The Other Side of Midnight DVD with Marie-France Pisier, John Beck (II), Susan Sarandon (R) +Movie Reviews

Innocence shattered

03/02/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A happy-go-lucky American WWII pilot gets the girl everytime. Never mind the girl's feelings. In this typically mid-70's film, one of the pilot's affairs goes terribly awry when the French girl he seduces winds up pregnant, in the middle of WWII France no less. Cute. The girl, played to the hilt by Marie-France Pissier, becomes obsessed with finding her beau. The plot takes her through some very tortuous ways of securing the information she wants. Meanwhile, she becomes a great movie star and eventually the beautiful and spoiled wife of one of the most powerful men in the world, a la Onassis. She ultimately finds her pilot but he doesn't recognize her as the girl he seduced and left pregnant and full of hope. The lovers eventually renew their romance but there is a high price to pay. Susan Sarandon gives a tour-de-force performance as the very loving and naive wife jilted by her philandering pilot-husband. The ending will amaze and delight you."

Noelle is a true heroine

Nicole L. McCallister | USA | 02/21/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm not interested in what the critics say. This is in my top 3 favorite films of all time. For any girl who's ever had a broken heart this is the get even, get the man, wreck his life drama that will leave you proud to be a woman. Set in pre WW11 France, Noelle's father "sells" her to (BOSS HOGG of all people)as a means of ensuring her survival. She is devistated, but discovers her feminine power in the process. She runs and meets Larry and falls madly in love with him. He's a pilot and only there temporarily and has to leave, and promises to return in 3 weeks and tells her to buy a wedding dress. Of course, he never returns. Noelle finds work as a beautiful fashion model, discovers she is pregnant with Larry's child and in an unforgettable bathtub scene terminates the preganacy. I must have been 5 the first time I saw this movie back when my mom would cover my eyes in the bad parts, and I never forgot the drama of that coathanger scene. Awful! She hires private eyes to follow Larry's every move, her modeling leads to acting career and she sleeps her way to the very top all in a measure to control Larry's fate. As the mistress of a Greek Tycoon ( I can't help but see the correlation between this and Jackie O- perfect timing) Noelle has the resources to destroy Larry's flying career. In desperation, he accepts a job piloting Noelle's private plane. If any woman ever had "The Rules" down, it is Noelle. She is horrible, hateful, just awful to Larry and suddenly he realizes that he knows who she is and why. Larry is the classic love em and leave em, and he gets his! Handsome John Beck plays the part, you will see many sights of Paris, beautiful scenery in Greece, and the marble palace that Demeris, Noelle's lover lives in will take your breath away. Susan Sarandon plays Kathy the woeful wife of Larry, ever dutiful and naive. They plot to kill her off, Larry backs out despite Noelle's threats to tell her Greek Eye for and Eye Tycoon. Fate takes over and Kathy is swept out to sea. In the end they both "Live in the name of love, and die in the name of love." I adore this movie and have watched it probably 100+ times."

A moving story filled with drama and intrigue

Tom S. | 09/28/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I saw this movie over 20 years ago when it was first released and I've read the book twice. I don't care what the critics say, "The Other Side of Midnight" continues to be one of the best movies I've ever seen. A person could easily identify with each one of the characters, especially Kathy and Noelle. Kathy, played by the superb actress, Susan Sarandon, obtains a prestigious job in Washington and somehow falls in love with a man who can only love himself. Noelle is a poor French girl whose father basically "sells" her to assure his survival during World WarII France. How Kathy and Noelle become aware of each other is a dramatic and entwined story. Trust me, this movie is a must see for lovers of the trusting innocent who become involved with powerful people."

The Other Side of Romance

Tom S. | New York City | 12/27/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The wonderful folks at Fox Home Video have finally answered our prayers and released this colorful 1977 soap opera on DVD. Based on Sidney Sheldon's bestselling novel, TOSOM is the tale of Noelle Page, a poor-but-beautiful French girl who comes to Paris in 1938 to make her fortune. Enter Larry Douglas, a dashing American pilot who finds her, fools her, and forgets her--leaving her pregnant and heartbroken. She loses the baby, swears to get even with the flyboy, and promptly uses her brains and beauty to become the biggest movie star in France and the mistress of the world's richest Greek shipping magnate (sound familiar?). What follows is her life's obsession--a long-range plan of revenge that leads to murder, scandal, and a shocking finale.

This 3-hour drama is as opulent as they come, filmed on gorgeous locations in at least 4 countries, and everyone is dressed to, umm, kill. The beautiful cast includes Marie-France Pisier (COUSIN/COUSINE, CHANEL SOLITAIRE) as Noelle, John Beck (SLEEPER, ROLLERBALL, and TV's FALCON CREST) as the pilot, and a very young Susan Sarandon (we all know her credits) as the pilot's wife, the eventual pawn in Noelle's murderous scheme. Another plus is Michel Legrand's sweeping musical score (with the composer himself on piano). Not to mention the R-rated sex scenes....

By 1977, romantic tearjerkers like this were already out of date, and TOSOM was a big flop at the box office. But its popularity has endured on TV, where new generations have discovered the sheer pleasure of its overwritten, overwrought, overacted, over-the-top dramatics. If you want to see a great film, go watch CITIZEN KANE or RASHOMON or THE TREE OF WOODEN CLOGS. But if you're in the mood for trashy fun, this is it. Nothing quite compares to a delicious slice of cheese. Enjoy!"

An Open Letter To 20th Century Fox

Tom S. | New York City | 08/02/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
Dear 20CF,

Please, please release this film on DVD for the benefit of its many fans. It is long overdue. We've suffered for lo these many years with the monaural, pan-and-scan VHS tape, and that's no way to watch this sumptuously expensive soap opera.

Speaking of expensive--we're aware that this was the big flop you released in the summer of 1977 with many bells and whistles, while your other summer release that year, a little flick called STAR WARS, sneaked quietly into theaters and became a huge hit. We're also aware that a lot of A-List stars (Catherine Deneuve, Burt Reynolds, etc.) and directors (Robert Mulligan, Sidney Lumet, etc.) politely passed on the opportunity to be involved. But is that our fault? Certainly not! Don't take it out on us. We actually went out and saw the movie anyway! We're sorry you took a bath with it, but this is an excellent chance for you to make some of that money back, don't you think?

We, the worldwide OSM Fan Club, patiently await the availability of our favorite trash wallow in a decent, anamorphic widescreen, Dolby 5.1 Stereo DVD version. It is our right as taxpaying citizens and Trash Film Junkies. We would also like the original theatrical trailer, and perhaps a "Making Of" documentary, and maybe a running commentary track by Marie-France Pisier and Susan Sarandon--but let's not get piggy. We'll settle for a good print of the film itself.

You've just given us a new, souped-up DVD of VALLEY OF THE DOLLS (Thank you, thank you!), and now we raise our voices in our favorite chant: "We want our O-S-M!!!" In the sacred name of Sidney Sheldon, we beseech you to end our suffering. Thank you.

Sincerely,

The OSM Fan Club

PS: Just so you know--there's a pirated, bootlegged DVD version making the rounds, usually priced at about $200.00, and a lot of people are actually shelling out for it. But we won't. We'll wait for you, 20CF, to do the right thing and give us the true, lawful version. Thanks again.

"

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