I've been long overdue to watch this, and especially more recently I've wondered how it ended up winning accolades that, say, 'Raging Bull' didn't. To finally sit and watch the answer seems readily evident to me. It's not necessary to draw any comparisons to Martin Scorsese's masterpiece, but it is useful in at least one regard. Where Scorsese's feature is roundly, exquisitely made, largely in specific ways, Robert Redford's directorial debut is a tremendously nuanced yet wholly unyielding emotional powerhouse that gets in deep under your skin. Ultimately one of these is more impressive than the other - and I can't believe it's taken me this long to see 'Ordinary people,' because it's absolutely exceptional.
Where the script introduces a rare fragment of humor it's a welcome, necessary gasp of fresh air before we're plunged once again into an astoundingly depressing, sorrow-ridden, but utterly heartfelt examination of a family in extreme crisis. Young Conrad feels everything intensely, guilt most of all; mother Beth has a pathological need to feel a sense of control; father Calvin tries his hardest to love. In the wake of the death of the eldest son, and Conrad's attempted suicide, hairline fractures become tumultuous gulfs, with a slowly spiraling narrative, one gut-wrenching scene after another, barbed dialogue, and characters penned so carefully they're basically plucked directly from real life. Alvin Sargent gives us a truly stunning, incredibly impactful screenplay that cuts like a knife, and it's a magnificent credit to Redford, directing for the first time, that he brings the wretched tableau to life with such remarkable, unfailing skill and intelligence. For as hard as the picture hits again, and again, and again, no small part of that punch is owed to the delicate, finessed restraint that the proceedings repeatedly demonstrate - holding back just enough so that when the next beat comes it's all the more potent. Emphasizing the point, there are moments where words are left unspoken in a brilliant move that lets the dour airs swirl all on their own, and these are among some the sharpest scenes in the whole two hours. Between Sargent and Redford I really don't know whose contribution is more spectacular.
It's not just the writer or the director, however, because they're not alone in making 'Ordinary people' the heavy piece of cinema that it is. It's noteworthy that the preponderance of the length is bereft of any music; the absence of a score lets the drama speak for itself, and it does so to perfect success. Where composer Marvin Hamlisch does introduce a phrase or two, however, it is with an impossibly acute ear for the exact gentle addition that will disproportionately add to the weight of the saga. I've never heard Pachelbel's Canon in D reduced to so simple an arrangement, and I also doubt I will ever again hear another arrangement that is so immensely powerful. And still such considerations pale in comparison to the acting, for I think these might be some of the best performances I've ever seen. These days Judd Hirsch is recognized for bit parts, but the indefatigable warmth and poised sagacity he carries as Dr. Berger shine with a luminosity that caught me off guard, and it now seems strange that his career isn't more highly celebrated. Similarly, while I don't think anyone would ever underestimate Donald Sutherland, he's now at a time in his life when it's easy to take for granted that he's a well-regarded actor (not unlike, say, Robert De Niro). Lest there ever be any doubt, however, his turn as Calvin is rife with a soft subtlety that belies the turbulent moment in the Jarretts' lives that the father is trying to navigate and manage. This somehow goes double for Mary Tyler Moore, best known for TV sitcoms. As beleaguered mother Beth, handling her grief and her family's troubles in the only way she knows how, there is a momentously understated vibrancy in Moore's acting that makes it all the more striking when Beth allows herself to show what she's feeling; a quiet coda to a scene very late in the third act is one of the most singularly striking bits of acting I can recall. Yet it's Timothy Hutton, only twenty years old when this movie was released, who lends most to its monumental potency. His portrayal of Conrad is characterized by such fantastic emotional range and depth, and physicality, that very simply, he stands taller than anyone else involved. All things considered, that's saying a lot.
This is to say nothing of the rest of the supporting cast, or of the work of those operating behind the scenes. 'Ordinary people' is totally solid in every capacity. There is no mistaking where it's utmost vitality lies, however, and so the writing, direction, and acting are the linchpins, with the music a step behind only because of its general declination. I'm blown away by just how stupendous this film is, far exceeding any expectations I might have had, and in my opinion it deserves more recognition and visibility than it's gotten in the past forty years. All who participated to are to heartily congratulated; while the subject matter and overall tone are dreary, when all is said and done the title is so superb that I'd be hard-pressed not to suggest it to one and all. From top to bottom this is ferocious absorbing, poignant, satisfying, and rewarding, and I would start tripping over my words if I tried to speak of it more highly or at greater length. As far as I'm concerned 'Ordinary people' is a must-see modern classic, and I'm pleased to give it my very high, hearty, and enthusiastic recommendation!
