Inside Daisy Clover
Directed by Robert Mulligan
Written by Gavin Lambert from his novel
1965/USA
Park Place Productions/Warner Bros.
First viewing/Netflix rental
[box] Wade Lewis: For we wrestle not with flesh and blood, but against powers of this world. But… but don’t worry, here we meet, in this castle of lost souls. In the land of the black Swan, the Prince of Darkness. Welcome little captive, to the waterfall of sweet dreams. Malora says it washes all our cares away, but I… I need stronger stuff. [/box]
The concept of this movie sounds a lot better than the mess that was made of it.
It is the 1930’s. Teenage tomboy Daisy Clover (Natalie Wood) lives in a trailer with her nutty mother “The Dealer” (Ruth Gordon). She is nearly as eccentric as Mom and at war with the world, in particular her bourgeois older sister. She records herself singing and submits it in to a studio’s talent contest. [Although this movie has enough singing to call itself a musical, the same song – “You’re Gonna Hear from Me” – will be performed over and over]. Master manipulator studio head Raymond Swan (Christopher Plummer) decides Daisy has what it takes to make a child star and takes her forcefully under his wing.
Neither Hollywood nor Swan are kind to Daisy Clover. Her mother is rapidly institutionalized and declared dead. Eventually, Daisy meets up with fellow studio victim Wade Lewis (Robert Redford) who is alternately her hero and villain. Can Daisy stand up to the strain? With Roddy MacDowell as Swan’s assistant.
It’s hard to know where to start. In the first place, the movie makes no sense as a period piece. Daisy is clearly a child of the 60’s and so is the sensibility of the movie. Secondly, though this hardly seems possible, Wood’s performance lacks the charisma or the singing chops that would cause anybody to pick her out as a star. The relationship between Redford and Wood doesn’t know what it wants to be. At 128 minutes, the story seems as interminable as the songs. It’s a talented cast but only Gordon is really utilized to advantage.
Inside Daisy Clover was nominated for Academy Awards in the categories of Best Supporting Actress (Gordon); Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color; and Best Costume Design, Color.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gh4xiDxO294
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