Cactus Flower (film)
Encyclopedia
Cactus Flower is a 1969 comedic film directed by Gene Saks
and starring Walter Matthau
, Ingrid Bergman
, and Goldie Hawn
, who won an Oscar
for her performance. The screenplay was adapted by I. A. L. Diamond
from a Broadway stage play written by Abe Burrows
, which in turn was based upon the French play Fleur de cactus. The film was the seventh highest grossing film of 1970.
The film was very loosely remade in 2011 as Just Go with It
, starring Adam Sandler
and Jennifer Aniston
.
The movie then moves to the cause of the suicide attempt. Toni's lover Julian, a dentist and philanderer, had previously told Toni that he has a wife and three kids, in order to avoid commitment issues. However, upon learning of the suicide attempt, he decides to rethink his bachelor status and to marry Toni, resulting in him needing a wife to divorce.
In order to resolve his dilemma, Julian decides to ask Miss Stephanie Dickinson, his spinsterish Swedish nurse of ten years, to pose as his wife. At first unwilling, she ultimately accepts the role, since she has secretly developed a crush on Julian. However, upon meeting Miss Dickinson, Toni intuitively senses Miss Dickinson's love for Julian. This causes her to ask Julian to help Miss Dickinson find another man, in order for everyone to be happy. To resolve the situation, Julian involves several other characters, including Julian's friend Harvey, Señor Arturo Sánchez, and Igor. Ultimately, Toni finds out about the lie and leaves Julian for Igor, while Julian falls in love with Miss Dickinson.
The namesake of the film is a prickly cactus that Miss Dickinson keeps on her desk at the dentist's office. Similar to Miss Dickinson, the cactus is cold and inhospitable. However, by the end, both the cactus and Miss Dickinson have bloomed.
of The New York Times stated that "both the expansive scenario of I. A. L. Diamond
and the flexible direction of Gene Saks open up and even ventilate the story.". Roger Ebert
declared that "the chemistry works" and "the movie is better than the play."
The film marked then the return of Ingrid Bergman to the movies. After the 1940s, she left for Europe and had a liaison with Roberto Rossellini
, which led to fierce attacks from gossip writers and no contracts from the U.S. studios. After some time away from movies and returning in the film Anastasia
, they approached her for this role, and she agreed to star in her first comedy, leading to huge praise.
In her first major film role, Goldie Hawn, who had earlier been described as the "dizzy cream puff who is constantly blowing her lines [on Laugh-In]," was especially commended for being "a natural reactress; her timing is so canny that even her tears run amusingly." Her performance in Cactus Flower won her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
, her sole Oscar to date.
In addition, there was a nomination for Ingrid Bergman and an additional one for Goldie Hawn:
Screenwriter I. A. L. Diamond
was nominated for the 1969 Writers Guild of America Award
for Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium, the only one of his ten screenplay nominations that was not for a screenplay that he co-wrote with Billy Wilder
.
Gene Saks
Gene Saks is an American stage and film director.-Life and career:Saks was born in New York City, the son of Beatrix and Morris J. Saks...
and starring Walter Matthau
Walter Matthau
Walter Matthau was an American actor best known for his role as Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple and his frequent collaborations with Odd Couple star Jack Lemmon, as well as his role as Coach Buttermaker in the 1976 comedy The Bad News Bears...
, Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films. She won three Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and the Tony Award for Best Actress. She is ranked as the fourth greatest female star of American cinema of all time by the American Film Institute...
, and Goldie Hawn
Goldie Hawn
Goldie Jeanne Hawn is an American actress, film director, producer, and occasional singer. Hawn is known for her roles in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Private Benjamin, Foul Play, Overboard, Bird on a Wire, Death Becomes Her, The First Wives Club, and Cactus Flower, for which she won the 1969...
