Saturday 21 June 2003 — This is more than 21 years old. Be careful.
I saw Alice’s Restaurant (the movie) last night. I’ve always loved the original 18-minute Arlo Guthrie song. It’s practically a family tradition to find some radio station that plays it on the drive to Thanksgiving.
On the plus side: Arlo plays himself, as does Officer Obie and the blind judge. The real Alice is an extra in a few scenes. The movie was filmed in the actual church, which is now owned by Arlo as the Guthrie Center. Director Arthur Penn was nominated for an Oscar (though I don’t really see why).
On the minus side: Considering the movie is an attempt to stretch the song into a full-length movie, it does a bad job making full use of the song itself. It rushes through the re-enactment of the lyrics, poorly timing the gags it contains. Also, there are a number of oddly melodramatic sub-plots.
Overall, it was about what I expected: disjoint, confusing, idealistic, goofy, earnest. In other words, it nicely captured the mood in 1969.
Comments
... very interesting times we live in!
Didn't know that the church is now the Guthrie center. Will have to check it out next time I'm in the Berkshires.
Add a comment: