Move

They cut out parts of the movie at the end.

"Move" (1970) must be Stuart Rosenberg's best film since he directed "Cool Hand Luke." It is probably the best film I've seen starring Elliott Gould. It was made during a year when Elliott Gould had made four or five films that year, and got little notice and was only barely mentioned. But it is very original and effervescently fresh. The screenplay is by Joel Lieber and Stanley Hart based on a novel by Leiber. Paula Prentiss and Genevieve Waite, the irrepressible girl from "Joanna" are also very good. In Color by Deluxe and Panavision, the 20th Century Fox Cinema Archives presentation suffers from the studio's apparent dislike for their customers as it is given the "this film has been modified" treatment, but if you've never seen it, it's worth taking a look at. A happening.

After so many years I have at last watched "Move" again, and my first impression that it is a weird funny comedy has not changed. Released on DVD (although not in its original wide-screen format) in 2015, the package includes its trailer and it is quite obvious that in 1970 20th Century Fox did not know how to promote it. Far from the 1960s romantic comedy formula, Fox did not come up with an original campaign to handle the eccentricity and strangeness of many of the scenes and images the plot describes. "Move" is an absurdist comedy that makes irreverent jokes on social stratification, authorities and married life. Though a crazy product of its times (from the company that brought that same year "Myra Breckinridge" and "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls") it is not a harsh confrontational story, but a gentle tale, treating its points in a light and comic way. Based on a tight script that never loses its cohesion, the plot follows writer Hiram Jaffe (Elliott Gould) through situations as he tries to move from one apartment to another, an action that also can be interpreted as his attempt at moving up a level, pressured by his wife Dolly (Paula Prentiss). He has to face his creative crisis, his sex life and his paranoia. He is about to leave behind his old quarter and most probably his usual activities, as walking out other people's dogs to make ends meet, and he is definitely afraid of "moving", imagining (or not) all kinds of difficulties and obstacles. The production had an inspired casting, pairing Gould and Prentiss, an ideal couple for the 1970s that surely would have developed into a fine act in other comedies: there's good chemistry between them, they handle the comedy aspects very well, and Prentiss even adds a touch of humor in her single dramatic moment, that fits the whole concept of absurdity by novelist-scriptwriter Joel Lieber. If I have any complaint (apart from Prentiss' excessive make-up -such a beautiful face did not need all that!) it is Stuart Rosenberg's direction, who maybe was not the best choice to film a screenplay that easily changes from slapstick to verbal comedy, from Brechtian estrangement to a chase on horseback. Although I sometimes felt a too heavy treatment of a few scenes (as Prentiss' dramatic monologue), Rosenberg was a highly professional filmmaker and did a respectable job.

the entire last scene has been censored, cut out.

This review is for the pan-and-scan "full screen" 1.37 to 1 DVD version of this Panavision movie. As of this writing, it appears to be the only version available.Paula Prentiss plays the wife of Elliot Gould whose character has R-rated comic Walter Mitty fantasies during their frustrating move from one apartment to another. The elusive Telephone Installer and other characters serve as metaphors for the dehumanization of city life. Although quirky, this film had a following at the time of its release, due in part to the great popularity of its two stars. It deserves a re-release in the correct aspect ratio someday. In the meantime, this version serves its purpose.

I've always liked Elliott Gould's disengaged, neurotic roles and this was certainly one of those roles. The plot and the characters are all somewhat bizarre as so many films were during the same transitional period of social upheaval the nation was experiencing when it was made - 1969/70. But the quirkiness of the story of a frustrated playwright who writes porno stories to get by while lapsing into Walter Mitty style fantasies appealed to me.

I have a soft spot for this breezy timepiece. Much more fun than it's given credit for. Although an Elliott Gould vehicle, Paula Prentiss & Genevieve Waite shine here. My 4 stars are for the film itself. The DVD is pan & scan for no reason at all & is actually cut. Why? Respect the filmmaker & present it as it was intended. What must we do to rectify this?

What a crazy movie. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you.