Where the script introduces a rare fragment of humor it's a welcome, necessary gasp of fresh air before we're plunged once again into an astoundingly depressing, sorrow-ridden, but utterly heartfelt examination of a family in extreme crisis. Young Conrad feels everything intensely, guilt most of all; mother Beth has a pathological need to feel a sense of control; father Calvin tries his hardest to love. In the wake of the death of the eldest son, and Conrad's attempted suicide, hairline fractures become tumultuous gulfs, with a slowly spiraling narrative, one gut-wrenching scene after another, barbed dialogue, and characters penned so carefully they're basically plucked directly from real life. Alvin Sargent gives us a truly stunning, incredibly impactful screenplay that cuts like a knife, and it's a magnificent credit to Redford, directing for the first time, that he brings the wretched tableau to life with such remarkable, unfailing skill and intelligence. For as hard as the picture hits again, and again, and again, no small part of that punch is owed to the delicate, finessed restraint that the proceedings repeatedly demonstrate - holding back just enough so that when the next beat comes it's all the more potent. Emphasizing the point, there are moments where words are left unspoken in a brilliant move that lets the dour airs swirl all on their own, and these are among some the sharpest scenes in the whole two hours. Between Sargent and Redford I really don't know whose contribution is more spectacular.
It's not just the writer or the director, however, because they're not alone in making 'Ordinary people' the heavy piece of cinema that it is. It's noteworthy that the preponderance of the length is bereft of any music; the absence of a score lets the drama speak for itself, and it does so to perfect success. Where composer Marvin Hamlisch does introduce a phrase or two, however, it is with an impossibly acute ear for the exact gentle addition that will disproportionately add to the weight of the saga. I've never heard Pachelbel's Canon in D reduced to so simple an arrangement, and I also doubt I will ever again hear another arrangement that is so immensely powerful. And still such considerations pale in comparison to the acting, for I think these might be some of the best performances I've ever seen. These days Judd Hirsch is recognized for bit parts, but the indefatigable warmth and poised sagacity he carries as Dr. Berger shine with a luminosity that caught me off guard, and it now seems strange that his career isn't more highly celebrated. Similarly, while I don't think anyone would ever underestimate Donald Sutherland, he's now at a time in his life when it's easy to take for granted that he's a well-regarded actor (not unlike, say, Robert De Niro). Lest there ever be any doubt, however, his turn as Calvin is rife with a soft subtlety that belies the turbulent moment in the Jarretts' lives that the father is trying to navigate and manage. This somehow goes double for Mary Tyler Moore, best known for TV sitcoms. As beleaguered mother Beth, handling her grief and her family's troubles in the only way she knows how, there is a momentously understated vibrancy in Moore's acting that makes it all the more striking when Beth allows herself to show what she's feeling; a quiet coda to a scene very late in the third act is one of the most singularly striking bits of acting I can recall. Yet it's Timothy Hutton, only twenty years old when this movie was released, who lends most to its monumental potency. His portrayal of Conrad is characterized by such fantastic emotional range and depth, and physicality, that very simply, he stands taller than anyone else involved. All things considered, that's saying a lot.
This is to say nothing of the rest of the supporting cast, or of the work of those operating behind the scenes. 'Ordinary people' is totally solid in every capacity. There is no mistaking where it's utmost vitality lies, however, and so the writing, direction, and acting are the linchpins, with the music a step behind only because of its general declination. I'm blown away by just how stupendous this film is, far exceeding any expectations I might have had, and in my opinion it deserves more recognition and visibility than it's gotten in the past forty years. All who participated to are to heartily congratulated; while the subject matter and overall tone are dreary, when all is said and done the title is so superb that I'd be hard-pressed not to suggest it to one and all. From top to bottom this is ferocious absorbing, poignant, satisfying, and rewarding, and I would start tripping over my words if I tried to speak of it more highly or at greater length. As far as I'm concerned 'Ordinary people' is a must-see modern classic, and I'm pleased to give it my very high, hearty, and enthusiastic recommendation!