1993 poster.jpg" border="0" />UNTAMED HEART
US, 1993, 103 minutes, Colour.
Christian Slater, Marisa Tomei, Rosie Perez, Kyle Secor.
Directed by Tony Bill.
Untamed Heart is a romantic love story, an unusual one. However, it is a very strong and powerful tearjerker.
Marisa Tomei plays a waitress who has had difficulties in relationships and suffers a brutal attack. Christian Slater is the very shy reclusive cook and busboy at the diner – who is able to help the attacked woman. She sees him differently and they begin a sweet relationship. Rosie Perez has a typical kind of role as her outgoing friend.
The film is romantic, has many touching scenes, the central couple going skating, the Christmas celebration … however, there is a difficulty lurking as the young man has a heart problem. He also has problems from his past (glimpsed in flashbacks from the time when he was an orphan with nuns).
The film was directed by actor Tony Bill who directed a number of films, some of them tearjerkers including Table for Five and Six Weeks. He also directed the First World War action drama, Flyboys.
1.A popular romantic entertainment? A love story, a film about illness? Sentiment? Was it too sentimental?
2.The Minneapolis locations, the diner, the city, Christmas time? The musical score?
3.The title, the references, untamed – and the story of the boy with the baboon heart? The tone?
4.The prologue, Adam as a young boy, the 1960s, his background, the nuns, the stories they told him, problems with his heart?
5.Marisa Tomei as Caroline? At home with her parents, the changes in her life, her boyfriends, being dropped, Christmas with her family? Her friendship with Cindy at the diner, their talk, work? Their attitude towards Adam, looking at him as if he was too reclusive? The bandage? Howard and the cigarettes, the flirting, following Caroline, the rape? Adam and the rescue? Taking her home, staying away? His fears, her fears? Her being touched by what he did? Her return, his silence, the detail of day to day? Yet her perceiving him differently?
6.Adam, grown up, at work, the bandage, silent, observing? The way that he was treated by staff and customers? Caroline in trouble and his rescue? Carrying her? The vigil?
7.The character of Howard, at the diner, following Caroline, the brutality, Adam and the hospital, return, bashing Adam?
8.The changes for both Adam and Caroline? The realisation of what had happened? Caroline’s gratitude? Adam following her to the mall? Her brother and leaving? Adam in the house? The books etc, the real Adam? The records and their use? Their discussions, Caroline eventually telling Cindy? Adam and his heart problem, the Christmas tree, the cookies? The kiss? Caroline and Adam together? The hair and the customer?
9.Rosie Perez as Cindy, at work, friendship with Caroline, chat, the disclosure, her shock, seeing Adam differently, the support? Comic touches?
10.The picture of the staff, Jim, the customers, the waitresses?
11.The family, the celebration of Christmas, waking up to Christmas? Caroline’s brother and giving the lift?
12.The crisis, Adam being bashed, hospitalisation? The line-up? The examination? His leaving, talking, communicating? Affirming? The repercussions sexuality? Buying the car? At the diner? Going to the orphanage, the scarf, the hockey, the game? The ending?
13.Happy and unhappy endings? Romance stories – compared with reality?
