Bob Rafelson Movies

Erotic Tales offers three short films with strong sexual content. Dito Tsintsadze's An Erotic Tale is about a writer attempting to pick up a still-attached woman. Bob Rafelson's Five Easy Pieces is about a struggling filmmaker who is hired to make a Nazi-themed pornographic film. Fridrik Thor Fridriksson's dialogue-free On Top Down Under intercuts a woman using an icicle for erotic release while her lover plans an icy death for himself. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Jack Nicholson reunited with director Bob Rafelson, director of Five Easy Pieces and The King Of Marvin Gardens, for this violent, downbeat crime drama. Alex (Jack Nicholson) is a wine dealer whose business is going belly-up, along with his life. His step-son Jason (Stephen Dorff) hates him, his wife Suzanne (Judy Davis) has a drinking problem and is the constant target of Alex's abuse, and Alex is having an affair with Gabriella (Jennifer Lopez), a domestic worker from Cuba. One of the people that Gabriella cleans for has a diamond necklace worth several million dollars locked in a safe in a bedroom. Desperate for a quick score to get himself out of debt, Alex sees a opportunity for a lot of fast money and hooks up with Victor (Michael Caine), a career criminal who knows how to open safes but is desperately ill with tuberculosis. Nicholson and Rafelson first worked together on the film Head, starring The Monkees (Nicholson only had a bit part, but he also wrote the screenplay and was credited with producing the soundtrack album). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Henry Jaglom is a filmmaker who was a pioneer of the independent film movement long before it had a name. Jaglom began his Hollywood career in the mid-Sixties as an actor, but in 1971 he wrote and directed his first feature film, A Safe Place, which starred his friends Orson Welles and Jack Nicholson; it was an offbeat, personal work which received mixed reviews, setting a standard that many of Jaglom's future works would follow. After A Safe Place bombed at the box office, Jaglom began making films on tiny budgets which he often released himself, allowing his actors plenty of room to improvise and often dealing with women's issues in an intense and emotionally compelling manner. Jaglom has a significant cult of admirers, and a number of notable actors work with him at a fraction of their usual salaries, but his eccentricity and knack for self-promotion has rubbed a few people in the movie business the wrong way, and while some critics regard him as a singular talent, others consider him an overbearing con artist. Both Jaglom's supporters and detractors get a chance to air their opinions in Who Is Henry Jaglom?, a documentary about the filmmaker which offers a look at his movies, his life before and behind the camera, and the actors and craftspeople who've worked with him and have their own stories to tell. Jaglom himself is also extensively interviewed, and contributes a wealth of footage from his archives. Who Is Henry Jaglom? includes interviews with Candice Bergen, Karen Black, Dennis Hopper, Andrea Marcovici, Sally Kellerman, Martha Plimpton and many more. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This German film consists of six separate vignettes each created by a different international director, each challenged to create brief erotic scenarios. The first, named "Wet," was directed by Bob Rafelson and involves an encounter between a bathroom fixtures salesman and a customer who comes after hours to sample the hot tubs. The next, "The Dutch Master," directed by Susan Seidelman, follows a modern woman's obsession with 17th century Dutch painting and who eventually enters it to fulfill her dreams. The third, "The Insatiable Mrs. Kirsch," is Ken Russell's entry and tells the story of a young novelist who becomes obsessed with a highly-sexed woman addicted to auto-erotic pursuits. A young man gets what he wants after a voodoo woman grants his wish involving a hot woman and a motorcycle in the fourth episode directed by Melvin Van Peebles. Number five, "Touch Me," by Paul Cox follows the amorous friendships of women. Finally the sixth episode, "The Cloud Door," from Mani Kaul, involves a beautiful princess locked in a palace by a religious fanatic, a lascivious parrot, and a handsome young man. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

