Taking Off (1971)
“How many times have we found our children, only to lose them again?”
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Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:
Review:
The expansiveness of this desire is well encapsulated by the sprawling opening sequence (actually intercut throughout the entire first half of the screenplay) wherein dozens of teenage girls audition for an unknown show.
As in The Fireman’s Ball (1967), Forman seems to take great delight in showing a wide variety of distinctive young female faces.
Meanwhile, Carlin and Henry socialize with their seemingly square friends (Georgia Engel and Tony Harvey):
… and after a series of phone calls, nebbishy Henry (giving off serious Woody Allen vibes) is sent out on the town to comb for his daughter, which leads him to meet a married woman (Audra Lindley) he instantly hits it off with.
Eventually Carlin, Henry, Lindley, and Benedict all end up at a massive banquet for parents just like themselves, looking for their teenage children who have gone astray.
In an extended gag, the banquet-goers engage in an experiential lesson in pot smoking — and after this, we see a hotel-room strip poker game far wilder than anything the parents’ kids are getting into.
The seemingly improvisational narrative (actually co-scripted by Forman, John Guare, and Jean-Claude Carrière) is all crafted to highlight the absurdity and hypocrisy of parents whose concern for their kids might be much better placed examining their own lives and neuroticisms. Watch for numerous recognizable names and faces as peripheral members of the cast, including Kathy (“Bobo”) Bates, Carly Simon, and Jessica Harper auditioning:
… Vincent Schiavelli (playing himself) as the pot-smoking instructor:
… and Ike and Tina Turner performing.
Most startling random sequence: a nude young female cellist performs in a restaurant. Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:
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One thought on “Taking Off (1971)”
First viewing (9/14/19). A once-must, as an intriguing, satisfying early Forman film. As posted in ‘Revival House of Camp & Cult’ (fb):
“I like this game!”
‘Taking Off’: Among the milder of cult items is this American debut by Czech filmmaker Milos Forman – who would, of course, go on to make popular hits like ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’, ‘Hair’ and ‘Amadeus’.
It’s a somewhat free-form, shaggy-dog tale with a focus on the generation / communication gap of the ’70s. A couple (Lynn Carlin – of Cassavetes’ ‘Faces’ fame – and Buck Henry – sometime actor primarily known as co-writer of ‘The Graduate’, etc.) learns that their daughter has run away. The search for her puts them in contact with the SPFC (Society for Parents of Fugitive Children) – which ultimately serves to put the couple ‘in contact’ with themselves.
The film takes a tiny bit of time getting its tonal footing but it builds satisfyingly in a uniquely quirky fashion. There’s a guest appearance by Tina Turner (performing) and, just after the 10-minute mark, a 23-year-old Kathy Bates (listed as Bobo Bates) sings a song she wrote called ‘And Even the Horses Had Wings’.
In one of the film’s best scenes, a large room full of SPFC members learn how to smoke pot in order to get on the wavelength of their runaway kids. Miroslav Ondricek – who worked with Forman again several times – was DP for this, so it looks great (for such a small film).