Bad Timing
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Bad Timing
Plot
Psychiatrist Alex (Art Garfunkel) becomes sexually obsessed with Milena (Theresa Russell), a woman whom he meets at a party. The pair become involved in an intense and mutually destructive love affair. The drama unfolds in a series of flashbacks, as Alex tells his story to police Inspector Netusil (Harvey Keitel) who is investigating Milena's apparent suicide attempt. Alex's obsession grows, but Milena stays slightly out of reach. Originally rated X, but somewhat toned down to accommodate an R rating, Bad Timing: A Sensual Obsession is an interesting exploration of the nature of sexual passion and jealousy. ~ Linda Rasmussen, RoviReview
One of director Nicolas Roeg's most erotic projects was this film about an American divorcee (Teresa Russell) who has an affair with a psychoanalyst in Vienna. The director's arresting visual techniques -- as well as impressive background music from The Who, Keith Jarrett, and Billie Holiday -- add to the claustrophobic, sexually charged atmosphere. Roeg plays with the audience's expectations to deliver a devastating denoument. Bad Timing performed poorly at the box office and divided critics, depending on their appreciation of Roeg's unorthodox techniques. ~ Michael Betzold, RoviCast
- Art Garfunkel - Dr. Alex Linden
- Theresa Russell - Milena Flaherty
- Harvey Keitel - Insp. Netusil
- Denholm Elliott - Stefan Vognic
- Daniel Massey - Fop
Credit
David Brockhurst - Art Director, Tim Van Rellim - Associate Producer, Celestia Fox - Casting, Marit Allen - Costume Designer, Nicolas Roeg - Director, Tony Lawson - Editor, Richard Hartley - Composer (Music Score), Richard Hartley - Musical Direction/Supervision, Gordon Hayman - Camera Operator, Anthony Richmond - Cinematographer, Jeremy Thomas - Producer, Tony Jackson - Sound/Sound Designer, Yale Udoff - Screenwriter| Bad Thing Gone Worse (2005 Film), Bad Teacher (2011 Film) | |
| Bad Trip (2005 Film), Bad for Each Other (1954 Film) |
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Bad Timing
This article is about the 1980 film. For other uses, see Bad Timing (disambiguation).
| Bad Timing | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Nicolas Roeg |
| Produced by | Jeremy Thomas |
| Written by | Yale Udoff |
| Starring | Art Garfunkel Theresa Russell Harvey Keitel Denholm Elliott Daniel Massey |
| Music by | Richard Hartley |
| Cinematography | Anthony B. Richmond |
| Editing by | Tony Lawson |
| Studio | Recorded Picture Company |
| Distributed by | Rank Organisation (UK) |
| Release date(s) | September 12, 1980 (Toronto Film Festival) |
| Running time | 122 Minutes Uncut Restored Version |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Bad Timing is a 1980 British film directed by Nicolas Roeg, produced by Jeremy Thomas. It stars Art Garfunkel, Theresa Russell, Harvey Keitel and Denholm Elliott. The film would also be titled Bad Timing: A Sensual Obsession.
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Contents
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Plot
In Vienna, a young American woman in her twenties (Russell) is rushed to the emergency room after apparently overdosing. With her is Alex Linden, an American psychiatrist (Garfunkel) teaching in Vienna. Through a series of fragment flashbacks the film tells the story of their romance, which ends up becoming a sexual obsession. The woman, Milena, suffers from depression and is still married to a much older man (Elliott) whom she crosses the border to see at times. Linden likes her free spirited ways at first, then grows tired of her lifestyle, which includes relationships with other men and heavy drinking. He spies on Milena and eventually tries to control her. At the hospital, an investigator (Keitel) realises that there may be more to the case than a simple suicide attempt. He investigates and tries to get Linden to confess to possible crimes involved with the case.
Critical reaction
The film received mixed reviews. Some found the film brilliant while others found it tasteless. Its UK distributor, Rank, were appalled by what they saw, one executive calling it "a sick film made by sick people for sick people."[1] In response, they removed the Rank logo from all UK prints of the film. John Coleman in The New Statesman gave it a very bad review: "[it has] an overall style which plays merry hell with chronology".[2]
The film received the Toronto Film Festival's highest honour, the People's Choice Award, in 1980 and the London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director.
Featured cast
- Art Garfunkel as Alex Linden
- Theresa Russell as Milena Flaherty
- Harvey Keitel as Inspector Netusil
- Denholm Elliott as Stefan Vognic
- Daniel Massey as Foppish Man
Legacy
The title of this movie was used by musician Jim O'Rourke for his album Bad Timing.
The movie was also a partial inspiration for The Glove's 1983 album "Blue Sunshine", a side project of The Cure's Robert Smith and Siouxsie & the Banshees' Steve Severin.
References
- ^ Kendrick, James. "Qnetwork". http://www.qnetwork.com/?page=review&id=1532.
- ^ Sinyard (1991); p. 69
- Sinyard, Neil (1991) The Films of Nicolas Roeg. London: Charles Letts; pp. 68–79
External links
- Bad Timing at the Internet Movie Database
- Bad Timing at AllRovi
- "Criterion Collection essay by Richard Combs". http://www.criterion.com/asp/release.asp?id=303&eid=435§ion=essay.
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