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Director
Jonathan Demme spent much of the 1970s making grade B exploitation
films (including a women's prison movie, Chained Heat!). But
when Mike Nichols abandoned a project he had been working
on, Jonathan Demme jumped at the chance to take over what
would become Melvin and Howard. This film was a breakthrough
for his career, which later turned out such films as Stop
Making Sense, Something Wild, and Married to the Mob, before
he finally garnered the Best Director award for Silence of
the Lambs.
This film
is about Melvin Dummar (Paul LeMat), a loser who has trouble
making money and even more trouble managing the money that
he has. His wife Lynda (Mary Steenburgen, in an Oscar winning
performance) finally decides she has experienced her last
repossession and moves out of their trailer along with her
daughter. Possessing no other marketable skill, Lynda becomes
a stripper in a Las Vegas nightclub. Melvin finds out and
tries to bring her home, but she refuses. Not happy with this
life either, she eventually reconciles with Melvin. In an
attempt to find a way out of their threadbare existence, Lynda
then tries her luck at a game show.
But this
movie is titled Melvin and Howard, not Melvin and Lynda. Howard
(Hughes) does appear briefly, but the title is misleading.
The movie is really all about Melvin. The Hughes incident
and its fallout shape the character of Melvin Dummar. Hughes,
on the other hand, remains a mysterious entity. Some of you
might be surprised to find out this movie was based on a true
story. Yes, there really was a loser named Melvin Dummar,
and yes, he really did claim his right as one of the beneficiaries
named in a will that might have been written by Howard Hughes.
The events
depicted in the film occur over a protracted period of time,
but they are expertly strung together by Demme into one cohesive
story. Paul LeMat was perfectly cast for the role of Melvin.
Mary Steenburgen imbues Lynda with vigor while still displaying
vulnerability and sweetness. Her work in the wedding sequence
is unforgettable and the highlight of the movie.
Director
Paul Thomas Anderson has mentioned that he ripped off Demme
for many of the shots in Boogie Nights. Watching Melvin and
Howard with Anderson's comments in mind, I did find several
shots that were very reminiscent of Boogie Nights (perhaps
I should say the other way around). This demonstrates that
good technique can work for films of drastically different
subject matter.
Video: How Does The Disc Look?
The first
part of the film is intentionally dark and murky. Contrast
and black level are put to the test, and they pass. The picture
does exhibit some grain, but this seems appropriate for the
grimy settings. The anamorphic transfer is free of digital
artifacts and age blemishes. Probably due to the way it was
filmed Melvin and Howard will not be the DVD you reach for
when you are showing off your system, so keep that in mind.
Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?
At first
I was unimpressed by the mono sound, but it picks up after
a while. The game show sequence creates an excellent platform
for exhibiting strong dynamic range, in which area the soundtrack
performs well for its age. The pop songs probably could have
been helped by a stereo rendition (particularly the Rolling
Stones' "Satisfaction," which I think was originally recorded
in stereo), but they sound better than expected. Dialogue
always sounds friendly to the ear (except for Melvin's singing),
and I did not notice any age-related problems like hiss or
pops.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There? While a
trailer and a few bios are included, the principal extra is
the screen-specific audio commentary by director Demme
and production designer Toby Rafelson. Pauses are frequent,
but when Demme does talk he usually has something interesting
to reveal about the production. Sometimes he highlights an
aspect of the film that you may not have noticed, leaving
you thinking "how did I miss that?" As one of the
great filmmakers of the last twenty years, Demme's musings
and remembrances are very welcome to the fans of his work.
It is too bad some prominent directors have yet to utilize
commentary tracks. Mr. Lucas and Mr. Spielberg, are you listening?
Also included
are brief production notes and the theatrical trailer. And
once again, Anchor Bay fails to provide any sort of Closed
Caption, or even subtitles. Very disappointing, and please,
Anchor Bay, don't continue to exclude your hearing impaired
viewers on future releases!
Parting Thoughts
Melvin and
Howard is a credible story and an incredibly well crafted
film. Jonathan Demme's later films are better known, but this
quieter film holds its own against the others. Highly recommended
to those who like "Americana" movies.
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