Luv
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Plot
Three friends play a game of musical chairs with their relationships in this quirky comedy based on the hit play by Murray Schisgal. Harry Berlin (Jack Lemmon) is a deeply depressed man who is convinced his life is going nowhere -- so much so that he has decided to kill himself by jumping off a bridge. Just before he makes his big leap, Harry is interrupted by Milt Manville (Peter Falk), an old friend in high school who has struck it rich as a combination stock broker and salvage dealer. Milt is not-very-happily married to wildly neurotic Ellen (Elaine May), and is having an affair on the side with Linda (Nina Wayne), a buxom gym teacher. Milt fixes Harry up with Ellen, hoping they'll hit it off and Ellen will leave him so he can marry Linda. The ruse works, in part -- Harry and Ellen decide to tie the knot, but in the divorce settlement Ellen gets all the money, and Milt decides marriage to Linda is not all he imagined. Harry and Ellen's happiness proves to be short lived, and she begins to wonder if its too late to give Milt another chance. Jazz great Gerry Mulligan composed the film's musical score; keep an eye peeled for a bit part by a young Harrison Ford. ~ Mark Deming, RoviReview
Luv is based upon a hit play by Murray Schisgal that, while schematic and occasionally obvious, worked because its blend of black humor and traditional comic stylings was refreshing at the time. Onscreen, it's simply a mess. Elliott Baker has adapted Schisgal very poorly, opening the story up in a trite and wearisome manner by involving a fourth character that was only talked about in the play and by changing locations from the one-set original. The latter is a necessary move for cinema, but it's handled with little imagination here. Director Clive Donner is admittedly hampered by Baker's treatment, but he also shows no real interest or even understanding of the piece; the lack of inspiration in his work is almost stifling. Worse, he mishandles a team of three gifted comic actors, seemingly giving no guidance at all. As a result, many scenes are loud, shrill and annoying, and pacing is frequently labored. No one comes out well in Luv, but each of the three leads has a good moment or two, and there's at least some sort of chemistry between them. Luv was not really a natural for the big screen, but there's no reason that a perfectly acceptable and moderately entertaining film couldn't have been made from the material. ~ Craig Butler, RoviCast
- Jack Lemmon - Harry Berlin
- Peter Falk - Milt Manville
- Elaine May - Ellen Manville Berlin
- Nina Wayne - Linda Manville
- Eddie Mayehoff - Attorney Goodhart
Credit
Donfeld - Costume Designer, Clive Donner - Director, Carl Kress - Editor, Harold Kress - Editor, Gerry Mulligan - Composer (Music Score), Ben Lane - Makeup, Albert Brenner - Production Designer, Ernest Laszlo - Cinematographer, Gordon Carroll - Producer, Martin Manulis - Producer, Frank A. Tuttle - Set Designer, Geza Gaspar - Special Effects, Elliott Baker - Screenwriter, Murray Schisgal - Play Author| Luther the Geek (1990 Film), Luther Vandross: The Best of Luther Vandross (1991 Film) | |
| Luvrgrl (2004 Film), Luxembourg Motocross Champ '87 (1987 Film) |
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Luv (film)
| Luv | |
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| Directed by | Clive Donner |
| Produced by | Martin Manulis |
| Written by | Elliott Baker |
| Starring | Jack Lemmon Peter Falk Elaine May Nina Wayne Eddie Mayehoff |
| Music by | Gerry Mulligan |
| Cinematography | Ernest Laszlo |
| Editing by | Harold F Kress |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | October 13, 1967 |
| Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Luv is a 1967 romantic slapstick comedy starring Jack Lemmon, Peter Falk, Elaine May and Nina Wayne. [1] The original Broadway production of Luv by Murray Schisgal opened at the Booth Theater in New York on 11 November 1964. It ran for 901 performances and was nominated for the 1965 Tony Award for Best Play. For the film version, the role of Harry Berlin was originally offered to Eli Wallach, before the role was eventually taken by Jack Lemmon. Lemmon shed thirty pounds to play scrawny Harry Berlin. He went from his usual 168 to 138 pounds by eating 20-cent hamburgers.
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Contents
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Plot
About to nervously jump off a bridge, scrawny Harry Berlin (Jack Lemmon) is a barely functional human being. Just as he attempts to leap off the bridge, he is distracted by Milt Manville (Peter Falk), an old friend from fifteen years ago. Harry doesn't really recognize him at first but there appears to be a contrast between the two of them with Milt boasting of how well he is doing in life while Harry tries to listen.
Milt takes Harry to his house to meet Ellen Manville (Elaine May), Milt's long-suffering wife. She is complaining that their sex life is non-existent but Milt has a secret lover in the form of beautiful blonde Linda (Nina Wayne). Milt convinces a barely-there Harry to make a go of things with Ellen so that she is not left lonely when he will divorce her for Linda. It takes a while but Harry and Ellen eventually fall in love. They marry and go to Niagara Falls for their honeymoon but this is when Ellen realizes that Harry is the world's worst roommate and childish at heart.
As Milt and Linda start to settle down as a couple, she quickly realizes that he has an addiction to selling household items and junk for a quick buck, something that she strongly against. She immediately dumps him, which leads to Milt to want Ellen back when he realizes how much he loves her for real. She admits that she doesn't really love Harry as much as she thought, as his bizarre day-to-day activities get to her. Milt and Ellen plot to get back together and convince Harry to divorce her but he loves her and sets out to prove it by getting a job as an elevator operator in a shopping mall.
Milt and Ellen then get the idea of trying to make Harry fall in love with pretty blonde Linda. But as a last resort, they think of trying to convince Harry to commit suicide once again over the bridge. It is only when the four of them end up over the bridge that Harry finds love with a bikini-clad Linda.
Cast
- Jack Lemmon as Harry Berlin
- Peter Falk as Milt Manville
- Elaine May as Ellen Manville
- Nina Wayne as Linda
- Eddie Mayehoff as D.A. Goodhart
- Paul Hartman as Doyle
- Severn Darden as Vandergist
- Alan DeWitt as Dalrymple
- Terrayne Crawford as Woman on Playground (ucredited)
- Harrison Ford as Irate Motorist (uncredited)
- Cap Somers as Bartender (uncredited)[2]
References
External links
- Luv at the Internet Movie Database
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