Where Angels Dance (1994) from Tuna and Johnny Web (Uncle Scoopy; Greg Wroblewski)

Tuna's comments in white.

Where Angels Dance (1994) is a film you are not likely to have heard about. It has never had a theatrical release, and is not listed at IMDB. It is finally being released on DVD next Tuesday. Most of the production facts in this review are from an exclusive Funhouse interview with Patrick Coppola, who wrote, produced, directed and starred in this film. Coppola has struggled for 7 years trying to get distribution for this film, but it has only been screened at a handful of festivals. He was unable to find out why nobody would pick it up. Indeed, even Blockbuster refused to release it as a rental. I am dumfounded, as this is an exceptionally good character driven drama..

Another example of the tight writing is a beat cop, who is introduced in a diner. When he tells the ex-hooker/waitress that she will be seeing him often, she tells him the coffee will be free for him. He has no moral problem accepting the gratuity. This insight into his character also explains events near the end of the film. There is breast exposure from several unknown strippers in the film. Flashback sequences, which explain his boxing career were shot in B&W, which seemed a perfect choice, as it showed a change of time frame and location. These flashbacks were kept to a minimum. The film didn't have a single word of voice-over, had one of the cleverer expository gimmicks I have ever seen (Alex called a sports talk show, and anonymously asked about his fight career), and developed thoroughly fleshed out characters with, in some cases, a minimum of screen time.

Although the DVD is not a very good transfer, it is obvious that the photography is excellent. The DVD was mastered from video, which was mastered from an old positive. I am sure the film would be spectacular if re-mastered from the original negatives. It was shot on a budget of $70,000.00 in 18 days in 35mm. Another $100,000.00 was spent in post production, for a total budget of around $175K. Coppola is "Coppola Entertainment/Five Angels Productions," and also did one of the films I will be doing tomorrow. I give this film an enthusiastic thumb up.

To each his own, I guess. I watched this because Tuna was so impressed with it. Although the script is similar to the realistic social dramas of Clifford Odets, especially "Golden Boy", I thought it was quite a few levels lower. I found it to be an average inner city drama in terms of the characterization, film technique, and script. I though it was far below average in terms of performing. Some of the actors appear to be people recruited from the streets in order to deliver a few lines inexpensively. Coppola himself is quite stiff, and tends to stand aloof from the other actors. Although that aloofness turned out to be generally OK for this character, some of his lines seemed to be unnaturally delivered, and some of the fight scenes are poorly choreographed with obviously false punches.

I was impressed by the ending, which avoided a Hollywood cop-out, sent both of the women away to other lives, and sent our hero back to his apartment, still lonely and jobless, but with his internal rage quieted and an improved outlook for the future.

The print, as Tuna noted, is dreadful - dark, blurry, shadowy and poorly contrasted. There is no widescreen version, and there are no features at all.