8/10
Someone call Leslie Bricusse
23 February 2006
The director is credited with the song "Maria's Eyes", but having just seen a theater version of Dr. Dolittle, I heard a song that sounded too similar for coincidence: "When I Look in Your Eyes", written by Leslie Bricusse. However, I'll grant that the original lacks something by being sung to a seal instead of Natassja Kinksi.

Aside from the musical borrowing, you have to admire Konchalovsky for wanting to tackle the material, revolving around small-town characters and impotence; he really brings out the dignified melancholy of a rust-belt town with steep streets, passing freight trains, weak sunlight and beautiful countryside. The movie is uneven in places, mostly from the performances: Kinski seems unsure whether to play her character modestly or with sashaying allure; Savage has a tough job playing an unsympathetic character, but sometimes makes it worse with explosive histrionics; Mitchum is stuck with bad dialog ("those eyes"). Raising the movie above these problems is a good basic story, affecting shots and images, and the majority of Kinski and Savage's scenes together.
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