One From The Heart (1982)

Francis Ford Coppola's neon lit musical is a blast of nostalgia and haunting love story set in middle of magical looking Las Vegas.
One From the Heart is one of the greatest musicals i've witnessed in my whole life. It has that certain film magic that is to be found in very few of films. Story of Hank and Franny and their troubled relationship is one of the most heartbreaking lovestories ever told on celluloid. It may not be the most coherent or well paced film, but in Coppola's filmography it is one of his very best.
With photography by great Vittorio Storaro and Ronald V. Garcia, Coppola has created a glorious looking film built completely in the massive Zoetrope studios. Film also has majestic and innovative production design by legendary Dean Tavoularis who did his career best work in this particular film.
Coppola has always been experimental and fearless director who is not afraid of taking risks. One From the Heart might be one of his biggest risks in his entire career. It certainly creates a universe and atmosphere that no other film has ever created. This film is like a distant memory of your greatest love or like your favourite vinyl from the past. It has that certain melancholic feel in it. It has the enchanting feel of city that never sleeps. Maybe this film was made purely for romantics like Coppola himself. This is clearly a film made by person with a huge heart and understanding of love.
Frederic Forrest is excellent as a Hank who is a tough guy from the outside but who is yearning for love inside. His performance has echoes of Marlon Brando's fantastic work in Bernardo Bertolucci's Last Tango in Paris. Teri Garr might seem very one dimensional character at first but is actually much more complex than the first half of this film shows you. There are also brilliant supporting roles by seductive Nastassja Kinski as an traveling circus artist and Raul Julia in charming role as a pianist.
One From the Heart is one of those films which has power to go deep within soul and stay there. It has one of the greatest soundtracks written for any film by Tom Waits, It has dazzling musical numbers, dreamy atmosphere with shades of film noir and moments of pure magic in it. There are so many elements which i love here and yet it does fully succeed to be the masterpiece it almost is.
Francis Ford Coppola is and will always be one of the most interesting American directors in the history of cinema. He is up there among the rest of the American masters like Martin Scorsese, David Lynch, Brian De Palma and Steven Spielberg.
Maybe someday this underappreciated film will find it's audience. It certainly deserves more recognition than it has got since it's release back in 80's. My kind advice for you is that you go out there and seek out this forgotten gem.