The Buddy Holly Story
Directed by Steve Rash
Written by Alan Swyer and Robert Gittler from a book by John Goldrosen
1978/US
IMDb page
Repeat viewing; Amazon Prime

I can’t remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died – “American Pie” by Don McLean

This rather standard biopic is elevated by Gary Busey’s amazing performance and the great music of Buddy Holly.

Charles Hardin becomes “Buddy Holly” (Busey), to the great consternation of his parents, in his home town of Lubbock, Texas. He plays in a trio with a bass fiddle player (Charles Martin Smith) and a drummer (Don Stroud).  Later in the film the back up band will be named “The Crickets”.  Buddy Holly marches to his own drum and is all about his music. The trio gets its first break when a disk jockey records a set they play at the roller skating rink and circulates it as a demo.

Eventually, this brings the boys to Nashville where producers are shocked to discover they are a white band.  Eventually they go to New York and get booked at Harlem’s Apollo Theater under the same assumption.  They are warmly accepted and go on tour with Sam Cooke and other Black artists of the day.

In New York, Buddy falls in love at first sight with a record studio executive’s secretary Puerto Rican Maria Elena.  They marry.  Buddy’s star continues to rise.  The backup band longs to be home in Lubbock and leaves him as a solo act.  Then, the studio executive talks him into going on a winter tour of the Midwest with the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens.  The tragedy to come is not covered in the film.

Gary Busey and all the other actors in the film did their own singing.  And they are fantastic!  Busey is perhaps more raucous than Holly was in real life but he is on fire.  And I love Holly’s music so I enjoyed the film very much.

I left movies to one side when my younger brother had his stroke.  He is still in rehab trying to connect his brain and his left side once again.  Anyway, I began working on this paint by number painting all day everyday.  Highly therapeutic and the image just takes me to my happy place.  It will be a gift to my brother for his birthday.  But I couldn’t stay away forever!

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Rockers
Directed by Ted Bafaloukos
Written by Ted Bafaloukos
1978/Jamaica
IMDb page
First viewing/YouTube

I watched this about 2 weeks ago on YouTube.  There were no subtitles for the Jamaican patois and a lot of it flew right over my head.

The heroes are Rastafarians who battle corrupt local gangsters.

I wouldn’t watch this again without subtitles but it does feature a great reggae soundtrack from some of the greats like Peter Tosh and Junior Murvin.

La Cage aux folles
Directed by Edouard Molinaro
Written by Edouard Molinaro etc from a play by Jean Poiret
1978/France
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Amazon Prime (free to members)

Simon Charrier: Louise, I’m the General Secretary of a political Party named Coalition for a Moral Order, whose President just died in the arms of a prostitute. Wait to see the journalists in a few hours.

Despite the egregious gay stereotyping, this remains a very funny film all these years later.

Renato (Ugo Tognazzi) and his long-term boyfriend Albin (Michel Serrault) own a nightclub featuring drag acts together.  Renato acts as manager and Albin is its temperamental star. Things seem to be in chaos there.

Renato has a son, Laurent, from a fling.  The boy has been raised by Renato and Albin. Lauren wants to marry the daughter of an ultra-conservative who is President of the Coalition for Moral Order.  The fiancee tells him that her husband-to-be’s father is a cultural attache.  The Coalition has been getting bad press and the fiancee’s family insists on meeting the parents.

Renato and Albin try various ways of fooling them into thinking they are a heterosexual couple.  All end in disastrously hilarious ways.

The gags are all pretty hilarious but the subject matter was difficult and the film straddles the fine line beyond which it would simply be making fun of the characters.  What makes everything work is the genuine love between the gay couple despite their bickering.   This was one of the highest grossing foreign language films ever released in the US. Worth seeing if the subject matter appeals.

La Cage aux Folles was nominated for Academy Awards in the categories of Best Director,  Best Costume Design and Best Adapted Screenplay.  Ennio Morricone wrote the charming score.

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American Boy: A Profile of – Steven Prince
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Written by Julia Cameron and Mardik Martin (treatment)
1978/US
IMDb page
First viewing/Criterion Channel

You’re never going to kill storytelling, because it’s built into the human plan. We come with it. – Margaret Atwood

Martin Scorsese gets together with a few friends and crew to listen to war stories from the eventful life of the multi-faceted Steven Prince.

Steven Prince is probably most famous for his role as Easy Andy the hot gun salesman in Taxi Driver (1976).  He also served as road manager for Neil Diamond, had a number of odd jobs, and became a heroin addict.  He’s entertaining whether he’s talking about his guns, a spectacular overdose revival, or his Jewish-American upbringing in New York City.

Prince is an engaging storyteller and the movie is quite watchable.  Not essential however.

The full hour-long film is available for free on YouTube.