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Tucker: The Man and His Dream

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Revision as of 02:43, 6 March 2012 by Linuxbeak (talk | contribs) (→Plot: Removed "never able to realize his dream". See talk page.)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) This article is about the film. For the soundtrack, see Tucker (soundtrack). 1988 American film
Tucker: The Man and His Dream
Directed byFrancis Ford Coppola
Written byArnold Schulman
David Seidler
Produced byFred Fuchs
Fred Roos
StarringJeff Bridges
Joan Allen
Martin Landau
Elias Koteas
Frederic Forrest
Christian Slater
CinematographyVittorio Storaro
Edited byPriscilla Nedd-Friendly
Music byJoe Jackson
Production
companies		Paramount Pictures
Lucasfilm
Distributed byUnited States:
Paramount Pictures
International sales:
Lucasfilm
United Kingdom:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • August 12, 1988 (1988-08-12)
Running time110 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$24 million
Box office$19.65 million

Tucker: The Man and His Dream is a 1988 biographical film directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Jeff Bridges. The film recounts the story of Preston Tucker and his attempt to produce and market the 1948 Tucker Sedan, which was met with scandal between the "Big Three automobile manufacturers" and accusations of stock fraud from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Joan Allen, Martin Landau, Elias Koteas, Frederic Forrest and Christian Slater appear in supporting roles.

In 1973, Coppola began development of a film based on the life of Tucker, originally with Marlon Brando in the lead role. Starting in 1976, Coppola planned Tucker to be both a musical and an experimental film with music and lyrics written by Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. The project eventually collapsed when Coppola's American Zoetrope experienced financial problems. Tucker was revived in 1986 when Coppola's friend, George Lucas, joined as a producer.

Principal photography, shot mostly in Marin County, California, started in April 1987 and finished the following July. Development and production for Tucker: The Man and His Dream included the involvement of Tucker's children and grandchildren. The film received critical praise, but was a box office bomb. Nonetheless, Tucker: The Man and His Dream produced a spike in prices of Tucker Sedans, as well as a renewed appreciation for Tucker and his automobiles.

Plot

A 1940s promotional film by the Tucker Automobile Company introduces Preston Tucker (Jeff Bridges) and a new automobile filled with technological innovations. The film then flashes back to an earlier start as an inventor and as a staunch family man. His loyal wife (Joan Allen) and children, headed by his namesake, Preston Tucker Jr. (Christian Slater), support his efforts. Tucker's passion for automobiles began as a child and by 1935 he had started a successful partnership with racing car innovator Harry Miller. In World War II, Tucker designed an armored car for the United States military, rejected for being too fast. However, the car's gun turret was put into production.

At war's end, with the proceeds from the turret bankrolling a new automotive project, Tucker hires young designer Alex Tremulis (Elias Koteas) to help him create a radical new car design, the 1948 Tucker Torpedo. Tucker's dream of manufacturing a revolutionary automobile with futuristic features will pit him against the oppressive Detroit-based Big Three automakers. With the support of his long-time New York financier Abe Karatz (Martin Landau), Tucker creates nation-wide interest by advertising the "Tucker Torpedo" in Pic magazine. Raising the money through a stock issue, Tucker and Karatz acquire the enormous Dodge Chicago Plant to begin manufacturing. Despite ground-breaking features on the first hand-built prototype such as disc brakes, seat belts, a fuel-injected engine in the rear, a padded dashboard, and a front windshield that pops out in severe collisions, the new car is beset with problems.

Launching "The car of tomorrow" in a spectacular way, the Tucker Corporation is met with enthusiasm from both shareholders and the general public. However, the Tucker company board of directors, unsure of his ability to overcome the technical and financial obstacles ahead, send Tucker off on a publicity campaign, and attempt to take complete control of the company. At the same time, Tucker faces animosity from the Big Three and the authorities led by Michigan Senator Homer S. Ferguson (Lloyd Bridges). While the manufacturing of the Tucker Torpedo continues, Tucker is confronted with allegations of stock fraud. Ferguson's investigation with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), causes Karatz, once convicted of bank fraud, to resign, fearful that his criminal record will prejudice the hearings. Yellow journalism also starts ruining Tucker's public image even though the ultimate courtroom battle is resolved when he parades his entire production run of 51 Tucker Torpedoes, proving that he has reached production status.

