Sam's Song (1969)

Directors:

John C. Broderick
John Shade

Writer:

John C. Broderick (writer)

Release Date:

4 July 1980 (Finland)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Some answers are worth killing for...

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Independent Film

Cast

Robert De Niro	...	Sam Nicoletti
Jennifer Warren	...	Erica
Jarred Mickey	...	Andrew (as Jerry Micky)
Terrayne Crawford	...	Carol
Martin J. Kelley	...	Mitch (as Martin Kelley)
Phyllis Black	...	Marge
Anthony Charnota	...	Vito
Lisa Blount
Sybil Danning	...	Older Erica
John Medici
James Brown
Sam Anderson
Tony Brande
Matt Greene		(as Matthew Greene)
Alvin Hammer

Also Known As:

Line of Fire
The Swap (USA) (recut version)

Runtime:

89 min | 86 min (re-cut version) | Netherlands:92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:15 | Iceland:16 | Finland:K-16 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Trivia:

Robert De Niro was angered that Cannon Films took his previously shot footage and inserted it into an entirely new movie - legal action was almost taken.

Quotes:

Vito: It's been twelve years since I had a mayonnaise and peanut butter sandwich. Now that's what I call cruel and unusual punishment.

Movie Connections:

References Star! (1968)

Hey, don't mix up the two films!!!

A lot has been said here. But almost none of it is about Sam's Song, and even if it is, it often isn't rue.

Sam's Song is not unfinished. At least, I saw a movie that had opening credits, closing credits, and the rest made sense as well. And Sam's Song is NOT, I REPEAT: NOT "The Swap". Even though I saw the movie on a DVD which promoted it as "The Swap", and even if the cover said it would be about a porn director being killed: it isn't.

It's a fairly simple love story told in an uncommon way. Not much really happens, but that doesn't stop you from being intrigued. The film is not very much concerned about plot, but more about atmosphere and the characters. The film shows us four characters which are all unpredictable and yet very recognizable, maybe just because they are unpredictable and are not Hollywoodlike at all. The fact that De Niro plays a wannabe director hardly plays any part in this movie. It's a pleasant story about two couples: one that just met en one that has been together for years, seemingly destined to live happily ever after.

The film is intriguing because of the unpredictable dialogs, the weird pace, the uncommon silences and, of course, because it's a very honest en typical 60's/70's film, a time document. The director en the editor were clearly not untalented. De Niro plays very differently from his well known parts, but I would call it a different style, not per se worse.

The ending is a bit abrupt and feels weak. It denies the title "Sam's Song". Sam (De Niro) is the protagonist but the movie, in the end, is about the other three characters. That's where the main weakness lays: Sam is the main character, and he is intriguing (De Niro's talent already showing?) but in the end, he is unimportant.

Most votes and comments here are about "The Swap", a version with extra material which doesn't resemble Sam's Song in the slightest anymore. Don't be fooled. Even though that's hard: Sam's Song is sold as The Swap and vice versa. Sam's Song itself is definitely worth to be seen even if it's far from a master piece. 6.5 out of 10