Same Time, Next Year
1978 US
Dir: Robert Mulligan
Str: Alan Alda, Ellen Burstyn
Left:Alan Alda, Right:Ellen Burstyn
"Same Time, Next Year" is an astonishingly beautiful and warm movie successfully drawing on quite
excellent resource materials such as the beautiful seaside scenary (though most scenes were shot indoors), the
excellent performances from both Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn, and the incredibly beautiful theme music composed
by Marvin Hamlisch. With all these elements combined together, this movie seems to have, at least to me, succeeded
in becoming one of the most unforgettable movies made during the 1970s. The story begins with the scene where Alan
Alda and Ellen Burstyn meet in a restaurant for the first time. Despite the fact that both already have their own
spouse, they are attracted to each other, and find themselves in a cottage room sleeping together in the next morning.
Thereafter, they continue to meet every year in the same time and at the same place as the first time they met.
The movie shows us six rendezvous at five years interval. So actually this movie is composed of six separate sections,
between each of which clips from actual news reels and movies selected among the ones made during that particular
five years are inserted. This is nice touch, enabling viewers to easily notice the passage of time by retracing
their own memories. Essentially, the movie is based upon a stage play. Therefore, most of the scenes take place
in the inside of a seaside cottage, and there are no significant character players other than Alan Alda and Ellen
Burstyn. Because of this, for the persons who always want to watch adrenalin pumping action-packed movies, this
movie might be boring. But, for the persons who are craving for the movies that provide excellent performances
and sheer pleasure of hearing interesting and sophisticated conversations, this movie is definitely a must. Besides
this, the performances of two lead players are topnotch. Alan Alda is a very strange actor, for, in spite of being
essentially a comedian, he seems to be always tense. Also in this movie, his tension never wanes. Especially the
scene where he plays Beethoven's piano sonata in front of pregnant Burstyn because, as they can't do the usual
practice due to her pregnancy, he has to divert his tension by other means, suggests his supercharged intensity
very well. On the other hand, Ellen Burstyn is a very soft-tempered actress. She seems to have an ability to tranquilize
intensity by her tender and flexible personality. This Burstyn's softness is quite a good match for Alda's intensity.
I can guarantee that you will be able to surely enjoy the conversations of these two players who have completely
opposite dispositions. It should be added that the scores composed by Marvin Hamlisch is also great. Not only beautiful,
but also well fitting to the overall ambiance. Marvin Hamlisch is the person who, in 1973, got two Oscars by "The
Way We Were" (The title song sung by Barbra Streisand is everybody's favorite), and another one by Sting
(Arrangement), which amount to three Oscars just in one year by one person. For this "Same Time, Next
Year", he composed very beautiful scores too, and was nominated for Oscar once again. Finally, I would like
to say "Same Time, Next Year" is one of my most favorite movies of all time. So if you are not such a
person who only likes action movies or horror movies, you will surely be able to have a good time while watching
it, and get a warm feeling after having finished watching it.
