Die Straße der Ölsardinen (1982)

Die Straße der Ölsardinen: Directed by David S. Ward. With Nick Nolte, Debra Winger, Audra Lindley, Frank McRae. Monterey, California in the 1940’s. Cannery Row – the section of town where the now closed fish canneries are located – is inhabited primarily by the down and out, although many would not move away even if they could. Probably the most upstanding citizen in the area is Doc, a marine biologist who earns a living primarily by collecting and selling marine specimens for research. He is a lost soul who is looking for his place in life. He is running away from his past, one where he is trying to make amends for what he considers a past wrong. But his current life isn’t totally satisfying either. He believes that his recent collection of eight baby octopi will help him define that future in conducting research on their behavior. However, he is finding that research is not as easy as he had hoped, and that he is still feeling restless. Into the area comes drifter Suzy DeSoto. She too is a lost soul. With few job skills, she gets a job as what she calls a floozy in the local whorehouse, despite her openly headstrong demeanor not making her well suited to the work. Doc and Suzy are immediately attracted to each other, but theirs is a clash of personalities, despite each truly liking the other. The other residents of Cannery Row do their part for a Doc/Suzy coupling, not always with successful results. Doc and Suzy will first have to find their own lot in life before they can commit to someone else, be it the other or anyone else.

“The cast of this fine movie have better ensemble chemistry than possibly any cast I can remember. Everyone looks like they belong in their roles.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhether or not they captured the two books exactly really isnu0026#39;t the point. The movie creates a perfect atmosphere for the events, and Hustonu0026#39;s narration actually adds to, rather than detracts from the performances (something I find very rare in narrated films).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eNick Nolte is good in almost anything, and he plays the role of Doc with the patience of a man who really doesnu0026#39;t quite belong where he is, but who has decided to stay, anyway. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI think the finest performance in the film, however, is Frank McRae as Hazel, the childlike giant. He plays the role with a sweetness and earnestness that make the character totally believable. His reaction to being cursed with the Presidency, and his slightly-befuddled researching of the problem of how to get Doc and Suzy back together are priceless.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOne more tiny detail that I thought really made the movie, for me: everybody singles out the frog hunt scene as a favorite, and I would agree for the most part. But I prefer the aftermath: the frog currency system and the night of the fight when the whole mob of frogs are accidentally set loose on Cannery Row. After that scene, you can hear frogs peeping away for the rest of the movie.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis is one for the DVD collection, and I agree with the reviewer who lamented the lack of an available soundtrack.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWonderful film.”