Fall DVD with Ellen Barber, Willis Burks II, Scott Cohen (NR) +Movie Reviews

Another underrated film by Mr. Schaeffer.

G P Padillo | Portland, ME United States | 02/28/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Eric Schaeffer's follow up to "If Lucy Fell" (1996) has a maturity to it entirely different than "Lucy." While Lucy was more of a juicy romantic comedy, Fall, which is not lacking in the laugh department, is a far more serious character study/analysis of an improbable romance and the effect it has on each of the parties involved in it.

Schaeffer always seems to be playing himself in his films (or at least always the same character) which is fine by me. I always enjoy his work and his welcome combination of superego, no-nonsense directness and comic brilliance.

As supermodel Sarah, Ms. deCadenet gives a strong performance, slowly yielding, then coming 'round the bend and surprising herself by truly falling for Schaeffer's character, the charming cab driver, Michael. But true to her word, she ends up breaking not only Michael's heart, but her own as well.

As always with an adulterous affair, things are bound to get messy and they do. The acceptance of the affairs ultimate resolution by both characters is handled better than most romantic movies - a genre, I admittedly have little tolerance for. Unless its an Eric Schaeffer "romance" of course!

Schaeffer has filled this screenplay with stunning poetry, which grows and blossoms in intensity until the final poem which ends the film providing an emotional climax that is entirely satisfying without being sappy or maudlin and never feeling manipulative or false.

As with "Lucy", look out for a very young Scarlett Johansson in the role of "Little Girl."

A quite remarkable little movie."

"Many a Tear Has to Fall"

Kevin Killian | San Francisco, CA United States | 05/17/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you've never fallen hard, this film won't be for you. It's for all the rest of us who have loved and lost. Amanda De Cadenet isn't a natural actress, but she's filled with the joy of living and had wonderful reactions to everything. She makes you believe that, even though she has the magnetic Phillipe in her corner, she might still feel a little bit empty inside when she wakes up in the morning. As for Eric, well, the jury is out on him. I have found that most movie fans (who have seen his work) hate him, especially if they are guys. Women, it seems, have a higher Schaeffer tolerance. I think he's great myself, but I can see how his manner might put off some people, plus if you're not from New York you're not going to get the whole Eric Schaeffer gestalt. He's super talented and FALL, I think, is his best picture.

Genre fans remember the actor playing "Philippe," Rudolf Martin, from his several appearances on Fox's "24" and prior to that, he made a memorable Dracula on the "Buffy vs. Dracula" episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Martin makes the role his own, here, and doesn't use any tricks to put across his version of the cuckolded European, bamboozled by Sarah's search for true love.

You might also like IF LUCY FELL if you like this one. Schaeffer's more recent efforts inbclude the bizarre WIREY SPINDELL, which is sort of like what DECONSTRUCTING HARRY was for the career of Woody Allen, and the newish MIND THE GAP, nearly an anthology film like DEAD OF NIGHT or O HENRY'S FULL HOUSE. FALL is another kettle of fish, a swooning, fullblown passionate romance; it's like something the late great Max Ophuls might have made in another era with Joan Fontaine and James Mason."

A phenomenal film that virtually noone has seen

isishalo1 | Petoskey, MI USA | 04/13/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Not out on DVD, hard to find on VHS, and no soundtrack available, "Fall" would seem to be one of those movies that just disappears into oblivion.... until you talk to anyone who has watched it. A love story that is both all too fictitious and all too real, you will find yourself enslaved between the hearts of a taxi cab driver, and a supermodel. Eric Schaffer's beautifully languid poetry will stun your senses and settle in your heart for an eternity. Fresh, witty and sexy, "Fall" is an experience all to itself. This film was passed on to me, and I in turn have passed it on to many.... All who felt its magnificance equally.... now I'm passing it on to you... Buy it, watch it, and keep the circle going...."

"to the celebration of all slain hope..."

Gülsen Ergün | Istanbul, Turkey | 10/09/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

""There's nothing scarier in the world than knowing exactly where you wanna go but having absolutely no idea how to get there. Except maybe, knowing where you wanna go, knowing how to get there, and then having no idea of who you are when you arrive."

Love stories always have their own special space in the movie business. It's easy to impress people with a love-flick as long as you have some kind of tragedy in it, and of course; Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts are always a nice screen-couple.

Shot back in 1997 "Fall" didn't achieve that much of a box-office success. So it's not a blockbuster but there's just 'something' about it, you have to see for yourself.

Director and the writer Eric Shaeffer prefers to have himself and not-so-famous Amanda De Cadenet as the leading roles for the movie. The theme is not even close to being original. Cab driver Micheal Shiver(Shaeffer) falls for the supermodel Sarah Houston(De Cadenet) whom he happens to pick up one lucky day.

"Be careful what you pray for!"

Micheal thinks he stands no chance against this beautiful, famous, and also married woman, but this is Hollywood and he is to be surprised, so are we. The story takes off but what makes it special is, Shaeffer catches those specific moments when pain sparkles in a person's eyes. He embroides the movie with some nasty sexuality and strong poetry that grabs you sometime in between the first 15 minutes of it and doesn't let go until the very end; the kind of ending that you find yourself looking blankly into the screen as the credits roll, with a significant lump in your throat, wiping silent tears off your cheeks.

"But the sacrifice of love Michael, the sacrifice of that kind of love... and life... when does God teach us how to do that?""

The dream can be the love.

Chad Kozlowski | Denver, Colorado | 02/06/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I didn't know to think while standing the video store. It was an ordinary day, and in this pale shadowed life I live most days are ordinary. I rented fall two summers ago, and will never forget how a movie can open a window into your heart. How Eric Scheaffer's letter almost jump off the screen from Amanda De Cadenet's hands and into yours is nothing more than brilliant. I am not a movie maker, and I may never have the passion this movie displays on improbable love, not impossible love. No love is impossible, and Fall shows us how this can be. A wonderfully rich soundtrack I believe is sang by "Marry Me Jane", but I am not sure. I truly wish this movie would be for re-release, if only for the simple fact that my VHS recording off IFC(Independant Film Channel) is wearing out. I recomend this film for anyone who wants it all, and nothing less in a movie."

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