Fine Madness DVD

A Fine Madness
Sean Connery attempted to make a clean break from his "James Bond" image in the boisterous comedy A Fine Madness. Connery plays Samson Shillitoe, a Brendan Behan-like poet with a mile-wide misogynistic streak. Try as he might to complete his latest masterpiece, Shillitoe is constantly interrupted by the women in his life. Driven to a nervous breakdown, he seeks help from the medical establishment -- and ends up a babbling shell of his former self. The film takes scattered potshots at a repressive society that forces the truly creative among us into near-madness; at times, it is sidesplittingly funny, though never quite as potent as the Elliot Baker novel upon which it is based. Sean Connery is brilliant, but the public wanted James Bond to behave himself, thus the film didn't do as well at the box office as it should have. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast Sean Connery as Samson Shillitoe Joanne Woodward as Rhoda Shillitoe Jean Seberg as Lydia West Patrick O'Neal as Dr. Oliver West Colleen Dewhurst as Dr. Vera Kropotkin Clive Revill as Dr. Menken Werner Peters as Dr. Vorbeck John Fiedler as Daniel K. Papp Kay Medford as Mrs. Fish Jackie Coogan as Mr. Fitzgerald Zohra Lampert as Mrs. Tupperman Sorrell Booke as Leonard Tupperman Sue Ane Langdon as Miss Walnicki Bibi Osterwald as Mrs. Fitzgerald Mabel Albertson as Chairwoman Gerald O'Loughlin as Chester Quirk James Millhollin as Rollie Butter Jon Lormer as Dr. Huddleson Harry Bellaver as Knocker Ayllene Gibbons as Club Woman

Crew Jack Poplin - Art Director Ann Roth - Costume Designer Russell Llewellyn - First Assistant Director Irvin Kershner - Director William H. Ziegler - Editor John Addison - Composer (Music Score) Ted D. McCord - Cinematographer Jerome Hellman - Producer Claude E. Carpenter - Set Designer Elliott Baker - Screenwriter Elliott Baker - Book Author

A Fine Madness
A Fine Madness is a brave attempt by all concerned, one of those films where the powers behind it are trying so hard that the viewer desperately wants the end result to be a great film -- but it's not. It's not a bad film, mind you, and it's not a blight on anyone's record, but the reach of Madness far exceeds its grasp. Part of the problem lies with the screenplay. Elliott Baker has done a fine job of adapting his own novel, but it's easier to make an obnoxious, misunderstood character the subject of a book than of a film. The peculiar blend of wryness, irony, and whimsy also is harder to pull off, despite director Irvin Kershner's game (and sometimes successful) attempts. It's clear, of course, why Sean Connery was drawn to the film, as Shillitoe is the kind of character than any actor would give his eye-teeth to play. But, as good as Connery is -- and at times, he is quite good -- his performance is a performance; he is acting the part rather than inhabiting it. Connery's star power and charisma make his work enthralling -- but also less than involving. Joanne Woodward also tries hard, but she's not natural casting for the role. The best acting, as a matter of fact, comes from the supporting players, including a lovely turn by Colleen Dewhurst, an amusing bit by Sorrell Booke and an hilarious characterization by Clive Revill. A Fine Madness is rather unique, and there's more than enough to make it worth catching -- but also more than enough to keep it from being the kind of picture it wants to be. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
 

(no awards)

General Specifications: Language Options: English Subtitle Options: English, French, Spanish Sound Processing: DD1: Dolby Digital Mono Additional Features: cc Vintage featurette Mondo Connery Theatrical trailer Subtitles: English, Français & Español (feature film only) MPAA Rating: NR DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 103 min   DVD Chapters: Disc #1 -- A Fine Madness 1. Credits [2:27] 2. Everyone Bugs Samson [3:48] 3. Man at Work [5:46] 4. I Don't Perform [4:46] 5. Desperate Housewife [4:39] 6. Becoming Unstrung [2:46] 7. Samson and the Hags [4:47] 8. Money Manager Rhoda [3:10] 9. Rhoda's Plea [4:23] 10. Mad About Money [5:21] 11. After-Hours Office Visit [4:18] 12. Doctor Meets Patient [3:20] 13. First Session [2:58] 14. Fascist Finkhead Visitors [2:33] 15. How's This for Virility? [2:19] 16. Menken Technique [4:26] 17. Sign Here [4:26] 18. Kropotkin Technique [4:17] 19. Ripple Bath Rumpus [2:30] 20. Deciding Vote [5:40] 21. Free Man [2:54] 22. They Took My Poem [3:05] 23. Two Nervous Systems [4:23] 24. It Works on Most People [4:41] 25. Out of His Mind [2:54] 26. Samson Shows 'Em [3:40] 27. Cast List [2:20]