New York Stories: Life Without Zoe

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Cast: opening credits version: “Starring Tally and Giancarlo and introducing Heather. Co-starring Don, Jenny and Jimmy as Jimmy. Written by Francis and Sofia. Produced by Fred and Fred.”

Closing credits elaborate: Talia Shire, Giancarlo Giannini, Heather McComb, Don Novello, Jenny Nichols and James Keane.

Written by: Francis Coppola & Sofia Coppola

Directed by: Francis Coppola (credited minus the Ford)

Genre: Short film/”family”

Run time: I believe it’s 35 minutes for just the “Zoe” segment.

Released: March 10, 1989 (U.S.)

MPAA Rating: PG

Discussing Adrien’s performance in this one is all but impossible. He doesn’t speak and is only seen in the background of a poorly-lit room. Continue reading “New York Stories: Life Without Zoe”

Home At Last

Cast (in opening credits order): Frank Converse, Caroline Lagerfelt, Sasha Radetsky, and Adrien Brody as Billy.

Written & Directed by: David deVries

Genre: A family drama about farm life and values, similar in tone to say, “Old Yeller” or “Where the Red Fern Grows.”

Running time: 59 minutes

Released: 1988

MPAA Rating: unrated, but I’d say it’s a “G”

Note: I did a deep dive on this one, mostly because it’s not that common of a movie. I figured, in this case, “spoilers” are helpful. 

Where We Start

Billy is a tough troublemaker from New York, trying to fit in with a Swedish immigrant family on a farm in Nebraska. There are some bumps along the way, but the story of Billy’s transformation plays out nicely in the film’s short run time.

As we start out, a prologue (black screen, white text and a voice over) provides some background to the story. “From 1853 to 1929,” the voice explains, “over [150,000] homeless orphans were sent west to new homes and new lives on ‘orphan trains.'”

We then open on New York City, 1882. There, we are introduced to Billy (Adrien Brody), who is petting and speaking to a carriage horse named Susie. He then greets customers boarding a carriage, who fail to place a tip in Billy’s outstretched hand.

Continue reading “Home At Last”