nicholls_les
Laurence Olivier is supposed to be one of the best actors ever but in this he comes across as amateurish and hammy. He seems uncomfortable as the old pervert lusting after his grand daughter played by Kathleen Beller.Robert Duvall is good as he always is, he stands apart from all the other male actors including the over rated Mr Olivier. Tommy Lee Jones seems totally miscast. He looks especially uncomfortable in the love scenes. Kathleen Beller is very good at portraying innocent girls and is one of the few believable actors in this film.So if you are expecting a good thriller or drama from this movie you will probably be disappointed. It just falls short on too many levels.
tatz32000
Other writers have well summarized the plot, so I will only comment that the writers give us plenty of plot complications but the storyline is refreshingly easy to follow. This is more than just soap opera sex, as the corporate infighting is related well to issues of the founding family, with the corporate developments very well set forth.I'm a car freak, so I find the silly looking cars in the film a good example of the challenge faced by the Olivier character (Loren Hardeman) in designing and building a sensible car that will actually appeal to a great number of buyers. Hey, were this an easy task, GM would never have gone bankrupt a few years ago. And, this storyline reminds us how huge auto companies have become--rather than being run by family such as the Hardemans here or even the Fords (Ford actually hired an airplane guy from Boeing to run the company). My fellow car freaks might also want to view the "Wheels" from the Arthur Hailey novel....but then that film lacks Kathy Beller so why bother????Speaking of whom....I would watch Kathy Beller read the phone book for two hours (she is that gorgeous, love her long hair for starters) I think I am being objective when I say her performance is topflight, and I am amused that some other writers feel the same way (she was also great in an eighth (?) season "Hawaii Five-0" episode, Beller fans). This film also gives us other great performances from Duvall and Down ......but oh you reviewers are soooo right about Olivier. I've always found his work overdone and hammy, but, here, ham is served with every word from him. Fortunately, Olivier does not ruin the pleasure of this film....so enjoy a ripping tale of corporate intrigue with plenty of sex to "complete" the story.....
thinker1691
Among all the novels written by Harold Robbins, this is my favorite. Following the book is much easier and if I must say so, a lot more seductive. Comparing the book to the movie, I can only appreciate the film is quicker to entice me to stay interested. The novel is superior, yet the cast in the film is much more believable. Directed by Daniel Petrie, " The BETSY " relates the story of Angelo Perino (Tommy Lee Jones) a professional race car driver and third generation Italian with Mafia connections. Nearly killed in a race, he is summoned to the Hardeman mansion where Loren Hardeman (Laurence Oliver), the patriarch of the family dynasty, purposes to him a secret plan to design a new car, called the BETSY. Although intrigued by the offer, Perino at first refuses, until he is promised a great deal of money and special options to purchase stock in the family run corporation. He must also run the gauntlet of family members out to prevent the secret plan. Among the more powerful is Loren Hardeman III (Robert Duvall) who has definite motives for preventing the building of the new car. Katharine Ross, Jane Alexander and Lesley-Anne Down as Lady Bobby Ayres play the powerful women of the Hardeman family, each, it is discovered have their own reasons for the success or failure of the venture. Betsy Hardeman (Kathlee Beller) is the lynch pin on which Perino and his ambitions will fail or not. Joseph Wiseman and Edward Herrmann are two key players which provide the inner mechanisms of and for the Betsy's future. The over all movie is split into both past and present happenings of how and why family members gravitate towards Perino's project. Steamy scenes and dark family secrets provide the novel's interest and were it not for the powerful performances of Laurence Oliver, Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Duvall, the film, would have tanked. Instead it is now accepted as a film Classic and one representative of the times. ****
dangermouse0000
There's only one reason to watch this film. It's not the quality of the acting or the strength - or otherwise - of the plot. Rather, it's a study in excess, and my favourite excess in this film would have to come under L for lust. Kathleen Beller is extremely photogenic and I absolutely love the swimming pool scene !
AD