By now, few will remember the tragic kidnapping of the grandson of the man who, in the '60s, was the world's richest man, J. Paul Getty. Getty, a paranoid and miserly man, refused to pay ransom for his handsome, ne'er do well grandson, J. Paul Getty III. He may have believed that the boy engineered it himself, as a means to get some money out of the old skinflint. As a result, the boy was mutilated by his kidnappers (his ear was sliced off) in an attempt to persuade the old man of the seriousness of their intentions. As it happened, the kidnappers made two mistakes: one was to attempt to extort money from the world's richest miser, the other was in their handling of the boy, who managed to escape. Had it not been for those events, the world's media spotlight would probably have passed the otherwise undistinguished young man by. In this documentary, which assumes familiarity with these events, the troubled life and loves of the grandson's wife and her sister, luminous and beautiful twins from Switzerland, are explored in the light of the boy's tragic life. When Gisela married him, he was a handsome, charming, darling of the jet-set, and fully expected to inherit some portion of his grandfather's billions. In the kidnapping and its aftermath, not only did he become melancholy and erratic, ever more prone to dangerous drug use, but he was cut out of his grandfather's will. Angela, who was accused of being a gold-digger, loyally stuck by his side through all their ups and downs. In fact, even after J. Paul Getty III was rendered permanently comatose following an accident, she remained with him. One gathers that the marriage was something of a ménàge à trois, because Gisela's twin, Jutta, rarely left her side. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Director Bob Rafelson fulfilled a lifelong dream when he finally received backing to complete Mountains of the Moon. The film recreates the exploratory adventures of 19th century visionaries Sir Richard Burton (Patrick Bergin) and John Henning Speke (Iain Glen). The heart of the film is the effort by Burton and Speke to discover the true source of the Nile river. This occurs well into the film, after several torturous scenes involving the injuries sustained by the protagonists during other expeditions and their growing friendship (which, the film intimates, goes far beyond friendship). Rafaelson's fascination with this story, and his insistence upon painstaking historical accuracy, unfortunately compromises his ability to make an interesting film. There are so many starts and stops during the first half that we sincerely hope Burton and Speke will chuck it all and set up a pub in Bristol or something. What saves Mountains of the Moon is the rapport between its stars and the brilliant, epic-like cinematography of Roger Deakins. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Henry Jaglom, the best professional "home movie" maker in the business, produced, directed, wrote and starred in Always. Also appearing is Jaglom's ex-wife Patrice Townsend, here cast as...his ex-wife. Showing up one night at Jaglom's home to finalize the divorce decree, Townsend is persuaded to stay by her former husband, who hopes to talk her out of dissolving the marriage. Sideline characters include Melissa Leo as Townsend's uninhibited sister, and Alan Rachins as a reclusive type. Mostly improvised, Always attempts to offer up a few sobering truths about relationships. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this offbeat comedy, Jeff Bridges plays Craig Blake, a rich kid who works with a group of hard-living Southern real-estate men led by Jabo (Joe Spinell), who are buying up a business district in Birmingham, Alabama in order to clear the space and put in a new project. Craig is supposed to work out a deal to buy the Olympic Spa, a gym popular with local weight-lifters, but after spending some time at the club, Craig finds himself fascinated with the people there, especially Joe Santo (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a world-class body builder from Austria who sometimes works out in a superhero costume and likes to play bluegrass fiddle to relax. Craig also makes the acquaintance of Mary Tate Farnsworth (Sally Field), a feisty gal who hangs out with Joe. Mary Tate finds Craig attractive, but she isn't sure he's being all that sincere, and she wonders why a wealthy real estate man is hanging out with a bunch of low-rent gym rats. Stay Hungry was a critical comeback for director Bob Rafelson and kick-started the careers of both Sally Field and Arnold Schwarzenegger in their first major film roles (unless you count Arnold's misbegotten appearance as "Arnold Strong" in Hercules In New York). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A disaffected man seeks a sense of identity in one of the key films of Hollywood's 1970s New Wave. Once a promising pianist from a family of classical musicians, Bobby Eroica Dupea (Jack Nicholson, in his first major starring role) leads a blue-collar life as an oil rigger, living with needy waitress girlfriend Rayette (Karen Black) and bowling with their friends Elton (Billy "Green" Bush) and Stoney (Fannie Flagg). Feeling suffocated by responsibilities, Bobby seeks out his sister, Tita (Lois Smith), and, discovering that his father is gravely ill, he reluctantly heads back to the patrician family compound in Puget Sound with a pregnant Rayette in tow. After a road trip featuring a harangue from hitchhiker Palm (Helena Kallianiotes) about filth, and Bobby's ill-fated attempt to make a menu substitution in a diner, he tucks Rayette away in a motel before heading to the house. There Bobby seduces his uptight brother