When this film was made, writer/director Francis Ford Coppola was about to enter the most productive period of his career. Here he essentially takes his crew on the road to record the story of a married woman who feels trapped in her life and seeks clarity.
New Yorker Natalie Ravenna (Shirley Knight) gets up early one morning, sneaks out of the house, and ostensibly leaves her husband. After checking in with her parents, she starts driving westward. Later, she phones her husband from the road only to have no coherent answers to his questions. But he doesn't seem inclined to want to understand either.
Eventually she leaves the Pennsylvania turnpike and picks up a hitchhiker named Jimmy (James Caan). She has a vague plan of seducing the young man. But her intentions are not truly clear; she operates from moment to moment, hoping that clarity will find her. When she fully grasps the entirety of Jimmy's situation, she finds that her life is more complicated, not less.
She continues to lead a reactive life, rather than map out a plan. Coppola does not seem to intend a morality story that conveys a clear lesson. Like the film "Easy Rider", the protagonist is searching for something and becomes the thing acted upon as much as the agent of action. The act of untethering from social structures and societal norms is like casting dice and discovering the results.
Coppola and his actors create some very interesting characters. Their interactions are unpredictable and fascinating.
Coppola directed the musical "Finian's Rainbow" before this film, and "The Godfather" after it. If that doesn't demonstrate diversity, I don't know what does.
New Yorker Natalie Ravenna (Shirley Knight) gets up early one morning, sneaks out of the house, and ostensibly leaves her husband. After checking in with her parents, she starts driving westward. Later, she phones her husband from the road only to have no coherent answers to his questions. But he doesn't seem inclined to want to understand either.
Eventually she leaves the Pennsylvania turnpike and picks up a hitchhiker named Jimmy (James Caan). She has a vague plan of seducing the young man. But her intentions are not truly clear; she operates from moment to moment, hoping that clarity will find her. When she fully grasps the entirety of Jimmy's situation, she finds that her life is more complicated, not less.
She continues to lead a reactive life, rather than map out a plan. Coppola does not seem to intend a morality story that conveys a clear lesson. Like the film "Easy Rider", the protagonist is searching for something and becomes the thing acted upon as much as the agent of action. The act of untethering from social structures and societal norms is like casting dice and discovering the results.
Coppola and his actors create some very interesting characters. Their interactions are unpredictable and fascinating.
Coppola directed the musical "Finian's Rainbow" before this film, and "The Godfather" after it. If that doesn't demonstrate diversity, I don't know what does.