I’ve always liked the 1988 movie Crossing Delancey, with a smart screenplay by Susan Sandler based on her play, and richly directed by Joan Micklin Silver. It starred Amy Irving, with a co-starring performance by Peter Riegert. The film did very well for a small movie, though being small it wasn’t a blockbuster, and so is largely overlooked these days. As good as Amy Irving is – and she’s terrific and got a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress – Peter Riegert is the joy here for me. In fairness, he’s one of my favorite actors, especially in the underrated category. He’s best known to people as ‘Boon’ from Animal House, and was great in Bill Forsyth’s whimsical, offbeat independent movie Local Hero. (He also had a two-episode role in HBO’s Succession, playing James Cromwell’s longtime lawyer. And a recurring role in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.) I don’t tend to quote YouTube User Comments, but one nailed his performance in Crossing Delancey, writing that “Riegert's performance was Master Class level on a par with Spencer Tracy.” That’s exaggeration, but it’s in the ballpark and gets the sensibility – and it brought a spate of further replies in agreement. His performance just overwhelms with low-key charm. And okay, wonderful as Peter Reigert is, the movie may be stolen by Reizl Bozyk, who plays Amy Irving’s bubbie, her grandmother. She had a long career in the New York Yiddish theatre for over 30 years and in her native Poland, where she began acting at the age of 5. For all intents, this was her first and only movie, after almost 70 years acting. (She appeared in a small role in a small movie about the Catskills 38 years earlier.) She was only in one other production on film, but it was an episode of Law & Order. If you know the series, it’s the episode where an old Jewish Holocaust survivor begins to think her husband might be wanted for collaborating with the Nazis, and he’s later tried for killing her. She played the wife. Crossing Delancey was on TCM the other day, and I was reminded yet again how good it is, but I especially have always dearly loved the final scene. I particularly like it for one moment, which should be clear when you see it, but it’s all so smart, gentle, graceful, amusing and lovely. As such, I wanted to try something a bit odd – I thought I’d post the end of that final scene with absolutely no explanation. (And this isn’t even the full scene, but only the last 3-1/2 minutes.) If you haven’t seen the movie, and don’t mind seeing how it ends, I think the scene should be clear enough without any set-up. You’ll miss the specifics and precise relationships that gives the scene even more richness. But what’s going on here and the charm of it all should come through clearly. And a long explanation will just get in the way. And best of all, you get to see all three principles -- Amy Irving, Peter Riegert and Reizl Bozyk. And you get to see what I'm talking about with all of them. If you do want to see the movie first, though, then skip the clip and get the DVD on Netflix (it doesn’t stream) or wait until TCM shows it again. Amazon Prime has it for streaming, though it costs $3.99. However, if you decide you want to know more about the film and have more of an idea what’s going on before watching the clip, I’m also including the introduction (and closing comments) that were made when the Crossing Delancey previously played on TCM in 2016 and for some reason somebody happily posted it on YouTube. Ron Perlman does the introduction and fills things in nicely. Keep in mind that if you want to see if my "no introduction" test here works, you can watch the scene first and go back to watch the explanation afterwards. And one of the things that adds to the ingratiating texture of this scene at the end of the movie is the closing credits music, the sweet and moody song “Lucky” by The Roches – who did all the music in the film. The final scene clip unfortunately (but understandably) ends before the credits roll, but I’ve embedded the song that you should click to right away. But now, on with the show. Here’s the TCM introduction for those who’d like to watch it first. Otherwise, jump below to the final scene (with my favorite moment I'm sure you'll catch) and then closing song. And this is the last 3-1/2 minutes of the final scene. And finally, click here right away for the closing end-credits music, “Lucky” by The Roches.
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AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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