Romancing The Stone (DVD)

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TITLE: Romancing the Stone

RATING: ****½

CAST: Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito, Zack Norman, Mary Ellen Trainer, Manuel Ojeda, Alfonso Arau, Holland Taylor.

DIRECTOR: Robert Zemeckis

STUDIO: 20th Century Fox

RUNNING TIME: 106 min.

RATED: PG (US) & PG (UK); contains violence, some profanity, and partial nudity.

AMAZON ...
...that was the 1984 release ROMANCING THE STONE. To my knowledge, it is one of the first films in which my father recorded on video and, as a result, I must have seen it over 100 times while growing up. It is now one of my all-time favorite films too: a wonderful, delightful mixture of over-the-top stunts, high adventure, big laughs, edge-of-your-seat suspense and sexy romance. While the film is obviously RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK-inspired, it incredibly ... more

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TITLE: Romancing the Stone

RATING: ****½

CAST: Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito, Zack Norman, Mary Ellen Trainer, Manuel Ojeda, Alfonso Arau, Holland Taylor.

DIRECTOR: Robert Zemeckis

STUDIO: 20th Century Fox

RUNNING TIME: 106 min.

RATED: PG (US) & PG (UK); contains violence, some profanity, and partial nudity.

AMAZON INFO: 5.00 GPB; ASIN #B0009RB5AS

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INTRODUCTION
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"That was the end of Groven! The man who killed my father, raped and murdered my sister, burned my ranch, shot my dog, and stole my Bible!!! If there was one law of the West, bastards had brothers---who seemed to ride forever; but suddenly there he was: my beloved Jesse! He was the one man I trusted, the only man; my heart leapt as I watched him ride up here. I just couldn't wait to feel the warmth of his touch. At the moment his lips met mine, I knew that we would never again be apart. I knew then that we would spend the rest of our lives together. Forever!!!"

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DANIELLE STEELE, EAT YOUR HEART OUT!
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Romance novels, ewww!!! Who reads that garbage? Oh…sorry, Mom! Ok, to be honest with all of you, I think that romance novels are on the same level of soap operas; if you like them, that's fine, despite the fact that they are really all the same with just the names and situations changed. Just to let all you Ciao readers know, my mother is one of Danielle Steele's most ardent fans, and she has even collected a lot of the television films in which those books were adapted. As for myself, I can't get myself to read them, and it is actually a mystery to me as to why so many of them are popular. Don't get me wrong, I'm a romantic, though I'm not really interested in novels which are typically about middle aged divorcees or widowers finding new love in their life.

My father, in comparison to my mother, couldn't stand romance novels and made fun of my mother's devotion to Steele; yet, they both loved one film so much that it became one of their favorites, and that was the 1984 release ROMANCING THE STONE. To my knowledge, it is one of the first films in which my father recorded on video and, as a result, I must have seen it over 100 times while growing up. It is now one of my all-time favorite films too: a wonderful, delightful mixture of over-the-top stunts, high adventure, big laughs, edge-of-your-seat suspense and sexy romance. While the film is obviously RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK-inspired, it incredibly became of the most popular films of the 1980s---and made a star out of Michael Douglas, who also produced the project.

This is one of those few films that I cannot imagine anyone disliking, though I'm sure there will be one or two comments proving otherwise. However, I truly believe that ROMANCING THE STONE has something for everyone: one of those rare audience movies that packs a wallop; as for my mother, she loved it because of the idea of a romance novelist getting involved with a real adventure like in one of her novels, and my father loved it because he had a thing for Kathleen Turner. As for myself, I love the film because I love the story, and the characters for that matter; plus, after viewing it again recently, I was surprised at how everything remains fresh and that nothing about the film seemed dated. I would be hard pressed if there is anyone out there who has never seen it, though I will still elaborate on the plot, which will hopefully get first-timers interested.

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JOAN IS LOOKING FOR HER JESSE
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The film opens with a terrific sequence, which features a woman in a Western setting killing some bad guys before riding off into the sunset with her "Jesse"; turns out that this happens to be the concluding chapter of Joan Wilder's latest romance novel. Wilder is a best-selling author living in a New York apartment with her cat Romeo; while she is content with her success, she is still very single and can't seem to find the right man to fill the romantic void in her life (her ideal man is "Jesse"). She leaves one rainy morning to deliver her latest novel to her publisher, when someone very unwelcome---so unwelcome that he even stabs a neighbor of Joan's---breaks in her apartment and trashes it, obviously looking for something.

