Too Late Blues (1961)

This was the second film directed by John Cassavettes, and it suffers from his quirkiness, and terrible editing job. It was originally 4 hours long. Although I'm a fan of JC's anyway. With a character as complex as Ghost, and a back drop of the world of jazz musician's trying to make it, he could've had a classic, gritty film about the subject. He almost does. But what saves it and makes it worth while for me is Bobby Darin. He lives, breathes, and is Ghost Wakefield. Darin easily shows great emotion with his communicative brown eyes, and his pliable, handsome face. He's a natural, and it's a shame his health robbed him of the opportunity to do more film work. He has a dymanic presence on screen, sizzles with sexual undertones. Darin would only have gotten better and better as he matured.

Why I rate it high is because it belongs in any retrospective of the legendary, uncompromising director, and it gave Bobby Darin one of the most multi-talented entertainers of all time, a chance to shine. I'll be forever grateful to Cassavettes' for casting Bobby in this role.

The Raksin theme (aka A SONG AFTER SUNDOWN) is the real highlight of the movie and gets TOO LATE BLUES an extra star. John Cassavetes directs what's generally regarded as a failure, albeit one with potential and some curiously good moments. The biggest problem is that the film doesn't concentrate enough on the music, or the beat-generation mentality, that defines it. It's too mainstream, and there was little freedom to explore, with any detail, the psychosexual connection between a hooker and an impotent musician. Darin and Stevens are obviously discombobulated by the Cassavetes knack for improvisation, and weak editing only compounds the problem.

The Olive Films' blu-ray looks sterling.

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An uncompromising jazz musician (Bobby Darin) holds firmly to his artistic convictions not to sell out for money and fame. But when he falls in love with a sad and wounded wannabe singer (Stella Stevens), he feels humiliated and ashamed when he can't physically defend her from a drunken thug (Vince Edwards) and he turns against her and his bandmates. After the critical success of his indie film SHADOWS (which won the Critics award at the Venice film festival) in 1959, director John Cassavetes second directorial effort was for a major studio, Paramount. Yet it doesn't have the feel of a slick Hollywood studio movie, it feels improvisatory and spontaneous (Cassavetes co-wrote the script) while retaining an authentic jazz milieu. Only the ending feels like a mainstream Hollywood film but I don't know if it was Cassavetes' idea or a compromise. The acting is excellent with both Darin and Stevens showing great potential that was never fully realized in either's acting career. Stevens, in particular, seems a major actress about to bloom. The nicely rendered B&W photography is by Lionel Lindon (MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE) and the minimal underscore by David Raksin (LAURA). Fine supporting work by Everett Chambers as Darin's mean spirited and spiteful agent, Cliff Carnell, Seymour Cassel, Nick Dennis, Rupert Crosse and Marilyn Clark as rich matron who makes Darin her gigolo.

The Olive DVD is a crisp B&W transfer in an anamorphic 1.85 aspect ratio.

Read Best Reviews of Too Late Blues (1961) Here

Too Late Blues [Blu-ray]Recently bought this bluray and as with all the OLIVE FILMS product, the transfer is sumptuous. First of all I never understood why John Cassavetes kind of disowned this film. I believe it is excellent. The film is made with a great deal of discipline which Cassavetes "more personal" efforts mostly weren't. His skill at directing actors was always wonderful and it is no less true of this film. Everyone in it is at their peak. Some have asserted that Bobby Darin was miscast here but I don't agree at all. The real standout in a grand cast is Stella Stevens. Recently Tim Lucas (of Video Watchdog)opined that Jerry Lewis MUST HAVE SEEN THIS FILM before casting her in his own THE NUTTY PROFESSOR. I never thought of that before but the similarity in the roles template is reason to wonder at the very least. And she is not only one of the most beautiful women to ever exist but QUITE a grand DRAMATIC as well as comic actress.

So many of the other performances (for that matter co-writer Cassavetes had more discipline in the script here than ever)are super. Everett Chambers wonderful lizard like performance turning on dime from smiling glad-hander to back-stabber, Bobby Darin playing a jazz musician (someone whose musical tastes AND OUTPUT was ALWAYS broad in real life)who is basically a self-centered egocentric (MANY would assert not far from his REAL personality)is always convincing and never a caricature. Nick Dennis is always a ball to watch and see (Everyone remembers him in Aldrich's KISS ME DEADLY..."Pretty POW!"). Vincent Edwards (when he was doing almost NOTHING but villains before BEN CASEY too him to stardom) isn't convincing as an IRISH person, but is effective as a drunken bully who beats tiny Darin up and humiliates him in front of his friends/bandmates and girl (Stevens)...In addition the parts of the band are played by real jazz players and they are all extraordinarily effective...as is Lionel Lindon's cinematography and David Raksin's score. SEE IT!

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Too Late Bluies has a weak story and even weaker acting. One of Bobby Darin's first acting efforts and he is not good.

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