After giving a speech to the jurors on how capitalism in the United States is harmed by efforts of large corporations against small entrepreneurs like himself, Tucker is acquitted on all charges. Nevertheless, Tucker's company falls into bankruptcy and Preston Tucker succumbs to a heart attack seven years later.

Cast

Tucker: The Man and His Dream marked comic and actor Michael McShane's film debut.

Background

A 1948 Tucker Sedan at the Blackhawk Museum

From childhood, Coppola envisioned a film about the Tucker automobile and while attending the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television in the early 1960s, further refined a film concept based on the life of Preston Tucker. In June 1973, during the filming of The Godfather Part II (1974), Coppola announced his intention to start development at American Zoetrope as writer, producer and director. He had already approached Marlon Brando for the lead role. He then purchased the rights from the Tucker Estate in 1976, and, in addition to Brando, discussed the leading role with Jack Nicholson and also considered Burt Reynolds. Taking inspiration from Citizen Kane (1941), Kabuki theater and the work of Bertolt Brecht, Coppola initially planned to make Tucker as a "dark kind of musical." He later said that the idea approximated the style of an experimental film, similar to Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985), which he produced.

The musical would have featured Tucker predominantly, but storylines would have interwoven Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Harvey Samuel Firestone and Andrew Carnegie as supporting characters. Leonard Bernstein agreed to write the music, and Betty Comden and Adolph Green were hired to write the lyrics. They all spent a week at Coppola's home in California, planning the musical which resulted in Bernstein writing one song. Coppola also approached Gene Kelly as a consultant for the dance choreography. However, financing for Tucker fell through when Coppola's production company, American Zoetrope, filed for bankruptcy after the box office failures of One from the Heart (1982) and The Cotton Club (1984). Coppola abandoned Tucker for the time being and went to work on Peggy Sue Got Married (1986).

In 1986, during the production of Captain EO (1986), Coppola's friend George Lucas encouraged him to revive development for Tucker, believing it to be "the best film Francis had ever been involved with." In addition, Lucas agreed to serve as executive producer and offered the use of his filmmaking companies, Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic. He also convinced Coppola to drop the musical idea in favor of doing a homage to the films of Frank Capra, especially Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). Coppola became interested in the American Dream aspect of the storyline, as well as post-World War II capitalism and politics. At one point, Coppola approached Capra to produce the film with Lucas, however, Capra thought Tucker was a failure and Coppola dropped that plan.

Coppola originally intended to write the screenplay himself, but due to his commitment to the filming of Gardens of Stone (1987), engaged Arnold Schulman who scripted Capra's A Hole in the Head (1959). Schulman eventually collaborated with David Seidler on the Tucker project. Subsequently, Coppola rewrote the Schulman and Seidler scripts, providing major additions, but his co-writing credit was overruled by the Writers Guild of America. The filmmakers devised a $24 million production budget, but Universal Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures, TriStar Pictures and Paramount Pictures wanted Coppola and Lucas to lower it to $15 million. Distributors were also dubious about working with Lucas after the 1986 commercial and critical failures of both Labyrinth and Howard the Duck. Lucas decided to cover the $24 million budget himself, and pre-production proceeded.

Production

Jeff Bridges was cast in the title role and, for research, studied Preston Tucker's mannerisms and movements through home movies. Tucker's descendants also granted Bridges the opportunity to sport the man's black pearl ring and cuff links for his wardrobe. Preston's son, John Tucker, said that Bridges has "got it all in the mannerisms and the look. My father was very positive, always thinking of what came next. Jeff captures that." Martin Landau was enthusiastic about accepting the pivotal role of Abe Karatz as a means to avoid typecasting. The construct of family values played a crucial role in the Tucker's life and Coppola studiously selected Joan Allen for the part of Vera, Tucker's devoted wife while Christian Slater and Elias Koteas fill in the other central roles of eldest son and Tucker's friend and confederate, Alex Tremulis. Coppola's family was undergoing a stressful time during the production and he dedicated the film to Gio, his eldest son, who died before filming began.

