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4K Ultra HD™ Review: Francis Ford Coppola’s “One From The Heart: Reprise” – A Flawed Yet Fascinating Misstep

The five-year romance of a window dresser and her boyfriend breaks up as each of them finds a more interesting partner.

Francis Ford Coppola’s storied career has spanned decades, with a filmography that boasts some of cinema’s most iconic works – The Godfather trilogy, “The Conversation,” “Apocalypse Now,” and more. Yet, his journey has been marked by both soaring highs and precipitous lows. As the 1980s dawned, Coppola sought to break free from the constraints of the films that had cemented his status as a master filmmaker in the 1970s. He embarked on a new creative path with “One from the Heart” (1981), “The Outsiders” (1983), “Rumble Fish” (1983), “The Cotton Club” (1984), and several others. While these films showcased his versatility, none captured the same critical acclaim as his 1970s masterpieces. It wasn’t until “The Godfather Part III” in 1990 that Coppola briefly recaptured the praise of critics, though even that film was considered the weakest link in the trilogy.

“One from the Heart” narrates the tale of Hank and Frannie (Frederic Forrest and Teri Garr), a couple living in Las Vegas who decide to end their relationship on the eve of their fifth anniversary. As they each venture into the city and find new companions for the night, they must confront the possibility that they have made a grave mistake. With “One from the Heart,” Coppola aimed to push the boundaries of his craft, describing the film as “…a musical show. It’s not a conventional musical in the sense that people start singing in the middle of a scene, but rather, the story is told by songs, music, and dance.” While Coppola may have sought to redefine the musical genre, the end result is undeniably a musical, complete with characters bursting into song and dance numbers.

Coppola deserves credit for his bold decision to shoot the entire film on the soundstages of Zoetrope, his production company, utilizing miniatures and lavish backgrounds to create an ethereal ambiance that transports viewers to a bygone era of cinema. However, the film’s shortcomings lie in its writing and performances. Coppola, who co-wrote the script with Armyan Bernstein, crafted one-dimensional characters devoid of compelling backstories. As a result, audiences cannot connect with Hank and Frannie, rendering their predicament emotionally hollow. The talents of Teri Garr and Frederic Forrest are wasted on characters lacking depth, with their histories and motivations remaining frustratingly opaque.

The dialogue and interactions between the protagonists lack the nuance and complexity that defined Coppola’s earlier masterworks. Rather than nuanced adults, Hank and Frannie come across as petulant children, storming off in tantrums in search of greener pastures. The film fails to establish a genuine emotional connection between the leads, making their inevitable reconciliation feel unearned. The imbalance of accountability, with Frannie shouldering the blame for their mistakes while Hank remains silent, adds to the narrative’s frustration.

With “One from the Heart,” Coppola bit off more than he could chew. The film’s lack of genuine emotion, coupled with its poorly developed characters and subpar dialogue, make it a misstep in the director’s otherwise illustrious career. Rather than a heartfelt exploration of love and loss, the film serves as a vanity project for Coppola, a misguided attempt to prove his versatility. While Coppola has undoubtedly proven his mastery of the dramatic form, “One from the Heart” and the similarly disappointing “The Cotton Club” demonstrate that the musical genre may be beyond his grasp. As Coppola prepares to unveil his upcoming epic science fiction drama “Megalopolis,” audiences can only hope that he will return to the form that has made him a legend of cinema.

Now available on 4K Ultra HD™, Blu-ray™, and Digital

 

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James McDonald

Originally from Dublin, Ireland, James is a Movie Critic with 40 years of experience in the film industry as an Award-Winning Filmmaker. He is also a member of the Critics Choice Association and the Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association.