| Trouble in Mind | |
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Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Alan Rudolph |
| Produced by | David Blocker |
| Written by | Alan Rudolph |
| Starring | Kris Kristofferson Keith Carradine Lori Singer Geneviève Bujold Joe Morton |
| Music by | Mark Isham |
| Cinematography | Toyomichi Kurita |
| Editing by | Tom Walls |
| Distributed by | Alive Films |
| Release date(s) | December 11, 1983 |
| Running time | 111 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Trouble in Mind is a 1985 neo-noir film which follows an ex-cop just released from jail after serving time for a murder sentence as he returns to the mean streets of the fictional "Rain City".
The film was directed and written by Alan Rudolph, and stars Kris Kristofferson, Keith Carradine, Geneviève Bujold, and Lori Singer, with an out-of-drag appearance by Divine. The movie starts with the world-weary 1920s blues standard "Trouble in Mind" and ends with a song of love and reassurance, both performed by Marianne Faithfull. The opening line is "I wouldn't say no to a woman or a job".
The movie flips between reality and unreality in a variety of ways, with the time, language and setting unclear. The leading characters all display traits of the opposite of what they seem to be (the heroic ex-cop, for example, is also a convicted murderer; the protective mother abandons her child; criminals show themselves to be sensitive philosophers; the wayward husband loves his wife; the straight woman shows a dark past; etc.). There are déjà vus and some uncanny look-alike side characters turn up in separate times and places. The four main characters convene by ones and pairs, get involved with one another, are joined by others, and end up in a final and absurd overall showdown to separate again.
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The music, performed by Marianne Faithfull, is arranged and accompanied by Mark Isham. Peter R. Tromp (now Peter Trump, author of Milk the Children and Poems and Portions) provided music as Divine’s strolling violinist. In the Chinatown restaurant scene Tromp performed Pachelbel’s Canon in D and J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3. During scenes filmed at the Seattle Art Museum Tromp performed Telemann’s Fantasia No. 6, “Autumn” from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik, Biber’s Passacaglia, and Reveille. Tromp’s appearance and music in Trouble in Mind were uncredited.
"Rain City" was constructed out of Seattle locations, largely older areas on the edges of downtown, giving an impression of a less modern city.
It was entered into the 36th Berlin International Film Festival.[1] On December 14, 2010 Shout! Factory released a 25th Anniversary DVD of the film.
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