After carving out eccentric, obtuse molds for her personality while co-starring in Robert Altman's "Nashville" and Alan Rudolph's "Welcome to L.A.", Geraldine Chaplin finally earned a full-bodied (though still utterly eccentric) leading role in Rudolph's "Remember My Name", which was produced by Robert Altman. Chaplin plays an ex-convict and sociopath seeking a reunion with her former husband, a carpenter who has remarried and resides on the west coast; lacking interpersonal skills of any kind, she decides to get his attention by stalking he and his wife and breaking into their house. Intriguing, if unpleasant, modern-day melodrama with noir-ish overtures, made memorable by Chaplin's high-wire performance. Tough and unyielding, and possibly schizophrenic, Chaplin creates a portrait of a woman obsessed by the past, and wilting under the untouchable persona she has created for herself. The narrative goes a little batty in the final stretch, leading to a perplexing conclusion; however, the film's detached tone is very deliberate and assured--it creates a monotone ambiance which is hard to shake off. Director Rudolph, who also wrote the screenplay, seems to feel this material very deeply. It's a twisted and melancholy valentine. **1/2 from ****
34 Reviews
Worth a second viewing
bregund21 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
There are only a few movies I watch more than once, this one is on my list because of Geraldine Chaplin's psychotic performance as Emily. Here is an actor in top form, playing the role for all it's worth, and she is a joy to watch. Anthony Perkins's unstructured acting style serves to emphasize Chaplin's, while Jeff Goldblum and Alfre Woodard (does she ever age?) provide dramatic background characters. I'm less sold on Berry Berenson, who seems out of her depth here, but her tangible fear when Emily pops up in her house is serviceable.
Okay, so about that ending, it's almost like they ran out of money and just called it a day, leaving an unfinished story. It's frustrating, but hear me out: this is how it feels when someone close walks out of your life, this is exactly what Emily experienced when Neil dumped her, and she wanted him to feel that way. I know it's a stretch and probably not intentional, but it's the only explanation that makes sense.
Okay, so about that ending, it's almost like they ran out of money and just called it a day, leaving an unfinished story. It's frustrating, but hear me out: this is how it feels when someone close walks out of your life, this is exactly what Emily experienced when Neil dumped her, and she wanted him to feel that way. I know it's a stretch and probably not intentional, but it's the only explanation that makes sense.
Well-acted stalker story
Leofwine_draca6 October 2015
I suppose the main criticism you can level against a film like REMEMBER MY NAME is that it has a distinctly tame, quiet, television-movie style feel to it, so that the drama feels oddly muted for a movie made for the cinemas. It's a late '70s stalker story along the lines of PLAY MISTY FOR ME, although not quite as good as the Eastwood movie.
What REMEMBER MY NAME does have going for it is an excellent cast of past and future stars who enliven an otherwise ordinary tale. The story involves a seemingly happily married couple who are disturbed by the arrival of the husband's old flame who seems obsessed with resuming their relationship. What follows is quietly gripping in places, although the film as a whole is let down by a non-existent ending and a definite lack of incident.
Anthony Perkins is excellent at playing these mild-mannered characters hiding dark secrets but the real acting honours go to Geraldine Chaplin, who invests her disturbed character with real authenticity; she's absolutely frightening in the part. The supporting cast includes plenty of faces who would go on to become famous in the future: Tim Thomerson, Dennis Franz, and best of all a skinny Jeff Goldblum. Blaxploitation actor Moses Gunn also has a role.
What REMEMBER MY NAME does have going for it is an excellent cast of past and future stars who enliven an otherwise ordinary tale. The story involves a seemingly happily married couple who are disturbed by the arrival of the husband's old flame who seems obsessed with resuming their relationship. What follows is quietly gripping in places, although the film as a whole is let down by a non-existent ending and a definite lack of incident.
Anthony Perkins is excellent at playing these mild-mannered characters hiding dark secrets but the real acting honours go to Geraldine Chaplin, who invests her disturbed character with real authenticity; she's absolutely frightening in the part. The supporting cast includes plenty of faces who would go on to become famous in the future: Tim Thomerson, Dennis Franz, and best of all a skinny Jeff Goldblum. Blaxploitation actor Moses Gunn also has a role.
Recommended.
yeahman19 February 2000
An interesting and well-acted psychological drama about an unhappily married man (Perkins) who finds himself stalked by his first wife (Chaplin), a mentally unbalanced woman who spent the last 12 years in prison for murder. You've seen this kind of insane-female-admirer plot before, but here it's handled more intelligently and tastefully than usual. It remains refreshingly unpredictable all the way through.
Chaplin is particularly impressive, managing to exude fragility, menace, and just plain craziness all at once. It's a solid performance if you're willing to overlook her ever-changing accent (is her character supposed to be American or English?). The film also features an overbearing blues soundtrack that, while decent enough in itself, sounds like it belongs in another film. Still, it's a good movie, probably worth viewing more than once.
