Spotlight

Spotlight Date: 6-May-07
Spoiler Rating: Medium

Blaze (1989)

"Blaze" is a quaint romance with an easy cadence like crickets in the bayou. Based on the lives of real people, it favors the kooky over the sordid and may well light the fire of folks who like historical fiction and love against the odds.

Unfolding in the 1950s, "Blaze" imagines the well-known affair between flamboyant Louisiana governor Earl Long and a stripper from Appalachia who called herself Blaze Starr. The latter is played by Lolita Davidovich, and she's as pretty a ball of fire as you'd ever wish to see. Directed by Davidovich's husband, Ron Shelton, the movie begins with the innocent young woman leaving her momma for the city, where she learns that her body is worth cash and men are not to be trusted. The story then jumps ahead to when Blaze, now an accomplished exotic dancer, relocates to the Big Easy and catches the governor's eye. As with her transformation from naif to siren, one might wish that the film showed more about her feelings towards her newfound opportunity. The viewer can only guess whether she reeled in such a catch for pleasure, profit, or both.

No worries, though, because while the lady holds the title, the gentleman holds the spotlight. Embodied by Paul Newman with irresistible gusto, Ol' Earl is a crotchety bastard — part of a southern political dynasty accustomed to getting its way — and that makes him all the more fun. Adopting the gravelly voice of a man used to shouting and smoky back rooms, Newman is delightful when browbeating senators and admitting his "weakness for tough-minded, iron-willed, independent women with big hooters." Earl has bedded a lot of strippers in his time, but Blaze upsets his expectations. Perhaps she just appears at the right moment when his career is waning and he needs someone to love. In any case, he quickly recognizes her as more than a fling, and her character develops as it relates to his need.

The picture makes no mention of the fact that both lovers were married when they got together or that Long remained so for the duration of their affair. Instead, it depicts a relationship of unexpected sweetness which was misjudged and maligned by Bible-thumpers and politicos on both sides of the fence. Blaze stands by her man despite nonstop jeers, leaving his side only when necessity or prudence demands it. One such time is when Earl is forcibly committed to a mental institution as a result of his increasingly outlandish behavior. It's Blaze who helps him get out, Blaze who orchestrates his return to power, and Blaze who holds his hand when the last vote comes in. This version may be sentimental hokum, but with a little history, a little humor, and a little sex appeal, "Blaze" generates real warmth.

Copyright © 2007 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.