TENDER MERCIES (1983)

Title: TENDER MERCIES

Year of Release: 1983

Director: Bruce Beresford

Genre: Drama

Synopsis: The personal, and professional lives of a former country music singer, who is now remarried, with a stepson.

Within a film history context: Movies which showcase a male country music singer were many times featured before TENDER MERCIES, mainly with a musical theme, and in other instances a more dramatic background. One of the first was Otto Brower and B. Reeves Eason's Western serial THE PHANTOM EMPIRE (1935). Starring Gene Autry as a singing cowboy, it was in twelve instalments, and combined music, adventure and science fiction. THE PHANTOM EMPIRE was later made into a feature film released in 1940, again with Mr Autry. In a lighter vein was THE OLD HOMESTEAD (1942), directed by Frank McDonald. A family of country music singers was the focus of this musical comedy movie, with the Vaudevillian Weaver troupe the leads. Many of the films in the period were mainly of this persuasion, being light entertainment vehicles with country music stars and tunes featured, such as NATIONAL BARN DANCE (1944), JAMBOREE (1944), and HOLLYWOOD BARN DANCE (1947). Into the 1950s and beyond, more varied depictions of country music singers began to appear on screens.

Hal Kanter's LOVING YOU (1957) starred Elvis Presley as Deke, a delivery man who becomes a country music singer. More intricate than the films of the 1940s with its complicated, well-drawn characters, such as the scheming Glenda, Deke's manager, it was a change from the home-spun films of the 1940s and before with their simpler plots. COUNTRY MUSIC HOLIDAY (1958), directed by Alvin Ganzer, was closer to the 1940s films in its execution, detailing the life of a country music singer with many tunes and some romance thrown in. The biography of country music star Hank Williams was the focus of Gene Nelson's YOUR CHEATIN' HEART (1964). Paying attention to both Mr Williams' career and personal life, it was a great role for George Hamilton in the lead part. Of a different tone was BABY THE RAIN MUST FALL (1965), directed by Robert Mulligan. In a small Texas town, a man returns home after being in jail, and tries to adjust to life, with strained results. It was notable as the main character performed several country music songs through the course of the movie, but the film itself was of a decidedly dramatic, rather than musical, orientation. 

Jay Sheridan's NASHVILLE REBEL (1966), presented country music singer Waylon Jennings in the main role of a young man just ending his stint in the army, and becoming involved in singing. COUNTRY BOY (1966), directed by Joseph Kane, was about a young man who becomes a country singer, but who is taken advantage of by his unscrupulous talent agent. Another take on country music singers was on view in Jean Yarbrough's HILLBILLYS IN A HAUNTED HOUSE (1967). Two country singers are en route to Nashville with their band, but become involved with spies when their car breakdown occurs at a spooky house. PAYDAY (1973), directed by Daryl Duke, was about a footloose and highly immoral country music singer, tracking all his activities in an utterly compelling manner. Similar in execution was Paul Lynch's THE HARD PART BEGINS (1973). It also dealt with a morally dubious country music singer, and his mangled life. 

Lighter in tone was HONEYSUCKLE ROSE (1980), directed by Jerry Schatzberg. Following the life of a married country singer with a family, he falls for a younger woman in this drama with Willie Nelson in the lead role. With Ronald Maxwell's THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT IN GEORGIA (1981), a country music singer enters Nashville hoping to hit it big, his sister as his manager, but their lives are affected by their involvements with others. HONKYTONK MAN (1983), directed by Clint Eastwood, centered around a terminally ill country singer wanting to visit Nashville's Grand Ole Spry music festival to become famous, with his nephew in tow, but life treats him to a bittersweet procession of events. TENDER MERCIES was one of the more serious, thoughtful examinations of a male country music singer in the genre.

The movie was far removed from the portrayals of country singers from the 1930s and 1940s, which had an emphasis on comedy, action, and musical set pieces. There was also an innocence to these films, and they did not as such probe deeper into their country singers' lives, keeping matters on a more one-dimensional manner. TENDER MERCIES had more in common with the films which appeared onscreen after the 1950s such as LOVING YOU, COUNTRY MUSIC HOLIDAY, YOUR CHEATIN' HEART, BABY THE RAIN MUST FALL, PAYDAY, THE HARD PART BEGINS, HONEYSUCKLE ROSE, and HONKYTONK MAN. In these movies, there is a dramatic background which supports the story of the particular country singer, which is something that TENDER MERCIES also exemplifies. TENDER MERCIES has affinities to both BABY THE RAIN MUST FALL, and THE HARD PART BEGINS in its similar country singer with a hard life, but with PAYDAY, the comparisons grow. 

