THE MOVIE

Frannie (Garr) is an uninspired middle-aged woman in a relationship quandary with her thug boyfriend Hank (Forrest). They have long since been happy and one night, after an argument, she leaves him. She seeks counselling from her best friend Maggie (Kazan) and Hank heads for his best friend Moe (Stanton) to try to dissect the relationship issues. In the space of one night, she meets and falls in love with smooth waiter-cum-piano man Ray (Julia), who shows her the interest she has sorely needed. Across town, while he and Moe are out looking for a good time, Hank finds Leila (Kinski), a nimble circus performer who fulfils his immediate need for intimacy. In the end and in their own way, these brief encounters may just define what was lacking from their relationship.

When Francis Ford Coppolla takes on the mafia, the result is The Godfather (both parts 1 & 2). When he takes on the horror of war, the result is Apocalypse Now. Evidently when he sets his directorial sights on love, the result is One from the Heart. Although his name is emblazoned all over the included trailer, it's safe to say that this is very different subject matter than the work mentioned previously.

Set in the crass, loud, neon world of Las Vegas (yet shot entirely on sets at Coppolla's Zoetrope Studios), the film uses backlighting and silhouettes, bringing a feel of theatre fare to the intertwined storylines as they leisurely unfold. A solid performance by Julia as the suave piano man steals the show at every chance, as does the velvety soundtrack, penned and performed by blues legend Tom Waits. A competitive retail market may mean this 20-year-old film gets lost in the deluge of new product coming to DVD, but is better than most romantic dramas.

THE TRANSFER

Video:

You can forego the usual cringe when you first see the 1.33:1 full screen video transfer. Obviously, it is not anamorphically enhanced, but it was originally shot for an aspect ratio of 1.37:1, which would require little cropping to bring it to 4:3 screens. As mentioned earlier, this is a world of bright neon and stylised reds and greens dominate the garish environment. The overall lighting scheme gives the film a pervasive, dream-like quality.

The print is highly detailed, even in the depths of the often-used shades and silhouettes. Flesh tones are natural, which provides a good counterpoint to the vivid, diffused primary colours of the almost ever-present neon. Apart from some occasional aliasing on blinds (22:50) and windows (38:05), video artefacts don't cause too many problems. There is no low-level noise or film grain to degrade the quality. This film has probably never looked as good.

Audio:

It seems unclear if the Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Encoded soundtrack is a recreation of the original mix. Released to theatres in the early 80's, only years after Star Wars paved the way, it seems likely that this would be the case. The dialogue is as important to this film as it would be in a Woody Allen or Robert Altman film, although it is quite prosaic when compared to Annie Hall or Gosford Park. Fortunately, it has been mixed to sound squarely between the two front mains, as is the soundtrack.

Ah, yes! the soundtrack! Fans of the soulful Tom Waits will delight to hear an entire soundtrack produced by the master. It is a soundtrack with distinct fingerprints all over the place. From the opening theme "A place in the sun", his mournful lyrics over simple piano bar musings are liberally peppered about the place. The wildly disparate and quirky lyrics are all vintage Waits.

To call this film a musical though would be misleading, despite the inclusion of a few musical numbers. The piano is to this film as the clarinet and soft jazz are to Woody Allen's films, a prominent feature of the background that occasionally wanders forward to take a bow. The piano bar music is definitely appropriate. It is richly textured, smooth and at times sleazy, ideally suited to the Las Vegas surrounds.

There are no explosions, huge or otherwise and surround use is limited to small amounts of piano across the rear soundstage. Through all this, Waits' crooning is fixed firmly in the centre channel. This could have easily been a vanilla Stereo soundtrack.

THE EXTRAS

Original Trailer (2.55)

1.33 Full screen. Dolby Digital 2.0

The longish trailer gives a thorough impression of the film. It shows this up as a talky, with the jazzy, musical nature of the film front and centre. It strongly plays up the Coppolla angle, but on reflection, it is a Coppolla drama, with a musical twist.

SUMMARY

If The Godfather was the guy in class that can get things done and Apocalypse Now is the strange boy burning ants on the asphalt outside, One from the Heart is the high school relationship shared by two teens. It is shallow, baffling and over before you get a chance to really get to know it. It isn't anywhere near the complex filmmaking epic of Apocalypse, nor does it have the epic scope of The Godfather films. It is an intimate thesis on love and romance with a cast of interesting characters in an attractively appointed world.

This film probably looks as good as it has in a long time. Ostensibly, the DVD conforms to the director's vision, with a full frame video transfer and a Dolby Soundtrack. As Region 4 seems to be the only place in which this title is available, fans need wait no more.