aromatic

Singer is a downer (except for the cinematically changed ending of Yentl), and this extremely well-performed and well-directed sado-masochistic tale is no exception. This film truly makes you feel its characters' abundant and excruciating pains. The Holocaust was Hell, and this film convinces me that the only thing worse than getting killed in a concentration camp, is surviving one.

Martin Balsam is excellent as the troubled writer whose teleplay inspires a boy to start a fire. The dilemma of how far moral responsibility should extend is examined thoughtfully raising more questions than the movie can answer. The supporting cast does a marvelous job. Even for a TV-movie however, this film disappoints somewhat in being visually uninteresting to the extreme. Still worth watching and discussing.

My only complaint about this treasure of a time capsule from a bygone era is that I envy Karen Valentine's character her ability to enjoy bigamy so much. For the longest time, she gets to live my dream life, and be a wife to two hunks 6000 miles apart. Louise Lasser is a standout as her co-working stewardess and best friend. Lou Jacobi has a nice bit as a befuddled waiter. This movie reminds me of my early adulthood in the 70's, a pre-AIDS, pre-Reagan time when it was okay to enjoy life and enjoy sex. This is a superior vehicle for escape.