Blaze (1989 film)

1989 American comedy drama

Blaze Starr: My Life as Told to Huey Perry
by Blaze Starr
Huey Perry

Produced by

Gil Friesen
Dale Pollock

Starring

Paul Newman
Lolita Davidovich

CinematographyHaskell WexlerEdited byRobert Leighton
Michael King (uncredited)Music byBennie Wallace

Production
companies

Touchstone Pictures
Silver Screen Partners IV
A&M Films

Distributed byBuena Vista Pictures Distribution

Release date

December 13, 1989 (1989-12-13)

Running time

117 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishBudget$22 million^[1]Box office$19,131,246

Blaze is a 1989 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Ron Shelton. Based on the 1974 memoir, Blaze Starr: My Life as Told to Huey Perry, by Blaze Starr and Huey Perry, the film stars Paul Newman as Earl Long and Lolita Davidovich as Blaze Starr. Starr makes a cameo appearance as well.

At the 62nd Academy Awards in 1990, the film received a nomination for Best Cinematography for Haskell Wexler. However, the award went to Freddie Francis for Glory. This was Wexler's fifth and final nomination, having previously won for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) and Bound for Glory (1976).

Plot

The film tells a fictionalized story of the latter years of Earl Long, a flamboyant Governor of Louisiana, brother of assassinated governor and U.S. Senator, Huey P. Long, and uncle of longtime U.S. Senator, Russell Long. According to the memoir and film, Earl Long allegedly fell in love with a young stripper named Blaze Starr.

Cast

Paul Newman as Governor Earl Long
Lolita Davidovich as Blaze Starr
Jerry Hardin as Thibodeaux
Gailard Sartain as LaGrange
Jeffrey DeMunn as Eldon Tuck
Richard Jenkins as Picayune
Brandon Smith as Arvin Deeter
Robert Wuhl as Red Snyder
James Harper as Willie Rainach
Rod Masterson as Alexandria Daily Town Talk Reporter

Reception

The film received mixed reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 75% of 12 critics' reviews are positive.^[2]^[3]^[4] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a "B+" on scale of A+ to F.^[5]^[6]

Box office

Blaze debuted at number 9 at the North American box office on its opening weekend.^[7]

References

^ Blaze at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
^ "Blaze". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media.
^ Benson, Sheila (1989-12-13). "MOVIE REVIEW : 'Blaze' Sizzles Even Over Low Flame". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-07-06.
^ Maslin, Janet (1989-12-13). "Movie Review - Blaze - Review/Film; 'Blaze,' a Story of a Rogue and a Stripper". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-07-06.
^ "BLAZE (1989) B+". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on 2018-12-20.
^ "Hollywood's Star Vehicles Sputter at the Christmas Box Office : Movies: 'Blaze,' 'We're No Angels' and 'Family Business' opened with high holiday hopes. Despite their six bankable male leads, the films have fallen flat". Los Angeles Times. 20 December 1989. More significantly, 71% of the audience for "Blaze" was over 35.
^ "Weekend Box Office". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2012-10-15. Retrieved 2012-06-13.