Carl's cultured fiancée, Catherine (Susan Anspach), but Rayette shows up unexpectedly. As Rayette's crassness collides with the snobbery of the Dupea circle, Bobby loses patience with both sides. After trying to reconcile with his mute father, Bobby departs, unwilling to give in to either destiny. Director Bob Rafelson and screenwriter Adrien Joyce (aka Carole Eastman) used the creative control afforded by the low budget to craft a European-influenced character study, catching a cultural mood of anomie and resentment as it was embodied in Bobby. Neither older generation nor hippie, Bobby fits in nowhere, and his desire for independence conflicts with his emotional emptiness. Nicholson's nuanced performance of simmering frustration resonated with 1970 audiences caught between Nixon's "silent majority" and the troubled counterculture; a substantial hit, Five Easy Pieces was nominated for several Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor, and established Nicholson as a star. Offering no "easy" answers to Bobby's existential crisis, Five Easy Pieces is one of the pre-eminent films in the early-'70s cycle of alienated American art movies, as even the fantasy of rebellion is reduced to merely running away. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

The Monkees -- Micky Dolenz, Mike Nesmith, Davy Jones and Peter Tork -- didn't really enjoy being labelled the Prefab Four back when their TV series was all the rage in 1966. With the help and support of Bob Rafaelson (co-producer, co-writer and director) and Jack Nicholson (co-producer, co-writer, and, if you look closely, bit player), the Monkees expressed their displeasure over being packaged for popular consumption in the non sequitur masterpiece Head. At least, it seems that the film is an indictment of the merchandising of pop stars. It's hard to tell at times, because Head literally has no plot; it is instead a patchwork of loopy sight gags, instant parodies, "camp" cutups, musical numbers and wry inside jokes. Clips of such old movies as the 1934 Karloff-Lugosi epic The Black Cat pop up every so often, as does an impressive lineup of pop-culture icons: Victor Mature, Annette Funicello, Sonny Liston, Frank Zappa (he's the one leading a cow) and Ray Nitschke, as well as such movie-trivia "answers" as Timothy Carey, Vito Scotti, Teri Garr, Percy Helton, Logan Ramsey, Carol Doda, and pre-Divine cross-dresser T.C. Jones. The best bits include a lengthy Golden Boy parody which does double duty as a lampoon of the network's efforts to create "personalities" for the individual Monkees, and a psychedelic buck-and-wing performed by Davy Jones. One gag, in which Micky Dolenz blows up a Coca Cola machine, is usually excised from TV showings. Head did zero business when it first came out thanks to poor distribution, but it has since become a fixture of midnight-movie showings and campus cinema classes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In a departure from The Monkees' usual format, this episode offers a fascinating collection of highlights from the group's recent concert tour. When they aren't performing before capacity crowds, the boys are seen relaxing backstage, commiserating with their fans, and kidding around during a radio interview. Director Bob Rafaelson (who was also credited with the script for this episode) adopts a handheld, cinéma-vérité style reminiscent of the Beatles' A Hard Day's Night; Rafaelson would later be one of the creative forces behind The Monkees' surrealistic theatrical feature Head. Musical highlights include: "The Girl I Knew Somewhere", "I'm a Believer", "(Theme from) the Monkees", "Last Train to Clarksville", "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone", and "Mary, Mary, as well as solo performances by each of the four Monkees. Largely filmed at The Coliseum in Phoenix, Arizona, "Monkees on Tour" originally aired April 24, 1967, as the final first-season episode of The Monkees. When the program was rerun on August 21, 1967, two new songs were added: "Randy Scouse Git" and "Words". The version shown on CBS's Saturday-morning rerun lineup and in The Monkees' syndicated package featured an additional tune, "Steam Engine". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Monkees land in hot water when Davy purchases a pair of red maracas at a music store. Alas, the store is a front for a spy ring, and the boys are mistaken for enemy agents. Even worse: The maracas contain a spool of valuable microfilm. Arlene Martel guest-stars as the mysterious Madame Molinsky, with Jacques Aubuchon as Boris, Booth Colman as The Chief, and midget Billy Curtis as -- what else? -- a midget. Songs: "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone", "The Kind of Girl I Could Love", "Last Train to Clarksville", "All the King's Horses", and "Saturday's Child". Written by Gerald Gardner and Dee Caruso (fresh from their spy-spoof contributions to Get Smart), "The Spy Who Came In From the Cool" first aired on October 10, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide