Mister Buddwing (1966)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Delbert Mann

Writers:

Evan Hunter (novel)
Dale Wasserman (writer)

Release Date:

15 July 1966 (West Germany)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The Strangest Girl-Hunt A Man Ever Went On!

Plot:

An amnesiac wanders the streets of Manhattan, trying to solve the mystery of who he is.

Plot Keywords:

Amnesia | Beautiful Woman | Based On Novel

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

James Garner	...	Mister Buddwing
Jean Simmons	...	The Blonde
Suzanne Pleshette	...	Fiddle
Katharine Ross	...	Janet
Angela Lansbury	...	Gloria
George Voskovec	...	Shabby Old Man
Jack Gilford	...	Mr. Schwartz
Joe Mantell	...	1st Cab Driver
Raymond St. Jacques	...	Hank
Ken Lynch	...	Dan
Beeson Carroll	...	Policeman
Billy Halop	...	Fredrick Calabrese 2nd Cab Driver
Michael Hadge	...	Counterman
Charles Seel	...	Printer
John Tracy	...	Tony

Also Known As:

Buddwing (USA) (working title)
Woman Without a Face

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (certficate #20963)

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Cherokee Productions

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Searchers for a Special City (1965)

"Memento" of the 60's

A quirky, moody, sleight of reality. As this movie progresses it becomes more an altered chronology of remembered events rather than a series of hallucinations. The city of New York is more than a geographical location, it is an artistic "set". The use of black and white rather than color gives this particular "set" a role in establishing the mood and tone. ALL the shots are for dramatic effect, not a wasted inch. High contrast but in a muted way. A perfect example is the black iron walkway leading to the bridge against a NY skyline and Suzanne Pleshette in a white coat and boots (ala '60"s). This composition has great dark lines and light forms but almost in an early evening haze.

Then, I also must comment on Jean Simmons like I've hardly ever seen her. She was so coquettish, lush, lively and degenerate at the same time that I thought I was seeing Vivien Leigh as a young flapper. I was quite mesmerized trying to reconcile this Jean Simmons with "Young Bess". I thought she was the spark of the whole movie.

The cutting and arranging of the sequences lent themselves to dramatically unfolding the story in non-chronological order. This is what made me think of "Memento".

Like "Memento"'s Guy Pearce, James Garner mostly stumbles through "Mr. Buddwing" fairly stupefied. This behavior seems about right to me if someone were truly experiencing this altered reality.

I recommend this movie for a dark, hushed evening, especially if you have friends willing to "suspend dis-belief" and careen around New York and James Garner's head.