T.R. BASKIN (1971)
Label: Fun City Editions
Region Code: Region-Free
Duration: 89 mins 52 Seconds
Audio: English 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: Herbert Ross
Cast: Candice Bergen, James Caan, Peter Boyle, Marcia Rodd
The Herbert Ross (My Blue Heaven) directed T.R. Baskin (1971) tells the story of the enigmatic small town girl of the title (Candice Bergen, The Hunting Party) who adventures from Findlay, OH to Chicago in search of fame and fortune, only to find that the big city life is just as unsatisfying as the one she fled. The film opens with married sales schlub Jack Mitchell (Peter Boyle, Where the Buffalo Roam) arriving in town from Utica, in Upstate New York, he runs into his old college friend Larry Moore (James Caan, Elf) on the street and catch up. Jack asks Larry if he knows any girls who might want to party, and he gives him T.R.'s phone number, he calls her and the arrange to meet at his hotel room, but Larry is caught off guard by her droll, sarcastic sense of humor, and isn't in the mood for sex anymore, so they end up talking more than anything else. The conversation leads to flashbacks of T.R.'s arrival in Chicago at O'Hare struggling to get her luggage, her search for an affordable apartments before settling on a dilapidated fleapit, getting a job as a typist at a soulless corporate HQ, and her developing a short-lived friendship with co-worker Dayle "Queen of the B's" Wigoda (Marcia Rodd, Little Murders) who sets her up on a fruitless double-date with a self-important blowhard. Eventually she encounters Larry (Caan) at a coffee shop, a kind children's school book editor and they hit it off. The walk the streets and enjoy each others company, they spend the night together at his place, but the next day she is gutted when she finds a $20 in her coat pocket, realizing that he thought she was a hooker. The story moves back and forth in time as she tells her story, meanwhile Jack who turns out to be a sort of sweet guy talks about his married life, his retirement plan, and why he ended-up at a hotel with a prostitute when he has a wonderful family waiting for him at home.
Candice Bergen as the naïve young woman with a droll sense of sharp-tongued humor who ventures from small town Ohio to the bright lights of Chicago in search of fame and fortune is simply wonderful. She's a bit of mystery, and I like the way the story structure slowly reveals more about her, at first she seems confident and sarcastic, but as life in the big city chips away at her we discover her insecurities,
vulnerability, and disappointments, though the sarcasm is never far removed. The film has a hangout vibe that struck me from the get go, an exquisitely wry observational character study with a slyly humorous script by Peter Hyams (who would go onto direct Capricorn 1, Star Chamber), but ultimately the film is a bit depressing in that T.R.'s sharp-wit not only serves to protect her but also distances her from developing meaningful friendships, seemingly settling into a career that is quite far removed from the fame and fortune she was seeking. This is a offbeat and melancholic gem that I'd never even heard of before Fun City Editions saw fit to shine a light on it, as they have with so many 70's gems that have become favorites of mine, Bergen is absolutely wonderful and the shots of early 70's Chicago are certainly a highlight, I can't recommend this one enough, get at it.
Audio/Video: T.R. Baskin (1971) arrives on Blu-ray from Fun City Edition in 1080p HD framed in 1.85:1 widescreen, looking quite filmic, the flick is shot with an intentionally soft-lens look by cinematographer Gerald Hirschfeld (Young Frankenstein, The Car), it's drab by design, but colors and skin tones look natural throughout, depth and clarity are modest but appreciable. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 2.0 dual-mono, it's a pretty low-key affair, but dialogue is rendered cleanly with out issue, the score is from Jack Elliot (The Jerk) fares well also. I will say that the audio mix is pretty low, when I was switching back and forth between film audio and the accompanying commentary I was startled just how much louder the commentary track was.
Extras for T.R. Baskin include the 14-min 'Get in the Tent,', a newly-filmed video interview with producer/writer Peter Hyams in which he discusses his career and looks back at the film, plus we get an Audio commentary by Ben Reiser and Scott Lucas who do good work discussing this overlooked gem, pointing out significan Chicago locations and dissecting the flashback structure of the storytelling.
This standard release version arrives in a clear keepcase with a Reversible Wrap featuring three artwork options, what looks to be the Italian, Japanese and U.S. artworks.
Special Features:
- 'Get in the Tent,' newly-filmed video interview with producer/writer Peter Hyams (14:29)
- Audio Commentary by Ben Reiser and Scott Lucas
- 'Get in the Tent,' newly-filmed video interview with producer/writer Peter Hyams (14:29)
- Audio Commentary by Ben Reiser and Scott Lucas
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