Blaze (1989) review

Dir. Ron Shelton

By: Steve Pulaski

Rating: ★★★

Blaze revolves around the romance between Louisiana Governor Earl Long and a young, renowned stripped named Blaze Starr. two fiercely independent souls who stuck by one another for their convictions, their mutual desire for success, and of course, the sex.

We open by meeting Blaze as a young woman, when she was known as Fannie Fleming. She leaves her hillbilly homelife with aspirations to be a singer, but an opportunistic talent scout gets her to do a striptease act at a local gin-mill. At first embarrassed, Fleming — who quickly adopts “Blaze Starr” as her stage-name — takes a liking not only to the attention but the ability to command a room and have all eyes on her. Her career is launched practically overnight as she performs around the clock and makes a local name for herself as a sultry southern belle.

One night, Governor Long pays a visit to Bourbon Street in New Orleans, where Blaze is headlining. Long is instantly taken by Blaze, and even remains infatuated after she rejects his invite to join him at his table. “Damn, but I’m attracted to strong-willed women,” is his response when she leaves him high and dry. Soon enough, however, she comes around because… well, that’s kind of left up for the audience to determine.

Set in the 1950s, amidst a rocky time in Louisiana politics, Long desperately tries to unite the Democratic Party, whose core values of enabling working class families and unions were the cornerstones of his brother’s, Huey Long, philosophy. Inciting internal discord is the belief that Long will indeed support the voting rights bill that will grant blacks the privilege of casting their ballot. Long has had a tricky way of showing he backs African-Americans, having to dance around being too supportive so as not to alienate his white voters and his cronies. In one bizarre moment, he storms into a hospital and stages a reaction of him being shocked that black patients are being cared for by white doctors in order to draw attention to legislature that will employ numerous black doctors and nurses. His methods are unconventional, and uneasily tow the line between comical and disrespectful, but his willingness to take the less-popular road in the segregated, racial hotbed that is the deep south that makes him admirable on the surface.

On that note, he’s wisely played by Paul Newman, who animates his quirky mannerisms without ever bringing a cartoon-like quality to them. He positions himself as a man’s man, and his trademark beer-gut, southern drawl, and cigar all give him a neighborly quality that almost excuses his boorish behavior uncharacteristic of a governor. Blaze Starr, on the other hand, is played by Lolita Davidovich, who embodies the casual side of her character that could’ve been lost. Davidovich captures the sweet and simple personality of Blaze. She’s clearly comfortable in her role, and at an ease that shows she’s isn’t trying hard to make a martyr or a revolutionary out of someone whose success came just as natural as her beauty.

I’ve simply never seen a writer/director operate quite like Ron Shelton. Blaze is his second feature, but after seeing Bull Durham, Tin Cup, White Men Can’t Jump, and now this, it’s only more apparent what a screenwriting talent he is, not to mention a fine acting coach, capable of bringing nuanced performances out of veterans and amateurs alike. Blaze is another example of Shelton’s ability to produce thoughtful characters in a drama with a brain in its head. Rather than get caught up in historical events or overblown drama, he plays things low-key, instead letting his camera linger on the finer things that can happen when a strong man and a strong woman get together — lyrical, conversational poetry and a great-deal of empathy on both sides.

Starring: Paul Newman and Lolita Davidovich. Directed by: Ron Shelton.