When thinking of 70s Al Pacino, the majority of movie lovers recall the likes of Serpico and The Godfather, among other such landmark titles of the era which helped the actor become one of the greatest in the history of the American cinema. Less heralded are the quieter films, such as The Panic in Needle Park (the actor’s film debut) or Bobby Deerfield, the small, yet incredibly moving 1971 character drama. This is real shame since not only is Bobby Deerfield a lovely experience which delves into matters of death, life and how to deal with the time in between the two, but it also one of the films which unquestionably helped Pacino become Pacino.
In Bobby Deerfield, Pacino plays the title character, an American race car driver living in Paris who has success and a beautiful girlfriend. However, none of that is enough for Bobby who lives a closed off existence, refusing to revisit anything dealing with the past and remaining careful not to let anyone get too close. While visiting an injured fellow driver at a private hospital, he encounters the beautiful, but terminally ill Lillian (Marthe Keller), who greatly intrigues him and begins to change his views on life and love.
So many questions pop up when trying to uncover just who Bobby is. What is he running form? Is he afraid of death? Is he afraid of loving someone? Is he afraid of loving someone because he knows they will someday die and/or leave him? There’s a sense that Bobby feels It’s easier to love only yourself and avoid having “loved and lost” altogether, making Bobby Deerfield a more than interesting comment on how a person can relate to love. There’s no doubt whatsoever that as a person, Bobby has integrity and cares about people, even though he can’t only allow himself to get so close up to a point before shutting off and retreating. Lillian is spot on when she proclaims him to be “the world’s fastest turtle”: quick to retreat into his shell when things get too personal or emotional. Lillian on the other hand is a fast-thinking girl with such joyful ferocity to her personality. In a way, she possesses the same speed, energy and fire as racing, thus possibly explaining the reason why Bobby is as taken with her as he is since racing is really the only thing he seems to love.
At the heart of Bobby Deerfield is an unexpected, yet undeniable love story. It’s great to see how Lillian just walks past Bobby’s emotional fortress and right into his psyche and persona even if her personality, rambunctiousness and curiosity/investment in Bobby is a way of deflecting from her own condition. Playful moments keeps things interesting and alive between the two such as how Bobby bets her someone will spot him as they walk down a street in Milan. Lillian disagrees and a bet is made. When no one recognizes Bobby, Lillian suddenly starts shouting to their fellow pedestrians that THE Bobby Deerfield is right next to her, drawing a small mob of fans around Bobby as she laughs giddily.
When Bobby finds out Lillian is dying, he is at last able to open up to her because he’s finally found someone he cares about whom he KNOWS will soon leave him and wants to spend every moment he can with her while he still can. “I don’t want to talk,” Bobby tells a priest who asks if he’s ok. “I just want to be with someone.” Equally touching is the scene with a tourist couple from America who snap a picture of the two, saying that these small moments are the ones worth remembering. It’s here where Bobby Deerfield shines the most as a tale of two people who were meant to be in each other’s lives for a finite amount of time before disappearing, yet never leaving each other’s souls.
Keller rarely ever has as rich a role as Lillian and judging by her performance, she must have known it at the time. The actress is so great here, proving to be such a captivating and magnetic force. Her energized performance is wonderfully opposite of Pacino’s which is perhaps the most restrained of his entire career, yet still maintains a wealth of emotion hidden underneath that still manages to come through.
With its non-linear flow and its preference of character over story, Bobby Deerfield fits perfectly into the era 70s filmmaking where most previous rules were abandoned in favor of a more natural form of cinematic storytelling. In many ways, the feel of Bobby Deerfield echoes the racing lifestyle. The film has a rapid and fast feel just like the profession itself, but with a quiet gentility mixed in. Most 70s of all however is the film’s ending which so bravely leaves the question of what Bobby’s life will be like after Lillian has gone that completely up in the air. Will Bobby embrace the people who want to be let in, or will he shut himself off even further? Such questions are strictly and purely up to the audience to decipher for themselves.
The Package
Apart from the film’s trailer, there’s an older commentary track on the disc featuring the late director Sidney Pollack, who provides an adequate retelling of his overall experience in making the film.
The Lowdown
The epitome of the 70s character-driven drama, Bobby Deerfield is the kind of film where the runtime seems irrelevant when taking in this tale about two complicated people exploring each other.
Bobby Deerfield is now available on Blu-Ray from Twilight Time.
