Bittersweet Love
Bittersweet Love | |
---|---|
Directed by | David Miller |
Produced by |
Joseph Zappala Gene Slott Joel B. Michaels |
Screenplay by |
Adrian Morrall D.A. Kellogg |
Starring |
Lana Turner Robert Lansing Celeste Holm Robert Alda |
Music by | Kenneth Wannberg |
Cinematography | Stephen Katz |
Edited by | Bill Butler |
Production company |
Zappala-Slott Productions |
Distributed by | Avco Embassy Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 92 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Bittersweet Love is a 1976 American romantic drama film directed by David Miller (his final film), written by Adrian Morrall and D.A. Kellogg, starring Lana Turner, Robert Lansing, Celeste Holm, Robert Alda, Scott Hylands and Meredith Baxter-Birney.
Plot
Michael and Patricia meet in an unusual way — while on a date with another woman, Michael attempts to retrieve his date's car keys from a fountain. When his date abandons him, he meets Patricia and they soon find themselves falling in love. After learning that she is pregnant, they decide to get married and hold the ceremony in Canada, where Michael's family lives.
Patricia's parents have never met Michael, and are out of the country, therefore unable to attend the wedding. They meet their new son-in-law after returning from their travels. While reviewing pictures from the wedding she missed, Patricia's mother is shocked to discover that she knows Michael's father; he is also Patrcia's father, the result of a brief tryst between the two many years before. Therefore, a newly married couple learns that they are half-siblings, with a pregnancy already underway.
Distraught over the news, Patricia goes to her doctor to see if she can obtain a late-term abortion. The doctor tells her that if the fetal weight is still low, they may be able to terminate the pregnancy due to her situation. Patricia ultimately decides not to go through with the abortion, but is still weary of her relationship with Michael.
The couple spend the rest of the pregnancy from their friends and family. Patricia's mother begs her to reconsider ending the pregnancy, or to go away and give the baby up for adoption, but Patricia reprimands her and says that doesn't want anymore family secrets. Michael also starts to research the history of incest, and its effects on people.
While at home, Patricia goes into labor and has Michael take her to the hospital. She gives birth to a healthy baby girl, Amy. Six weeks after Amy's birth, Michael attempts to initiate sex with Patricia, who becomes hysterical. Unable to cope with Michael as her husband, Patricia ends the marriage.[1]
Cast
- Lana Turner as Claire
- Robert Lansing as Howard
- Celeste Holm as Marian
- Robert Alda as Ben
- Scott Hylands as Michael
- Meredith Baxter-Birney as Patricia
- Gail Strickland as Roz
- Richard Masur as Alex
- Denise DeMirjian as Nurse Morrison
- John Friedrich as Josh
- Amanda Gavin as Judy
- Jerome Guardino as Psychiatrist
References
External links
- Bittersweet Love at AllMovie
- Bittersweet Love at the TCM Movie Database
- Bittersweet Love at the Internet Movie Database