BERNICE BOBS HER HAIR - DVD Movie

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This F. Scott Fitzgerald story is one of the best from the series as it captures the attitude of the times, the '20's. The teenagers are all affecting such sophistication. Bernice isn't used to this New York City sophistication, and is painfully shy at first on her visit, but finds herself prodded and pushed. The lesson is eventually learned, the lesson that it's best to be yourself since nobody else can do as good a job at being you as you can.

Importantly, the lesson is given to us in a most entertaining manner. One who hasn't become acquainted with Fitzgerald should find this taste of his skills addictive.

Well worth watching.

6 of 6 found the following review helpful:

Good adaptation; poor qualityJan 11, 2007
By Edward Aycock
This adaptation actually merits four stars; Shelley Duvall and Veronica Cartwright shine in their roles as Bernice and her more popular cousin Marjorie. Duvall is especially well-cast as the gawky, socially-inept outsider. The period details (furniture, clothing, hair) are exact and give this period piece authenticity so that when Bernice finally goes through with the title act, we can see why bobbing one's hair would be considered so shocking. The scene in the barbershop, where the audience just sees the horrified faces of the onlookers with the sound of scissors snipping away at Bernice's hair in the background, is the high point of the story.

The problem is with the DVD itself. This transfer looks as though it was pulled right off a set of film reels that had been sitting in a closet for years. There is an omnipresent hiss throughout the movie, the audio is muffled at times, and the picture looks washed out. The film should have been remastered before being put on the market; this production deserves a lot better.

5 of 5 found the following review helpful:

life is sometimes fair after allFeb 23, 2000
By Robin
This was a hard film to find. I had to finally track it down through my local library and they had to find it and have it shipped to Indpls. just for me to watch. I am a Bud Cort fan so it was worth the wait, and the hunt. It is a hoot! It is very slow moving, but don't be fooled. it allows Bud Cort and Shelley Devuall to play and I loved it.

1 of 1 found the following review helpful:

Sweet adaptation. Woeful transfer.Mar 13, 2008
By Randy C. Baer
I remember screening the whole series in 1976 when I interviewed Bob Geller, the executive producer. A variable project with some wonderful moments, "Bernice" was one of the very best of these adaptations. Joan Silver perfectly contrasted jazz age innocence with the sometimes confusing mores of the era Fitzgerald was so expert at capturing. The casting and direction were near perfect. Shelley Duvall was wonderful as the title character. Ditto Veronica Cartwright and Bud Cort (check out "Heat" to see what the years can do). Now, the caveat. This film, indeed, this series, deserves a superior transfer. This is plain awful. The image reveals all of the uncorrected flaws of the 16mm original. And, the sound reproduction offers endless unfiltered analog tape hiss. The wonderful Dick Hyman score (several other key production members also worked for Woody Allen around this time) is essentially wasted in this aural mess.
Too bad, too. These little gems offered top talent in front of and behind the camera. And, as was the intention of the project, they served as an introduction to important American short literature. If only someone could redo these DVDs state of the art, with valuable extras such as interviews, story to film comparison, commentaries, production and costume design, etc. And, the price is a little high for a single short film, too,

Follows short story perfectlySep 30, 2011
By Kaci
I'm a high school English teacher and purchased the video to show my students after reading the short story "Bernice Bobs Her Hair". The video was a little boring, mostly because it's so dated. However, it really helped my students to visualize the story. It sticks to the written version wonderfully, and the characters fit Fitzgerald's descriptions very well.

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