The races -Deerfield is a race driver- are dully filmed and won't convince "Grand Prix"'s fans.

The best scenes are to be found in the hospital where Deerfield pays a visit to an injured friend,and then the small trip through the splendid landscapes of Switzerland .

Although BD cannot match Pollack's best works (they shoot horses don't they?;Jeremiah Johnson;This property is condemned)it's a whole lot better than later mediocre thrillers like "the firm".

This meandering bait and switch film masquerades first as a racing movie and character study of a racecar driver. Then it reveals it's a sort of quirky, fatalistic love story between two beautiful but uninteresting people that really didn't need the racecar driver premise in the first place. Pacino is mostly unlikable and unbelievable as a racecar driver, displaying none of the competitiveness, focus, joie de vie, etc of actual drivers. He speaks of racing as if he ended up in the job the way a grocery bagger might: like he had to do something to earn a living and just kind of fell into it. Mathe Keller is far more interesting and fun but also frequently straddles the border of annoying. It's beautifully shot in France and Italy and I often drifted off to admiring the scenery instead of the characters. Some of the dialog-heavy scenes feel like trudging through wet sand, as well as occasionally cringeworthy, going for deep thoughts but coming up empty. While the film doesn't succeed, at least it wasn't another churned out lazy formula. It does reek of 1970s artsy pretentiousness, though, which often makes people think a bad film is a good one.

Bobby Deerfield (Al Pacino) is a celebrated American driver in the European Grand Prix circuit. A fellow racer is killed during a race. Bobby has the same car and refuses to race until any possible problem is solved. While visiting the other injured racer at the hospital, he meets Lillian Morelli (Marthe Keller) who has death issues of her own.

Al Pacino is coming off quite a run; Dog Day Afternoon, The Godfathers, and Serpico. This is an early misstep in his career. His character is mostly introspective and dour. Racing fans were not satisfied with the limited action. This movie is about death and it's a long drive. As a romance, this has an odd meet-cute. She is literally turning her back on him. She has a hard voice and a harder mannerism. She's hard to like. It's not the softest romance, but it has the potential to be interesting. Director Sydney Pollack is trying to be Euro artistic. He's not great at it. This couple feels like going around in circles. I don't think Pacino smiled until after an hour into the movie and he only starts being Pacino when he gets to the balloons. It's a very slow drive. At least, the audience gets a Euro trip out of the deal.

Part of Hollywood was in love with European cinema, so they did their best to bring the style overseas: by making a shallow copy. This time the went to the lengths of filming on location, that's a bonus. The film looks gorgeous but it's the only good thing going because the movie is deadlocked on two awkward characters that do not reveal much of themselves.

Pacino is a write-off on this movie. Trying to be both the 1970's anti-hero archetype and the European man wandering from scene to scene, he is a very unsympathetic, uninteresting and boring protagonist.

Marthe Keller's character, Lillian, is a character that tries to be interesting but ends up being just annoying. My guess is that she originally was supposed to be some blunt teenage girl (the type of pairing that European directors love), but here passes just an immature confusing woman. Not good but is still better than Maria Schneider on The Passenger (1975), another dubious crossover of European and Hollywood cinema.

The direction is clumsy, lacking in subtlety so it's obvious when the director is forcing some setting or situation. Almost borderline parody of arthouse movies of the time.