I love the way Demme shoots this. It’s “American Playhouse” so it’s stagy, appropriately so. But he finds little ways to make it cinematic. The highlight being when Sarandon auditions for Stella with resident Method theater hero Walken as a maniacal Stanley in “Streetcar.” They light up and the film unlocks as Demme’s camera puts us in the room.
To see a shy love story develop in the middle of a passionate and loud play is really something to behold. And the late great Robert Ridgely keeps it all pretty grounded. Moving story despite being adorable. Perfect marriage of Vonnegut and Demme.
