| Inside Daisy Clover | |
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Original film poster |
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| Directed by | Robert Mulligan |
| Produced by | Alan J. Pakula |
| Written by | Gavin Lambert |
| Starring | Natalie Wood Christopher Plummer Robert Redford |
| Music by | André Previn |
| Cinematography | Charles Lang |
| Editing by | Aaron Stell |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Release date(s) | December 1965 |
| Running time | 128 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Inside Daisy Clover is a 1965 American drama film based on the 1963 novel by Gavin Lambert. It stars Natalie Wood, Christopher Plummer, Robert Redford, Roddy McDowall and Ruth Gordon in her Academy Award nominated role.
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Set in the mid-1930s, the plot centers on Daisy Clover (Wood), a teenage tomboy who lives in a ramshackle trailer with her eccentric mother (Gordon) on a California beach and dreams of Hollywood stardom. She submits a song recording to the well-known film producer Ray Swan (Plummer), who puts her under contract. Ray and his wife Melora (Katharine Bard) foster Daisy's rise to fame by any means necessary, forcing Daisy to deal with the pressures of stardom and the Swans' manipulation of her life and career. Daisy reluctantly accepts the placement of her mother in a mental institution, to protect Daisy's reputation as "America's valentine", and is told to tell any interviewers that her mother is dead.
Daisy finds some relief in a fellow Swan-discovered star, Wade Lewis (Redford). The two begin a relationship, though their heavy drinking and partying is not good for either of their reputations. Soon they marry, to the dismay of Ray (whom Wade has nicknamed "The Prince of Darkness"), who fears that the romance will interrupt Daisy's busy schedule. On their honeymoon in Arizona, Wade drives off while Daisy is sleeping, abandoning her. Daisy returns to the Swan home and runs into an extremely intoxicated Melora who reveals to Daisy that Melora had an affair with Wade and that he is actually a closet homosexual. The next morning, Ray tells Daisy that he knew about Wade's sexual orientation, but that she had to find out for herself, as did his wife. Ray then scoops her into his arms and kisses her, which begins their affair.
Daisy takes her mother out of the mental institution and moves her into a beach house. When her mother later dies, Daisy has a nervous breakdown at the studio. She goes back to the beach house where she spends day after day silently in bed under the care of a private nurse. Melora visits, assuring Daisy she is not jealous of her affair with Ray. Wade comes to see Daisy, but the most he gets out of her is a smile. Ray, impatient that Daisy is taking so long to recover, loses his temper and tells her she must finish the pending motion picture. He also tells her that he has her under contract for five years, but doesn't care what happens to her after she completes this movie. Ray fires the nurse and leaves the beach house.
Right after Ray's departure, Daisy attempts suicide by putting her head in the oven, but her attempt is interrupted by ringing phones and visitors until she finally gives up. The next day Daisy cuts her hair, changes her clothes, and turns the gas oven back on. She then lights a flame on the stove, grabs a cup of coffee, and strolls out of the house to the beach. The house explodes behind her. When a passerby asks what happened, she shrugs and replies, "Someone declared war!"
Upon its release, the film was a box office and critical failure,[1] however, the film later gained a cult following when it was shown on television and released on home video.[2]
Directed by Robert Mulligan, Wood's singing voice was dubbed by session singer Jackie Ward with the exception of the introduction to the song "You're Gonna Hear From Me" (by Dory Previn and Andre Previn, who composed the score).[3] The song was later recorded by Barbra Streisand for the album The Movie Album (2003).
Vocal recordings completed by Natalie Wood of the film songs went unused, except as noted above, and were unheard on commercial recordings until the release, in April 2009, of the complete dramatic score and song score by Film Score Monthly.
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Academy Awards | Nominated | Best Costume Design, Color | Edith Head and Bill Thomas |
| Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color | Robert Clatworthy and George Hopkins | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Ruth Gordon | |||
| Golden Globe Award | Best Motion Picture Actress - Musical/Comedy | Natalie Wood | ||
| Won | Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor | Robert Redford | ||
| Best Supporting Actress | Ruth Gordon |
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