Rating: 
Summary: I Believe in Francis C.
Review: "One from the Heart" is a typical story of two lovers breaking up, running around and ultimately coming back together, but the simplicity allows for experimentation. The stylized, studio-bound film's complexities are revealed by Tom Waits' light jazz score and Vittorio Storaro's very theatrical lighting. Both are well-served by a gorgeous, eye-popping re-mastered transfer and 5.1 mix (an isolated score is also available). Modern day stylized films like "Moulin Rouge" owe a lot to this movie.Director Francis Ford Coppola's highly engaging commentary on disc 1 goes into detail of his aspirations for "live cinema" - a product that combines the beauty of film with aspects of live television and theatre. He stands by his film despite its failure; it's easy to see how this unconventional film flopped, but you can't help but get swept up in Coppola's vision. Casual viewers may find "One from the Heart" pretty boring, but it should be required viewing for budding filmmakers. Disc 2 features a sheer wealth of documentaries, both old and new, on almost every aspect of "One from the Heart"'s creation, as well as a special one on the history of Zoetrope Studios, which was bankrupted by the project. You can find out more about Coppola's shooting technique of 'electronic cinema,' Tom Waits' score, the stop-motion effects, and even the massive rehearsals for the picture. A selection of deleted and alternate scenes, alternate takes of Waits' score, trailers and other ephemera round out this excellent DVD package.
Rating:
Summary: I Believe in Francis C.
Review: "One from the Heart" is a typical story of two lovers breaking up, running around and ultimately coming back together, but the simplicity allows for experimentation. The stylized, studio-bound film's complexities are revealed by Tom Waits' light jazz score and Vittorio Storaro's very theatrical lighting. Both are well-served by a gorgeous, eye-popping re-mastered transfer and 5.1 mix (an isolated score is also available). Modern day stylized films like "Moulin Rouge" owe a lot to this movie. Director Francis Ford Coppola's highly engaging commentary on disc 1 goes into detail of his aspirations for "live cinema" - a product that combines the beauty of film with aspects of live television and theatre. He stands by his film despite its failure; it's easy to see how this unconventional film flopped, but you can't help but get swept up in Coppola's vision. Casual viewers may find "One from the Heart" pretty boring, but it should be required viewing for budding filmmakers. Disc 2 features a sheer wealth of documentaries, both old and new, on almost every aspect of "One from the Heart"'s creation, as well as a special one on the history of Zoetrope Studios, which was bankrupted by the project. You can find out more about Coppola's shooting technique of 'electronic cinema,' Tom Waits' score, the stop-motion effects, and even the massive rehearsals for the picture. A selection of deleted and alternate scenes, alternate takes of Waits' score, trailers and other ephemera round out this excellent DVD package.
Rating:
Summary: This is not a musical...
Review: ...it's an over-budgeted drama with an obtrusive soundtrack. Granted, it has very high production values and some novel theatrical effects adapted for cinema (studio set, symbolic lighting, scrim reveals). But they're not enough to make this the type of film something you'd want to see again (except to see Terri Garr walk around in skimpy underwear or to drool over Raul Julia topless and in tight briefs). Rebecca DeMornay makes her silver screen debut as an irate restaurant customer. The music, which is key to a musical's appeal, is bluesy-jazz vocals sung by Tom Waits and Crystal Gayle, and is tolerable only to fans of Tom Waits. Otherwise, it's an annoying "foreground" music to accompany conventionally-acted scenes. The only singing in this movie by any character is a surprisingly atmospheric four-minute shot where Ray (Julia) serenades Frannie (Garr) to dubbed-in piano playing as a prelude to a tango. The only "big dance number" follows shortly afterward, with the requisite showgirls, cars, neon lights, and cast of dozens hot-footing it on the old Las Vegas Strip. Most audiences expect to see a cast who sings, dances, and acts if the work is billed as a musical, but the blue-collar male lead Hank (Frederic Forrest) only acts, and the two who can sing and dance (Garr, Julia) are only given two too-short opportunities. Circus girl Leila (Nastassja Kinski) walks a tightrope, locomotes on a large ball, and lip-syncs a fantasy scene where someone else's singing voice is dubbed in. This movie poorly showcases theatrical talent by trying to be cinematically avant-garde. Francis Ford Coppola lavished a lot of art, care, and money in the making of this movie (which was the first to integrate video technology into traditional celluloid) but he tampered too much with genre and left movie audiences wondering "Was it a musical or a romantic drama?" Most importantly, the story of a banal ... couple who have no compunctions over dumping someone at the drop of a hat is not in the least bit romantic.
