Author! Author! (film)
| Author! Author! | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Arthur Hiller |
| Written by | Israel Horovitz |
| Produced by | Irwin Winkler |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | 20th Century Fox |
Release date |
|
Running time | 108 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $13.1 million (US)[1] |
Author! Author! is a 1982 American autobiographical film directed by Arthur Hiller, written by Israel Horovitz and starring Al Pacino.
Plot
Playwright Ivan Travalian has a Broadway play (English with Tears) in rehearsal and the backers want rewrites. His wife, Gloria, moves out, leaving him with custody of five children: four from her previous marriages and his son. His two stepdaughters and his stepson, Spike, return to their respective fathers, but two of the boys, his biological son Igor and his stepson Geraldo, accompany Ivan.
The stage producer lies to the investors, claiming that popular film actress Alice Detroit has signed on to play the lead on Broadway. Ivan meets with Alice, where she confesses that she is a big fan of his and would love to perform in his new play. They start dating and she eventually moves in with him and the remaining two children. One night, Ivan explains to her that he was an abandoned baby who was adopted by a family with the Armenian name "Travalian". Alice becomes depressed because she misses her former social life, so she and Ivan agree that their relationship has run its course and she moves out.
His two stepdaughters run away from their father's home to live with Ivan and the police come to retrieve them, but Ivan and the children stage a standoff on the roof of their building, convincing the police and their father to let the girls stay. Spike returns to the house with his father’s blessing, meaning all the children can stay with Ivan. Ivan decides that his wife should return as well so he takes a taxi to Gloucester, Massachusetts to retrieve her. He finds her painting on a snowy dock with her new boyfriend, where she resists his efforts to force her to return for the good of the children. Realizing her selfishness, Ivan leaves her in Gloucester, returns to New York City and promises his stepchildren they will always have a home with him. They attend the opening night of the play which receives a rave review in The New York Times.
Cast
- Al Pacino as Travalian
- Dyan Cannon as Alice Detroit
- Tuesday Weld as Gloria
- Alan King as Kreplich
- Bob Dishy as Finestein
- Bob Elliott as Patrick Dicker
- Ray Goulding as Jackie Dicker
- Eric Gurry as Igor
- Elva Leff as Bonnie
- B. J. Barie as Spike
- Ari Meyers as Debbie
- Benjamin H. Carlin as Geraldo
- Richard Belzer as Seth Shapiro
Elliott and Goulding, the longtime comedy duo of "Bob and Ray", were billed together in the opening credits. Reflecting the film's theme of family, producer Irwin Winkler's wife, actress Margo, and then-teenaged son, future UCLA School of Law professor Adam, along with the film's autobiographical screenwriter Israel Horovitz' children, future film producer Rachel and future television producer Matthew, make brief appearances.
Production
Horovitz first worked with Pacino in 1968, when Pacino starred in his play
The film was based on Horovitz's personal experience as a divorced father responsible for looking after two of his three children. "I felt there was a lot of room to explore the ease with which people get married in this country, the way kids come along in huge bunches and the irresponsibility of parents in taking care of those children."[2] He also talked to his three children for inspiration. He said, "The film had to be written in a comic mode, because otherwise it's too painful to deal with."[3]
Horovitz made the protagonist
The film was released by 20th Century Fox and Hiller served as a director.[4] He was drawn to the project because it was about an extended family and that it showed "that love is what makes a family strong, not necessarily who's the natural parent."[2]
Casting
Cannon was originally asked to play Gloria, but turned it down because she found the character "bitchy" and had played that kind of role before.
Pacino did not get along with Hiller while filming. Pacino said, "sometimes people who are not really meant to be together get together in this business for a short time. It's very unfortunate for all parties concerned."[5] Pacino told that he made the film, because he thought he would enjoy making a film "about a guy with his kids, dealing with New York and show business. I thought it would be fun."[5] Pacino said that he enjoyed working with the actors, who spend time with his children.[5]
Reception
In
References
- ^ "Author! Author!". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
- ^ a b c d e f Bennetts, Leslie (1982-01-24). "Author! Author! Shoots in N.Y., N.Y." The New York Times. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
- ^ Chase, Chris (1982-07-02). "The author of Author! Author!". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
- ^ Winkler, Irwin (2019). A Life in Movies: Stories from Fifty Years in Hollywood (Kindle ed.). Abrams Press. pp. 1567–1637/3917.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4169-4879-7.
- ^ Scott, Jay (1982-06-19). "Author! Author! Just a Mish-Mash of Mush". The Globe and Mail. The Woodbridge Company. Archived from the original on 2016-02-04. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
- ^ Kroll, Jack (1982-07-05). "Kingdom of Cute". Newsweek. Newsweek LLC.
- ^ Arnold, Gary (1982-06-19). "Al Pacino on the Writer's Block". The Washington Post. Nash Holdings LLC.
- ^ Roger Ebert (1 January 1982). "Author! Author!". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
- ISBN 978-0-446-69334-9.
External links
- Author! Author! at IMDb
- Author! Author! at the TCM Movie Database
- Author! Author! at Rotten Tomatoes
