PICTURE WINDOWS
A Showtime presentation featuring
3 complete stories:
'LIGHTNING,' 'ARMED RESPONSE' and 'TWO NUDES BATHING.'
Ron Perlman starred in 'LIGHTNING,' along with Brian Keith, Kathleen Quinlan and Henry Jones.
Extract from a Variety review, October 23-29, 1995.
PICTURE WINDOWS
SHOWTIME, Sunday, October 29, 8 p.m.
Filmed in Los Angeles, Toronto and Anjou, France, by Yorktown Productions in association with Skyvision Partners.
'LIGHTNING'
Director, Joe Dante; writer, Jim Byrnes, based on a short story by Zane Grey; camera, Jamie Anderson; editor, David Hickes; production design, Nanette Vandrbilt; sound, Geoffrey Patterson; music, Hummie Mann.
Cast:
Brian Keith, Ron Perlman, Kathleen Quinlan,
Henry Jones.
Big-name helmers craft small-screen jewels for SHOWTIME's PICTURE WINDOWS short-film series. Literary/arty pretensions of theme - each pic is inspired by a work of art or classic literature - gives the series a rather higher-brow feel, which thankfully, doesn't spell filmmaker self-indulgence.
First trilogy showcases Peter Bogdanovich, Jonathan Kaplan and Norman Jewison (one of the series' exec producers); second trilogy features pics from Joe Dante, Bob Rafelson and John Boorman; all are worthy and worth a good look.
Based on a Zane Grey story and visually inspired by the works of Frederick Remington, LIGHTNING - Dante's offering - toplines Brian Keith as an ornery gold prospector who strikes it rich.
His life is saved by Lightning, a recently purchased mule who seems to possess preternatural intelligence--at least for a mule.
Ron Perlman and Kathleen Quinlan are a gambler and whore, respectively, who plot to take his gold.
Story trades on an O.Henry type of irony with a twisted, satisfying conclusion.
Dante directs this amusing, wry shortie with a sure hand. Keith, Perlman and Quinlan are relaxed and production values are tops.