Rating:
Summary: Movie: 2 stars; DVD: 4 stars
Review: After his disastrous experiences filming "Apocalypse Now" in the Philippines during the '70s, director Francis Ford Coppola decided to play it safe with his 1982 follow-up, "One From the Heart," a modest musical comedy he filmed entirely on the stages of his own Zoetrope Studios. But the excesses that plagued "Apocalypse" carried over onto "Heart" and Coppola eventually built huge indoor re-creations of the Vegas strip, imported real passenger planes for an airport scene and commissioned detailed, 75-footlong models of the city. The budget ballooned. Upon its release, the film tanked and Coppola's little studio went bankrupt. Since then, "Heart" has remained discussed but largely unseen, leading curious film fans to wonder, "Could it really be that bad?" Now it's out on DVD and the answer is available: "Yes, it's really that bad." "Heart" follows two estranged lovers (Teri Garr and Frederick Forrest) through a charmless musical fantasy. The story and characters are slim and feel slimmer in the midst of the huge, flashy sets. Tom Waits wrote all the songs, but they don't approach his best work. And, ironically in light of the film's title, an air of artificiality hangs over the picture; much like the black ceiling that can clearly be seen above the nighttime streets of Coppola's Las Vegas, the movie's sugary ideas about love and romance feel hopelessly fake. As an experiment, though, the film is interesting; it borrows the look and feel of classic musicals yet remains a unique attempt, and it's arguably a forerunner of "Moulin Rouge" and "Chicago," but that's not enough to redeem "Heart." As a DVD, though, it's worth checking out for the second disk's exhaustive extra features, particularly the documentaries that explore the ups and downs of Zoetrope Studios, the processes behind Waits' compositions and the debacle surrounding this odd, frustrating movie.
Rating:
Summary: Movie: 2 stars; DVD: 4 stars
Review: After his disastrous experiences filming "Apocalypse Now" in the Philippines during the '70s, director Francis Ford Coppola decided to play it safe with his 1982 follow-up, "One From the Heart," a modest musical comedy he filmed entirely on the stages of his own Zoetrope Studios. But the excesses that plagued "Apocalypse" carried over onto "Heart" and Coppola eventually built huge indoor re-creations of the Vegas strip, imported real passenger planes for an airport scene and commissioned detailed, 75-footlong models of the city. The budget ballooned. Upon its release, the film tanked and Coppola's little studio went bankrupt. Since then, "Heart" has remained discussed but largely unseen, leading curious film fans to wonder, "Could it really be that bad?" Now it's out on DVD and the answer is available: "Yes, it's really that bad." "Heart" follows two estranged lovers (Teri Garr and Frederick Forrest) through a charmless musical fantasy. The story and characters are slim and feel slimmer in the midst of the huge, flashy sets. Tom Waits wrote all the songs, but they don't approach his best work. And, ironically in light of the film's title, an air of artificiality hangs over the picture; much like the black ceiling that can clearly be seen above the nighttime streets of Coppola's Las Vegas, the movie's sugary ideas about love and romance feel hopelessly fake. As an experiment, though, the film is interesting; it borrows the look and feel of classic musicals yet remains a unique attempt, and it's arguably a forerunner of "Moulin Rouge" and "Chicago," but that's not enough to redeem "Heart." As a DVD, though, it's worth checking out for the second disk's exhaustive extra features, particularly the documentaries that explore the ups and downs of Zoetrope Studios, the processes behind Waits' compositions and the debacle surrounding this odd, frustrating movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Love the movie, Love the DVD, hate the revisionist editing
Review: Dang it, Francis Coppola, why in the heck did you chop the first five minutes out of your own movie? Especially with an awkward jump cut that really interupts the flow that you so carefully set up! I REALLY LIKED the original opening scenes of your movie, and this one cut doesn't make a lick of sense to me. Honestly, some people are not fit to be the caretakers of their own work.
I am pleased that the edited material is included on the extras disk (although not remastered) but this means that every time I look at the blasted movie I have to put the extras disk in first, get the REAL opening, THEN change disks and start all over again.
This is a wonderful, romantic movie, folks: full of beauty that is completely artficial and man-made and all the more enjoyable for that. It got a shabby release and a typically lemming-small-minded treatment in the press, which is too bad. $25 million is hardly anything these days. If you are a Romantic and a Dreamer, take a chance on this movie -- but look at the REAL opening on disk two before you watch the edited version.
Francis Coppola, if you are reading this, what in the heck were you THINKING???
Rating: 
Summary: More Like A Knife In Your Heart
Review: I had heard a lot about this Francis Ford Coppola film. None of it was good. I heard rumors such as Coppola had to file for bankruptcy after this. Whether any of this is true I don't know, these are only rumors I heard. But, now after this this film, I can understand why this movie would flop at the box-office. This is honestly one of the worst films I have ever seen.
