BOB DYLAN
COUPLE MORE YEARS
HEARTS OF FIRE
Hearts of Fire - Dylan Sings Shel Silverstein to Girl in Barn http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1169772606382
In Hearts of Fire, a "blunt instrument of 80s vacuity," Bob Dylan "hovers enigmatically on the sidelines, offering jaundiced comments," AND sings the late great Shel Silverstein's Couple More Years to Girl in Barn
Hearts of Fire did extremely poorly in theaters. It was first released in the UK, being pulled from the theaters after approximately two weeks. As a result, the film was not even released to theaters in the United States, and was sent directly to video in 1988. Hearts of Fire was re-released once more on VHS by Warner Brothers on December 6, 1993. It may have at one point been available on the now-expired Laserdisc format, but the film has had no DVD release and there appears to be no current plans for one.
REVIEWERS LOVE HOF:
blunt instrument of 80s vacuity."--Channel 4
"a really bad movie," but also that the viewer's opinion of Bob Dylan is "the key to liking or disliking the film."--DVDLaser
"Hearts of Fire" fails "to fire on all cylinders despite a nimble performance by the enigmatic Bob Dylan typecast as a reclusive rock star."--Variety
"Dylan hovers enigmatically on the sidelines, offering jaundiced comments."--Time Out London
"what is arguably one of the worst performances you are likely to see. His line readings are embarrassing, he clearly has no respect for any of the actors around him, or anyone behind the camera, or anyone who is likely to see the film."--a.j. weberman
Hearts of Fire
Directed by Richard Marquand
Produced by Doug Harris
Jennifer Miller
Iain Smith
Written by Joe Eszterhas
Starring Bob Dylan
Rupert Everett
Fiona Flanagan
Music by John Barry
Cinematography Alan Hume
Editing by Sean Barton
Distributed by Lorimar Productions
Release date(s) 1987 (USA)
Running time 95 min.
Country USA
Language English
Hearts of Fire was a 1987 film starring Bob Dylan, Fiona Flanagan (billed only as "Fiona") and Rupert Everett. The film was essentially a vehicle for Dylan based on his success as a rock musician. It received poor reviews, a limited theatrical release and was later written off by Dylan himself as something he was involved in only "for the money."
Originally written by Scott Richardson (Tony Millionaire), the screenplay was rewritten by Basic Instinct writer Joe Eszterhas because Lorimar Productions felt that Richardson was a "baby writer" and not experienced enough to take on the responsibility of a starring vehicle for a rock icon of Dylan's stature. Dylan is rumored to have threatened a lawsuit to keep the resulting rewrite by Eszterhas from being made and it is also regarded as the film that "killed Richard Marquand", who directed Return of the Jedi of Star Wars fame and died of a stroke the same year.
The film was shot in Canada (Hamilton and Toronto) and the United Kingdom (Southerndown and Coney Beach at Porthcawl). The film's concert scenes were shot in Bristol and Camden, North London (UK).
Although at the time of the film's original release Bob Dylan claimed to be supportive of the project, in a recent interview reportedly only did this movie "for the money."
Soundtrack
In 1987, Columbia released the Hearts of Fire soundtrack. Dylan was apparently originally contracted to write and contribute four new original recordings to the album, but would only turn in two original songs and one cover tune. The tracks included a cover of John Hiatt's "The Usual," along with the Dylan originals "Night After Night" and "Had a Dream About You Baby." Dylan would later release an alternate version of "Had a Dream About You Baby" on the 1988 album Down in the Groove.
1. ^ "Internet Movie Database - List of Films shot in Hamilton, Ontario". http://www.imdb.com/List?endings=on&&locations=Hamilton,+Ontario,+Canada. Retrieved 2008-01-29.
2. ^ a b http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093163/locations
3. ^ http://www.amazon.com/Hearts-Fire-Bob-Dylan/dp/6301640586/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=video&qid=1217982080&sr=8-2
4. ^ http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117791552.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&p=0
5. ^ http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=104152
6. ^ http://www.dvdlaser.com/search/detail.cfm?id=16371
7. ^ http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/71848/hearts_of_fire.html
8. ^ http://talkingmoviezzz.blogspot.com/2008/03/forgotten-film-hearts-of-fire-1987.html
9. ^ http://www.interferenza.com/bcs/interw/86-aug17.htm