SYNOPSICS
The Grasshopper (1970) is a English movie. Jerry Paris has directed this movie. Jacqueline Bisset,Jim Brown,Joseph Cotten,Corbett Monica are the starring of this movie. It was released in 1970. The Grasshopper (1970) is considered one of the best Drama,Romance movie in India and around the world.
Wide-eyed nineteen year old Christine Adams decides on a whim to leave her broken family life in small town British Columbia to move to Los Angeles to be with her boyfriend Eddie Molina, who doesn't know she's coming. Christine hopes to start a family with Eddie immediately. But Christine finds that she is restless in her life with Eddie and moves on. From move to move which are always done on a whim, Christine has a similar restless attitude, always dreaming of something better. But she has no real marketable job skills - although she is always thinking about continuing with her schooling in some trade to make a better life for herself - or sense of what working in a traditional type job means. She is able to get by on her looks, which lands her a job as a Las Vegas showgirl. She also goes in and out of relationships - including with Vegas comic Danny Raymond, ex-football player Tommy Marcott who too is trying to find his meaningful niche in life, older businessman Richard Morgan who...
The Grasshopper (1970) Reviews
Jackie Bisset shines in an all-stops-out performance
This is undoubtedly the best performance of Jacqueline Bisset's career. Unfortunately, it's in an over-the-top trash-fest that is so audaciously (and probably tongue-in-cheek) cheesy that it's pretty damn good. I saw this thing about a hundred times working as a movie usher in the early 70s, and practically any other film would have become dull after that many viewings -- not "The Grasshopper"! The plot is completely implausible, but in a nutshell it has Jackie starting out as a fresh-faced farmgirl and, after being used and betrayed by gigolo boyfriends, horny old businessmen and the Mob, ending up an embittered prostitute. And all within the space of one year! The final skywriting scene would have become a classic had an audience of any size actually seen this film. Definitely worth a look!
Resembles an American remake of Darling
Darling with Julie Christie came out in 1965 and this looks like an unofficial remake that takes place in the U.S instead of Britain. However, no one would think it would fall into the hands of TV hacks like Garry Marshall and Jerry (The Dick Van Dyke Show) Paris. It's a combination Showgirls and Valley of the Dolls. It's funny bad, though and worth hunting down. It's also worth the price to pay to see Jackie Bissett in bed with none other than Corbett Monica! True, it does show the gay lifestyle and interracial marriage in a blase fashion which is good. There's this funny scene where Jackie's having a shouting match with her boyfriend Jay. It's about money and he says, "We can even afford the mailblox." That's not a typo. He says mailblox. Also funny are the intrusive vocal songs that dominate a lot of the scenes. They pretty much stop the show and were probably considered groovy back in 1970. Enjoy!
Positive Portrayals of Gay Characters and Interracial Marriage in 1970
This film may have been dismissed as a showcase for Jacqueline Bisset's beauty when it was initially released, but viewing it thirty-two years later reveals not only that directors should have recognized Bisset's brilliant performance and given her the type of film career which Julia Roberts has had, but also it dared to present the issues of interracial marriage and homosexuality as simple facts of life without any intentional shock value. In a time when films had presented gay and lesbian characters as victims and victimizers, Christine's gay friend Buck (Roger Garrett) is her joyful sidekick who is accepted by his coworkers, at least until a friend's little boy reveals what his mother says when Buck is not around, to which Buck replies with a rebuttal which is sensitive to the child but conveys his true feelings to the mother. Speaking of Julia Roberts, The Grasshopper was written by Garry Marshall, who went on to direct Roberts in Pretty Woman. While Pretty Woman was justly criticized for its message to girls that if they run away to Hollywood and become a hooker they will find the man of their dreams, The Grasshopper is a realistic portrayal of how women who gamble on financial security provided by men can ultimately suffer severe consequences.
Depressing
I saw the Grasshopper as an 11 year old back in 1969. All I really remembered was the skywriting scene at the end. Now, some 30 years later, I just bought the DVD. Boy, what a depressing movie. Of course the acting was impressive, and it was fun to see Vegas of the 1960s. However, seeing how a young soul is corrupted by life is not a pleasant thing to watch. Somewhat shocking for its time, the Grasshopper seems to have predicted the future for the youth of America....sex, drugs, and rock and roll. When there's no love, no dreams, or hopes, just a good time, the end results are self-destruction and depression. A bleak film with a symbolic ending, the Grasshopper is worth a look, but it leaves the viewer less then entertained.
Glorious results of a misspent youth
"The Grasshopper" is a little-known melodrama in the spirit of "Valley of the Dolls." The similarities between the two films are many. 'Valley' was made in 1968, 'The Grasshooper' in 1970, and both films tell the story of young and vibrant women who find themselves lost in the overwhelming world of show business. However of the two films, this 1970 film starring Jaqueline Bisset is more focused, and more in-depth, as it is telling the tale of one woman, while "Valley of the Dolls," followed at least three different women on their road to oblivion. Christine leaves home at the age of 19 to find excitement, and a better life. She seems to be driven by the terrifying thought that she might end up as an ordinary woman, with a boring life. Chris, wonderfully played by Bisset, wants it all, and she wants it now, before it is too late. She realizes that she has no real talent, and not much to offer besides her beauty, so she plays that card, with expected results. Jumping from man to man, in search of something that even she doesn't quite know what, always believing that she is the smart one, and the one in control. But when she slowly realizes that it is she that is being used, she finds herself a hard and jaded young woman indeed, turning to drugs, and a succession of 'wrong guys'. Because of the films age, and flashy style, "The Grasshopper" holds much camp appeal. But when you bother to look beyond the kitch, you might find a story filled with some pretty important life lessons, for Christine made all the choices that we don't want to make. And most everyone has known a person like this girl, living for the moment, with no thought of next week, until the time comes when it is too late to realize any dreams of success or happiness. This is a glitzy, excessive film, bursting with eye popping late 60's fashion and music. Jaqueline Bisset sports a different hairstyle every 10 minutes, and she is at her most beautiful here. And oddly, this is the film that showcases her acting ability, far more than any of her well known, later films. Featuring a finale that is both outrageous, and surprisingly downbeat at the same time, this one is quite entertaining, and worth a look, if you can track it down.