Pennies From Heaven (1981)
Average Rating: 7.1/10
Reviews Counted: 25
Fresh: 21 | Rotten: 4
A complicated little musical, Pennies from Heaven is a dazzling, tragic spectacle.
Average Rating: 4.8/10
Critic Reviews: 6
Fresh: 2 | Rotten: 4
A complicated little musical, Pennies from Heaven is a dazzling, tragic spectacle.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.3/5
User Ratings: 3,536
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Movie Info
Adapted from Dennis Potter's landmark British TV miniseries and relocated to the United States during the Depression, Pennies from Heaven dramatizes how popular songs both shaped and reflected the thoughts of people living through economic (and emotional) hardship. Arthur Parker (Steve Martin) is a sheet music salesman who believes that he can spot a hit a mile away and wants to open his own store. But he can't get a bank loan and his wife Joan (Jessica Harper), who has savings left to her by
Dec 11, 1981 Wide
Jul 27, 2004
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Cast
-
Steve Martin
Arthur -
Bernadette Peters
Eileen -
-
Jessica Harper
Joan -
John McMartin
Mr. Warner -
John Karlen
The Detective -
Robert Fitch
Al -
Eliska Krupka
The Blind Girl -
Luke Andreas
Customer -
Vernel Bagneris
Accordion man -
Arell Blanton
Motorcycle Police -
Jim Boeke
Hangman -
Raleigh Bond
Mr. Barrett -
Joshua Cadman
Jumbo -
Twink Caplan
Bank Customer -
John Craig
Bar Patron -
Greg Finley
Bank Teller -
William Frankfather
Pool Player -
M.C. Gainey
Young Policeman -
Will Hare
Father Everson -
-
Robert Lee Jarvis
Policeman -
Shirley Kirks
Tart -
Gloria Le Roy
Prostitute -
Frank McCarthy
Bartender -
Joseph Medalis
Counterman -
Nancy Parsons
Old Whore -
-
Gene Ross
Bank Teller -
Joe E. Ross
Bank Teller -
Wayne Storm
Bank Guard -
Paul Valentine
Bar Patron -
George P. Wilbur
Motorcycle Police -
-
Duke Stroud
Counterman -
Karla Bush
Bank Secretary -
Richard Blum
Pool Player -
-
James Mendenhall
Warden -
Alton Ruff
Bar Patron -
Jay Garner
Banker -
Robin Hoff
Bank Secretary -
Thomas Rall
Ed -
Dave Adams
Bank Teller -
-
Jack Fletcher
Elevator Operator
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All Critics (25) | Top Critics (6) | Fresh (22) | Rotten (5) | DVD (10)
Perhaps this was not the project on which to lavish so many MGM millions. The BBC show was an enchanted cottage; this is the Las Vegas Grand Hotel.
Almost as if he were directing Pinter, Herbert Ross has actors speak a line, then wait two beats before delivering the next phrase. Technique smothers such ordinarily lively performers as Martin, Peters and Harper.
Let's face the music and dance, indeed.
Top CriticPennies from Heaven is dazzling and disappointing in equal measure.
The movie, though, is not easy to respond to. It's chilly without being provocative in any intellectual way.
he point is made endlessly, though it's in the film's favor that it's made with seriousness, consideration, and a certain amount of imagination.
A bit of filmmaking as film criticism to be respected and admired above and beyond its relationship to the legendary miniseries that it pushed out of print for more than 20 years.
Not for everyone, but those who respond to it will find it unforgettable.
Underrated, fascinating musical starring Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters.
O ótimo conceito deste musical torna-se ainda mais fascinante graças às belas coreografias, aos ricos figurinos, à impecável direção de arte e, é claro, à magnífica fotografia de Gordon Willis.
Dark as night but perfectly lit, a little sad but with a song in its heart.
Audience Reviews for Pennies From Heaven
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