Chaplin is particularly impressive, managing to exude fragility, menace, and just plain craziness all at once. It's a solid performance if you're willing to overlook her ever-changing accent (is her character supposed to be American or English?). The film also features an overbearing blues soundtrack that, while decent enough in itself, sounds like it belongs in another film. Still, it's a good movie, probably worth viewing more than once.
I've got a secret
sol-kay8 April 2007
Warning: Spoilers
(Some Spoilers) Showing up in town to start a new life Emily, Geraldine Chaplin, begins stalking the Curry's Neil & Barbara, Anthony Perkins & Berry Berenson,making in the end their lives miserable and causing the two to break up, with Emily being the other woman, in a weird and drunken relationship between her and Neil.It takes a while to figure out what exactly Emily has to do with the Curry's. In between her strange and violent antics were pounded over the head with TV and radio news reports of a massive 8.6 earthquake in the Hungarian capital city of Budapest that, by the time the movie is over, killed upwards of one million people.
Getting a job at Mr. Nudd's, played by a very emaciated looking Jeff Goldblum, .99 cent bargain store as a cashier we finally get an idea of what Emily is all about with the knowledge that she was a cell-mate of Mr. Nudd's mother who was serving a life sentence from the murder of her husband, and Mr. Nudd's father. Mrs. Nudd promised Emily, also a convicted murderess, a job at her son's bargain store when she go out of prison.
Emily uses the job to steal money from the cash register and keep tabs on the Curry's who occasionally shop in the store. The big surprise comes much later in the movie when we find out that Emily was at one time, before he met Barbara, married to Neil Curry and was driven to insanity and murder when she found that he was cheating on her. We get a good insight of a woman scorned in Emily's conduct towards her ex-husband Neil whom she does all she can to destroy his life and marriage as well as everyone who has anything to do with him.
Going so far as to strike up a relationship with her super and the apartment security guard Pike, Moses Gunn, who at first wanted to have nothing to do with the crazy nut-case. Later Pike inexplicably fell under her spell and was as easy to handle and manipulate by Emily as a puppy being lead by a leash. It turns out that Emily has a maniacal plan, that she cooked up while in prison, to punish Neil for everything that he did to her. One thing she was planning was to get Neil alone, and drunk, in her apartment and have her "lover" who in this case turned to be the very hair-triggered and jealous Pike catch him there, and with the poor guy handcuffed to the bed, violently work him over. I think that's what happened at the end of the movie even though it was all left, being off camera, to the audiences imagination.
A story of insanity and revenge with both Geraldine Chaplin and Anthony Perkins giving Academy Award caliber performances with the haunting music of the late Alberta Hunter on the soundtrack singing her very timely song, that's just right for the movie, "Remember my Name throughout the entire film "The Love I have for you".
Getting a job at Mr. Nudd's, played by a very emaciated looking Jeff Goldblum, .99 cent bargain store as a cashier we finally get an idea of what Emily is all about with the knowledge that she was a cell-mate of Mr. Nudd's mother who was serving a life sentence from the murder of her husband, and Mr. Nudd's father. Mrs. Nudd promised Emily, also a convicted murderess, a job at her son's bargain store when she go out of prison.
Emily uses the job to steal money from the cash register and keep tabs on the Curry's who occasionally shop in the store. The big surprise comes much later in the movie when we find out that Emily was at one time, before he met Barbara, married to Neil Curry and was driven to insanity and murder when she found that he was cheating on her. We get a good insight of a woman scorned in Emily's conduct towards her ex-husband Neil whom she does all she can to destroy his life and marriage as well as everyone who has anything to do with him.
Going so far as to strike up a relationship with her super and the apartment security guard Pike, Moses Gunn, who at first wanted to have nothing to do with the crazy nut-case. Later Pike inexplicably fell under her spell and was as easy to handle and manipulate by Emily as a puppy being lead by a leash. It turns out that Emily has a maniacal plan, that she cooked up while in prison, to punish Neil for everything that he did to her. One thing she was planning was to get Neil alone, and drunk, in her apartment and have her "lover" who in this case turned to be the very hair-triggered and jealous Pike catch him there, and with the poor guy handcuffed to the bed, violently work him over. I think that's what happened at the end of the movie even though it was all left, being off camera, to the audiences imagination.
A story of insanity and revenge with both Geraldine Chaplin and Anthony Perkins giving Academy Award caliber performances with the haunting music of the late Alberta Hunter on the soundtrack singing her very timely song, that's just right for the movie, "Remember my Name throughout the entire film "The Love I have for you".
