Monday 2 March 2015

The Mystery of Natalie Wood (2004 Peter Bogdanovich)

A useful, successful dramatised autobiography, co-produced by sister Lana Wood, featuring people who knew her for real, Peter's 2 1/2 hour TV film seems limited by time and budget in terms of delivering his usual cinematic richness (though his very long dissolves are still in evidence). Justine Waddell (and Elizabeth Rice) are not at all bad as Natalie, Michael Weatherly is Wagner, Matthew Settle, with Colin Friels etc.  I must admit to not knowing hardly any of this cast nor the cameraman (John Stokes, in 4x3), composer (Richard Marvin) or editor (Scott Vickrey), though the latter has been cutting episodes of TV's super-slick The Good Wife.

It moves along briskly and is full of fascinating detail (e.g. the number of great actors she had already appeared with as a child star, her affair with Nicholas Ray, aged only 16, her corrosive mother) and ultimately provides a horrible death-by-drowning finale.

Of the children Courtney Wagner has avoided the acting business but Natasha Gregson Wagner has appeared in tons of (mainly TV) things.

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