Liebestraum * (1991, Kevin Anderson, Bill Pullman, Kim Novak, Pamela Gidley) – Classic Movie Review 5089

Unfortunately, writer-composer-director Mike Figgis lets arty images take the place of interesting characterisation and a decent plot in his pretentious, low-voltage 1991 neo noir mystery thriller.

Kevin Anderson stars as Nick Kaminsky, a young professor of architecture in upstate New York, who comes back to his Illinois home town to visit his biological mother, Lillian Munnsen (Kim Novak), who is dying of cancer. Nick was was adopted and hasn’t shared any of his life with her.

After he meets old college buddy Paul (Bill Pullman) whose company is demolishing a downtown department store, Nick is keen that he should photograph and study the beautiful cast-iron Victorian building before it is demolished. It is the place where ‘something happened’ in the past, a murder-suicide 30 years ago. Paul introduces Nick to his wife Jane (Pamela Gidley)…

An unreal, movie-style plot is spiced up with flashy visuals, with red and blue light everywhere, and odd, huge close-ups (courtesy cinematographer Juan Ruiz Anchia). Novak’s presence riskily promises some Hitchcock-style thrills and quality work à la Vertigo that just never materialise. For a short while it kind of keeps your attention, but only for a very short while. There is a particularly preposterous dénouement that is not worth waiting for, so there is no happy ending to Liebestraum, which, as a movie, is more of a nightmare than a dream.

Liebestraum means ‘love dream’ or ‘dream of love’ in German. Liebesträume is a piece for for piano by Franz Liszt.

Also in the cast are Graham Beckel, Zach Grenier, Catherine Hicks, Max Perlich and Taina Elg.

It is R rated for strong sensuality and for strong language.

After this, Kim Novak retired. She won the 1955 Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer – Female for Phffft! (1955). She is best remembered for Vertigo, Picnic, The Man with the Golden Arm and Bell, Book and Candle.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5089

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