Sweet Liberty
Encyclopedia
Sweet Liberty is an American comedy
film written and directed by Alan Alda
, and starring Alda in the lead role, alongside Michael Caine
and Michelle Pfeiffer
, with support from Bob Hoskins
, Lois Chiles
, Lise Hilboldt
and Lillian Gish
.
It was the next-to-last film for Gish, whose first appearance on screen came in 1912.
Michael's book is being convered into a steamy tale of lust and betrayal with two movie stars, the egotistical lothario Elliott James and the seemingly sweet Method
actress Faith Healy.
The excitement of having show-business people in town is short-lived when Michael becomes increasingly exasperated seeing his novel get mauled beyond all recognition by a low-brow scriptwriter and a condescending director. They want a Hollywood version of history, complete with rebellion against authority, violence, nudity and a total distortion of the truth.
While both stars argue for more screen time, Michael must also deal with his ancient mother Cecelia and his girlfriend Gretchen. He tries to be a supportive son to Cecilia, but has to tolerate her quirks such as a belief that TV radiation neutralizes her poisoned food and that the Devil lives in her kitchen. He has been trying to persuade Gretchen to live together, but cheats behind her back when he falls for Faith, finding her to be so much like the character she is portraying in the film.
Gretchen turns the tables, becoming receptive to the advances of Elliott James. The married actor is a swordsman in many ways, not only flirting with Gretchen and the Mayor's wife but humiliating Michael repeatedly in bouts of fencing
.
Faith turns out to not be what she seems to be, merely behaving the way she does to get into character. Michael becomes fed up with all the Hollywood tomfoolery. When a local militia who was supposed to participate in a scene is subject to bullying from the film's crew, Michael persuades them to get back at their tormentors and ends up sabotaging his own film.
The locals cause explosions during a horribly inaccurate recreation of the Battle of Cowpens
. Michael throws the arrogant director's own words back at him, that he is providing: (1.) Rebellion against authority, by Michael and the militia's refusal to do as ordered in battle; (2.) Violence, by blowing up a house before the director is ready, and (3.) Nudity, when all the men celebrate their onscreen victory by prancing around naked.
By the time the film's premiere is held in town, everything is pretty much back to normal for Michael, who comes to the premiere with Gretchen, who is pregnant. Michael can only respond with a strained look when he gets asked by a Hollywood correspondent how it feels to see history come alive.
, based on 12 critics' reviews.
The general consensus of critics was that the film lacked the satirical bite that might have been expected from a story about the Hollywood movie industry. Vincent Canby
in the New York Times called it a "mildly satiric comedy so toothless it wouldn't even offend a mogul as sensitive and publicly pious as Louis B. Mayer
," and sympathised with the actors as "severely limited by material that doesn't go anywhere."
Time Out described the film as "nearly as dull as it sounds, intermittently enlivened only by Hoskins and Caine, the latter effortlessly amusing as the production's leading man." Variety
wrote that "comedic potential is too rarely realized."
Roger Ebert
in the Chicago Sun-Times
thought the film tried to "juggle a lot of characters all at once" and lamented that there was "more material than there was time to deal with it."
The majority of critical praise was reserved for the lead actors. Michael Caine was described variously as an "excellent comic actor," "the kind of charming cad you can never really hate for too long," and "such an accomplished actor that all he has to do is behave with self-assured grace." Michelle Pfeiffer was also highly-acclaimed for her dual role of "wonderfully subtle touches," described as getting "a chance to show that she has the potential to be a first-rate comedienne," and as the actress who "neatly tucks the movie into her bodice and saunters off with it."
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
film written and directed by Alan Alda
Alan Alda
Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo , better known as Alan Alda, is an American actor, director, screenwriter, and author. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for his role as Hawkeye Pierce in the TV series M*A*S*H...
, and starring Alda in the lead role, alongside Michael Caine
Michael Caine
Sir Michael Caine, CBE is an English actor. He won Academy Awards for best supporting actor in both Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules ....
and Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Marie Pfeiffer is an American actress. She made her film debut in 1980 in The Hollywood Knights, but first garnered mainstream attention with her performance in Brian De Palma's Scarface . Pfeiffer has won numerous awards for her work...
, with support from Bob Hoskins
Bob Hoskins
Robert William "Bob" Hoskins, Jr. is an English actor known for playing Cockney rough diamonds, psychopaths and gangsters, in films such as The Long Good Friday , and Mona Lisa , and lighter roles in family films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Hook .- Early life :Hoskins was born in Bury St...
, Lois Chiles
Lois Chiles
Lois Cleveland Chiles is an American actress and former fashion model known for her role as Dr. Holly Goodhead in the 1979 James Bond film Moonraker.-Early life:...
, Lise Hilboldt
Lise Hilboldt
Lise Hilboldt is an American actress. She featured in Noon Wine, together with Fred Ward, Stellan Skarsgård, Roberts Blossom and Pat Hingle. She also appeared in The Hunger, S.O.S. Titanic, George Washington II: The Forging of a Nation, Ike, Sweet Liberty with Alan Alda, and Nancy Astor with...
and Lillian Gish
Lillian Gish
Lillian Diana Gish was an American stage, screen and television actress whose film acting career spanned 75 years, from 1912 to 1987....
.
It was the next-to-last film for Gish, whose first appearance on screen came in 1912.
Plot
College history professor Michael Burgess is about to have his fact-based historical novel about The American Revolution turned into a Hollywood motion picture being filmed in the North Carolina town where he lives.Michael's book is being convered into a steamy tale of lust and betrayal with two movie stars, the egotistical lothario Elliott James and the seemingly sweet Method
Method
Method may refer to:* Scientific method, a series of steps taken to acquire knowledge* Method , a piece of code associated with a class or object to perform a task...
actress Faith Healy.
