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Rating:  - A tragic love story you'll never forget
Writer-director Keith Gordon's "Waking the Dead" caught me off guard and - dare I say it? - moved me to tears. But what's almost as sad as the movie itself is that this 1999 release - which works beautifully as both a tragic love story and a psychological thriller - slipped in and out of theaters virtually unnoticed.
Based on the novel by Scott Spencer, the film opens in 1972, where we meet Fielding Pierce (Billy Crudup), a young U.S. Coast Guard officer with big political ambitions. He meets Sarah Williams (Jennifer Connelly), a secretary and political activist who works at his hippie brother's New York publishing house, and the two are smitten right away. But tragedy strikes ...
Without giving too much away, I will say that "Waking the Dead" cuts back and forth between the early '70s and the early '80s, producing a subjective, stream-of-consciousness narrative that manages to be compelling instead of confusing. Also, I liked the use of color and lighting to visually differentiate between the '70s scenes (warm earth tones) and the '80s scenes (cold, dark colors).
But unlike "The Matrix" and "Memento," which used subjective narrative to play head games with the audience as its central gimmick, "Waking the Dead" is after bigger game. The ambiguity surrounding Sarah underscores how deeply her memory haunts Fielding, the toll it has taken on his mental state, and how deeply they love each other, despite the cruel blow fate has dealt them.
The soundtrack also features lovely songs by Joni Mitchell ("A Case of You"), Lori Carson ("Snow Come Down") and Peter Gabriel ("Mercy Street"); alas, no soundtrack CD was ever made. The DVD also includes 45 minutes of deleted scenes, including a brief but engaging performance by Ed Harris, whose character only appeared onscreen (in TV footage, no less) for about 10 seconds in the final cut.
Just make sure you have a box of tissues and a wastebasket handy before you push "play." You have been warned.
Rating:  - Crudup at his absolute best
The film itself, the style and political aspect/theme, did not impress me. There's nothing particularly compelling about the flashbacks-style wise-that drive the story. But what sets this film apart from others, what motivated me to keep watching, was Billy Crudup. Granted, I'm incredibly taken with this outstanding actor, but his performance in *Waking the Dead* surprised even me.
Crudup would have been the finest of actors in the days of silent movies because his facial expressions are exquisite. He need never speak a word and yet you would swear that you felt every emotion that his character felt right along with him. In my mind there is no one comparable to him in this regard. Perhaps it is just that he has this truly remarkable presence. You want to watch him no matter what subject he is dealing with on screen because he somehow makes you care.
Aside from his acting, or perhaps more aptly *because* of it, this movie is painfully, beautifully, intimate. At times it felt like I was witnessing things I had no right to. And because of that atmosphere I knew I had to own it within twenty-four hours of viewing it.
Rating:  - "Waking the Dead" is a vicious attack on the United States
Rarely does one find a film that is so intensely hostile towards American values. Jennifer Connelly brilliantly portrays the young radical Leftist, Sarah Williams, who has nothing but contempt for the United States. She meets her soul mate Fielding Pierce (Billy Crudup) and proceeds to guilt trip him into also sharing her political beliefs. How anti-American is Sarah? In one scene she tells Fielding that she hopes he does not go to Vietnam because she supports the North Vietnamese Communists! Sarah perceives America as the beginning and end of most evil in the world. Fielding is ironically committed to becoming the President of the United States. There is much friction between the two lovers because Fielding sees the importance of compromise. Sarah, however, will settle for nothing less than absolutist ideological purity.
"Waking the Dead" flash backs from the early 1980s to the early 1970s. The lovers meet and eventually Sarah gets involved with a very Left wing religious group who is bringing into the country a couple escaping from Chile. All three are supposedly murdered in a car bomb explosion. But is Sarah really dead? Were the
authorities truly able to identify her body after the blast? Fielding is not sure whether he is losing his mind. He is running for the U.S. Congress and constantly imagines hearing Sarah's voice and seeing her on the street. Fielding is involved with Juliet (Molly Parker) who is the niece of his political mentor, Issac. Juliet is sexually available and she might make an appropriate wife for an aspiring politician. But will she be able to compete against the memory of the missing Sarah? The story line becomes very convoluted at this point. One's patience is severely tested for the rest of the film.
Should anyone make a point to see "Waking the Dead?" The answer is in the affirmative if you wish to observe Jennifer Connelly at her best. She is truly a remarkable actress and it is easy to understand why Connelly was later picked to star in the very recent "A Beautiful Mind." Connelly brings a presence to the screen that is almost always riveting and unforgettable. That alone might be a valid reason for adding "Waking the Dead" to your collection. Does Director Keith Gorton actually believe that America is such a despicable nation? If so, I will have to remind myself to ignore his future movies.
Rating: - Even men can cry....
I ordered this DVD today...less than 12 hours after I saw it on cable early this morning. If you have ever been in love with that "one" you feel is your soulmate...if you have ever looked into the eyes of your woman and said (out loud or inside) "You are the love of my life!"...this is the romantic film for you. Yes...I am a male...a MAN who found his soulmate...and to this day...though she is not always here for me when I need her most...will never be the same without her...my heart pounded as I watched this film. There were moments when I felt I should turn it off, because the pain of the past was so explicitely outlined in many scenes. Jenniffer Connelly portrayed the soulmate in my life, and her performance is of Academy consideration. Where was this film hiding out? I stumbled across it while flipping channels. BOTTOM LINE: If you've ever been deeply in love...and till this day, have never found another...this is the flick for you. Yes...men cry. If you don't, you've never found the LOVE OF YOUR LIFE!
Rating: - Haunting and beautiful
This is a rare film powered by its incredible imagery that is heart-breaking and beautiful at the same time. Once you begin to become immersed in Fieldings mental wanderings between the past and present, it doesn't let you go. From the beginning to the end, the story of the ill-fated romance between an aspiring politician and an activist is gripping and passionate. Fielding and Sarah are in love even though their ideals are often conflicting. Yet, these are the things he loves about her as well. This film flashes to various incidents between the couple before she is killed. After this, Fielding tries to get over the sudden loss of Sarah and its this that drives the film until its powerful conclusion.
Its not only a romance but a search for a man's soul as he begins to try to get himself together in the face of his angst over a loss that occurred ten years before but that had never stopped haunting him. His love for this woman has made it impossible for him to love anyone else and even as Fielding finally arrives as a popular politician, he begins to lose it when he starts to catch glimpses of Sarah everywhere he goes. Is this a figment of the imagination, insanity or something more? Watch this incredible film to find out.
This is some of the best acting I've seen in years. A powerful, haunting film that is unforgettable.
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