, who won an Oscar
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
for her performance. The screenplay was adapted by I. A. L. Diamond
I. A. L. Diamond
I.A.L. Diamond was a comedy writer in Hollywood from the 1940s through the 1980s.-Early life:He was born Iţec Domnici in Ungheni, Iaşi County, Bessarabia, Romania, present day Moldova, was referred to as "Iz" in Hollywood, and was known to quip that his initials stood for "Interscholastic Algebra...
from a Broadway stage play written by Abe Burrows
Abe Burrows
Abe Burrows was a Tony and Pulitzer-winning American humorist, author, and director for radio and the stage.-Early years:...
, which in turn was based upon the French play Fleur de cactus. The film was the seventh highest grossing film of 1970.
The film was very loosely remade in 2011 as Just Go with It
Just Go With It
Just Go with It is a 2011 romantic comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. The film was released on , 2011...
, starring Adam Sandler
Adam Sandler
Adam Richard Sandler is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, musician, and film producer.After becoming a Saturday Night Live cast member, Sandler went on to star in several Hollywood feature films that grossed over $100 million at the box office...
and Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Joanna Aniston is an American actress, film director, and producer, best known for her role as Rachel Green on the television sitcom Friends, a role which earned her an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.Aniston has also enjoyed a successful film career,...
.
Plot
The film begins with 21-year-old Toni Simmons trudging across the road at night to post a letter. Subsequently, she returns to her apartment and attempts to gas herself using a "second-hand" stove. Fortunately, her neighbor, Igor Sullivan, smells the gas and rescues her from imminent death using rescue breathing, which evolves into a French kiss after Toni regains consciousness.The movie then moves to the cause of the suicide attempt. Toni's lover Julian, a dentist and philanderer, had previously told Toni that he has a wife and three kids, in order to avoid commitment issues. However, upon learning of the suicide attempt, he decides to rethink his bachelor status and to marry Toni, resulting in him needing a wife to divorce.
In order to resolve his dilemma, Julian decides to ask Miss Stephanie Dickinson, his spinsterish Swedish nurse of ten years, to pose as his wife. At first unwilling, she ultimately accepts the role, since she has secretly developed a crush on Julian. However, upon meeting Miss Dickinson, Toni intuitively senses Miss Dickinson's love for Julian. This causes her to ask Julian to help Miss Dickinson find another man, in order for everyone to be happy. To resolve the situation, Julian involves several other characters, including Julian's friend Harvey, Señor Arturo Sánchez, and Igor. Ultimately, Toni finds out about the lie and leaves Julian for Igor, while Julian falls in love with Miss Dickinson.
The namesake of the film is a prickly cactus that Miss Dickinson keeps on her desk at the dentist's office. Similar to Miss Dickinson, the cactus is cold and inhospitable. However, by the end, both the cactus and Miss Dickinson have bloomed.
Cast
| Actor | Role | Other notes |
| Walter Matthau Walter Matthau Walter Matthau was an American actor best known for his role as Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple and his frequent collaborations with Odd Couple star Jack Lemmon, as well as his role as Coach Buttermaker in the 1976 comedy The Bad News Bears... |
Dr. Julian Winston | a dentist |
| Ingrid Bergman Ingrid Bergman Ingrid Bergman was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films. She won three Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and the Tony Award for Best Actress. She is ranked as the fourth greatest female star of American cinema of all time by the American Film Institute... |
Stephanie Dickinson | Dr. Winston's assistant |
| Goldie Hawn Goldie Hawn Goldie Jeanne Hawn is an American actress, film director, producer, and occasional singer. Hawn is known for her roles in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Private Benjamin, Foul Play, Overboard, Bird on a Wire, Death Becomes Her, The First Wives Club, and Cactus Flower, for which she won the 1969... |
Toni Simmons | Dr. Winston's girlfriend |
| Jack Weston | Harvey Greenfield | a friend and patient of Dr. Winston |
| Rick Lenz Rick Lenz Rick Lenz is an American actor best known for repeating his Broadway role as Igor Sullivan in the 1969 film Cactus Flower.-Career:... |
Igor Sullivan | a writer and Toni's neighbor |
| Vito Scotti Vito Scotti Vito Scotti was a veteran character actor who played many roles, primarily from the late-1940s to the mid-1990s. He was known as a man of a thousand faces, for his ability to assume so many divergent roles in more than 200 screen roles, in a nearly 50 year career. He was known for his resourceful... |
Señor Arturo Sánchez | a diplomat and patient of Dr. Winston |
| Irene Hervey | Mrs. Durant | a patient of Dr. Winston |
| Eve Bruce | Georgia | a date of Harvey Greenfield's |
| Irwin Charone | Record Store Manager | Toni's employer |
| Matthew Saks | nephew | one of Mrs. Dickinson's nephews |
Reception
On release, the film received considerable acclaim from both the critics and the general public, becoming one of the highest grossing films of 1969 and 1970. Howard ThompsonHoward Thompson (film critic)
Howard Thompson was an US journalist and film critic whose career of forty-one years was spent at the New York Times....