A really great movie
JasparLamarCrabb27 November 2010
Warning: Spoilers
A really great movie anchored by a spectacular Geraldine Chaplin performance. Writer/director Alan Rudolph creates a real sense of melancholia with this film. Chaplin is a recent parolee who stalks ex-husband Anthony Perkins & his new wife Berry Berenson. As bleak as things are, there are also moments of real humor laced throughout this oddity. Chaplin does NOT adjust well to her freedom. She's scary, funny and inappropriately confrontational. Perkins is fine as is Berenson and the supporting cast also includes Alfre Woodard and a very funny Jeff Goldblum (as Chaplin's doltish boss). But the film belongs to Chaplin. Her performance is one of the finest of the 1970s. Alberta Hunter contributes some excellent songs that move the story a long and the cinematography by Tak Fujimoto is stunning.
Abrupt Ending
twhiteson19 July 2017
Warning: Spoilers
An odd movie with a very abrupt ending, but underneath its oddness and artistic flourishes it's still a spurned-woman-getting-her-revenge story.
The plot: Extremely pretty "Emily" (Geraldine Chaplin looking like she hadn't aged a day since playing "Tonya" in 1965's "Dr. Zhivago") is an oft-kilter ex-con who tries to readjust to society while at the same time stalking a married couple, the "Curry's" (Anthony Perkins and his real-life wife Berry Berenson). She decidedly fails at the former despite adapting a feminine appearance by re-teaching herself to walk in heels and getting a job as a cashier at a dollar store owned by the son (young Jeff Goldblum) of a former prison friend.
Twelve years in prison has turned Emily into a bundle of jangled nerves with a hair-trigger temper and finely-honed defense mechanisms for dealing with "snitches" and "predators" which is how she seems to view everyone. Her revenge on a conniving co-worker (Alfre Woodard in an early role) and then avoiding retaliation by that co-worker's boyfriend (Alan Autry) make for the comic highlights of the film. (Watching Mrs. Tonya Zhivago "shank" someone has to be seen to be believed.) She's also learned that offering-up feminine vulnerability to authority figures is how to get what she wants as shown by her manipulating her super (Moses Gunn).
The bulk of the film, though, involves her aggressively stalking the Curry's. The wife, "Barbara," is bewildered and frightened by the behavior of this complete stranger. The husband, "Neil," is far less confused by it upon getting a good look at the stalker. You see Emily was his first wife- a fact that he conveniently forgot to mention to Barbara. Also (SPOILERS), Neil was not faithful to Emily while they were married which apparently led to Emily removing his mistress from the planet and landing herself in prison. Neil is circumspect about what actually happened claiming that Emily didn't really commit murder even though it "looked" like she did. Did Neil set her up? Yet, that all appears to be water under the bridge for Emily as she seems set on winning Neil back. Still sporting her wedding ring and donning very feminine attire that she knows appeals to him (in contrast to Barbara who never seen wearing anything but blue jeans), she sets-out to seduce him back. Or does she? By film's end, it appears that twelve years in prison that resulted out of her husband's philandering and his moving on with his life as if she never even existed were not so readily forgiven by Emily.
In some ways, "Remember My Name" is a slow-moving and artsy early version of the "Fatal Attraction" story with its warning to men not to sleep with crazy, but without the bunny-boiling extremes. Underneath its blues score and talky script, "Remember My Name" has a pretty standard scorned woman exacting her revenge plot. Yet, it's watchable for the performance of Geraldine Chaplin. As mentioned above, seeing the prim and pretty Ms. Chaplin as a hardened ex-con can be quite amusing. With her comes-and-goes "Nu Yawk" accent and a socially awkward persona even when she's trying to be "normal," Chaplin gives a very interesting performance and it's the highlight of this film.
The plot: Extremely pretty "Emily" (Geraldine Chaplin looking like she hadn't aged a day since playing "Tonya" in 1965's "Dr. Zhivago") is an oft-kilter ex-con who tries to readjust to society while at the same time stalking a married couple, the "Curry's" (Anthony Perkins and his real-life wife Berry Berenson). She decidedly fails at the former despite adapting a feminine appearance by re-teaching herself to walk in heels and getting a job as a cashier at a dollar store owned by the son (young Jeff Goldblum) of a former prison friend.
Twelve years in prison has turned Emily into a bundle of jangled nerves with a hair-trigger temper and finely-honed defense mechanisms for dealing with "snitches" and "predators" which is how she seems to view everyone. Her revenge on a conniving co-worker (Alfre Woodard in an early role) and then avoiding retaliation by that co-worker's boyfriend (Alan Autry) make for the comic highlights of the film. (Watching Mrs. Tonya Zhivago "shank" someone has to be seen to be believed.) She's also learned that offering-up feminine vulnerability to authority figures is how to get what she wants as shown by her manipulating her super (Moses Gunn).
