Saint Jack **** (1979, Ben Gazzara, Denholm Elliott, James Villiers, Joss Ackland, Rodney Bewes) – Classic Movie Review 6326

Director Peter Bogdanovich’s 1979 cult movie adaptation of Paul Theroux’s 1973 novel Saint Jack is one of his best films for many years, made after a three-year hiatus following three flop movies in a row.

Ben Gazzara stars as Jack Flowers, who arrives in Singapore and establishes himself as a pimp. Jack dreams of making a fortune running a brothel and is offered the opportunity by the CIA to run one for US soldiers on leave.

Saint Jack represents a sharp return to form for director Bogdanovich, who also helps to adapt Paul Theroux’s novel along with Theroux and Howard Sackler.

But it is the distinguished acting of Gazzara, and Denholm Elliott as an ailing English accountant called William Leigh, and the atmospheric local filming that really raise its level. The local filming is paramount to its success. They were right to credit: ‘We thank the people of the Republic of Singapore, on whose island this picture was filmed.’ It was made for just $1,000,000 – great value.

The film falls into three segments: the story of a bunch of Brits abroad (James Villiers as Frogget, Joss Ackland as Yardley); Gazzara’s prostitution business with the Triads; the tale of a visiting senator (George Lazenby).

It is meant as a compliment to say that Saint Jack is sometimes reminiscent of a Graham Greene story filmed by Gazzara’s friend John Cassavetes in the manner of his The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976).

Chubby-cheeked British comedy actor Rodney Bewes (1937–2017) plays Smale. Also in the cast are Mark Kingston, Lisa Lu, and Peter Bogdanovich.

Roger Corman co-produces with Blaine Novak and George Morfogen. Hugh M Hefner is executive producer. It is shot by Robby Müller and designed by David Ng.

A Region 1 DVD is available.

Bogdanovich wanted his mentor Welles to direct the film but, after some pressure from the studio and his girlfriend Cybill Shepherd, Bogdanovich ended up directing it himself, leading to a long-standing falling out between the two friends.

Shepherd sued Playboy magazine after it published photographs of her from The Last Picture Show. She won the rights to the novel Saint Jack, which she had wanted to be filmed since Welles gave her a copy of the book, in part-settlement.

Saint Jack was shot entirely on location in Singapore in May and June 1978, including the former Empress Place hawker centre and Bugis Street. The Singapore authorities knew and disliked the book, so the film-makers  did not tell them that they were filming it in case they would not be allowed to shoot the film. They created a fake synopsis for a romantic film called Jack of Hearts, which was the one the Singapore crew believed they were making.

The film was banned in Singapore and Malaysia on 17 January 1980, lifted finally in March 2006.

Bogdanovich recalled: ‘Saint Jack and They All Laughed (1981) were two of my best films but never received the kind of distribution they should have.’ He’s right about Saint Jack but not about They All Laughed.’

The cast are Ben Gazzara as Jack Flowers, Denholm Elliott as William Leigh, James Villiers as Frogget, Joss Ackland as Yardley, Rodney Bewes as Smale, Mark Kingston as Mr Yates, Lisa Lu as Mrs Yates, Monika Subramaniam as Monika, Judy Lim as Judy, George Lazenby as Senator, Peter Bogdanovich as Eddie and Schuman, and Joseph Noël as Gopi.

Peter Bogdanovich (July 30, 1939 – January 6, 2022). HIs career started spectacularly with Targets (1968), The Last Picture Show (1971), What’s Up, Doc? (1972), and Paper Moon (1973). His next three films were all critical and commercial failures, including Daisy Miller (1974), At Long Last Love (1975), and Nickelodeon (1976).

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 6326

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