TENDER MERCIES is akin to a family-oriented version of PAYDAY, also with a rough around the edges male country singer. Where TENDER MERCIES diverts is in its more upbeat presentation. Mac Sledge has a wife, and stepson, who help him with both his personal demons, and family issues. On the other hand, Maury Dann from PAYDAY is on an unending slippery slide of events, many of which he himself instigated. Mac in TENDER MERCIES is on the road to personal recovery, staying grounded with his family, while Maury in PAYDAY is on an irrevocable road to ruin. PAYDAY also presents certain situations, such as Maury's drug addiction, propensity for changing women, and coarse language, from which TENDER MERCIES shies away. TENDER MERCIES alludes to certain events within the course of its running time, but does not delve as sharply as PAYDAY into its protagonist's devils onscreen. This makes it a more subtle film which treats its protagonist as a more moral figure who wants a second chance at life. One of the best of the movies about a country music singer, TENDER MERCIES wins with its compelling presentation.

Overview: Bruce Beresford is an Australian director who has made films in his native country, Britain, and the United States. Presiding over thirty-three motion pictures in a forty-six year time span, he has tackled comedy, drama, period themes, coming of age, thrillers, and crime, to name a few genres. His first film, THE ADVENTURES OF BARRY MCKENZIE (1972), was a comedy about an Australian man who travels to the United Kingdom, and the humor which emerges from his reactions to being in unforeseen situations there. It was very successful at the Australian box office, and Mr Beresford also directed the sequel, BARRY MACKENZIE HOLDS HIS OWN, released in 1974. His next notable movie was DON'S PARTY (1976). Based upon a play by David Williamson, following the lives of characters during election night in 1969 Australia, its language and nudity distinguished it at the time for its uninhibitedness. THE GETTING OF WISDOM (1977), was another step forward for Bruce Beresford. The tale of a young woman in 1890s Australia, and her coming of age, was both a financial, and critical success. BREAKER MORANT (1980), was another prestigious production for the director. The tale of a court martial of three lieutenants in 1902, and the fallout of this event, was a triumph not only for its director but also its cast, including Jack Thompson, Edward Woodward, John Waters, and Bryan Brown. 

THE CLUB (1980), examined the machinations of an Australian football club, highlighting the personalities behind the hoopla. Bruce Beresford traversed into more youthful territory with PUBERTY BLUES (1981). Following the adventures of two surfer girls in Sydney, Australia, it was another success for the director in his realistic oeuvre. THE FRINGE DWELLERS (1986), was about an Aboriginal family, charting their difficulties in assimilating into white society. Although critically acclaimed, the movie was not a success at the Australian box office. Next came comedy-drama CRIMES OF THE HEART (1986). A showcase for actresses Sissy Spacek, Diane Keaton, and Jessica Lange, it was the story of three sisters, and how they handle the passing of their mother. HER ALIBI (1989), was a definite change of pace for Mr Beresford. An author of mystery novels falls for a Romanian woman suspected of murder in this enjoyable, underrated romantic comedy. DRIVING MISS DAISY (1989), was a different story altogether. The relationship between an elderly widow and her black chauffeur in the American South was a charming, unexpected box office success which won four Oscars, and had positive critical notices. Bruce Beresford then tackled another movie based on race issues, being MISTER JOHNSON (1990). In this film, a Nigerian man who works for the British strives to be seen as an equal by his colonial employers in 1920s Nigeria. 

BLACK ROBE (1991), was yet another sojourn into a past time for the director. This time around, it followed the journey of a missionary in Canada, with the many trials and travails he suffers considered. It was back to contemporary society with RICH IN LOVE (1992) for Mr Beresford, set in South Carolina. A wife and mother leaves her family, and how they cope with this predicament is the crux for the film, especially the daughter's reaction to this event. There was a move into more intense, psychological territory with SILENT FALL (1994). A young autistic boy witnesses the brutal murders of his parents, and a psychiatrist is assigned to uncover the truth from his recollections, but matters are more complicated than first meet the eye. War themes again came to the fore in PARADISE ROAD (1997). Set in World War II, a group of women from various countries are imprisoned by the Japanese, and set up a band to prop themselves up in light of their conditions. At the end of the decade DOUBLE JEOPARDY (1999), arrived on screen. A tale of murder and suspense, replete with a terrorized heroine, it rang the box office bell to a hearty tune. 

The new millennium brought BRIDE OF THE WIND (2001) from Bruce Beresford. A loose biographical account of the life of Alma Mahler, wife of composer Gustav Mahler, it was unsuccessful financially for its studio. EVELYN (2002), was another period piece from the director. Set in 1953 Ireland, it was based upon the true story of a troubled man who loses custody of his children when his wife abandons him, and their offspring. THE CONTRACT (2006), also explored family relationships, this time between a father and his son. A father and son team up to capture an assassin, but face opposition from the criminal's cohorts, who seek to stop them in their tracks. MAO'S LAST DANCER (2009), was another instance where the director looked at a real-life figure. The delineation of ballet dancer Li Cunxin's life in China, to his ballet triumphs in the United States, are all depicted in this biopic. MR. CHURCH (2016), was the inspirational story of an African American man who is employed by a white woman as a domestic cook, and the relationship which develops between the man, woman, and her daughter. Bruce Beresford's last film to date is LADIES IN BLACK (2018). It is the study of a number of employees in a Sydney department store in the late 1950s, concentrating upon their personal lives. TENDER MERCIES was Bruce Beresford's eleventh movie, first American picture, and one of his most notable works.