The bulk of the film, though, involves her aggressively stalking the Curry's. The wife, "Barbara," is bewildered and frightened by the behavior of this complete stranger. The husband, "Neil," is far less confused by it upon getting a good look at the stalker. You see Emily was his first wife- a fact that he conveniently forgot to mention to Barbara. Also (SPOILERS), Neil was not faithful to Emily while they were married which apparently led to Emily removing his mistress from the planet and landing herself in prison. Neil is circumspect about what actually happened claiming that Emily didn't really commit murder even though it "looked" like she did. Did Neil set her up? Yet, that all appears to be water under the bridge for Emily as she seems set on winning Neil back. Still sporting her wedding ring and donning very feminine attire that she knows appeals to him (in contrast to Barbara who never seen wearing anything but blue jeans), she sets-out to seduce him back. Or does she? By film's end, it appears that twelve years in prison that resulted out of her husband's philandering and his moving on with his life as if she never even existed were not so readily forgiven by Emily.
In some ways, "Remember My Name" is a slow-moving and artsy early version of the "Fatal Attraction" story with its warning to men not to sleep with crazy, but without the bunny-boiling extremes. Underneath its blues score and talky script, "Remember My Name" has a pretty standard scorned woman exacting her revenge plot. Yet, it's watchable for the performance of Geraldine Chaplin. As mentioned above, seeing the prim and pretty Ms. Chaplin as a hardened ex-con can be quite amusing. With her comes-and-goes "Nu Yawk" accent and a socially awkward persona even when she's trying to be "normal," Chaplin gives a very interesting performance and it's the highlight of this film.
Boring and confusing
preppy-316 January 2021
Drama about a seriously disturbed woman (Geraldine Chaplin) who has just been released from jail. She then proceeds to stalk and terrorize her ex-husband (Anthony Perkins) and his new wife (Berry Berenson--Perkins real life wife).
A familiar storyline that is done at a snails pace. Everything moves so slowly and all the actors appear drugged out. I had trouble staying awake! Even worse is a terrible music score that had me turning off the sound completely. It all leads to a thoroughly predictable conclusion that annoyed me. This gets three stars for good direction and good acting by the three leads despite the material.
A familiar storyline that is done at a snails pace. Everything moves so slowly and all the actors appear drugged out. I had trouble staying awake! Even worse is a terrible music score that had me turning off the sound completely. It all leads to a thoroughly predictable conclusion that annoyed me. This gets three stars for good direction and good acting by the three leads despite the material.
not so clear cut case of revenge
RanchoTuVu2 December 2010
Warning: Spoilers
After serving twelve years in prison for murder, a young woman (Geraldine Chaplin) seeks out the man who was her husband (Anthony Perkins) at the time the murder was committed. Why would she do this? The background story to this film is almost better than what's actually in the movie, although the movie is not bad at all. The crucial point comes when Perkins' character tries to explain the situation to his present wife, played by interesting Berry Berenson, after she has already encountered the rather menacing part played by Chaplin, in a tense scene in which Chaplin enters their (Berenson's and Perkins') house while Berenson is cutting up Romaine lettuce for tonight's salad. After she (Chaplin's character) is arrested for breaking and entering, Perkins's character decides not to press charges and then must explain why to Berenson's character. It's at this point in this movie that you can begin to figure out Chaplin's character's motivations, which lie nearly concealed. In this murky light Chaplin's character isn't as crazy as it is made out to be in the script, although twelve years of prison have taught her a lot about how to go about the judicious use of aggression, guilt, and other persuasive characteristics. The ending comes up rather fast, though endings like this one cause reflection, and that reflection may lead to the conclusion that in actuality there was nothing left for her to accomplish. She drives off on the same road she entered when the film begins.
Interesting idea. Frustrating ending.
allyatherton29 July 2016
Warning: Spoilers
A woman is released from prison and then starts stalking a man. But why?
Starring Anthony Perkins and Geraldine Chaplin.
Written and directed by Alan Rudolph.
This movie has such a promising premise but ultimately it's a frustrating watch.
It did keep my interest and I was fascinated all the way through to know what was going on and why this strange woman was stalking the main protagonist and his wife. The stand out performance was by Geraldine Chaplin, she played a great part. Unfortunately Perkins was quite wooden and I wanted to poke his screen wife (Berry Berenson) with a very long stick to see if she was still alive. The ending was frustrating. I was hoping that all the loose ends would be tied up or we would at least get a decent twist, but I was left with more questions than answers. I usually don't mind open endings, but this one left me feeling short changed. What the heck actually happened at the end? What the heck happened in their relationship before she was locked up in prison?
Too many unanswered questions and I really can't be bothered surfing any movie related message boards to find out. I'll move on to the next old movie.
7/10
Starring Anthony Perkins and Geraldine Chaplin.
Written and directed by Alan Rudolph.