of The New York Times stated that "both the expansive scenario of I. A. L. Diamond
I. A. L. Diamond
I.A.L. Diamond was a comedy writer in Hollywood from the 1940s through the 1980s.-Early life:He was born Iţec Domnici in Ungheni, Iaşi County, Bessarabia, Romania, present day Moldova, was referred to as "Iz" in Hollywood, and was known to quip that his initials stood for "Interscholastic Algebra...
and the flexible direction of Gene Saks open up and even ventilate the story.". Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
declared that "the chemistry works" and "the movie is better than the play."
The film marked then the return of Ingrid Bergman to the movies. After the 1940s, she left for Europe and had a liaison with Roberto Rossellini
Roberto Rossellini
Roberto Rossellini was an Italian film director and screenwriter. Rossellini was one of the directors of the Italian neorealist cinema, contributing films such as Roma città aperta to the movement.-Early life:Born in Rome, Roberto Rossellini lived on the Via Ludovisi, where Benito Mussolini had...
, which led to fierce attacks from gossip writers and no contracts from the U.S. studios. After some time away from movies and returning in the film Anastasia
Anastasia
Anastasia is a personal name and the female form of the Greek male name Anastasius/Anastasios meaning "resurrection." The name, and its male counterpart, were often given to Greek children born around December 2 or around Easter during the early days of Christianity. It is the name of several...
, they approached her for this role, and she agreed to star in her first comedy, leading to huge praise.
In her first major film role, Goldie Hawn, who had earlier been described as the "dizzy cream puff who is constantly blowing her lines [on Laugh-In]," was especially commended for being "a natural reactress; her timing is so canny that even her tears run amusingly." Her performance in Cactus Flower won her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
, her sole Oscar to date.
Awards
Goldie Hawn won two awards for her supporting role:- Academy Award for Best Supporting ActressAcademy Award for Best Supporting ActressPerformance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
- Goldie Hawn - Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion PictureGolden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion PictureThe Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 1944 for a performance in a motion picture released in the previous year....
- Goldie Hawn
In addition, there was a nomination for Ingrid Bergman and an additional one for Goldie Hawn:
- BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading RoleBAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading RoleBest Actress in a Leading Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognise an actress who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a film.- Winners and nominees :...
- Goldie Hawn - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or ComedyGolden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or ComedyThe Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as a separate category in 1950...
- Ingrid Bergman
Screenwriter I. A. L. Diamond
I. A. L. Diamond
I.A.L. Diamond was a comedy writer in Hollywood from the 1940s through the 1980s.-Early life:He was born Iţec Domnici in Ungheni, Iaşi County, Bessarabia, Romania, present day Moldova, was referred to as "Iz" in Hollywood, and was known to quip that his initials stood for "Interscholastic Algebra...
was nominated for the 1969 Writers Guild of America Award
Writers Guild of America Award
The Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949...
for Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium, the only one of his ten screenplay nominations that was not for a screenplay that he co-wrote with Billy Wilder
Billy Wilder
Billy Wilder was an Austro-Hungarian born American filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, artist, and journalist, whose career spanned more than 50 years and 60 films. He is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Hollywood's golden age...
.