Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Forgotten/Neglected Movies: Rambling Rose




Bill Crider mentioned Calder Willingham a few weeks back, which called to mind first the book and then the movie, RAMBLING ROSE.

Directed by Martha Coolidge in 1991, RAMBLING ROSE tells the story of a wayward girl taken in by a conventional family who try to tame her rambling ways. Every man falls for Rose and she is unable to ignore their advances.

Laura Dern play Rose, Robert Duvall, the conventional father, and Diane Ladd, the mother and Lukas Haas, the son. This movie has the kind of quiet charm and dignity that few movies have today. Doubt it would even get made by an indie company.

This movie deserves a look.

For more Forgotten Movies, check out Todd Mason's blog.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good choice. Of course, Ladd is Dern's real-life mother.

Jeff M.

Todd Mason said...

They still make 'em like this...even if Coolidge isn't getting enough work (I just showed her VALLEY GIRL to Alice this past weekend, which she thought superior to our other adventures with EASY A and CHLOE)...and indies are trying to pick up the slack with producing most of the interesting crime drama. Hell, most of the interesting fantastic drama, too.

George said...

I've just put this in our Netflix queue.

Charles Gramlich said...

Never seen it, but it sounds worthwhile.

mybillcrider said...

I like the book and movie both.

Mike Dennis said...

Patti, this reminded me of a forgotten movie I saw on HBO a year or so ago. One called PURPLE VIOLETS, with Edward Burns and Selma Blair. It's about writers and their angsts. It really covers all the bases in a writer's life and I would recommend it to anyone who reads your blog.

Yvette said...

I vaguely remember the title of this movie but damn if I can remember ever seeing it. I might have.

Anyway, it sounds good.

Anonymous said...

Patti - Thanks! I haven't seen this one in absolutely years!Almost forgot completely about it...

David Cranmer said...

I enjoyed this movie quite a bit back then.

pattinase (abbott) said...

I will check out PURPLE VIOLETS. Thanks!

Chuck Esola said...

I forgot that Martha Coolidge directed this. She's long overdue for a comeback.

Jack Bates said...

I found the sales pitch for video retailers/rentals intersting. I'd forgotten when we paid nearly $100 to OWN a movie- on VHS nonetheless. (Remember when video rental places threatened to charge the retail price for a late or missing movie????)

pattinase (abbott) said...

She sure is. Maybe she's directing TV now.
Yes, such direct pitches are unusual now.

J F Norris said...

Adore this movie. I bought the soundtrack on cassette when it came out and later lost it along with all my other music cassettes (including some irreplaceable tapes of some radio plays I wrote!) when my apartment was burglarized in the 1980s. The bloody thieves were caught two weeks later, though my belongings were not recovered. And when I say bloody I mean that literally. Blood stains all over the kitchen and bathroom. It was disgusting. Someone dropped something made of glass and cut himself and then took the time to use a first aid kit in my bathroom to bandage himself. Ah, the luxury of time when thieving. Anyway, I've never been able to replace the RAMBLING ROSE soundtrack. It was never re-released on CD and is now out of print. Elmer Bernstein did the score if I recall correctly. Lush and evocative music.

Greg Bardsley said...

All these years later, I still haven't forgotten that bed scene with the 13 year old. Classic. ... Great film