Word: bergmans
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Understandably, the viewer is not exactly sure what to make of the work--it is hard, after all, to imagine a film suffering from too much talent. But there is an obvious incompatability between the writing talents of Bergman (proven in the past by his works Blazing Saddles and Fletch) featured in this taut, very funny script, and the monolithic acting abilities of two-time Academy Award winner Brando. Matters are complicated further by the fact that The Freshman is largely a parody of the mob ethos engendered by The Godfather and its central character, Don Corleone, immortalized by Brando...
...tremendous ability becomes a bull in a china shop. The movie calls for deft direction to avoid trampling the film's fragile comedic atmosphere. Reigning in Brando under such stringent tolerances would be a challenge for even the most accomplished director, a task clearly beyond the abilities of Bergman. He might be comforted by the knowledge that he practically doomed himself to failure right from the outset. Bergman made the already difficult task of executing an intelligent farce of The Godfather even more trying by casting in The Freshman's piviotal role the same figure he is attempting to parody...
...Bergman has assembled a talented if not superstar ensemble around Brando, and it is certainly not on their account that Brando overpowers the film. Broderick possesse a natural comic timing, and is perfect in his role as the naive New Englander. Kirby, too, is excellent in his role, extremely convincing as Sabatini's slightly slimy go-fernephew. Miller slips in and out of her horribly affected Queens accent but is well suited to her character, effectively portraying the spoiled self-consciousness one might expect from the mafia princess. And Academy Award-winning actor Schell is strangely engaging as the quirky...
...Brando is, well, Brando. The point of departure for The Freshman is a newspaper article Bergman came across, describing the arrest of a under-world figure for illegally smuggling endangered animals into the United States. Brando is flawless in his portrayal of the omniscient honor-bound mafia figure, just offbeat enough to make very believable the idea of a man involved in importing endangered species. Unfortunately, this ridiculous plot should not be the heart of the film. Like all of Bergman's scripts, The Freshman is about a man trapped in circumstances beyond his control, a role filled here...
...American rural innocent provide The Freshman with convincing human impact. Just as The Godfather succeeds largely because it was able to make the family life of the murdering, lawbreaking Corleone family somehow seem real and touching, its parody The Freshman is able to rescue itself from the destruction of Bergman's intentions. And despite some directorial flaws, The Freshman is funny and entertaining in a delightfully quirky manner...