One from the Heart

Coppolas avant-garde musical with Teri Garr and Nastassja Kinski

A couple whos been living together for five years in Las Vegas has a tiff (Teri Garr & Frederic Forrest). As they grieve their heartbreak, they flirt with alternative lovers on July 4th (Raul Julia & Nastassja Kinski).

One from the Heart (1981) was Francis Ford Coppolas follow-up to his incredible Apocalypse Now (1979). Its a romantic musical shot entirely on a large sound stage (with one sequence done in the back lot) of Coppolas Zoetrope Studios, a studio by artists for artists. Its in the tradition of the outstanding Moulin Rouge (1952) and the precursor to the dynamic Chicago (2002), but it lacks the compelling story of the former and the electricity of the lat...

"Hank" (Fredric Forrest) and girlfriend "Frannie" (Terri Garr) seem to have one of those relationships that is on, then it's off, then it's on again. After five years of this, there's some love there, but there's also loads of restlessness and it's ultimately that which drives them apart. She hooks up with the swarthy "Ray" (Raul Julia) while he takes a shine to "Leila" (Nastassia Kinski). It's this latter relationship that proves the marginally more entertaining in this otherwise unremarkable drama. "Leila" works in a circus and is regularly performing death-defying feats in a big top that is clearly just an huge sound stage. There we hit on what makes this film a little more notable - it has all been filmed on a stage. It's very much pres...