''Norman Loves Rose'' is a 1982 Australian
comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...
.
[David Stratton, ''The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry'', Pan MacMillan, 1990 p330]
Plot summary
A 13-year-old Jewish boy (Norman) develops an obsession for his older brother's wife (Rose), who is under parental pressure to start a family. The hapless dentist brother is not up to the job, and ditsy Rose encourages Norman's infatuation. While it is never made explicit how it came about, Rose eventually does become pregnant, to the satisfaction of the various interested parties.
Cast
*
Carol Kane
Carolyn Laurie Kane (born June 18, 1952) is an American actress. She became known in the 1970s and 1980s in films such as '' Hester Street'' (for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress), '' Dog Day Afternoon'', ''Annie ...
as Rose
*Tony Owen as Norman
*
Myra De Groot
Myra Tania De Groot (4 July 1937 – 4 April 1988) was a British-born theatre and television actress, and agent. She performed in the United Kingdom, United States, New Zealand and Australia.
Professional career
De Groot was born in Westminste ...
as Mother
*David Downer as Michael
*
Barry Otto
Barry Otto (born 1941) is an Australian actor, primarily of cinema, and an amateur artist.
Early life
Barry Otto was born in Brisbane in 1941, the son of a butcher. He trained as an artist but switched to acting.
Career
Otto received an AACTA ...
as Charles
*
Sandy Gore as Maureen
*
Warren Mitchell
Warren Mitchell (born Warren Misell; 14 January 1926 – 14 November 2015) was a British actor. He was a BAFTA TV Award winner and twice a Laurence Olivier Award winner.
In the 1950s, Mitchell appeared on the radio programmes ''Educatin ...
as Morris
*
Louise Pajo
Louise Elizabeth Pajo (31 July 1940 – 23 November 2020) also credited as Louise R. Pajo, Louise Pago and Therese Pajo. was a New Zealand-born television and film actress, who worked in productions in her native country, but also in Britain an ...
as Shirley
Production
Henri Safran had been looking for a comedy script to direct, and being unable to find one he was happy with, he decided to write one himself.
[Margaret Smith, "Henri Safran talks about Norman Loves Rose", ''Cinema Papers'', October 1982 p409 -412]
Reception
Sandra Hall in ''
The Bulletin'' said, "the comedy relies on a certain amount of obtuseness, literal mindedness, double-takes and talking at cross-purposes. The characters are there to be laughed at, not with, and to that end much over-acting is done. Nobody turns out to be particularly likeable."
References
External links
*
''Norman Loves Rose''at Oz Movies
Australian comedy films
Films directed by Henri Safran
1982 films
1980s English-language films
1980s Australian films
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