| Goodbye, Columbus | |
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theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Larry Peerce |
| Produced by | Stanley R. Jaffe |
| Screenplay by | Arnold Schulman |
| Based on | 1959 novella Goodbye, Columbus by Philip Roth |
| Starring | Richard Benjamin Ali MacGraw Jack Klugman |
| Music by | Charles Fox |
| Cinematography | Enrique Bravo Gerald Hirschfeld |
| Editing by | Ralph Rosenblum |
| Studio | Willow Tree |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | April 3, 1969 (U.S.) |
| Running time | 102 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Goodbye, Columbus is a 1969 American romantic comedy drama film starring Richard Benjamin and Ali MacGraw, directed by Larry Peerce and based on the novella of the same name by Philip Roth. The screenplay was written by Arnold Schulman who was awarded the Writers Guild of America Award.[1]
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Neil Klugman (Richard Benjamin) is a highly intelligent, working class army veteran and graduate of Rutgers University who earns a living as a library clerk. He falls in love with Brenda Patimkin (Ali MacGraw), a wealthy student at Radcliffe College who is at home for the summer. They face obstacles from Brenda's family (particularly her mother), due to differences in class and assimilation into the American mainstream. More imposing conflicts include morality and propriety differences related to the premarital sex and the possibilities of ill-timed pregnancies.
When the film was first released Variety magazine lauded the film, writing, "This adaptation of Philip Roth's National Book Award-winning novella is sometimes a joy in striking a boisterous mood, and otherwise handling action. Castwise the feature excels. Richard Benjamin as the boy, a librarian after serving in the army, and Ali MacGraw, making her screen bow as the daughter of wealthy and socially-conscious parents, offer fresh portrayals seasoned with rich humor. Their romance develops swiftly after their meeting at a country-club pool."[2]
The New York Times film critic, Vincent Canby, liked the film but was annoyed that it strayed from Roth's original work, "Thus, at its center, Goodbye, Columbus is sharp and honest. However, the further they are removed from the main situation, the more the subsidiary characters, lightly sketched in the novella, become overstuffed, blintz-shaped caricatures. Jack Klugman and Nan Martin, as Brenda's parents, are very nice, but Michael Meyers, as her huge, empty-headed brother ('so exceedingly polite,' Mr. Roth observed in the novella, 'that it seemed to be some affliction of those over six foot three') borders on a cartoon figure. Also, I somehow resent the really vulgar manners that Mr. Peerce allows his middle-class Jews—especially at an elaborate wedding reception—not because of any particular bias, but because it is gross moviemaking. These reservations, however, become academic. Goodbye, Columbus is so rich with understanding in more important ways that it is a thing of real and unusual pleasure.[3]
More recently film critic Dennis Schwartz has praised the film as well, writing, "Philip Roth's prize-winning novella, a scathing satire of a nouveau riche Jewish family, has been brilliantly adapted for the screen by Arnold Schulman (received an Academy nomination) and directed by Larry Peerce (his father is the great opera singer Jan Peerce). Somehow it slipped under the radar and as far as I'm concerned is both funnier and more perceptive than even The Graduate, an earlier drama about young adults."[4]
Wins
A vinyl LP record of the film's score was released in 1969 by Warner Bros. Records and a compact disc was released in 2006 by Collector's Choice Music.[5]
Three of the songs in the soundtrack were written and performed by members of The Association: "Goodbye, Columbus" (Jerry Yester), "It's Gotta Be Real" (Larry Ramos), and "So Kind To Me" (Terry Kirkman).[6]
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