I think highly of Coppola. No one can doubt the man has directed several American masterpieces. "The Godfather" films, "Apocalypse Now", and "The Conversation". But there's something those films have in common, and to me, this it where Coppola's strenght lies. All of those films deal with people. They are character studies of sorts. When Coppola is dealing with people, rather than special effects, or plot formula driven films he succeeds. Make no mistake about it Coppola has limitations. Every director has limitations. Coppola has proven he can not direct comedies (Jack), horror fillms (Bram Stoker's Dracula), and jazz bio's where effects came before characters (The Cotton Club). But look at the films that deal with characters first. "The Godfather" series, "Apocalypse Now", "The Conversation", "Peggy Sue Got Married" and "The Rain Maker". Here is where Coppola shines. A lot of people as I understand it, had problem with Coppola directing a romantic film. I wasn't bothered by that, because as I thought about it there were elements in "The Conversation" that possessed as certain romanticism. At least I thought so. "One from the Heart" fails on so many levels it's hard to fins a place to start. The movie lags. The pacing of the film is off. This is what I like to call "coma inducing". "Coma inducing" works are works that can put you to sleep for a very long time. Or they at least have the ability to do so. "One from the Heart" has the ability to do so. The characters are not believeable. I understand this was suppose to be a lighthearted fantasy, but I found nothing romantic about the film. The situations and the characters are flat. You can't relate to them or the situations they are put it. If you found that you do relate to them, you must have tried really hard. The acting is here dreadful. Fredic Forrest stars as Hank, a man pining after his ex-girlfriend, of many times, Frannie (Teri Garr). The problem is they have no chemistry. And Forrest is not a leading man type. There is nothing about him that makes you want to watch him for the duration of the film. In fact no one look good in this film. People such as Harry Dean Stanton, who plays Hank's friend, seems to disappear after a while. I'm not entirely sure what purpose he served to the story. The same goes for Natassja Kinski who's role is pretty much a joke and Lainie Kazan. There is no depth given to any of these characters. And to be honest, after a while, I really didn't care to know anything about them. All I wanted to know was when would the movie end. Another problem I had with the film was the music. It is also thought this film is a musical, but a number of songs sang by Tom Waits I felt did not fit. I also thought in the beginning moments of the film too much music was being used. Though Waits was nominated for an Oscar. I'm still trying to figure that one out. But, the Academy is always doing something wrong. But, this is not to say I am not able to find anything positive about this film. I did enjoy Vittorio Storaro's cinematography. He is my absolute favorite. Though, I have to be critical here again, because Storaro's work doesn't quite build up to some of the other films he's done such as "The Last Emperor" and "Goya in Bordeaux". Overall though what he have here is a bad movie from a good director. In other words, I wish I never saw this film. Bottom-line: Not just one of Francis Ford Coppola's worst, but one of the worst films I've ever seen. A boring, slow moving, unsympathetic, style over substance film.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely better than critics' convention wisdom
Review: I just saw this at the Castro Theater in San Francisco, where probably the worst dog of a movie would seem great, but this was very enjoyable. I loved this movie when it came out in 1982 or thereabouts and could never figure out why critics blasted it so unfairly. Coppola had worked himself into a persona non grata in Hollywood; the critics were mouthing that hatred--that's all I could figure. Seeing it now, this would probably fall into the "art film" category, but it features some great dialogue and compelling performances by Forrest and Garr, with Raul Julia and Natassja Kinski playing more ethereal roles. Kinski is filmed beautifully. It's a beautiful film, period. The music and Vegas sets are wonderful. You miss it as soon as it's over. Rich and visually exciting...perhaps not 5 stars, but then again this film just doesn't conform easily to any rating system.
Rating: 
Summary: THANK YOU ZOETROPE!
Review: I know, the DVD isn't out yet, but my husband and I have loved this film since the mid-1980s, when we first saw it on video. I thought it would never be released on DVD, and now, not only is one coming, they're treating it with the respect that it deserves, with all those great extras! We're in heaven, and the anticipation of finally getting to see this in the theater for the first time, and then owning this DVD, is driving us batty. Who will like this movie? Well, although plot and music-wise it's nothing like Moulin Rouge, if you have the mindset to enjoy an off-kilter, gorgeously-filmed, nutty, romantic, bizarre, funny, sweet movie like that, you have what it takes to enjoy this. It takes an open mind, a willingness to give yourself over to the film from the very beginning, when the red curtains part (yes, Baz got that from OFTH), and an open heart, to ride along with these characters, forgive their faults and foibles, and be there for them at the end of the film. I've seen this film so many times that I understand the characters better than I did the first time I saw it. It not only holds up on subsequent viewings, it gets better and better. Besides getting to know the characters better, you notice so many more little details in the gorgeous production design. There's so much to say about this film, I wish I were more articulate. It's one of the most BEAUTIFUL films you'll ever see. The soundtrack is wonderful too. Tom Waits and Crystal Gayle sound sublime together, and I've always considered them as playing characters too. It's my most fervent wish that the upcoming theatrical re-release, and this DVD release, will garner this movie the audience it deserves. It was so roundly and unfairly trashed upon the original release that it never even had a chance to gain a cult audience. There are people out there who will love this film. I hope they discover it.
Rating:
Summary: Worth it for the Waits footage alone
Review: I never saw the movie when it was originally released and still haven't watched it even though I now own the DVD. I've been too busy watching the bonuses on disc 2, with it's demos and alternative versions of the original soundtrack, documentaries and rehearsal footage from the recording sessions. One from the heart is the best movie soundtrack ever recorded; this DVD lets us watch in as Tom painstakingly concocts pure magic. Suffice it to say that if you love the music of Tom Waits then this DVD is a must own.
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