This movie has such a promising premise but ultimately it's a frustrating watch.
It did keep my interest and I was fascinated all the way through to know what was going on and why this strange woman was stalking the main protagonist and his wife. The stand out performance was by Geraldine Chaplin, she played a great part. Unfortunately Perkins was quite wooden and I wanted to poke his screen wife (Berry Berenson) with a very long stick to see if she was still alive. The ending was frustrating. I was hoping that all the loose ends would be tied up or we would at least get a decent twist, but I was left with more questions than answers. I usually don't mind open endings, but this one left me feeling short changed. What the heck actually happened at the end? What the heck happened in their relationship before she was locked up in prison?
Too many unanswered questions and I really can't be bothered surfing any movie related message boards to find out. I'll move on to the next old movie.
7/10
Decent Yet Defective
jmhwesternusa12 July 2021
You need not have to wade through any over-intellectualized reviews of this film! Breaking it down into basics: (1) it is a low-budget indie; (2)you can figure it out by at least midway through for those with above a lukewarm IQ; (3) some very wasted time; (4) not quite as satisfying as it could have/should have been, since the predator who is really a victim is completely unsympathetic Skip it unless you really enjoy slogging through old B&W B-movies which offer
little more than simple revenge as character motivation.
A memorable and good story about injustice and revenge in a cleverly executed way.
Moldie24 October 1999
Geraldine Chaplin was so believable. It made such an impact on me that I can still remember it. Especially wonderful for me was the background music and singing of Alberta Hunter. It was not a movie of violent revenge. It was sweet revenge. Sure, it would be called stalking today, but she was just checking out that ratty ex-husband.
A Great Movie Ruined by a Crappy Ending
Tin_ear19 July 2017
Warning: Spoilers
This film had a lot going for it: Decent dialogue, and great acting by Perkins and Chaplin.The cinematography is pretty good for a low-budget, minimalist film too. The problem is the ending.
Perhaps I'm to blame for expecting an over-the-top movie like Fatal Attraction. I expected a slightly more profound, emotional climax after all the buildup. The stalker character seems legitimately deranged, albeit in a subtle, slow-burning, methodical way. But the character is wasted. Whereas Fatal Attraction had a cartoon ending, here it is a pathetic whimper. The film intensifies the paranoia, and it does manage a good twist. All the characters are well rounded, and the story had a lot of potential, but it doesn't really go anywhere. It just looks that way because the film ends so inexplicably and abruptly, so you are left confused by her scheme. Apparently all the antagonist was after was her ex-husband's credit cards. She does manage to screw up his life a bit, but it almost seems coincidental.
Perhaps I'm to blame for expecting an over-the-top movie like Fatal Attraction. I expected a slightly more profound, emotional climax after all the buildup. The stalker character seems legitimately deranged, albeit in a subtle, slow-burning, methodical way. But the character is wasted. Whereas Fatal Attraction had a cartoon ending, here it is a pathetic whimper. The film intensifies the paranoia, and it does manage a good twist. All the characters are well rounded, and the story had a lot of potential, but it doesn't really go anywhere. It just looks that way because the film ends so inexplicably and abruptly, so you are left confused by her scheme. Apparently all the antagonist was after was her ex-husband's credit cards. She does manage to screw up his life a bit, but it almost seems coincidental.
90 Minutes of Sociopathy Gets Boring Quickly
jsmithano8 July 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Watching a sociopath manipulate, threaten, and attack people for 90 minutes is not very interesting. There is so much that is not explained.
What was Geraldine Chaplin's character like before she killed the woman with whom her husband (Anthony Perkins) was having an affair? (The film tries to make it ambiguous as to whether the death was deliberate or accidental but it seems pretty clear it was intentional.)
Although cheating on one's wife is wrong, why is it Perkins's character's fault that his wife murdered someone? Why does he feel compelled not only to leave town and move to the other side of the country, but to abandon his profession as an architect? Does he really need to do penance of that sort? What does it accomplish?
Good actors, even in small parts. But it doesn't add up to much. Many people praise the soundtrack. I found it obtrusive and at times obvious.
What was Geraldine Chaplin's character like before she killed the woman with whom her husband (Anthony Perkins) was having an affair? (The film tries to make it ambiguous as to whether the death was deliberate or accidental but it seems pretty clear it was intentional.)
Although cheating on one's wife is wrong, why is it Perkins's character's fault that his wife murdered someone? Why does he feel compelled not only to leave town and move to the other side of the country, but to abandon his profession as an architect? Does he really need to do penance of that sort? What does it accomplish?
Good actors, even in small parts. But it doesn't add up to much. Many people praise the soundtrack. I found it obtrusive and at times obvious.
