Ash Wednesday
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Ash Wednesday
Plot
A woman undergoes a surgeon's scalpel in a last-ditch attempt to win back her husband in this drama. Barbara Sawyer (Elizabeth Taylor) has been married to her husband, Mark (Henry Fonda), for 30 years, and she's afraid the spark has gone out of their relationship. Barbara is convinced the problem is her appearance -- the years have taken a heavy toll on her, and her haggard, saggy appearance is a far cry from the beauty she possessed in her youth. Determined to save her marriage, Barbara checks into a clinic in Switzerland for extensive plastic surgery, and arranges to meet Mark at a nearby ski lodge once she's recovered. After having her face, breasts, and bottom lifted, Barbara leaves the hospital looking as beautiful as Elizabeth Taylor, and as she waits for Mark to arrive in Switzerland, she allows herself to be seduced by Erich (Helmut Berger), a handsome young playboy, to prove to herself she has regained her allure. However, her new face and figure isn't enough to save her marriage when Mark informs her he's decided to leave her for another woman. Ash Wednesday features detailed footage of actual plastic surgical procedures, some of which were far too bloody for the comfort of most audiences. ~ Mark Deming, RoviCast
- Elizabeth Taylor - Barbara Sawyer
- Henry Fonda - Mark Sawyer
- Helmut Berger - Erich
- Keith Baxter - David
- Maurice Teynac - Dr. Lambert
Credit
Phillip Abramson - Art Director, Edith Head - Costume Designer, Steve Barnett - First Assistant Director, Larry Peerce - Director, Marion Rothman - Editor, Maurice Jarre - Composer (Music Score), Ennio Guarnieri - Cinematographer, Dominick Dunne - Producer, David Dockendorf - Sound/Sound Designer, Basil Fenton-Smith - Sound/Sound Designer, Jean-Claude Tramont - Screenwriter| Asfalto (2000 Film), Asesinos de Otros Mundos (1971 Film) | |
| Ash Wednesday (2002 Film), Ash Wednesday: Capitulo Unus (2007 Film) |
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Ash Wednesday (1973 film)
| Ash Wednesday | |
|---|---|
 Original poster |
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| Directed by | Larry Peerce |
| Produced by | Dominick Dunne |
| Written by | Jean-Claude Tramont |
| Starring | Elizabeth Taylor Henry Fonda Helmut Berger |
| Music by | Maurice Jarre |
| Cinematography | Ennio Guarnieri |
| Editing by | Marion Rothman |
| Studio | Sagittarius Productions |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 1 November 1973 |
| Running time | 99 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Ash Wednesday is a 1973 American drama film directed by Larry Peerce. The screenplay by Jean-Claude Tramont focuses on the effect that extensive cosmetic surgery has on the life of a middle-aged married woman.
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Contents
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Plot
In a desperate attempt to save her faltering marriage, 55-year-old Barbara Sawyer submits to full-body plastic surgery in a Swiss clinic, then checks into an exclusive ski resort to await the arrival of her attorney husband Mark. Reveling in her considerably younger and tauter appearance, she allows playboy Erich to seduce her. When Mark finally arrives, he announces he is divorcing Barbara to marry a younger woman, leaving her to start a new life with her new looks.
Cast
- Elizabeth Taylor ..... Barbara Sawyer
- Henry Fonda ..... Mark Sawyer
- Helmut Berger ..... Erich
- Keith Baxter ..... David
Critical reception
Vincent Canby of The New York Times said the film "was directed by Larry Peerce . . . and written by Jean-Claude Tramont with all the fearlessness and perception demanded in the boiling of an egg."[1]
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times called the film "a soapy melodrama that isn't much good as a movie but may be interesting to some audiences all the same . . . because the star is Taylor . . . There's a kind of voyeuristic sensuality in watching her look at herself in the mirror (which she spends no end of time doing) . . . Maybe the fundamental problem with the movie is that we can't quite believe any man would leave Elizabeth Taylor. It's a good thing we never see Henry Fonda's bimbo, because if we did, we wouldn't be convinced."[2]
TV Guide rated it one star, calling it "another in the long string of mediocre films by Taylor."[3]
Channel 4 called the film "a dreadful bit of mid-70s soap opera . . . full of shallow, uninteresting characters with more money than sense; the only purpose this movie really serves is to keep Taylor and Fonda off the streets for a little while."[4]
Michael and Harry Medved included the film in their book The Hollywood Hall of Shame, stating "This trashy soap opera spent millions on surgical scenes so detailed and realistic that they revolted most viewers."[5]
Awards and nominations
Elizabeth Taylor was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama but lost to Marsha Mason in Cinderella Liberty.
References
- ^ New York Times review
- ^ Chicago Sun-Times review
- ^ TV Guide review
- ^ Channel 4 review
- ^ Medved, Michael; Medved, Harry. The Hollywood Hall of Shame, 1984, p.204.
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