Head Over Heels (1979 film)
Encyclopedia
Chilly Scenes of Winter (originally released as Head over Heels) is a 1979 romantic comedy film, written and directed by Joan Micklin Silver
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The film is an adaptation of the 1976 novel Chilly Scenes of Winter
by Ann Beattie
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, and an impetuous romantic.
One day he meets Laura Conley in the filing department of his office and it is love at first sight.
Laura is a married woman who has just moved out on her husband Ox, a log home salesman. She is disillusioned by own marriage and wants to find herself.
Charles gathers courage and asks her out. Soon she moves in with him and seems happy.
But she starts having second thoughts. According to Laura, he loves her too much. "You have this exalted view of me, and I hate it. If you think I'm that great then there must be something wrong with you."
Laura leaves Charles and goes back to her husband, Ox.
Sam, recently unemployed as a jacket salesman, moves in with Charles, who tries to grapple with the loss of Laura. Charles's mother, meanwhile, is an eccentric who has suicidal thoughts.
Charles begins to make efforts to win Laura back.
Charles finds out from his secretary, Betty, that Laura has left Ox once again and is living in an apartment with a roommate.
Joan Micklin Silver
Joan Micklin Silver is an American director.She was born in Omaha, Nebraska and received her B.A. From Sarah Lawrence College....
.
The film is an adaptation of the 1976 novel Chilly Scenes of Winter
Chilly Scenes of Winter
Chilly Scenes of Winter is Ann Beattie's first novel, published in 1976. It was adapted into a film, also called Chilly Scenes of Winter, which was released in 1979. Charles is obsessively in love with Laura, a married woman, and must plow through his dull daily life while yearning for her....
by Ann Beattie
Ann Beattie
Ann Beattie is an American short story writer and novelist. She has received an award for excellence from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters and a PEN/Bernard Malamud Award for excellence in the short story form. Her work has been compared to that of Alice Adams, J.D. Salinger,...
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Name change
The first version of the film, with the title Head over Heels, had a happy ending. In 1982, the distributor re-released it with a new title to match the book, plus a new melancholy ending. The film had a more successful run this time.Synopsis
Charles Richardson is a civil servant in his early 30s, working in the Department of Development, Salt Lake City, UtahUtah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, and an impetuous romantic.
One day he meets Laura Conley in the filing department of his office and it is love at first sight.
Laura is a married woman who has just moved out on her husband Ox, a log home salesman. She is disillusioned by own marriage and wants to find herself.
Charles gathers courage and asks her out. Soon she moves in with him and seems happy.
But she starts having second thoughts. According to Laura, he loves her too much. "You have this exalted view of me, and I hate it. If you think I'm that great then there must be something wrong with you."
Laura leaves Charles and goes back to her husband, Ox.
Sam, recently unemployed as a jacket salesman, moves in with Charles, who tries to grapple with the loss of Laura. Charles's mother, meanwhile, is an eccentric who has suicidal thoughts.
Charles begins to make efforts to win Laura back.
Charles finds out from his secretary, Betty, that Laura has left Ox once again and is living in an apartment with a roommate.
Cast
- John Heard .... Charles
- Mary Beth HurtMary Beth HurtMary Beth Hurt is an American actress of stage and screen.-Personal life:Hurt was born Mary Supinger in 1946 in Marshalltown, Iowa, the daughter of Delores Lenore and Forrest Clayton Supinger. Her childhood babysitter was actress Jean Seberg, also a Marshalltown native...
.... Laura - Peter RiegertPeter RiegertPeter Riegert is an American actor, screenwriter, and film director, best known for his role as Boon from Animal House and crooked New Jersey State Assemblyman Ronald Zellman on the HBO original series The Sopranos.-Early life:...
.... Sam - Kenneth McMillanKenneth McMillan (actor)Kenneth McMillan was an American actor. McMillan was usually cast as gruff, hostile and unfriendly characters due to his rough image...
.... Pete - Gloria GrahameGloria GrahameGloria Grahame was an American Academy Award–winning actress.Grahame began her acting career in theatre, and in 1944 she made her first film for MGM. Despite a featured role in It's a Wonderful Life , MGM did not believe she had the potential for major success, and sold her contract to RKO Studios...
.... Clara - Nora Heflin .... Betty
- Jerry HardinJerry HardinJerry Hardin is an American actor who has made many television and film appearances. He played illegitimate heir, Wild Bill Westchester, in the failed 1982 television series Filthy Rich. One of his most recognizable roles was that of the character Deep Throat in the series The X-Files...
.... Patterson - Tarah Nutter .... Susan
- Mark MetcalfMark MetcalfMark Howes Metcalf is an American actor in both television and film.-Early life:Metcalf attended Westfield High School in Westfield, New Jersey.-Film and television work:...
.... Ox