Cannery Row

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Watch "Cannery Row", it will become one of your favorites too!
The film "Cannery Row" is one of my all time favorites! Yes, I have read the novel "Cannery Row" many times and I love it and I did read "Sweet Thursday" many years ago. I know to some what I am about to say would seem sacrilegious, but I actually feel that this film improved the story of "Cannery Row". It gave the character "Doc" a love interest which helps to round out the story and made the whole flow of the story much, much better, omitting only parts of the book which were relatively minor. I especially appreciated the omission of the large number of deaths which took place in the first half of the book. In the film they would have just made the tone of the story wayyyyy too dark! I also like the amalgamation made with several characters in the book into one or two characters in the film and even the changing of some characters such as store owner "Lee Chong" into "Joseph and Mary" (one male character!). For one thing, I just can't see "Lee Chong" dressed up like Dracula. I also love the history made for "Doc" in the film (which is not in the book), about his having been a potentially great pro baseball player who quits at a young age, and his connection to the character "The Seer", in the film. One of my favorite scenes from the film which was in the novel was the wonderful scene of fulfilling the legend of the "Beer Milkshake" and "Doc`s" reaction after tasting it. All in all, the book is like the film but just gives us more background to certain events in the film and the film adds some things to the story, which while not intended by John Steinbeck, still brings the story more depth and flavor. The film has perfect casting! There isn't a single actor's performance that isn't simply wonderful. There are many standout performances in this film. I have never been a big fan of most of Nick Nolte's work, but I truly can't see anyone else but him portraying "Doc". He's superb and strikes just the right tone of an educated man of science living in a place where he is surrounded by mostly uneducated salt-of-the-earth types. Debra Winger brings exactly the kind of feistiness, vulnerability and sexiness needed by the role of "Suzy". Even here voice, which can be a bit high pitched when she is excited, is in itself endearing in this setting. M. Emmet Walsh as the chief bum "Mack" who has been in countless movies as a supporting actor gives one of his finest performances here. Walsh brings a harmless abrasiveness to the role while still making him thoroughly likable. Frank McRae as the strong but mentally challenged "Hazel" brings a heartwarming innocence to the role which was different from the way "Hazel" is written in the book. I prefer the film "Hazel". The addition of the plot thread where "Hazel" is convinced by a psychic reading that he is destined to become the President of the United States and the subsequent anguish this causes him always warms my heart and makes me smile. The town Madame and owner of the Bear Flag Restaurant brothel, who in the book is called Dora but in the film is called Fauna who is based upon a real Madame named Flora, is precisely played by Audra Lindley. She has the "flaming orange hair" and plays the flamboyant style but earthy wisdom of the character to a "T". Another great performance is from Sunshine Parker who portrays the character of "The Seer" in the film. He might be a bit old for the role, in comparison to "Doc", but he brings a sweetness to the role that makes one smile and makes me cry every time I see the scene near the end of the film. Also, I would agree that, most of the time, narration in a film can be a bit annoying (example: original theatrical release of "Blade Runner"!) and can draw away from the film, but not in this case. In this film you have the wonderful avuncular voice of the great John Huston, the actor/director. He mixes in just enough narration to the film to make it comforting but not annoying. In fact, after I saw this movie the first time from then on when I read the "Cannery Row" novel I hear John Huston's voice in my head when I read the narrative of the book. For that matter the same goes for all the other similar characters between the book and film too! The Direction of the film was extremely well done by David S. Ward and he deserves a great deal more credit and recognition for this film than has ever been accorded to him. As far as the sets and scenery in the film, anyone who has lived in a fishing village knows how accurate the sets and scenery were are in this film. I have never lived in Monterey, California but I have lived in or frequently visited many fishing towns along the coast of Oregon, such as Bandon, Newport, Charleston and Coos Bay, and every time I watch this film it is like coming home to those places. The music of the film is perfect. Mostly jazz and swamp boogie piano, much of which was played by the great jazz pianist Dr. John, along with some finely chosen classical pieces brings a great flavor to the film and helps the viewer even further in feeling they are transported back to that time. Finally, it is a special kind of film that makes you wish you lived in an economically depressed, industrialized town that stinks like dead fish and where you live around professional bums and a whorehouse! I've lived in similar places and watching this film always gives me the yearning to go back to those towns. Many people who like or even love this film have said that it is one of the most underrated and under-recognized films in movie history and I couldn't agree more! This film deserved many Oscar's which it didn't receive. I have been waiting for years and years for this film to finally be released on DVD and I am thrilled beyond words to see that my wish is finally going to come true! I transferred my VHS copy to DVD-R a couple of years ago so that my tape wouldn't deteriorate any further but the original VHS release was always substandard and of poor quality. It was in full screen and when the transfer was made they didn't even properly center the picture, so even bits of the opening credits are cut off at the edge of the screen. I hope this will be a Widescreen release which this film so desperately needs and deserves so we can see the film finally as the Director intended it to be seen. I think it will help bring this wonderful film to the attention of a whole new generation of film lovers and bring it the recognition it has missed in the passed. I couldn't give a higher recommendation for this film than "See it, you will LOVE it"!

Finally!
Finally! I've been waiting for this to hit DVD for years! I was just about to break down and get it on VHS, and now here it is!

A suggestion to Tom Keogh
Dear Tom Keogh, re: your review, verisimilitude? egregious contrivances? Just a suggestion to you: get the hell over yourself.

DVD disaster
The original film was in beautiful widescreen. The DVD is cropped and therefore should be avoided--a disaster and a shame that Warner Bros. couldn't show proper respect to a beautiful film. Don't waste your money on this.

Finally . . . on DVD
I am so excited that the DVD will soon be available for this wonderful movie. It is one of my top 10 movies that I have been waiting years to come out on DVD. I highly recommend it. Love the dance scene, one of the best movie moments ever. Love the whole quirky, funny, sweet movie!!!!