MARTIN AND LEWIS
US, 2002, 90 minutes, Colour.
Sean Hayes, Jeremy Northam, Paula Cale, Sarah Manninen, Kate Levering.
Directed by John Gray.
Martin and Lewis is a biopic of the famous duo, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. They began in the 1940s with nightclub performance – with Dean Martin singing and Jerry Lewis interrupting and creating all kinds of antics. This became extremely popular. They then moved to radio and finally to film. This film shows the range of films they appeared in in the first half of the 1950s before they split as partners.
Sean Hayes is very good impersonating Jerry Lewis. He appeared in Billy’s First Screen Kiss, Cats and Dogs as well as his recurring role in Will and Grace. Jeremy Northam, a British actor, is suave as Dean Martin. Various characters from real life appear including Jackie Gleason and producer Hal Lewis.
The film sketches the personality of each of the performers. Jerry Lewis is determined to succeed, not helped by his father, doing mad impersonations. Dean Martin is a singer, rather carefree in his attitude, difficult to make firm relationships. However, after a time, Lewis’s ambition and Martin’s lackadaisical attitude meant the parting of the ways. Each had a successful career after the break-up.
The film was written and directed by John Gray, a prolific writer and director whose range extends from Steven Seagal in The Glimmer Man to Sissy Spacek in the emotional A Place for Annie.
1.Interest in Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis? Knowledge of them? From their films together? Separately?
2.Jerry Lewis as a comedian, a clown, his madcap antics? The contrast with Dean Martin as the suave lounge singer? The irony of their coming together, Martin appreciating Lewis’s comedy, allowing him to interrupt, reacting? The public’s response to this kind of performance?
3.The re-creation of the 1940s and 50s? New York, Hollywood? The nightclubs and their audiences? Film sets?
4.The songs of Dean Martin, impersonated by Jeremy Northam? Their occurring throughout the film? Giving an idea of Martin as a singer?
5.Sean Hayes and his performing Jerry Lewis antics? Exaggerated and zany? Popular in their time? (And Jerry Lewis as idolised by the French?)
6.Jerry Lewis’s story, his ambitions, changing his name from Joseph Levitch, his father’s work, meeting his father, his father not able to praise him? His wanting some kind of acknowledgment? His marriage to Patti, its lasting for years, the children? Separation from her, bringing her to New York, bringing her to Hollywood? Her devotion to him? Her friendship with Betty Martin? Feeling Betty Martin’s upset at the divorce? Lewis’s success? The touch of hypochondria? Ambition? Rivalry with Dean Martin? Yet wanting Martin’s approval? The final, (**should it be finale?) the farewell, the performance after the nasty performances? Each saying that they loved each other? The information given that they rarely came in contact with each other afterwards?
7.Dean Martin, singer, womaniser, his marriage to Betty, family? His seeing Jeanne? His marriage to Jeanne, the family? His always talking about her on his TV show? The tension, Jeanne feeling that he was unable to love? His wanting to be detached? His casual attitude towards the performance, Jerry Lewis’s rivalry, his getting upset, the parting of the ways?
8.The agents, the men relying on their agents? The various performances? Changing agents?
9.Hollywood, the collage of the posters of their various films? The re-enactment of a scene from My Friend Irma? The songs, the comedy? The arguments with Hal Lewis? His not moving in terms of contracts?
10.The film tracing this particular period? A cabaret period, a film period? Characteristic of the 1940s and 50s?
