Wow! The film has reappeared! On YouTube! Fantastic!
A Cinderella story set to modern fashion modeling and photography, a jaded fashion photographer becomes obsessed with finding a pretty homeless girl he discovers in the background of one of his fashion photos in downtown Los Angeles.
At last he finds her and gives her shelter as an assistant, she slowly begins to open up to him, and he learns what sent her into the streets. Frightened at finding himself falling in love with her, he enjoys the diversion of a very hot model played by Kim Waltrip in some enjoyably revealing scenes in and out of his king-size bed and jacuzzi.
Gilman plays the jaded photographer Jordan very convincingly. Michael Laskin adds considerable comic relief as his fast-talking but compassionate business agent Marty Fiore.
The model and homeless girl quickly become competitive for Jordan, and the outcome of the struggle between the photographer's lifestyle and his heart are the climax of the film.
The pretty, petite Priscilla Harris, who played the heart-winning ... and/or -breaking ... waif, soon disappeared from public view, coincidentally and intriguingly. She may have later studied law. I wish her happiness.
The music is excellent - contemporary hits reflecting the theme of the film - and it is sad that this is not yet available on DVD. Hopefully, it won't be lost. As another reviewer has mentioned, it touches many lives who have had similar experiences.
Lou Coatney
***
The 23Oct18 review is crassly shallow. Just one point:
Jordan the photographer turns to Stevie, the hot cocaine-sniffing chauffeured model, because he realizes he is falling in love with Lisa, and that commitment/responsibility is completely at odds against his jaded model photography profession life and lifestyle. This *frightens* him, and he PANICKS.
Later, when his business agent Marty gently expresses his own sadness that Lisa - whom he knows was good for Jordan - has left, Jordan admits he lost something/someone irreplaceable in his life and the following scenes are melancholy if not despondent ... until Lisa sees in a bookshop window that he finally did his long-intended book album of the street (people) which he had confided *to her* he always wanted to do and cautiously ventures back to the neighborhood ... but then is afraid, has second thoughts, and turns to leave.
However, Jordan is coincidentally up on the roof remembering their special moment ... her dancing only for him ... one of the great film scenes ... hopefully not thinking of jumping as he was kidding her about before that special moment scene ... and sees her and calls to her ... with the happy ever after ending of them both eagerly reuniting down on the street.
The film could have instead ended with him just missing seeing her ... and would have plunged its viewers into deep sadness ... but *Life is Timing*, and life-changing fortuitous coincidences like that can and do happily happen.
My first love and I whom I mention in my 45 Years review were sitting on the embankment of her gravel driveway, maybe the third time I walked her home from our high school. There was this one small rock out in her driveway I kept trying to hit with another rock, while we talked. She was very sheltered and hesitant to go on a date with me. (She was just as petite - 5'2" Swedish-Danish-American - and pretty as Lisa in the film.)
Finally, I asked that if I finally hit that rock on my next throw, would she go with me (to a track meet of all things) and if I didn't I wouldn't bother her again. She solemnly agreed. Against all odds, I hit that rock out there on her driveway, and (she later told me) that was the moment she knew I would be the one.
Again, Nights in White Satin is beautifully crafted and well thought through - a true film classic.
24Mar23: Very glad to see the film up on YouTube. It is a very moral and compassionate film about 2 people very hesitantly reaching out to each other ... one of them not realizing how badly he needs to be reached out to himself, until (captured by her image) he out of character reaches out to help *her*.
I believe Priscilla Harris may still be in Hollywood working in a personnel capacity. This one film made her a real star ... even if she doesn't realize it. :-)
***
My reply to Shadow Eyes in the comments under the (fuzzy) film now on YouTube:
Exactly. See my/elcoat's review on IMDb about this great film.
But he was in intrigued by her when he first saw her looking at him at the very first and then fell in love with her when seeing her in the breadline photo. "Who are *you* ?" That was well before the classic rooftop scene.
Love (interest) at first sight - we guys are like that - even if he doesn't realize it or want to admit it ... for most of the film.
Really, the more I see this movie, the more I'm disgusted by the guy, his lifestyle, and his treatment of The Girl/Lisa. Afraid of losing her to a modeling career he cuts her down cruelly after the party.
And what had she become after she then left him after her one job with the Frenchman? She had a prostitute-looking outfit on in the final scene. For that matter, did her saying to Stevie the model, her competitor for Jordan, that she had been no angel indicate she had been a prostitute, maybe saved by her social worker boyfriend who was then murdered? (Was that why he was murdered? A vengeful pimp? Right: "He was a social worker with some of the girls.") LOTS of fascinating mysteries left open by this film.
Did his finally admitting he loved her and running down from the roof to embrace her save her from the streets after all?
Something else. Michael Laskin really does add a lot to the film, popping in with humor ... and compassion ... throughout.
It is odd *he* wouldn't have tried to find Lisa, seeing his friend Jordan in such bad shape after she had left ... albeit eventually to be reunited anyway.
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