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Solo
(1977)
Johnny's
comments:
Solo
is a 1977 romantic drama
that filmed entirely in
New Zealand (although has
Australian backing and
lead actors) where drifter
Judy (Lisa Peers, who also
has a small role in
Alison's Birthday) first
meets Paul (Vincent Gil)
when he puts out a
campfire she has illegally
lit in the forest. He
decides not the charge her
and they meet again when
Judy is hitchhiking and
Paul picks her up while
he's on his way home from
picking up his odd son
Billy (Perry Armstrong)
from school. Turns out
Paul flies planes around
the forest making sure
things like what happened
when they first met don't
happen. He takes her up in
a plane that he lets his
son fly. Paul is obsessed
with planes and after
letting Judy sleep over at
his house, he introduces
her to a Tiger Moth that
he has finished building
and is about to fly for
the first time. He offers
a ride to Judy, she is
reluctant, but after
initial declining she
joins them and they go for
a flight until they run
out of fuel. They are
picked up by a local man
and his wife who are happy
for the company and turn
out to be quite eccentric.
Billy decides to take the
Tiger Moth for a spin
after they get fuel and
crashes it, leaving them
stranded at the eccentric
couple's place. Judy and
Paul fall in love and
everything seems fine, but
once they finally get back
to Paul's place, Judy is
reluctant to continue
their relationship much to
the disappointment of Paul
who hasn't been with a
woman since his wife's
death. Judy leaves, but
Paul has left an indelible
impression on her that
might leave hope for the
future.
A movie very much of its
time, this quaint romantic
drama is not without its
charm particularly in
regards to plane flight.
There's a great opening
scene that feels more like
another dystopic movie is
starting up, but goes
gently after this. But
that son of Paul's, Billy,
is one very odd kid who
going to get himself into
a bit of trouble in the
future. He's introduced by
one of the strangest
scenes I've ever seen in a
PG movie, joyfully perving
on little girls changing.
It's one of those scenes
where you can't believe
what you just saw and in
today's environment would
be hounded out of the
movie, but is meant to be
innocuous in Solo. He's
boasts of his pornography
collection at another
point then openly reads a
Playboy magazine on a
train, which turns out to
be a fairly funny scene
strangely enough. That's
not to mention him
constantly getting into
scrapes. Oh for a woman's
touch! A gentle little
doomed romance that is
more of its time, but not
bad nonetheless.
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