Principal photography commenced on April 13, 1987 with the Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant in Richmond, California doubling for the Dodge Chicago Plant although the majority of outdoor filming took place in Marin County, California as well as various locations including Oakland, Novato, and San Francisco. Forty-seven of the original 52 Tucker Torpedoes still exist, and many are in excellent condition. Twenty-one of the cars were borrowed from members of the Tucker Automobile Club of America and were extensively used as both "set dressing" and in starring roles. The production is notable as the first film to have audio mixing work done at Lucas's Skywalker Ranch. Production wrapped on July 17, 1987, and in the following month, Lucas convinced Paramount Pictures to distribute the film and cover the majority of the budget. He was helped by the fact that the studio was courting Coppola to direct The Godfather Part III (1990). Prior to final editing, the studio insisted on amplifying the title to Tucker: The Man and His Dream.

Historical accuracy

Coppola had a certain amount of personal affinity with the short-lived legacy of Preston Tucker. His father, Carmine Coppola, had been one of the original investors in Tucker stock and purchased one of the cars off the production line. Coppola included the involvement of Preston Tucker's children, grandchildren and members of the Tucker Estate during the development of Tucker in the late-1970s, as well as during filming in 1987. Coppola and Lucas acknowledged that they purposely intended to portray Tucker in an entirely sympathetic way. Both filmmakers each owned two Tuckers, although Lucas eventually sold one of his cars in September 2005 for $385,500. The Tucker Automobile Club made up of a legion of Tucker owners and collectors pronounced in their trade journal, TACA, that the "basic theme of the movie is quite accurate..." although "the film compresses time and often takes artistic license with facts in order to more effectively present the story."

Anahid Nazarian, Coppola's librarian, spoke of the historical inaccuracies. "Preston Tucker didn't really have an assembly line; there's one in the film. He actually had five kids; there are only four in the film. Our story takes place in one year; the real story took place over four years. People who know the story will find a lot of what they call errors. I'm sure I'll be deluged with letters." Nazarian's research, collected over several years, consisted of books, some 350 articles, interviews with the Tucker family, hundreds of photographs, home movies and information from the Tucker Automobile Club of America who the production company considered important arbiters of the Tucker mystique. "We knew the facts," she continued, "but to fit the spirit of the story in a film that is exciting and has characters you love and characters you hate - that made us change a lot of things. Things like the president of the Tucker Company was a good guy really, but we needed a villain, so we made him a villain." Alex Tremulis who served as one of the historical consultants during production, is depicted as the chief car designer of the Tucker Torpedo rather than as the stylist, and the film ignores the involvement of designer Philip Egan. An article on the authenticity of the movie can be found at the Tucker Car Club of America website at: http://www.tuckerclub.org/html/movieinfo.html

Release

Tucker: The Man and His Dream was released in the United States on August 12, 1988, earning $3,709,562 in its opening weekend in 720 theaters. The film eventually grossed $19.65 million in US totals and was declared a box office bomb because it did not reimburse its $24 million production budget, despite positive reviews. Pocket Books published a novelization written by Robert Tine to coincide with the release of the film. Paramount Home Video released Tucker: The Man and His Dream on DVD in October 2000, which included audio commentary by Coppola, the 1948 promotional film Tucker: The Man and the Car (with optional commentary by Coppola), as well as a making-of featurette, Under the Hood: Making Tucker.

Critical reaction was mainly positive. Based on 35 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, 86% of the critics enjoyed the film with an average score of 7.2/10. By comparison Metacritic calculated an average score of 74/100, based on 13 reviews. Richard Schickel of Time magazine praised the film for its exaggerated kitsch style. He also believed the role of Preston Tucker to be Jeff Bridges' best performance. Janet Maslin from The New York Times agreed, writing that Coppola, known for his dark approach on his previous films, "found the directorial range to actually make a feel-good movie." In addition, Desson Thomson, writing in The Washington Post, called the film a "satisfying commercial breakthrough for Coppola," and praised the cinematography of Vittorio Storaro, as well as the ubiquitous approach for Dean Stockwell's cameo appearance as Howard Hughes. Roger Ebert gave a mixed review. "Preston Tucker lacks an ounce of common sense or any notion of the real odds against him. And since the movie never really deals with that - never really comes to grips with Tucker's character - it begins as a saga but ends in whimsy."

