Word: bellows
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...Saul Bellow' s More Die of Heartbreak finds comedy in the torments of the hypereducated man. -- Bill Buckley sets sail again...
Although he hardly wants for honors (three National Book Awards, the Nobel Prize for Literature), Saul Bellow has not always been appreciated for his comic gifts. That may be because his books and reputation can appear so intimidating. When a serious, renowned writer tosses out big ideas, the proper response seems to be a hushed, respectful concentration. But at least as far back as Herzog (1964), Bellow began putting the act of thinking through some antic paces. Moses Herzog was the first, but not the last, of the author's heroes to suffer the risible torments of the hypereducated...
...adaptation of Saul Bellow's 1956 novella Seize the Day stands apart from the usual run of prestige TV drama in several respects. First, for its unrelenting bleakness: the only possible relief from Tommy's mounting misfortunes is a bitter laugh at their Job-like extravagance. Then, for its particularity: the movie is a vivid portrait of a fortyish Jewish man on Manhattan's Upper West Side in the mid-1950s, yet it refuses to promulgate a larger message about Jews, New York City or life in the '50s. And finally, for the very fact that it was made. Despite...
...roast and watermelon. Joseph Wiseman is a bit too pat as the unfeeling father, but there are finely etched cameos from Katherine Borowitz, Tony Roberts, William Hickey and, particularly, Jo Van Fleet as a dowager who defiantly stares down Tommy while her dog urinates at his feet. (Bellow himself appears in a walk-through as a hotel guest...
...Bailey can handle the low notes with gruff growl. But when his voice tries to soar and twist like Morrison's, his short-comings are all too evident. Whereas Morrison can take an extremely simple melody and wring out surprises, Bailey can only increase the volume of his bellow...