| Something Short of Paradise | |
|---|---|
 theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | David Helpern |
| Written by | Fred Barron |
| Produced by | Lester Burman James C. Gutman |
| Starring | Susan Sarandon David Steinberg |
| Cinematography | Walter Lassally |
| Edited by | Frank Bracht |
| Music by | Mark Snow |
| Distributed by | American International Pictures |
| Release dates |
|
| Running time | 87 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1 million |
Something Short of Paradise (also known as Perfect Love) is a 1979 American romantic comedy film directed by David Helpern from a screenplay by Fred Barron. It stars Susan Sarandon and David Steinberg.
Plot
Madeleine Ross (Susan Sarandon) is a journalist, and her boyfriend, Harris Sloane (David Steinberg), is the owner of an art theatre. Their relationship is on-again/off-again, and when Madeleine meets the French star Jean-Fidel Mileau (Jean-Pierre Aumont) it provokes changes in the way she and Harris feel about each other.
Cast
- Susan Sarandon as Madeline Ross
- David Steinberg as Harris Sloane
- Jean-Pierre Aumont as Jean-Fidel Mileau
- Marilyn Sokol as Ruthie Miller
- Joe Grifasi as Barney Collins
- Robert Hitt as Edgar Kent
- Terrence O'Hara as Donny Conrad
Production
Director David Helpern, Jr., and producer James C. Gutman became acquainted as faculty members at The Film School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and initially teamed up to produce and direct two documentaries: I Am a Stranger Here Myself (1974), about director Nicholas Ray, and the Academy Award-nominated Hollywood on Trial, about the blacklist era. For their feature film debut, Helpern presented an idea for a classic love story, inspired by 1930s romantic comedies, to screenwriter Fred Barron, who had been Helpern’s story collaborator on the film, Between the Lines. Although the project failed to attract a Hollywood studio, Helpern and Gutman hired veteran film producer, Lester Berman, who advised the duo to switch location shooting from Boston to New York City, in order to stay within the $1 million budget and the twenty-seven day filming schedule. Susan Sarandon and David Steinberg each agreed to a reduction of their usual salaries and five percent of the box-office gross. During post-production, the filmmakers sold worldwide distribution rights to American International Pictures. Something Short of Paradise was shot in New York City, and was advertised with the tagline "Love isn't blind... just a little nearsighted!"
Release
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 14, 1979.
Reception
John Corry of The New York Times stated, "Something Short of Paradise is about a romance so whimsical, so fey and so pointless that it almost doesn't exist", criticizing the lack of chemistry between the leads and the screenplay.
Gary Arnold of The Washington Post wrote "Neither off-putting nor distinctive, the characters barely exist as figments of Barron's undernourished imagination."
Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel also both gave the film thumbs down on their TV series, negatively comparing it to Annie Hall.
References
- ^ "Something Short of Paradise (1979)". AFI. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
- "Something Short of Paradise (1979)". TCM. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
- Adilman, Sid (September 12, 1979). "Strong Opening For Toronto Festival". Variety. p. 7.
- "Screen: 'Something Short of Paradise':Young Gentry?". The New York Times. October 5, 1979. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
- "Miles from Paradise". The Washington Post. November 1, 1979. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
- "Siskel & Ebert - Wise Blood, Woyzeck, In Search of Historic Jesus, Something Short of Paradise". Retrieved June 1, 2023.
External links
- Something Short of Paradise at IMDb
- Something Short of Paradise at the TCM Movie Database
- Something Short of Paradise at AllMovie
 | This article related to an American film of the 1970s is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |
 | This article about a 1970s romantic comedy film is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |