University of Virginia Library

'John And Mary' Review

Strangers On The Fringes Of Love

By Steve Wells
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Peter Yates' "John and Mary"
has one of the simplest premises
imaginable. A young man (Dustin
Hoffman) picks up a young girl
(Mia Farrow) in a New York bar
one evening and almost immediately
the two find their way to his
Riverside Drive apartment
and, more significantly, to his bed.
They spend all of the following day
learning about each other and
reviewing their pasts, only to
scamper back to the sack that
night, at which point they reveal
their names for the first time.

Question: when is it that they
first make love? The night they
meet, you say? Wrong! The following
night. They merely engage in
the sexual act the first time, with
their relationship being purely
physical. The next morning they
detect a trace of romantic attraction
which slowly and cautiously
turns into love. This is what "John
and Mary" is about, not two people
in love, but two people apprehensively
falling into love.

While the premise is simple, the
film tends to be rather complex in
many ways. Mr. Yates threads the
action between present and past so
as to give insight into the two
characters' backgrounds, which is
essential for a full understanding of
their attitudes concerning their
involvement. It is a pleasure to see a
young director, especially an American
one, handle intricate cinematic
techniques without confusing most
of his audience (as Antonino did in
"Blow-Up") or being clumsy
(which was my main complaint
against Lindsay Anderson's "If...").

Politician's Mistress

"John and Mary" is solely a
character study. Beth are afraid of
their immediate romantic fate,
therefore they approach the potential
lasting and meaningful aspect of
their relationship with much hesitation.
Mary was previously the
mistress of a married politician who
could never "stay the whole night."
The frivolity of her throwing snow
at him is contrasted with the
serious demands of a doomed affair
whose temporary existence
depended upon lies and deception.
Her conscience wouldn't permit her
to allow him to get a divorce and,
as a result, she was hurt. When
John's former girlfriend calls to
invite him to a party, Mary
becomes jealous and fears that if
she follows her affections, she may
be hurt again in a similar manner.

John, too, has had unpleasant
experiences. His mother neglected
him and was always preoccupied
with protesting in the streets or
attending to the problems of
others. He sees much of this same
compulsion to help in Mary when
she tells him of how she sews
buttons on the shirts of Japanese
neighbors and acts as a moral
crutch to her insecure roommate.
He misinterprets her reasons for
staying and accuses her of doing so
only to get him through "a bad
bout of sexual starvation."

Overcome Obstacles

John is also used to his own
ordered way of living, as is
exemplified by his ability to cook
fancy dishes and, particularly, by
the white sterility of his apartment.
A girl moved in on him once
before, a "hip" model named Ruth
who made a moss of his kitchen and
whose dog made a mess of his
carpet. John recalls the scene and is
afraid of a repetition. By the end,
both he and Mary realize that their
love is strong enough to overcome
these numerous obstacles.

The story is told objectively and
with as few openings for sentimentality
to seep in as possible.
Screenwriter John Mortimer lets
the tale unfold carefully and
unhurriedly. For the most part, we
are oblivious to the necessarily slow
pacing because of our deep-rooted
interest in the characters. Although
the dialogue is comparatively sparse
for an American film (a quality
present to a lesser extent in Mr.
Yates' earlier movie, "Bullitt") and
ordinary, it becomes the vehicle for
the characters' mental knives of
exploration as they try to ascertain
and piece together particles of
knowledge about each other. John
asks Mary, "Do you always jump
into bed the first time you meet
someone?" Later, Mary says to
John, "Haven't had many the first
time, huh? How long does it usually
take?" The quest for information is
endless as they shape impressions,
make candid observations, and
discover each other's (as well as
their own) human idiosyncrasies.

The two stars have been perfectly
cast and both deliver with
charismatic performances. Miss
Farrow's style of acting seems to be
naturalistic, and she effectively
delivers her lines with many pauses

and "uhs." Mr. Hoffman plays the
fellow who got confused by the
diagrams in a book which described
300 ways to sexual fulfillment with
unquestionable credibility. They
deserve nothing but the highest
praise for beautifully conveying
their characters' emotions and
making them extremely likeable.

Career To Skyrocket

It is Mr. Yates, though, whose
career is most likely to skyrocket as
a result of "John and Mary." There
is not a scene in the film which
does not have a specific purpose,
and that purpose in most cases is
immediately evident. Mr. Yates
proves himself adept at handling
camera angles and he also appears
to be a master at judging lengths of
scenes. "John and Mary" is, in
every respect, a directorial triumph.

There are those movie goers who,
undoubtedly and perhaps with just
argument, will find "John and
Mary" a lethargical bore. I found it
thoroughly fascinating, however,
for it is a film which handles a Boy
Meets Girl situation with originality,
validity, and much cinematic
skill.

(Now at the University)