Bruce Beresford has made a beautiful, meditative work in TENDER MERCIES, in line with his other ruminative films. The story of a down on his luck country singer, his subsequent marriage to a widowed gas station owner with a young son, and his previous family, and professional entanglements, have been vividly portrayed by the director. It is a movie with a unique aura, tone, and mood, making everything clear to the audience about what makes the characters tick, and why do what they do. Narrative events are never rushed, and characters are all three-dimensional, their actions making sense. It is not a case of wild story decisions which disrupt the flow in TENDER MERCIES. The movie is one of the most character-driven ever captured on film, and this is one of its greatest strengths. The picture is winningly subtle, never banging viewers over the head with irrelevant information. While this sense of subtlety is something to be admired, it admittedly does impact upon some areas of the movie.

TENDER MERCIES is so understated in its presentation that it loses the opportunity at times to involve the audience even more in what is taking place. It has the characters, and the story which are both winners, but the inclusion of several key scenes would have added immeasurably to its power. A number of examples come to mind. Mac and Rosa Lee marry early in the movie, but one does not see the wedding. While the viewer witnesses their various marital issues throughout the film, it is a letdown that such an important event is never shown. Dixie is the mother of Sue Ann, but they do not share a single scene as mother and daughter. The reaction to her daughter's death is palpable, but not seeing them together is jarring. In addition, TENDER MERCIES lost out on a golden opportunity to bring both Rosa Lee and Dixie into the same room. Having the present, and former wives of Mac, being two strong, but very different women, share a scene would have been stunning, but this never occurs. It leaves one with the feeling that the movie is underdone in some areas when it should have been even more stellar. Nevertheless, despite these omissions, TENDER MERCIES is a great picture to which the director has given his keen eye in presenting a striking story.

Acting: TENDER MERCIES has a number of meaningful performances. As Mac Sledge, the hardened country music singer, Robert Duvall is in one of his best roles. An actor with a quiet edge who, in other parts, seems to disappear into the background, this movie is a proper showcase for his talents. Mac's wife Rosa Lee is given honesty and charm by Tess Harper. With her penetrating glare which shows that she means business, Miss Harper excels as Mac's wife, and mother of Sonny. Mac's vampy ex-wife, country singer Dixie, Rosa Lee's polar opposite, is made memorable by Betty Buckley. With her sudden and unexpected changes in mood and general volatility, Dixie is another distinctive character in TENDER MERCIES. Three other actors leave an indelible impact on TENDER MERCIES.

In his only screen role, Allan Hubbard makes his role as Rosa Lee's son Sonny memorable. As a young boy doing his best to adjust to having a stepfather, and teasing at school, Mr Hubbard's Sonny is a realistic portrait of a young boy in trying circumstances. Mac and Dixie's daughter Sue Anne is played with precision by Ellen Barkin. Speaking in a low tone for her appearances, and using her eyes to convey meaning, Miss Barkin wins in her part. The final acting of note in TENDER MERCIES was by Lenny von Dohlen as Robert, a young man in a country band who sees Mac as his idol. A handsome performer with an amiable pathos who many times took on unconventional roles in his career, here plays the aspiring musician with magnetism, and conviction.

Soundtrack: For a movie about a musician, TENDER MERCIES takes a pleasingly spare, natural approach to its soundtrack. The film does not feature non-stop tunes which can become grating in other instances; instead employing a cleaner presentation in this respect. There are many scenes scattered throughout the film where Man practices his music on the guitar, which gives a nice insight into the workings of its musician character. Aside from this, TENDER MERCIES has other diegetic music in the form of Mac's public performances with the band, and Dixie's at the concert hall. In terms of non-diegetic music, it is also utilized occasionally, but never punctuates scenes, only enhancing their muted emotional effect for viewers.

Mise-en-scene: The onscreen experience is one of the best features of TENDER MERCIES. The rugged, beautiful landscapes which the movie spotlights so well are indeed one of the stars of the movie. Rosa Lee's gas station and home, in particular, cast a non-verbal comment upon the difficult lives of the characters, which are at the same time satisfying, and well-lived. Interiors such as Rosa Lee's home, the elaborate excesses of Dixie's mansion, her dressing room at the venue, to name just a few, are all true to life, courtesy of set decorator Daniel Loren May. Russell Boyd's cinematography has an orangey tone, providing not only a feel of comfort and earthiness but also, in keeping with the film's solemn tone.

Notable Acting Performances: Robert Duvall, Tess Harper, Betty Buckley, Allan Hubbard, Ellen Barkin, Lenny von Dohlen. 

Suitability for young viewers: Parental discretion advised. Adult themes.

Overall Grade: B

Link: IMDB Page

Trailer