Remember My Name (1978)

There are only a few movies I watch more than once, this one is on my list because of Geraldine Chaplin's psychotic performance as Emily. Here is an actor in top form, playing the role for all it's worth, and she is a joy to watch. Anthony Perkins's unstructured acting style serves to emphasize Chaplin's, while Jeff Goldblum and Alfre Woodard (does she ever age?) provide dramatic background characters. I'm less sold on Berry Berenson, who seems out of her depth here, but her tangible fear when Emily pops up in her house is serviceable.Okay, so about that ending, it's almost like they ran out of money and just called it a day, leaving an unfinished story. It's frustrating, but hear me out: this is how it feels when someone close walks out of your life, this is exactly what Emily experienced when Neil dumped her, and she wanted him to feel that way. I know it's a stretch and probably not intentional, but it's the only explanation that makes sense.

Geraldine Chaplin's portrayal of a mentally ill ( or just borderline personality disorder? ) woman is so spot-on, it is painful to watch at moments- really raw vulnerability. I had to watch it twice to pay attention to the other characters' performances. The ending is so perfect I had to laugh. The plotting and finesse of this film is so far above the typical ex-lover revenge movie I don't want to put it in that category. This is a psychological thriller that deserves more attention; maybe today's filmmakers would learn something.

I saw this film last night at the George Eastman House. The announcer said that it would not be released for video because of the rights to the soundtrack. The singer died without releasing the rights. In any event, I found it fascinating. However, the conclusion seemed rushed and didn't clarify the motives of the protagonist Emily.Don't read further if you haven't seen it!!!---- All of a sudden Emily gets Neil to her place, sleeps with him, steals his credit card and then drives down the road that she drove in on at the beginning of the film. As languid as the rest of the film is, this happens so quickly you don't understand the meaning or purpose to Emily's actions. I felt like I wished I'd brought someone with me to the film so that we could discuss what the ending might have meant-

An interesting and well-acted psychological drama about an unhappily married man (Perkins) who finds himself stalked by his first wife (Chaplin), a mentally unbalanced woman who spent the last 12 years in prison for murder. You've seen this kind of insane-female-admirer plot before, but here it's handled more intelligently and tastefully than usual. It remains refreshingly unpredictable all the way through.Chaplin is particularly impressive, managing to exude fragility, menace, and just plain craziness all at once. It's a solid performance if you're willing to overlook her ever-changing accent (is her character supposed to be American or English?). The film also features an overbearing blues soundtrack that, while decent enough in itself, sounds like it belongs in another film. Still, it's a good movie, probably worth viewing more than once.