I feel sorry for people who didn't see this in 1978
Marnielover22 December 2002
Warning: Spoilers
From the comments I've read here, I don't think the reviewers saw the version I did, and I can say that now since I've viewed a video of the film. The ending of the film in my version (and I suspect theirs) was nothing like what I saw on the screen and blew the entire integrity of a film that built its suspense and imagery bit by bit to lead up to a shocking conclusion. All of the things Emily asked for in her apartment are tools of her revenge on her ex-husband, but you'd never know it. It looks like she just beds him and leaves him. She does way more than that. SPOILER She chains him to the bed and abandons him. No one will know where he is or come to his rescue. He might find a way out, but it's not a sure thing. END SPOILER
And tht git who didn't like the Alberta Hunter soundtrack--the words of the songs tell the story of the film beautifully--must be deaf. It's an amazingly beautiful soundtrack.
And tht git who didn't like the Alberta Hunter soundtrack--the words of the songs tell the story of the film beautifully--must be deaf. It's an amazingly beautiful soundtrack.
We Reap What We Sow
Hitchcoc1 February 2023
Geraldine Chaplin's character has been in prison for years. She murdered her husband's (Tony Perkins') lover. She leaves prison institutionalized and inept and full of vengeance. She begin to stalk the ex- and his wife, damaging property and actually invading the home and confronting her. Of course, she has reason for anger in the most unbalanced of ways. Geraldine Chaplin does a great job in what is mostly a plodding film. We have to feel sorry for her in a way because she has been robbed of the tools to integrate into society and, instead, keeps the tunnel vision going. Perkins is, as usual, pretty weird, and still seems to have some feelings toward here. It's an intense, uncomfortable film, with a very good soundtrack.
Obsessive-Compulsive
keithhmessenger13 December 2019
Frequently the maker of intriguing films (The Moderns, Equinox, Trouble In Mind) and protégé of the great Robert Altman (who produces here), writer-director Alan Rudolph's 1978 film also fits this mould. Here, we have showcased a stunning central performance by Geraldine Chaplin (the actress also a regular Altman collaborator) as the enigmatic, volatile Emily, seemingly returning from we know not where (prison?) and set on disrupting the life of Anthony Perkins' construction worker, Neil Curry, and his wife Berry Berenson's Barbara. Rudolph sets up his film as an effective mystery/thriller - albeit in his customary offbeat style - keeping us guessing as to the stalking Emily's intents, motives and history, creating a mood and unsettling presence, at times reminiscent of something like Michael Haneke's Hidden. The personal malaise obviously being suffered by Emily is also broadened out to encompass feelings of greater societal paranoia (post-Vietnam and Watergate?), alluded to via the film's running TV commentary, referencing (of all things) a Budapest earthquake.
Rudolph's cast is consistently impressive, Perkins attempting to maintain calm in the face of Emily's increasingly prominent and disruptive presence, Berenson convincing as the wife asking the increasingly urgent questions, whilst Moses Gunn is probably the most sympathetic character here with his well-meaning landlord to Emily, Pike, who has genuine concern for Emily's state of mind. It is this state of mind on which Rudolph focuses our attention, with Chaplin quite superb, whether flirting romantically to Alan Autry's fellow worker, Rusty, creeping silently deadpan and undetected around the Curry household, or exacting (sometimes violent) retribution against (a young, lanky) Jeff Goldblum's store manager, Mr Nudd, or Alfre Woodward's shop worker, Rita. As is often the case with Rudolph I've found, the payoff may not fully justify the impressive, here slow, scene setting and build-up. This rather proves (again) to be the case with Remember My Name - the journey is worth catching, nevertheless.
Rudolph's cast is consistently impressive, Perkins attempting to maintain calm in the face of Emily's increasingly prominent and disruptive presence, Berenson convincing as the wife asking the increasingly urgent questions, whilst Moses Gunn is probably the most sympathetic character here with his well-meaning landlord to Emily, Pike, who has genuine concern for Emily's state of mind. It is this state of mind on which Rudolph focuses our attention, with Chaplin quite superb, whether flirting romantically to Alan Autry's fellow worker, Rusty, creeping silently deadpan and undetected around the Curry household, or exacting (sometimes violent) retribution against (a young, lanky) Jeff Goldblum's store manager, Mr Nudd, or Alfre Woodward's shop worker, Rita. As is often the case with Rudolph I've found, the payoff may not fully justify the impressive, here slow, scene setting and build-up. This rather proves (again) to be the case with Remember My Name - the journey is worth catching, nevertheless.