When she discovers what has been done, she is shocked, and she is about to receive an even bigger shock when her sister calls her from Columbia with the news that she was kidnapped; there is a back story, though, I will only touch upon that Joan has received a treasure map from her sister's late husband. The kidnappers want that map badly, and request that she come down to Columbia to deliver it; with her sister's life in the balance, she boldly makes the trip down there, even if she is about as scared as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. What Joan doesn't realize is that the man who raided her apartment is also interested in getting the treasure map; his name is Zolo and, as it turns out, he is actually the greedy leader of a Columbian rebel militia force…apparently this guy is so cold-blooded he even gives his men orders to kill!

Soon enough, Joan finds herself lost amid Columbia's wild jungles, with Zolo in hot pursuit; her one and only ally is a smarmy soldier-of-fortune named Jack T. Colton. It is when Colton figures into the story when ROMANCING THE STONE really takes off, becoming a genuinely entertaining roller-coaster ride, as Joan tries to dodge Zolo and his men, falls in love with Jack (even though he might possibly be using her), all the while trying to deal with the impatient demands of her sister's kidnappers. Of course, the "stone" of the title is what everyone wants to get his or her hands on.

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AN OSCAR-WINNING DIRECTOR'S FIRST HIT MOVIE
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The genesis of ROMANCING THE STONE is interesting to point out in that Michael Douglas was having lunch one day when a waitress named Diane Thomas told him that she had been developing the story, though had not published it or even had any idea how to sell or promote it. So, the "pitch" was done not in a movie studio, but in an L.A. café; Douglas liked the story, and asked Thomas to try to put it into a screenplay format, which she did. After introducing Thomas and her story to 20th Century Fox, the studio said yes to the production and then Douglas approached Robert Zemeckis to direct. Bear in mind this was before Zemeckis became famous with BACK TO THE FUTURE, CAST AWAY, and FORREST GUMP; at this time, Zemeckis had the reputation of being a good director that made good films which made no money at the box office. All three of the director's previous films had flopped so badly that he even had to cut off working with Steven Spielberg, who had assisted Zemeckis with his previous projects.

Anyway, Zemeckis' light, witty direction is just one of many elements that made ROMANCING THE STONE so successful. There are so many memorable moments in this film that it is hard to keep count, like when Jack chops off the head of a Bushmaster that was about to snap at Joan, or when they both find themselves going down a jungle mudslide in the heavy rain. Then there is of course the rip-roaring sequence in which they attempt to find someone with a car to get to Cartagena, and they end up with a hilarious bellmaker with a truck that he nicknames "Pepe."

Kathleen Turner---fresh off her kinky debut in 1981's BODY HEAT---is especially likable (and believable) as Joan Wilder, who cannot believe she becomes like one of the heroines in her own novels. Thankfully, she doesn't fall in to the cliché of the "damsel-in-distress" but rather becomes stronger and tougher as the film goes along; all in all, she is really the glue that holds everything together, while Michael Douglas has some fun as Jack T. Colton, who has a steady supply of funny one-liners and ready to take on anything and anyone (particularly when he has a big ass shotgun to back him up). Rounding out the main cast is the superb Danny DeVito, as one of the kidnappers who attempts to get the stone himself despite Zolo and Colton always getting in the way. I must also mention that Manuel Ojeda is positively menacing as Zolo, and it's a shame that he never went on to bigger and better things afterward.

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FOLLOW THAT STONE!!!
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Prior to coming onboard to direct ROMANCING THE STONE, Robert Zemeckis had made three films with his partner Bob Gale---as well as Steven Spielberg---all of which flopped: 1941, USED CARS and I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAND. Zemeckis and Gale wanted to develop their script for BACK TO THE FUTURE, though Zemeckis decided to put it on hold because he didn't want to make another film that audiences would not come to see. So, Zemeckis saw ROMANCING THE STONE as a film that would make him or break him; producer Douglas had a good reputation in Hollywood, especially after garnering an Oscar for ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST.

