''Blume in Love'' is a 1973 American romantic comedy drama film written, produced and directed by Paul Mazursky. It stars

George Segal George Segal Jr. (February 13, 1934 – March 23, 2021) was an American actor. He became popular in the 1960s and 1970s for playing both dramatic and comedic roles. After first rising to prominence with roles in acclaimed films such as ''Ship o ...

in the titular role, alongside Susan Anspach and Kris Kristofferson. Others in the cast include Mazursky, Marsha Mason and Shelley Winters.

Plot

Wandering alone around St. Mark's Square in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, Italy where he and his former wife Nina had honeymooned, Beverly Hills divorce lawyer Stephen Blume wonders why he was unfaithful to Nina, whom he continues to love in spite of himself. Through a series of extended flashbacks, he reflects on the aftermath of their breakup and divorce. Nina comes home to find Blume in his bathrobe and his secretary hidden behind their bedroom door, whereupon she leaves him. Although Blume begins to actively date, he is unsatisfied and grows wistful for his married life. Nina, a social worker, embarks on a journey of self-discovery, trying new experiences like yoga and starting a relationship with Elmo, a free-spirited unemployed musician who is 12 years younger than she. After his divorce, Blume discovers how much he loved Nina and goes to great, sometimes humiliating and mostly futile lengths to win her back, complicated by the fact that he likes Elmo. Although Nina remains skeptical of his motivations, Blume befriends the easygoing Elmo and the three form an unlikely if precarious group of friends. One night Blume visits Nina's house, ostensibly to see Elmo, but Elmo is not there. Blume tells Nina that he still loves her. She tells him to leave, but he forces himself on her. Elmo enters and Nina tells Elmo that Blume had raped her. Blume admits to the rape and Elmo hits him, ending their friendship. Elmo visits Blume's office to inform him that Nina is pregnant with Blume's baby. Elmo also tells Blume that he is leaving town because "it's time to go." Blume tells Nina that wants to help support the child, but she is hesitant. They stay in communication and eventually Nina tells Blume that she wants him to leave town for two weeks in order that she may decide what she wants. Blume is in Venice for the two weeks away from Nina, but he sees her across the square and they embrace.

Cast

as Stephen Blume * Susan Anspach as Nina Blume * Kris Kristofferson as Elmo Cole * Marsha Mason as Arlene * Shelley Winters as Mrs. Cramer * Donald F. Muhich as Analyst * Paul Mazursky as Hellman * Erin O'Reilly as Cindy * Annazette Chase as Gloria *

Shelley Morrison Shelley Morrison (born Rachel Mitrani; October 26, 1936 – December 1, 2019) was an American actress. Morrison was known for her role as maid Rosario Salazar in the NBC comedy ''Will & Grace'', which she played from 1999 to 2006. She was also ...

as Mrs. Greco * Mary Jackson as Louise * Ed Peck as Ed Goober

Reception

The film was nominated for a Writers Guild of America (WGA) award in the category of Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen. In a contemporary review for the '' Chicago Sun-Times'',

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

awarded the film four stars out of four, proclaiming it to be "what everybody is always hoping for from Neil Simon: a comedy that transcends its funny moments, that realizes we laugh so we may not cry, and that finally is about real people with real desperations." Vincent Canby of '' The New York Times'' described the film as "a restless, appealing, sometimes highly comic contemporary memoir." Richard Corliss of '' Film Comment'' praised Segal's performance, claiming that "No contemporary actor can touch George Segal for klutzy charm or a seriocomic capacity for suffering (he’s the Tom Ewell of the Seventies), and no film has used his manic copelessness as well as ''Blume in Love''." In an interview with Robert K. Elder for his book '' The Best Film You've Never Seen'', director Neil LaBute explained: “I was both intrigued and frustrated by what was happening. There’s this fractured telling of the story, several trips to Venice and the rest takes place in Venice, California. So, I think there was attraction to it by the frustration of it—like, ‘What’s happening here? What’s the story?’" In later years, the film has been cited as a seminal social comedy. On Rotten Tomatoes, ''Blume in Love'' holds a rating of 68% from 19 reviews.

Soundtrack

* "Chester the Goat" - music and lyrics by Kris Kristofferson, performed by Segal, Anspach and Kristofferson * "Settle Down and Get Along" - music and lyrics by Kris Kristofferson * " Liebestod" - from '' Tristan and Isolde'' by

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

, performed by

Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orch ...

and

NBC Symphony Orchestra The NBC Symphony Orchestra was a radio orchestra conceived by David Sarnoff, the president of the Radio Corporation of America, especially for the conductor Arturo Toscanini. The NBC Symphony performed weekly radio concert broadcasts with Tosca ...

* "

Mr. Tambourine Man "Mr. Tambourine Man" is a song written by Bob Dylan, released as the first track of the acoustic side of his March 1965 album '' Bringing It All Back Home''. The song's popularity led to Dylan recording it live many times, and it has been includ ...

" - music and lyrics by Bob Dylan * "Pickpocket" - music by Sammy Creason, Michael Utley, Terry Paul, Turner S. Bruton and Donald R. Fritts * "I'm in Love with You" - music and lyrics by Dillard Crume and Rufus E. Crume * " I've Been Working" - music and lyrics by Van Morrison * "I've Got Dreams to Remember" - music and lyrics by Zelma Redding and Otis Redding * " You've Got a Friend" - music and lyrics by

Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who has been active since 1958, initially as one of the staff songwriters at 1650 Broadway and later as a solo artist. Regarded as one ...

* " De Colores" - traditional * "Gondoli, Gondola" - music and lyrics by Renato Carosone * " Dance of the Hours" - from ''

La Gioconda La Gioconda ( , ; "the joyful one" feminine_gender.html" ;"title="'feminine gender">f.'' may refer to: * ''Mona Lisa'' or ''La Gioconda'', a painting by Leonardo da Vinci * Lisa del Giocondo, the model depicted in da Vinci's painting * La Gioconda ...

'' by

Amilcare Ponchielli Amilcare Ponchielli (, ; 31 August 1834 – 16 January 1886) was an Italian opera composer, best known for his opera ''La Gioconda''. He was married to the soprano Teresina Brambilla. Life and work Born in Paderno Fasolaro (now Paderno Ponchiell ...

* " Largo al factotum" - from '' The Barber of Seville'' by Gioachino Rossini * " Wien, du Stadt meiner Träume" - by

Rudolf Sieczyński Rudolf Sieczyński (February 23, 1879, Vienna – May 5, 1952, Vienna) was an Austrian composer of Polish ancestry. His fame today rests almost exclusively on the nostalgic Viennese song Wien, du Stadt meiner Träume' ('' Vienna, City of My D ...

* " Eine kleine Nachtmusik" - by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, performed by the Cafe Quadri Orchestra

In popular culture

* The film is featured briefly in

Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films, almost all of which are adaptations of nove ...

's '' Eyes Wide Shut'' (1999) when Nicole Kidman's character is watching the opening scenes on television. * Along with Mazursky's '' Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice'' (1969), ''Blume in Love'' served as the opening feature for the reopening of Quentin Tarantino's New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles in 2014.History of New Beverly Cinema
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References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Blume In Love 1973 films 1970s romantic comedy-drama films American romantic comedy-drama films 1970s English-language films Films about adultery in the United States Films about lawyers Films scored by Bill Conti Films directed by Paul Mazursky Films set in Los Angeles Films shot in Los Angeles Films set in Venice Films shot in Venice Warner Bros. films 1973 comedy films 1973 drama films 1970s American films