Hearts of Fire ** (1987, Bob Dylan, Fiona Flanagan, Rupert Everett) – Classic Movie Review 8845

Director Richard Marquand’s 1987 Hearts of Fire features the irresistible paring of Bob Dylan and Rupert Everett. How great is that, and how unusual? And both of them singing, too, Dylan performing two of his own compositions.

But, as a starring vehicle for rock icon Bob Dylan, it is an over-familiar, hardly tolerable rock musical, telling the tale of the climb to fame of young rock singer Molly McGuire (Fiona Flanagan), wooed along the way by dissolute young pop star James Colt (Rupert Everett) and reclusive older living legend Billy Parker (Bob Dylan), who takes her on as a protegée.

Hearts of Fire is most notable for rather embarrassing performances, a static, unexciting script by Joe Eszterhas and Scott Richardson, fairly inept handling, and ten pretty duff songs, five performed by Fiona, three by Dylan (The Usual, Night After Night, Had a Dream About You Baby) and two by Everett.

Also in the cast are Julian Glover, Ian Dury, Richie Havens, Suzanne Bertish, Larry Lamb, Maury Chaykin, Tony Rosato, Timmy Cappello, Lesleh Donaldson, and Stella Duncan-Petley.

It is the final film of director Marquand, who died of a stroke on 4 September 1987, aged 49, just as he had hit the big time with Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi and Jagged Edge). The original script title of Jagged Edge, which was also written by Joe Eszterhas, was Hearts of Fire.

TV print edits out the strong language.

The trailer was narrated by Hal Douglas.

It was originally written by Scott Richardson, but rewritten by Joe Eszterhas because Lorimar Motion Pictures productions felt that Richardson was a ‘baby writer’.

Some footage was shot at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, before and during a concert by the Canadian rock band Honeymoon Suite. Other concert scenes were filmed in Bristol, England.

Mick Jagger but turned down the Billy Parker role before Bob Dylan was cast.

Bob Dylan (playing Billy Parker) says: ‘Yeah, I guess I’ve always known I was never one of them rock ‘n’ roll singers that was gonna win any Nobel prize.’ But in 2016 Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8845

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