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Cactus Flower
Columbia/Tri-Star // PG // April 23, 2002
List Price: $19.95 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
A staple of comedy films is the lie that keeps on getting bigger and more complicated, and in Cactus Flower we start out with a doozy: in order to head off any pressure to get married, successful dentist Julian Winston (Walter Matthau) has told his girlfriend Toni (Goldie Hawn) that he's already married with three kids. All's well for the dedicated bachelor... that is, until a near-catastrophe forces him to elaborate on his lie, and other "innocent bystanders" start getting caught up in the convoluted tale, including his dedicated nurse Stephanie Dickinson (Ingrid Bergman) and Toni's next-door neighbor, the frustrated writer Igor (Rick Lenz).
Cactus Flower is the kind of film that can be with great accuracy be described as a "romp": it exudes a cheerful energy, and it's evident that everybody (particularly Ingrid Bergman) was having a good time making the film. It's engaging from the very beginning, setting up a situation that we can't help but be interested in: even while the initial credits are still rolling, we see Toni setting out to kill herself in her tiny New York apartment (yes, Cactus Flower is a comedy; don't worry). Adapted from the stage, Cactus Flower has a few scenes that are somewhat theatrical-feeling, but swiftly the film as a whole relaxes and moves along at a good clip, introducing new complications at every turn to keep the story moving and entertaining.
Goldie Hawn, in her first film role, makes the character of Toni Simmons into a real "character": perky, wide-eyed, innocent, and enthusiastic as a puppy, she brings an unselfconscious energy into all of her scenes. At the other end of the spectrum of acting experience is Ingrid Bergman as Stephanie Dickinson; in one of her final roles of an illustrious career, Bergman convincingly dramatizes her character's changes over the course of the film, from prickly cactus to cheerful flower. Though it was Hawn who won an Oscar (for Best Supporting Actress), it's equally Bergman who makes Cactus Flower a success; it's clear that she is enjoying herself immensely, and it's infectious: as a viewer, it's impossible not to get drawn into the cheerful pandemonium of the movie.
One of the things that made Cactus Flower really work for me as a comedy is its modern outlook. It's refreshing to see a genuinely even-handed deflation of society's expectations for men and women, and this gentle comedy dishes it out equally on both sides. Why is it acceptable for an older man to have a barely-21-year-old lover, but disgusting for an older woman to contemplate an affair with a younger man? What defines an "old maid" as opposed to an eligible bachelor? Ingrid Bergman is a great asset in this regard; the illustrious actress has been given some of the more pointed lines of social commentary, and somehow her stage presence gives substance and believability to a message that could have been more easily dismissed if uttered by a lesser actress.
Video
Cactus Flower appears in an anamorphically enhanced transfer that preserves the film's original widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The film has seen a bit of wear and tear in the thirty years since its theatrical release; there's a fair amount of noise in the image, and a smattering of print flaws. The worst-looking portion is at the very beginning, with the image quality improving substantially later on; I suspect that the first reel of the film probably suffered some damage that did not affect the rest of the film.
Colors appear to be accurate, and the bright primary colors that appear in many scenes come across cleanly with no edge bleeding at all. It's a fairly well-lit movie where contrast holds up nicely across the board. All in all, the various pluses and minuses of this particular transfer add up to it falling in the middle of the ratings scale: definitely watchable.
Audio
The Dolby 2.0 soundtrack works well for this primarily dialogue-based movie. Speech comes across clearly even when there's also music in the background, as in several of the scenes.
Extras
The menus for Cactus Flower are straightforward, attractive, and easy to navigate. The flip side of the DVD is wasted on a pan-and-scan version of the movie; all we get for special features are trailers for Cactus Flower and two other films.
Final thoughts
Cactus Flower is a treat: an enjoyable, funny, energetic, and well-made comedy. Like Ingrid Bergman herself, the film has aged very well, and has enough substance to it to merit repeat viewing; I'd definitely recommend picking up a copy.
Cactus Flower is the kind of film that can be with great accuracy be described as a "romp": it exudes a cheerful energy, and it's evident that everybody (particularly Ingrid Bergman) was having a good time making the film. It's engaging from the very beginning, setting up a situation that we can't help but be interested in: even while the initial credits are still rolling, we see Toni setting out to kill herself in her tiny New York apartment (yes, Cactus Flower is a comedy; don't worry). Adapted from the stage, Cactus Flower has a few scenes that are somewhat theatrical-feeling, but swiftly the film as a whole relaxes and moves along at a good clip, introducing new complications at every turn to keep the story moving and entertaining.
Goldie Hawn, in her first film role, makes the character of Toni Simmons into a real "character": perky, wide-eyed, innocent, and enthusiastic as a puppy, she brings an unselfconscious energy into all of her scenes. At the other end of the spectrum of acting experience is Ingrid Bergman as Stephanie Dickinson; in one of her final roles of an illustrious career, Bergman convincingly dramatizes her character's changes over the course of the film, from prickly cactus to cheerful flower. Though it was Hawn who won an Oscar (for Best Supporting Actress), it's equally Bergman who makes Cactus Flower a success; it's clear that she is enjoying herself immensely, and it's infectious: as a viewer, it's impossible not to get drawn into the cheerful pandemonium of the movie.
One of the things that made Cactus Flower really work for me as a comedy is its modern outlook. It's refreshing to see a genuinely even-handed deflation of society's expectations for men and women, and this gentle comedy dishes it out equally on both sides. Why is it acceptable for an older man to have a barely-21-year-old lover, but disgusting for an older woman to contemplate an affair with a younger man? What defines an "old maid" as opposed to an eligible bachelor? Ingrid Bergman is a great asset in this regard; the illustrious actress has been given some of the more pointed lines of social commentary, and somehow her stage presence gives substance and believability to a message that could have been more easily dismissed if uttered by a lesser actress.
Video
Cactus Flower appears in an anamorphically enhanced transfer that preserves the film's original widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The film has seen a bit of wear and tear in the thirty years since its theatrical release; there's a fair amount of noise in the image, and a smattering of print flaws. The worst-looking portion is at the very beginning, with the image quality improving substantially later on; I suspect that the first reel of the film probably suffered some damage that did not affect the rest of the film.
Colors appear to be accurate, and the bright primary colors that appear in many scenes come across cleanly with no edge bleeding at all. It's a fairly well-lit movie where contrast holds up nicely across the board. All in all, the various pluses and minuses of this particular transfer add up to it falling in the middle of the ratings scale: definitely watchable.
Audio
The Dolby 2.0 soundtrack works well for this primarily dialogue-based movie. Speech comes across clearly even when there's also music in the background, as in several of the scenes.
Extras
The menus for Cactus Flower are straightforward, attractive, and easy to navigate. The flip side of the DVD is wasted on a pan-and-scan version of the movie; all we get for special features are trailers for Cactus Flower and two other films.
Final thoughts
Cactus Flower is a treat: an enjoyable, funny, energetic, and well-made comedy. Like Ingrid Bergman herself, the film has aged very well, and has enough substance to it to merit repeat viewing; I'd definitely recommend picking up a copy.
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