Considering that he
collects and sells horse manure for a living, Irishman Quackser Fortune has a
bright outlook on life. He makes his own hours, takes a different route every
day through the streets of his beloved Dublin, and won’t listen to people who
say that horse-drawn delivery carts may soon get replaced by trucks, rendering
his profession obsolete. Quackser treats others with affection and respect,
expecting nothing but the same in return. Which is why he’s thrown for such a
loop when he meets Zazel Pierce, a beautiful but capricious American spending
time in Dublin while doing research at Trinity College. Quackser’s instantly
attracted to Zazel, and she feels the same way, but their value systems
couldn’t be more different. And that’s the beautifully simple premise of Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx,
a delightful love story featuring what might be Gene Wilder’s most restrained
performance.
Bereft of his usual tics—the bug-eyed reaction shots, the
pratfalls, the screaming—Wilder leads with his innate sweetness, and yet he
never makes Quackser seem like a rube. Instead, the character comes across as
that rarest of animals, a true innocent. Concurrently, Margot Kidder blends
sexiness and worldliness to present Zazel as a modern woman who occasionally
wants to meet Quackser on his own level, but then loses interest in him
whenever something more challenging comes along. In one of the great victories
of Gabriel Walsh’s original script, which was rightfully nominated for a WGA
Award, Zazel comes across neither as a contrivance or a villain, but rather as
a unique person who falls into the orbit of another unique person. This is
character work of the best kind.
And if the rest of the movie fails to hit that
same high level, no matter. The world surrounding Quackser is a believable
grind of factory work, hot-tempered relatives, and provincial attitudes.
Similarly, Zazel’s sphere includes obnoxious people who wear their education
and wealth like shields protecting them from the unclean touch of the rabble.
Yes, the dichotomy is predicated on stereotypes, but Quackser and Zazel are
such interesting creations that the broad-strokes backdrop works. Cinematographer
Gilbert Taylor and director Waris Hussein make great use of extensive location
photography, transforming Dublin into the magical canvas upon which the sort-of
love story between Quackser and Zazel is painted. Meanwhile, the leading actors
fill that painting with resplendent colors.
Often bittersweet, Quackser Fortune is more of a light
drama than an outright comedy, which makes Wilder’s presence even more
interesting, since he rarely worked outside the comic realm during his heyday.
And though the world is a richer place because of the lunacy Wilder created
with Mel Brooks, Richard Pryor, and other collaborators, Quackser Fortune points to another viable path his career could
have taken. His performance is as lovely as the film itself.
Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx: RIGHT ON
Now this is one of the main reasons I love this blog. I have never heard of this film. I'm feeling slightly shamed as Gene wilder is one of my favourite comic actors. Now I've got a search on my hands to get a copy, which is fine by me. Like most of us film buffs its discovering these little jems that proves the most fun.
ReplyDeleteMr Hanson, once again, if I wore a hat I would surely be doffing it in your direction.