Sometimes a place can be so powerful that it can be the star of a film all its own. writer-director-producer team Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, James Ivory and Ismail Merchant were apparently moved by the Roseland Ballroom in New York to set their film Roseland entirely within its walls. Made up of three short stories, Roseland paints a picture of desperate souls often clinging to each other while dancing as if their lives depended on it. It also portrays characters that we don't see too much anymore: Older characters with complicated histories and passions but no one to talk to. While it seems creaky and obvious at times, the film does a nice job of creating these characters and letting them speak.

The first segment, "The Waltz," stars Teresa Wright as May, a melancholy widow who only wants to talk about her late husband Eddie. While she's a good dancer everyone is so tired of hearing about Eddie that she has trouble finding a partner. Enter Stan (Lou Jacobi) a somewhat slovenly guy who flirts with all the ladies around. They seem an unlikely pair but May finds a strange, supernatural reason to want to dance with Stan: Whenever they pass a particular mirror together she gets a glimpse of herself with Eddie during their glory days. This detail is too cute and probably unnecessary in an otherwise realistic film (if only May saw it then it could be psychological, but Stan sees it, too) but at least it gives these two characters an excuse to get to know each other better and these two classic actors make the segment worthwhile.

The second segment, "The Hustle," is the one that probably will most appeal to viewers thanks to its lead performance by a young Christopher Walken as a gigolo balancing several women, each with her own needs. He proudly talks about how he's given up the path of professional dancing (temporarily, he claims) in order to better service women like rich socialite Cleo (Helen Gallagher) and pent-up divorcee Marilyn (Geraldine Chaplin). Walken isn't doing his bizarre, staggered acting style yet at this point and comes off more smooth than most viewers will expect. Roseland is his last film before his break-out turn in The Deerhunter and it's a pleasure to see him in something so different. The segment, like the others, is slight but Walken is a great.

The third segment, "The Peabody," finds Lilia Skala as an older dance competition contestant. Her drive to win the fast-paced competition runs against the advice she gets that it's too strenuous. She prods her worn partner Arthur (David Thomas) to practice but in the end the Peabody is more than she can handle. Skala cuts a particularly desperate figure, even for this film, and her reckless desire to dance even if it means her own death fits the sense of the rest of the film that these are people who don't come alive unless they're at Roseland.

In the end this trio of tales is surprisingly sentimental - certainly more than other more recent Merchant Ivory productions. But there's something endearing about the films that makes them worth a peek.

VIDEO:
The anamorphic widescreen video is surprisingly excellent. This is obviously an older film but the new transfer is terrific. The golden color and slightly-gauzy detail are both very good. I detected some compression at times, especially against some of the ballroom's rich red walls, but overall this is a fine transfer.

AUDIO:
The Dolby Digital mono soundtrack is similarly good. Voices are clear and music sounds good. For both the audio and video, modest source materials are shown here to optimal effect. An excellent joint effort by HVe and Criterion. Also, English subtitles are included.

EXTRAS:
Nothing.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Roseland is no epic and the drama is limited to some minor tales. But the performances and sense of place make it worth a look. Also, the presence of Christopher Walken adds to the film's profile for modern audiences. Perhaps not worth owning, but for the right viewer worth a rent.