Bobby Deerfield

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.

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.

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.

"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".

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.