THE PRINCE OF TIDES
[Spoilers]
A film review by Andrew Chia-Tso Ku
Copyright 1991 Andrew Chia-Tso Ku
Earlier this week, there was a screening of THE PRINCE OF TIDES on campus. I may be accused of being a dutiful cog in Columbia's marketing plans, but I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. This is a well crafted, big-star "mature" romance of the sort that has become increasingly rare in the youth-dominated movie market. It features a remarkably full-bodied performance by Nick Nolte, who is in every scene (except for flash-backs). Nolte is one of those actors who do consistently excellent and subtle work movie after movie (I'd include Gene Hackman and Jeff Bridges in this category) and consequently have been taken for granted. This movie will probably go a long way towards bringing him the attention he deserves. He delivers the sort of juicy performance that will probably be remembered when award time rolls around.
Before going any further, I should mention that I have *not* yet read Pat Conroy's novel, but apparently from press releases, Conroy is very happy with the movie (he co-wrote the script).
This is the second movie Barbra Streisand has directed and THE PRINCE OF TIDES clearly establishes her as one of the most thoughtful and meticulous directors working in the confines of the populist Hollywood style. The story unfolds at a comfortable pace and the tired cliches inherent in this genre (I'll get to them later) are overcome by the emotional honesty and conviction that she and her A-list cast (including Kate Nelligan, Blythe Danner, Melinda Dillon, Jeroen Krabbe) and especially Nolte invest in their roles. (I would have liked more of Melinda Dillon -- she's basically a plot device to set the narrative in motion -- but in the paltry few minutes she's allotted, she does wonders.) Streisand herself gives a muted performance in the less showy role of Nolte's quasi-psychiatrist and lover (nevertheless, it's a cut above Ingrid Bergman's impersonation of a psychologist in SPELLBOUND); appropriately, Streisand keeps her "persona" in check.
It's smart of Columbia Pictures to be previewing THE PRINCE OF TIDES this weekend: the movie, which should have the broad audience appeal of other domestic dramas like TERMS OF ENDEARMENT or ORDINARY PEOPLE, probably needs word of mouth to attract audiences beyond Streisand's usual constituency.
Plot-related criticisms follow. (spoilers)!
In general, I thought the movie suffered a bit from overexplicitness. The abusive/psycho-sexual goings on between the young Tom and his parents were very uncomfortable to watch and the penultimate flashback (the gang rape) was almost unbearable (although I realize that that was partly the point) and having Nolte relate *some* of those scenes to Streisand would have been just as effective. The presentation of the flashbacks (and their content) felt exceedingly reminiscent of NUTS. The use of narration was handled fairly skillfully, but at times it seemed redundant or gumshoe-y (and at the end was laughable: "Lowenstein, Lowenstein....")
I found the scenes of pastoral bliss near the end of the movie too protracted; I wonder if it was a bow to audience expectations or a chance for Streisand to photograph herself in soft focus. And I could have done without the subplot involving Streisand's son. Having to win over a rebellious adolescent has become such a cliche in movies and television that I'm pretty sick of them. Nolte's good humor helped me through those scenes (Streisand's son is competent but not spectacular in the role). Finally, I thought Streisand's conception of her character was too rosy. Except for choosing a bastard of a husband, this woman is *perfect*!
All in all, THE PRINCE OF_ IDES is very satisfying and enjoyable; I hope Streisand gets some credit for getting it made (and made so well). For guys whose SOs are trying to get them to go, there are far worse ways of spending two hours :-)
Andrew
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