Five Corners | Jodie Foster, Tim Robbins | Very good film, but watch out for lousy DVD transfers

Five Corners | Jodie Foster, Tim Robbins | Quirky Film about 1960s Bronx

DVDs:

Five Corners

	Five Corners Jodie Foster, Tim Robbins Direct Source Label, 2001 average customer review:based on 11 reviews
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Intriguing Tony Bill-directed film, based on a quirky screenplay by playwright John Patrick Shanley. Set in the Bronx in the early 1960s, Five Corners deals with the effects of the release from prison of the neighborhood psycho (John Turturro), who is free to once again stalk the woman of his dreams (Jodie Foster). Her boyfriend (Todd Graff) is crippled and can't save her. The neighborhood tough guy who did rescue her last time (Tim Robbins) has decided to become a nonviolent pacifist working for civil rights and refuses to lift his hand in violence. A strange, fascinating mix, including several set pieces that come out of nowhere to energize an already edgy story. --Marshall Fine

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Very good film, but watch out for lousy DVD transfers

A quirky independent film with a strong cast, Five Corners mixes light touches and the very serious in unpredictable ways. The main action takes place over a couple days in the Bronx in 1964. John Turturro returns to his neighborhood with pent-up anger, particularly against Jodie Foster, the timid victim of the attempted rape that sent him to prison. Tim Robbins was her savior then, now only interested in preparing to become a civil rights freedom rider. Todd Graff is her willing but ineffectual boyfriend, crippled trying to stop the attempted rape. As Turturro tries to reestablish contact with Foster, she seeks Robbins' protection while trying to keep her boyfriend from getting hurt again. A subplot involves a couple out-of-control women and a couple mischief-making men who provide some comic relief and more. And there are penguins and mysterious bow and arrow shootings. There is a slightly surreal edge, and a peculiar usage of the famous duet from Delibes' Lakme.

Though very much its own thing, the nostalgia and offbeat mood reminded me of American Graffiti and Diner at times. The acting and rich dramatic texture drew me in so that I was willing to follow the odd turns without complaint. Turturro is particularly impressive. Unlike some, I didn't think the film fell apart at the end, which made as much sense as the rest and had some strong dramatic content. Very much worth seeing.

I have a Disc Plaza/Cascadia DVD release, part of a double bill. It's somewhat dark, soft, pixelly at times, not very good color, pan-and-scan. Sound is OK mono. Because of the poor quality I had to use the stop-action function to see who did what at a crucial point at the end. There are other editions out on DVD (search DVDs for the title), but the transfers may not be any better than this one. (Keep in mind that unless a review says which DVD release it's commenting on, it might not be the one for which the review is posted, so most of the remarks about video quality, including the ones from Amazon itself, aren't very useful.)

My copy is a bit under 90 minutes. According to the times listed for other DVD releases, most are 92 minutes, one is listed at 93, and a VHS edition is listed at 94. Such figures aren't always correct, but it may be that there are slightly different cuts of the film.

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Quirky Film about 1960s Bronx

Producer/Director Tony Bill's "Five Corners" is blessed with a decent - if often messy - screenplay from noted playwright John Patrick Shanley and splendid performances from John Turturro, Jode Foster, and especially, Tim Robbins. To his credit, Bill captures successfully the spirit of the Bronx in the early 1960s, inspite of Shanley's confusing screenplay. The film follows the fortunes and misfortunes of several teenagers for 48 hours. Turturro is especially effective as the sinister psychopath Heinz, newly released from prison, who is obsessed with neighborhood gal Linda (Jodie Foster), whose crippled boyfriend (Todd Graff) is unable to help her ward off Heinz's advances. In desperation she turns to Harry (Tim Robbins), the fellow who had put Heinz into prison, but he is now more concerned with the Civil Rights movement, Bob Dylan's music, and preaching nonviolence, than resuming his role as Linda's enforcer. Robbins' performance is nearly as memorable as Turturro's (I was pleasantly surprised to see Tim Robbins on the big screen, since my last memory of him was back in high school!); both of their performances nearly overshadow Foster's usual excellent work.

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DVD transfer didn't go so well, but not terrible

Tim Robbins, Jody Foster and John Turtorro. These 3 names alone tell us how well this movie will be performed. All 3 of these fine actors will give 100% to any role they choose to accept. John Turturro plays a loser from Brooklyn straight out of prison for trying to rape Jody Foster. Tim Robbins, a wisened street kid turned civil rights peace activist, saved her from the first attack. Now, with Turturro on the loose, Foster returns to Tim Robbins for support. Good acting with a hint of comedy. 5 star movie, 3 star DVD transfer. It's still worth owning at this price.

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Summer of '64 and all is not well.

This is an interesting time-capsule of the early 60's. Tony Bill does an excellent job of coloring the time with innocence and uncertain turmoil in this look at that era.It is marvelous to see the early Tim Robbins, John Torturro and Jodie Foster, when they responded to direction with exceptional results. A small neighborhood would have a tight group of kids with some delinquents thrown in. Foster gets pursued by Torturro's demented character and only grabs the attention of Robbins at the last instant. Robbins does such a wonderful job, you believe he is going to be in Mississippi when the lunatic strikes, and that he may not care enough.How much action can pigeons conjure up? At the end, I don't care much about the anticlimax. I just knew that I saw the finest actors of the next generation, for I know that I could have wandered onscreen with any of the three above and had a good time together. I forgive it for unravelling at the end, when it lost its spell.Most of the time it succeeds as a window to '64.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3

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