Luckily, STONE had become a major hit with critics and audiences alike, and so he had gotten back together with practically his entire crew, including editor Arthur Schmidt, music composer Alan Silvestri, production designer Lawrence G. Paull, and costume designer Robin Liersch to do BACK TO THE FUTURE. All of his crewmembers contribute as much as he does with STONE; I especially like Silvestri's jazzy score, even if Steven Spielberg himself wasn't impressed with it (ahem, Zemeckis revealed this in an interview). Because of STONE, Zemeckis is now one of the biggest and most respected filmmakers in the business and Douglas is still a major star and producer. I must also give kudos to the impressive stuntwork by Terry Leonard, as well as the excellent effects by Academy Award winner Chris Walas. Watch out for those crocodiles!!!

Because of BACK TO THE FUTURE, Zemeckis had turned down the proposed sequel for STONE, which had emerged in 1985 as THE JEWEL OF THE NILE. Douglas, Turner, and DeVito all returned for a genial, but ultimately unmemorable, film, which wasn't helped by the mediocre direction by Lewis Teague. The film is watchable and kinda fun, though it lacks the spirit and originality of STONE; both films are available in a box set through Amazon as well: the ASIN is B00005XCT and the price is 15 GPB---too much if you ask me, considering you can get STONE for only 5 GBP. Hope you enjoy the film and just to let you all know, I'm still working out at sea, but I think I've figured out a way to post more ops…Cheers for now!!! Chris xxxxx

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QUOTES & TRIVIA
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1)"You see that Ralph? That is an ugly striped son-of-a-bitch down there!" --- Zack Norman "Somebody's gonna get killed, and your farting around with prehistoric animals!!!" --- Danny DeVito

2)"So, what does the "T" stand for?" --- Kathleen Turner "Trustworthy!" --- Michael Douglas

3)"All right, cousin!!! As usual, you got us into some serious shit here. First of all, the stupid dame got on the wrong bus; now, I'm stuck in some kind of spico military compound…they are mobilizing for Iwo Jima here!" --- Danny DeVito

4)"Who said I had a car?" --- Alfonso Arau "The men in the village." --- Kathleen Turner "They told you I had a car? They are such comedians: they meant my Little Mule---Pepe!" --- Alfonso Arau

5)"This guy is crazier than I am!" --- Michael Douglas "Gracious! Yeah!" --- Alfonso Arau

6)"Look, bullethead: if they are hiking through the jungle, there is nothing I can do about it. I have a car…I'm not Tarzan!" --- Danny DeVito

7)"Oh, Jesus, we are in a lot of trouble!" --- Michael Douglas "Understatement of the year asshole…now put the goods in the bag! Ok, now move it, before Batman comes home!" --- Danny DeVito

8)"I spit on them, I hate the Americans, they are scum!" --- Danny DeVito "Then you must be French." --- Manuel Ojeda

9)"Are you hurt? What's the matter? Are you paralyzed up to the neck or something…are you hurt?" --- Micheal Douglas "NO!" --- Kathleen Turner "Good! What's your name?" --- "Jo-Jo-Joan Wilder!" --- Michael Douglas "Joan Wilder?! Welcome to Columbia!" --- Michael Douglas

10)"Why didn't I listen to my mother? I could have been a cosmetic surgeon: $100,000/year and up to my neck in tits and ass!" --- Michael Douglas

11)"How will you die Joan Wilder? Slow like a snail or fast like a shooting star?" --- Manuel Ojeda

12)"Goddamn Bushmaster!" --- Michael Douglas "Is it poisonous?" --- Kathleen Turner "Yeah…but very tasty!!!" --- Michael Douglas

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TRIVIA AND CRITIC'S CORNER
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TRIVIA NOTE #1: The actress that plays Joan Wilder's sister is Mary Ellen Trainor, who you might also recognize as the police station nurse in the LETHAL WEAPON films; shortly after filming ROMANCING THE STONE, she and director Robert Zemeckis got married.

TRIVIA NOTE #2: Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner came onscreen together for a third time with the brilliant 1989 satire THE WAR OF THE ROSES---which was written and directed by Danny DeVito!!!

TRIVIA NOTE #3: This was the only screenplay in which Diane Thomas ever wrote, as she died in an automobile accident in October 1985; however, according to www.imdb.com, she had reportedly wrote a draft for a sequel to RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK!
 

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