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One from the Heart (1982)

Starring Frederic Forrest, Teri Garr, Raul Julia, and Harry Dead Stanton.  Cinematography by Ronald Víctor García and Vittorio Storaro.  Edited by Rob Bonz, Rudi Fehr, Anne Goursaud, Michael Magill, and Randy Roberts. Produced by Armyan Bernstein, Gary Frederickson, and Fred Roos.  Written by Francis Ford Coppola and Armyan Bernstein. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

It’s a sweltering Fourth of July in Las Vegas, Nevada. Hank (played by Frederic Forrest) and Frannie (played by Teri Garr) meet to celebrate their five year anniversary together.  Seemingly innocent gifts lead to discussions of the future which ultimately lead to arguments. In the heat of the confrontation the lovers decide to break up and Hank storms out of the house.

Acting on the advice of friends, the both quickly recover and start looking for love elsewhere, and sure enough love is out there for them. Hank meets a beautiful circus performer (played by Nastassja Kinski) and Frannie meets a handsome singer (played by Raul Julia), but neither can forget their feelings for one another.

Francis Ford Coppola suffered physically and emotionally while making Apocalypse Now.  The film had become his personal Vietnam War and it took a great toll on him. He needed a break from the violent gangster and war movies that he had become famous for and decided to look an entirely different direction; that of the romantic musical.

He had just purchased the Hollywood General Studios, now called Omni Zoetrope, and was determined to show off his new capabilities. He decided to shoot his new film, titled One from the Heart, entirely in studio after the nightmare of shooting deep in the jungles of Philippines.  Coppola wanted his project to have the look and the feel of the “studio” pictures of the Forties and Fifties and even went as far as shooting it in a 1.37:1 aspect ratio, which was now rarely used for motion pictures.

He then hired the legendary actor/dancer Gene Kelly as a technical advisor to teach him and his crew about the filmmaking processes of his time.  All of the right elements seemed to be in place, but sadly the picture seemed to be doomed from the get-go.

One of the more interesting filmmaking techniques Coppola used in One from the Heart was to direct the majority of the picture from a large silver trailer set just outside the soundstage. He would watch the action from monitors in the trailer and then broadcast his direction over loudspeakers. But confusion arose when cast members couldn’t understand his commands and subsequently felt detached from the project.

Financial problems later set in when it was realized that the incredible sets being built for the project were running the budget over by ten million dollars.  When the film was finally screened, it was bombed by critics. It was then followed by a major release where it completely bombed. 

In the end it’s a shame that One from the Heart didn’t work, because Coppola was the first filmmaker in years to seriously peruse a musical. That’s not to say that it was an unfound gem.  The film does indeed have some problems, but hopefully film enthusiasts in the years to come can watch the picture and appreciate what it was that Coppola was trying to do.

Budget: $26,000,000

Total US Gross: $1,000,000

Genre: Romance

Runtime: 107 Minutes

US Release Date: 4/7/74

Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1

Awards:

Academy Awards:
Nominated for best song score.

Tagline: When Francis Ford Coppola Makes A Love Story, Don’t Expect Hearts And Flowers.

Quote: “As you go out, it's Independence Day. But instead I'll just pour myself a drink. It's got to be love; I've never felt this way.  Oh baby, this one's from the heart.”

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