If REMEMBER MY NAME sounds like the sort of thing a self-centered . . .
tadpole-596-91825616 January 2021
Warning: Spoilers
. . . strumpet sociopath would say, then the title of this flick is perfectly apt. Wicked wench Emily appoints herself as a one-woman wrecking crew waging war upon a past lover. She demolishes Neil's car, breaks up his marriage, gets him fired from his long-time job and leaves him locked up in her grubby flophouse apartment with little prospect that help will arrive in time to prevent a fatal outcome. Perhaps Neil (if he survives) should consider himself to be a lucky stiff. After all, jaundiced Jezebel Emily has just left Rusty bleeding profusely from a skewer to his femoral artery, immediately before she burning through all of Pike's savings while leaving him high and dry. Almost lost in the shuffle is the fact that this horrific harlot had earlier deprived Mr. N. of about half his store cashiers. This film's soundtrack intermingles the vile vixen's acts of villainy with reports of a Hungarian earthquake killing more than a million people, suggesting that the egregious Evil Miss Emily is far worse than any natural disaster.
remember my name
mossgrymk27 August 2023
Take "Play Misty For Me". Add "Fatal Attraction." Throw a blanket of art house boredom over them and, voila, you pretty much have this film, the fourth successful attempt by Alan Rudolph, one of 70s and 80s cinema's more gifted directorial con artists, to convince audiences that they are watching something profound rather than what they are actually viewing, something profoundly dull. I stuck with it for a while because the Alberta Hunter songs are fantastic (wish there were more of 'em) and because some of my favorite 70s/80s actors are in it, like Moses Gunn, Jeff Goldblum, Alfre Woodard and, of course, Tony Perkins. Problem is Goldblum, Woodard and Gunn aren't given much of anything to do, certainly nothing interesting, and you don't buy Perkins as a construction worker. Guy's so gaunt he looks like he can barely lift a hammer. So after fifty five minutes of a too mannered Geraldine Chaplin failing to do what Glenn Close or Jessica Walter did in the first ten minutes of their movies, namely scare me and/or get under my skin, I pulled the plug. Solid C.
memorable moments and music
normanro137 March 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I'm a big fan of Alan Rudolph's. There's something "real" about his movies. I haven't seen this movie in a long time (where do you find it?), but I loved it.
There is one scene in which Tony Perkins and Geraldine Chaplin go into a bar. They decide to drink their way through the "menu," and hours later, they are pictured sitting at a table covered with empty glasses of all shapes and sizes, quite inebriated. For some reason, I have never forgotten that scene. (Perhaps because I thought it would be an interesting thing to try.)
The movie also introduced me to the blues of Alberta Hunter, which I still love.
There is one scene in which Tony Perkins and Geraldine Chaplin go into a bar. They decide to drink their way through the "menu," and hours later, they are pictured sitting at a table covered with empty glasses of all shapes and sizes, quite inebriated. For some reason, I have never forgotten that scene. (Perhaps because I thought it would be an interesting thing to try.)
The movie also introduced me to the blues of Alberta Hunter, which I still love.
needs more danger
SnoopyStyle10 July 2021
Recently released inmate Emily (Geraldine Chaplin) starts stalking construction worker Neil Curry (Anthony Perkins) and his wife Barbara (Berry Berenson, Perkins' real life wife).
This is missing the first scene which is Emily being released from prison. It's not set up properly. It needs to show who she is before the stalking starts. There is another problem. Chaplin's slight frame makes her less than threatening. She does all she can with acting but her character really needs to do something truly scary. She could be holding a knife and I wouldn't see that as threatening. I do see her mental instability but I don't see the danger. Other notable actors here are Moses Gunn, Jeff Goldblum, Tim Thomerson, and Alfre Woodard who is only starting out in her second movie. This is an interesting indie with some interesting performances and a future star starting out.
This is missing the first scene which is Emily being released from prison. It's not set up properly. It needs to show who she is before the stalking starts. There is another problem. Chaplin's slight frame makes her less than threatening. She does all she can with acting but her character really needs to do something truly scary. She could be holding a knife and I wouldn't see that as threatening. I do see her mental instability but I don't see the danger. Other notable actors here are Moses Gunn, Jeff Goldblum, Tim Thomerson, and Alfre Woodard who is only starting out in her second movie. This is an interesting indie with some interesting performances and a future star starting out.
It's no fatal attraction...!!
RMS194921 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I've seen some people refer to this movie as a Fatal Attraction, even saw the old "Hell hath no Fury" quote. This movie is NOT even a thriller let alone any of those comparisons. It's just a slow moving drama about a woman released from prison with no sense of direction. It crawls along at a snail's pace and in the end just fizzles out. I give it a 3 only because I'm a fan of miss Chapman's other works.
In the end it was just a wasted opportunity.
In the end it was just a wasted opportunity.
Remember this movie
tomsview16 October 2021
This startling movie shows how an abrasive character can be created by simply not using the words please or thank you.
Geraldine Chaplin as Emily interacts with nearly every other character in the story like metal striking flint, she creates sparks by just entering the scene.
