Biloxi Blues

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Movie
German title Biloxi Blues
Original title Biloxi Blues
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1988
length 102 minutes
Age rating FSK 16
Rod
Director Mike Nichols
script Neil Simon
production Ray Stark
music Georges Delerue
camera Bill Butler
cut Sam O'Steen
occupation

Biloxi Blues is a comedy film by Mike Nichols from the year 1988 . Neil Simon wrote the script based on his 1985 Tony Award winning play.

action

In 1945, some young recruits were sent to a US Army training camp in Biloxi , Mississippi . This group includes Eugene Jerome from New York, who falls in love and wants to become a writer. The recruits come across the strangely acting, harassing instructor Sgt. Toomey. One day he is looking for a thief who stole 62 dollars from one of the recruits. Finally, Arnold Epstein reports and pays the money back. Toomey then reveals that he saw the soldier's wallet lying unattended and took the money to teach him a lesson. Later he speaks to Epstein in private and threatens him not to oppose Toomey. One evening Eugene and a couple of his comrades bet about the most original dream they would realize if they had another week to live. Epstein wins by telling him he was bullying the instructor into doing 200 pushups.

Eugene and three of his comrades go into town when they go out and want to see a prostitute named Rowena. One after the other they are asked to join her. The last two, Eugene and another recruit, however, back down before Eugene goes in (because he had left his hat in the anteroom) and stays. He experiences his first time. In the evening he meets Daisy at a dance event, and it crackles between the two of them and they fall a little in love. From then on, Jerome and Daisy meet several times and both try to ensure that - as Jerome's voiceover says - the meetings go off as perfectly as possible .

Jerome's comrades find his diary in which he also writes down his thoughts about them. Arnold Epstein of Jewish origin is surprised and disappointed that Jerome thinks he is homosexual. Another recruit is flattered that Jerome sees him as a potential hero and good soldier.

During the night, an inspector catches two soldiers from the company engaged in illegal homosexual acts, but one of the recruits quickly escapes through the open window. Sgt. Toomey threatens to punish the entire company until the second soldier is found. The colleagues think Epstein is the wanted one until another recruit is arrested. Jerome's voiceover says he now realizes the power written words can have.

One evening the drunk Toomey wants to speak to Epstein in private with a pistol in hand. Jerome fears for his friend's life and does not want to leave him, whereupon Toomey takes Jerome with him in his place. The sergeant reveals to Eugene that he should be transferred to a veteran hospital the next day, and that his career will come to an end. Before that he wanted to make Jerome a “perfect soldier”. He is supposed to disarm Toomey and arrest him strictly according to the regulations for a crime - the threat of a weapon. Jerome disarmed the sergeant, but the later recruits of the company did not hand him over to the military police. Instead, they order 200 push-ups as an internal punishment - which Toomey does. Everyone smiles.

The company gets a new instructor, but the soldiers miss the eccentric Toomey, as he anticipated. The unit is transferred to the Pacific, but no longer takes part in the fighting because the war is over. Jerome later becomes a writer and starts a family. His voiceover tells what happened to the other soldiers in the company.

Reviews

  • Lexicon of international film : "Not a time-critical document, but a comedically accented, glorifying and belittling retrospective with friendly advertising for the military."
  • Prisma Online : “A harmless review of Mike Nichols' military service, which he staged based on the famous play by Neil Simon. However, Nichol's theatrical version is largely defused around the satirical elements. [...] "
  • Roger Ebert criticized in the Chicago Sun-Times that nothing in the film seems fresh, well observed or deeply discussed.
  • Rita Kempley wrote in the Washington Post that Christopher Walken's portrayal wavered between madness and stability. Only the game of Park Overall is remarkable.
  • Vincent Canby praised Christopher Walken's play in The New York Times .

backgrounds

The comedy was shot in Arkansas , USA. It grossed over $ 43 million in US cinemas.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Biloxi Blues. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  2. ^ Criticism at Prisma Online
  3. ↑ Chicago Sun-Times .
  4. ^ The Washington Post
  5. ^ The New York Times , March 25, 1988