Although Coppola enjoyed his working relationship with Lucas, he commented in a July 1988 The New York Times interview with Robert Lindsey that "I think it's a good movie - it's eccentric, a little wacky, like the Tucker car - but it's not the movie I would have made at the height of my power." Coppola was able to stoically accept the critical and commercial reaction to Tucker: The Man and His Dream. "Every time in my career I tried to make, dare I say it, an art film, it never did well."

Despite helming his "labor of love," Coppola was insistent that Tucker: The Man and His Dream would be his last Hollywood project. He reiterated a long-held dream of his own, embarking on a "period of amateurism and experimentation as a Hollywood dropout." One of the unexpected benefits of the film's release was a renewed interest in the Tucker automobile and a boost in the collector's value of the Tucker 48; a recent auction of a low-mileage example topped the $1 million mark.

Awards

At the 61st Academy Awards, Martin Landau was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, while production and set designers Dean Tavoularis and Armin Ganz (Art Direction) and Milena Canonero (Costume Design) were also nominated for their work. Landau did end up winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture, while Tavoularis won the BAFTA Award for Best Production Design. Casting directors Jane Jenkins and Janet Hirshenson received a nomination for Feature Film Casting- Drama by the Casting Society of America. Music composer Joe Jackson received a Grammy Award nomination.

References

Notes

  1. Hodgins, Paul. "This mad dog knows his English." The Orange County Register, September 30, 2005. Retrieved: August 16, 2009.
  2. ^ Ebert, Roger. "Tucker: A Man and His Dream." Chicago Sun-Times, August 12, 1988. Retrieved on May 27, 2009.
  3. ^ Baxter 1999, pp. 367–371.
  4. ^ Schumacher 1999, pp. 183, 283, 324.
  5. ^ Lindsey, Robert. "Francis Ford Coppola: Promises to Keep". The New York Times, July 24, 1988. Retrieved on August 16, 2009.
  6. ^ Corliss, Richard and Jean McDowell. "How Bridges Fights Boredom." Time, August 15, 1988. Retrieved on May 25, 2009.
  7. ^ Schumacher 1999, pp. 396–399, 402.
  8. ^ Coppola, Francis Ford. Tucker: The Man and the Car (1948) DVD audio commentary (included on the DVD for Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988), released in 2000). San Francisco: American Zoetrope / Paramount Home Video, 2000.
  9. Mottram, James. "Interview: Francis Ford Coppola on the film he couldn't refuse". The Independent, November 16, 2007. Retrieved on May 25, 2009.
  10. ^ Hearn 2005, pp. 158–159.
  11. ^ Garcia, Chris. "Martin Landau Rolls Up in a New Vehicle." Austin American-Statesman, August 7, 1988. Retrieved on May 24, 2009.
  12. ^ Kinney, Dave. "Only 52 Tuckers Were Built, but Their Impact Is Still Felt." The New York Times, October 29, 2006. Retrieved on May 25, 2009.
  13. Rasmussen 1996, p. 82.
  14. Pasquariello, Nick "Sound design for a dreamer." filmsound.org. Retrieved on May 29, 2009.
  15. LaFrance, J.D. "Cinematic Pleasures: Tucker, The Man and His Dream." Erasing Clouds, Issue 25, July/August 2004.
  16. Aubry, Kim, producer. Under the Hood: Making Tucker (included on the DVD for Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988), released in 2000). San Francisco: American Zoetrope / Paramount Home Video, 2000.
  17. ^ Clark, Larry. "Tucker: The Man and His Dream: A Look Behind The Scenes." TACA, #417. Retrieved on June 14, 2009.
  18. Fox, Margalit. "Philip Egan, a Designer of a Fabled Sedan, Dies at 88." The New York Times, originally published in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, January 12, 2009. Retrieved on August 16, 2009.
  19. "Tucker: The Man and His Dream." Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on May 24, 2009.
  20. Harmetz, Aljean. "A Blockbuster Summer of Blockbusters." The New York Times, June 9, 1988. Retrieved on May 24, 2009.
  21. Tine, Robert. "Tucker: The Man and His Dreams Movie Tie-in (Paperback)." Amazon.com, August 1, 1988. Retrieved on August 16, 2009.
  22. "Tucker - The Man and His Dream (1988)." Amazon.com, October 24, 2000. Retrieved on May 27, 2009.
  23. "Tucker: The Man and His Dream." Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on May 24, 2009.
  24. "Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988): Reviews." Metacritic. Retrieved on May 24, 2009.
  25. Schickel, Richard. "On The Road to Utopia." Time, August 15, 1988. Retrieved on May 27, 2009.
  26. Maslin, Janet. "Tucker: The Man and His Dream." The New York Times, August 12, 1988. Retrieved on May 27, 2009.
  27. Desson, Thomas. "Tucker: The Man and His Dream." The Washington Post, August 12, 1988. Retrieved on May 27, 2009.
  28. Braun, Liz. "It's all in the family." Toronto Sun, August 13, 2009. Retrieved on August 15, 2009.
  29. Phillips and Hill 2004, p. 130.
  30. Apen, John. "1948 Tucker 48 Torpedo Sedan." Sports Car Market, 2008. Retrieved on August 16, 2009.
  31. The Official Academy Awards Database, search on "Tucker: The Man and His Dream". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved on May 28, 2009.
  32. "Search: Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture." Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Retrieved on May 28, 2009.
  33. "1988 BAFTA Awards." British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved on May 28, 2009.
  34. "Artios History." Casting Society of America. Retrieved on May 28, 2009.

