Bad Timing [1980] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

Customer Reviews:

A Confused Mess.......2007-11-12

The fans of this film, who have reviewed it before me, would no doubt say that my wife and I are too stupid to see the complexity and greatness of this film (despite IQ's of 168 and 156 respectively). All we saw was a pretentious, confused mess, far too much "clever" editing, flashbacks, flashforwards etc etc. As for the spindly little figure of Art Garfunkel, psychoanalyst and (?) American counterespionage consultant in Vienna. One is surprised that he was cast in this role really requiring a more macho figure; the girl in question plays her role well, but that personality is just a drugged, drunken bore. I'd have booted her out of bed after 5 mins. A film where not a lot happens, which hints at a lot, only to fail to deliver much at all. The ending is a slight surprise, true (though unexplained), but by that time, after 2 hours, one does not give a monkey's cuss anyway. Give it a miss.

Roeg's last great movie.......2005-04-06

A quarter of a century since its troubled first release, 'Bad Timing' stands out as one of Nicolas Roeg's most satisfying and complex films and yet it can be one of his hardest to discuss. Even on a second viewing it's still rather overwhelming. It's interesting how it manages to be so genuinely multi-layered, more like a novel than a film - the way it mixes voyeurism, spying and emotional, psychological and legal investigation (with Keitel's investigation of the suicide scene placing him firmly in scenes as an unseen voyeur through Terry Rawlings typically brilliant editing) is remarkable enough, but the film manages to do so much more besides. And the performances are incredibly brave - how many leading men can you think of who would effectively (and quite deliberately effeminately) play the woman's role during the lovers' initial meeting? Russell in particular shows an astonishing range in what should be an impossible part, making her inability to find decent roles these days even more disappointing.

True it falls apart in the last couple of reels when the performances don't quite ring true, but it's still the last great film Nic Roeg made before settling into prolific mediocrity. It's as a brilliantly edited post-mortem into a mutually destructive relationship rather than a police mystery that it really enthralls, even when it doesn't entirely work. Much more impressive than I remembered, it's not a feelgood movie - if anything it's the date movie from hell - but it is a remarkably ambitious and acomplished one.

So why is the film so little-known and perhaps even less-seen? Well, that seems to be down to some bad luck and bad timing of its own.

In the US it hit censorship problems and in Europe it had major problems with its distribution. It was one of Rank's last full slate of British productions, so should have been guaranteed a circuit release on the Odeon chain in the UK. Unfortunately, the head of Rank Theatres was so disgusted by the film (the Rank Organisation was originally started to make religious films and many of the old guard were still in place in 1980) that he refused to book it into a single one of their theatres - the only Rank film to be so 'honored' (although he wasn't much enamoured of Eagle's Wing either). The second biggest circuit was owned by Rank's biggest rival, EMI, who weren't interested in helping out their balance sheet, so it ended up on Lew Grade's very small Classic chain. Rank's distribution in Europe was no more enthusiastic.

(Of course, Roeg's next film and most expensive, Eureka, had even bigger problems, being pulled a couple of weeks after opening due to a libel lawsuit that kept it on the shelf for years. Since then, despite the not really successful brave try with Cold Heaven, he seems to be little more than a director for hire on a slew of disappointing pictures and cable movies.)

As a result, it's long been hard to track down, but worth the effort if you're looking for challenging fare. Despite being listed as fullscreen, Carlton's DVD is in the original 2.35:1 in an acceptable transfer, although there are some edge enhancement problems. A trailer is the only extra.

Unmissable.......2005-03-20

In Vienna, Alex (Art Garfunkel) and Milena (Theresa Russell) meet at a party and embark on an affair. Garfunkel's character soon becomes infatuated with the erratic, strong-willed and overtly sexual Milena, but his jealousy and obsession lead her to attempt suicide. This isn't giving the plot away as director Nic Roeg (Performance, Don't Look Now) opens the film with the unconscious Russell being rushed to hospital, and Garfunkel being taken in for questioning. We're still not quite sure what has happened, and the rest of the film depicts the couple's relationship with an incredible, often uncomfortable intensity.

Nic Roeg's emotionally complex, visually stunning films are some of the most daring and original in British cinema. "Bad Timing" is also the best example of how Roeg manipulates time & narrative in his films. This movie became notorious however for its ending... not for the easily offended... let's just say the film is about obsession and the ending is one of the most shocking in cinema. That aside, this is one of the most mature and honest depictions of a relationship you'll ever see. Along with Don't Look Now, Walkabout and Performance, this is one of Roeg's finest pieces of work.

Bad Timing, Good Movie.......2003-09-16

Perhaps Nic Roeg's last genuinely great movie, and following on from Performance, Walkabout, Don't Look Now and The Man Who Fell To Earth, that's pretty impressive going, even if the eighties and nineties were a little on the quiet side (finding the poor guy loitering in TV movie hell).

This is an excellent, disturbing psycho-drama which has been overdue a re-release for too long. The cast, while unconventional, are all excellent (even Art Garfunkle, no seriously) and Roeg's compositions and editing heighten the sense of dislocation and mounting unease. Not to all tastes, but essential for Roeg fans.

The DVD info is a little misleading, the picture is 4:3 but letterboxed, which is a slightly roundabout way of saying non-anarmorphic widescreen. A decent, mostly clean print and clear sound make up for the lack of any notable extra features. A director's commentary would have been great, but seriously unlikely. All in all a bit of a bargain.

Average customer rating:
Bad Timing [1980] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

Manufacturer: Criterion Collection
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 1559409630
Release Date: 2005-09-27

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