The excitement of having show-business people in town is short-lived when Michael becomes increasingly exasperated seeing his novel get mauled beyond all recognition by a low-brow scriptwriter and a condescending director. They want a Hollywood version of history, complete with rebellion against authority, violence, nudity and a total distortion of the truth.
While both stars argue for more screen time, Michael must also deal with his ancient mother Cecelia and his girlfriend Gretchen. He tries to be a supportive son to Cecilia, but has to tolerate her quirks such as a belief that TV radiation neutralizes her poisoned food and that the Devil lives in her kitchen. He has been trying to persuade Gretchen to live together, but cheats behind her back when he falls for Faith, finding her to be so much like the character she is portraying in the film.
Gretchen turns the tables, becoming receptive to the advances of Elliott James. The married actor is a swordsman in many ways, not only flirting with Gretchen and the Mayor's wife but humiliating Michael repeatedly in bouts of fencing
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
.
Faith turns out to not be what she seems to be, merely behaving the way she does to get into character. Michael becomes fed up with all the Hollywood tomfoolery. When a local militia who was supposed to participate in a scene is subject to bullying from the film's crew, Michael persuades them to get back at their tormentors and ends up sabotaging his own film.
The locals cause explosions during a horribly inaccurate recreation of the Battle of Cowpens
Battle of Cowpens
The Battle of Cowpens was a decisive victory by Patriot Revolutionary forces under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan, in the Southern campaign of the American Revolutionary War...
. Michael throws the arrogant director's own words back at him, that he is providing: (1.) Rebellion against authority, by Michael and the militia's refusal to do as ordered in battle; (2.) Violence, by blowing up a house before the director is ready, and (3.) Nudity, when all the men celebrate their onscreen victory by prancing around naked.
By the time the film's premiere is held in town, everything is pretty much back to normal for Michael, who comes to the premiere with Gretchen, who is pregnant. Michael can only respond with a strained look when he gets asked by a Hollywood correspondent how it feels to see history come alive.
Cast
- Alan AldaAlan AldaAlphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo , better known as Alan Alda, is an American actor, director, screenwriter, and author. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for his role as Hawkeye Pierce in the TV series M*A*S*H...
as Michael Burgess - Michael CaineMichael CaineSir Michael Caine, CBE is an English actor. He won Academy Awards for best supporting actor in both Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules ....
as Elliott James - Michelle PfeifferMichelle PfeifferMichelle Marie Pfeiffer is an American actress. She made her film debut in 1980 in The Hollywood Knights, but first garnered mainstream attention with her performance in Brian De Palma's Scarface . Pfeiffer has won numerous awards for her work...
as Faith Healy - Bob HoskinsBob HoskinsRobert William "Bob" Hoskins, Jr. is an English actor known for playing Cockney rough diamonds, psychopaths and gangsters, in films such as The Long Good Friday , and Mona Lisa , and lighter roles in family films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Hook .- Early life :Hoskins was born in Bury St...
as Stanley Gould - Lise HilboldtLise HilboldtLise Hilboldt is an American actress. She featured in Noon Wine, together with Fred Ward, Stellan Skarsgård, Roberts Blossom and Pat Hingle. She also appeared in The Hunger, S.O.S. Titanic, George Washington II: The Forging of a Nation, Ike, Sweet Liberty with Alan Alda, and Nancy Astor with...
as Gretchen Carlsen - Lillian GishLillian GishLillian Diana Gish was an American stage, screen and television actress whose film acting career spanned 75 years, from 1912 to 1987....
as Cecelia Burgess - Saul RubinekSaul RubinekSaul Rubinek is a Canadian actor, director, producer and playwright, known for his work in TV, film and the stage.-Early life:...
as Bo Hodges - Lois ChilesLois ChilesLois Cleveland Chiles is an American actress and former fashion model known for her role as Dr. Holly Goodhead in the 1979 James Bond film Moonraker.-Early life:...
as Leslie - Linda ThorsonLinda ThorsonLinda Thorson is a Canadian actress, most famous for her work as Tara King in The Avengers.-Personal life:...
as Grace James
Critical reception
Sweet Liberty has a rating of 75% on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, based on 12 critics' reviews.
The general consensus of critics was that the film lacked the satirical bite that might have been expected from a story about the Hollywood movie industry. Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby was an American film critic who became the chief film critic for The New York Times in 1969 and reviewed more than 1000 films during his tenure there.-Life and career:...
in the New York Times called it a "mildly satiric comedy so toothless it wouldn't even offend a mogul as sensitive and publicly pious as Louis B. Mayer
Louis B. Mayer
Louis Burt Mayer born Lazar Meir was an American film producer. He is generally cited as the creator of the "star system" within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in its golden years. Known always as Louis B...
," and sympathised with the actors as "severely limited by material that doesn't go anywhere."
Time Out described the film as "nearly as dull as it sounds, intermittently enlivened only by Hoskins and Caine, the latter effortlessly amusing as the production's leading man." Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
wrote that "comedic potential is too rarely realized."
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
in the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
thought the film tried to "juggle a lot of characters all at once" and lamented that there was "more material than there was time to deal with it."
The majority of critical praise was reserved for the lead actors. Michael Caine was described variously as an "excellent comic actor," "the kind of charming cad you can never really hate for too long," and "such an accomplished actor that all he has to do is behave with self-assured grace." Michelle Pfeiffer was also highly-acclaimed for her dual role of "wonderfully subtle touches," described as getting "a chance to show that she has the potential to be a first-rate comedienne," and as the actress who "neatly tucks the movie into her bodice and saunters off with it."