The Other Side Of Midnight (1977)

Set in 1939 France, a young girl (Marie France Pisier) and an American pilot (John Beck) fall in love. He is called back to the United States but he promises he will come back and they will be married. But he doesn't come back and soon WWII arrives. Based on the best selling novel by Sidney Sheldon (BLOODLINE) and directed by Charles Jarrott (ANNE OF THE THOUSAND DAYS). Sheldon's 600 pages of pulp trash has been adapted into a three hour movie as if it were a great piece of literature and nothing must be left out. So we get things like two endless romantic montages, one with Beck and Pisier and one with Beck and Susan Sarandon as his wife. I cringed for Pisier, who gets to do a graphic abortion on herself as well as various sex acts. But at least she and Raf Vallone as an Onassis type millionaire bring some authenticity to their roles. Beck is a total cipher and Sarandon needs a good script in order to be effective. Her kewpie doll act worked in ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW but here, it just makes her performance look lazy. It's too long and clunky to be fun trash like VALLEY OF THE DOLLS and Sheldon is no Jacqueline Susann. On the plus side, there's Fred J. Koenekamp's (PATTON) handsome location shooting in Greece and a lush underscore by Michel Legrand. With Clu Gulager, Christian Marquand, Michael Lerner, Charles Cioffi, Howard Hesseman and Dimitra Arliss.