It takes a while to understand why she is intruding into the lives of married couple Neil and Barbara Curry (Anthony Perkins and Berry Berenson). But the story eventually comes to light and we realise Emily had an agenda all along.
The casting is against type. Just look at the films Tony Perkins made before and after "Remember My Name", where nearly all the characters he played could trace their roots back to Norman Bates. Here it's Geraldine Chaplin's Emily who is the character on the edge. She is the one with a touch of the Norman B's. Even though there is little violence, this film keeps the tension ramped up, much of it because of our expectations.
The film is discussed in a good biography by Ronald Bergan, "Anthony Perkins: A Haunted Star". He tells how Berry Berenson, Perkins real life wife, got the part of his wife in the movie when she inadvertently arrived with their children in producer Robert Altman's office. Altman asked her to play the part impressed with her natural qualities although she had never acted in a film.
Bergan's biography, which covers the conflicts in Perkins life, also tells how happy he and Berenson were before illness overwhelmed him. The book was published in 1995, before Berry lost her life in one of the planes on 9/11. At least Anthony Perkins was spared that knowledge.
"Remember My Name" is unique, with a soundtrack of songs by Alberta Hunter that acts like a strolling minstrel following the protagonists with tracks such as "You Reap Just What You Sow".
If you haven't seen it, "Remember My Name" makes for a brilliant discovery.
Geraldine Chaplin as Emily interacts with nearly every other character in the story like metal striking flint, she creates sparks by just entering the scene.
It takes a while to understand why she is intruding into the lives of married couple Neil and Barbara Curry (Anthony Perkins and Berry Berenson). But the story eventually comes to light and we realise Emily had an agenda all along.
The casting is against type. Just look at the films Tony Perkins made before and after "Remember My Name", where nearly all the characters he played could trace their roots back to Norman Bates. Here it's Geraldine Chaplin's Emily who is the character on the edge. She is the one with a touch of the Norman B's. Even though there is little violence, this film keeps the tension ramped up, much of it because of our expectations.
The film is discussed in a good biography by Ronald Bergan, "Anthony Perkins: A Haunted Star". He tells how Berry Berenson, Perkins real life wife, got the part of his wife in the movie when she inadvertently arrived with their children in producer Robert Altman's office. Altman asked her to play the part impressed with her natural qualities although she had never acted in a film.
Bergan's biography, which covers the conflicts in Perkins life, also tells how happy he and Berenson were before illness overwhelmed him. The book was published in 1995, before Berry lost her life in one of the planes on 9/11. At least Anthony Perkins was spared that knowledge.
"Remember My Name" is unique, with a soundtrack of songs by Alberta Hunter that acts like a strolling minstrel following the protagonists with tracks such as "You Reap Just What You Sow".
If you haven't seen it, "Remember My Name" makes for a brilliant discovery.
it doesn't pay to keep secrets
ksf-212 July 2021
When a loopy chick starts stalking a young couple, they aren't sure why. But the viewer sees just how wack she is, even with Pike, the building super, in her own building. Emily slaps, then hugs him...so he figures it out pretty quickly. She's just nuts. And follows Neil and Barbara (Tony Perkins, Bery Berenson) all over town. And into their house. Perkins had his big role in Psycho, back in 1960. Geraldine Chaplin is Charlie Chaplin's daughter. Started in ballet, moved into acting. Emily terrorizes everyone she meets... her coworkers, Barbara, but no one seems to call the cops. So she gets away with it. So much anger. And then finally, the secrets start to come out. And things really happen! The best part of this film was some great jazz music by Alberta Hunter. An early role for Jeff Goldblum. And fun trivia... Perkin's film wife was also his real wife ! This was her first film role. Berenson died in the nine eleven attacks in 2001, in new york city. Was young, only 53. Written and directed by Alan Rudolph. Frequently works with producer Robert Altman. Altman was nominated for seven oscars, finally given an honorary award in 2006. It's pretty good. Starts out slow but picks up steam.
Interesting look at stalking
Wizard-87 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Although I liked for the most part "Remember My Name" and I am recommending it, I do agree with one critic's viewpoint that I read, that being that the movie is not for all tastes. I know that many viewers will probably be frustrated that the past of Chaplin's character (namely what she did in order to be imprisoned for years) is not fully spelled out. These same viewers will probably be also annoyed that the ending of the movie is left vague and with several plot threads not finished. But if you are a viewer who wants to see an unconventional look at stalking, the movie does have its rewards. For starters, it's a rare look at when the stalker is a woman and is stalking a man. And the performances are very good. Certainly, Chaplin gives a very good low key performance that all the same suggests serious mental disturbance, but Anthony Perkins also deserves kudos for playing a more "normal" type of character than usual, yet effectively. This is a slow moving drama, I admit, which also may throw off viewers. But if the plot description and cast interest you, and you are in a patient mood, you'll probably find the movie does have enough rewards.
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