Bibliography

  • Baxter, John. Mythmaker: The Life and Work of George Lucas. New York: Spike Books, 1999. ISBN 0-380-97833-4.
  • Cheetham Craig, ed. American Cars: The Automobiles That Made America. Rochester, Kent, UK: Grange Books, 2004. ISBN 1-84013-650-2.
  • Cheetham Craig. The World's Worst Cars. From Pioneering Failures To Multimillion Dollar Disasters. London: Amber Books, 2005. ISBN 1-904687-35-0.
  • Coppola, Eleanor. Notes on a Life. New York: Nan A. Talese, 2008. ISBN 978-0385524995.
  • "Company News: Roll Over, DeLorean; Shaky Attempt to Honor A Failed 40's Car Maker." The New York Times, December 29, 1992.
  • Cowie, Peter. Coppola: A Biography. New York: Da Capo Press, 1994. ISBN 0-306-80598-7.
  • Egan, Philip S. Design and Destiny: The Making of the Tucker Automobile. Orange, California: On the Mark publications, 1989. ISBN 0-924321-00-8.
  • Hearn, Marcus. The Cinema of George Lucas. New York: Abrams Books, 2005. ISBN 0-8109-4968-7.
  • Lewis, Jon. Whom God Wishes to Destroy... Francis Coppola and the New Hollywood. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press, 1995. ISBN 0-82231-889-X.
  • Padgett, Nina. "Visionary's Vehicle: 1948 Tucker Torpedo." Cars & Parts, Volume 36, No. 10, October 1993.
  • Pearson, Charles T. The Indomitable Tin Goose: The True Story of Preston Tucker and His Car. St. Paul, Minnesota: Motorbooks International Publishers & Wholesalers, 1974. ISBN 0-87938-020-9.
  • Phillips, Gene D. Godfather: The Intimate Francis Ford Coppola. Lexington, Ky : University Press of Kentucky, 2004. ISBN 0-81312-304-6.
  • Phillips, Gene D. and Rodney Hill. Francis Ford Coppola: Interviews (Conversations with Filmmakers Series). Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi, 2004. ISBN 978-1578066667.
  • Rasmussen, Harry. Imperial Palace Auto Collection. St. Paul, Minnesota: Motorbooks International (Paddock & Pearson, Inc.), 1996.
  • Schumacher, Michael. Francis Ford Coppola: A Filmmaker's Life. New York: Three Rivers Press, 1999. ISBN 0-609-80677-7.

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