A drama for uncertain times – “Save the Tiger”

BLU-RAY REVIEW / SDR SCREENSHOTS

Legendary actor Jack Lemmon won his second Academy Award as Harry Stoner, co-owner of a women’s clothing company based in the Los Angeles garment district.

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“SAVE THE TIGER”

Blu-ray; 1973; R for profanity, nudity, smoking, adult situations

Best extra: Archival commentary by director John Avildsen and writer/producer Steve Shagan

THERE’S SOMETHING particularly gratifying about the fact that Jack Lemmon won the Best Actor Academy Award for his starring role in “Save the Tiger,” a lesser-known low-budget gem directed by John Avildsen (“Rocky,” “The Karate Kid”). That’s because Lemmon, playing against type, was up against such big stars as Brando, Redford, Pacino, and Nicholson, in their big-budget movies. “Tiger” received two other nominations that year: Jack Guilford for best supporting actor, and Steve Shagan for best original screenplay.

Lemmon portrays Harry Stoner, co-owner with Phil Greene (Jack Guilford), of a women’s clothing company in Los Angeles. We meet Harry on the eve of a seasonal show of his company’s latest designs, where buyers from stores around the country gather to place their orders. But because things have been going badly for the business, Harry and Phil are desperate. To survive, they’ve been fudging their books, which could get them into serious hot water with the IRS.

Added to that, Harry’s relationship with his wife is souring, two of his essential workers are squabbling, and he has to deal with a disastrous mishap concerning one of his buyers and a prostitute Harry hired for him. The only way Harry sees to keep the company from folding is to engage a professional arsonist (Thayer David) to torch one of his buildings so he can collect the insurance. And then there are the haunting hallucinations Harry keeps seeing, of dead comrades he fought alongside in World War II. While driving home that evening, he picks up a young free-spirited hippie named Myra (Laurie Heineman), who invites him to spend the night with her at a friend’s beach house.

(1) Harry suffers from PTSD nightmares from his World War II combat. (2) His relationship with his wife Janet (Patrica Smith) is souring. (3) During his commute, Harry gives a ride to free-spirited hippie Myra (Laurie Heineman).

Despite misgivings, Harry agrees, and is rewarded by a sweet respite from his otherwise miserable day. To his surprise, the only thing Myra asks of him in return, is to “have a good day.” So yes, “Save the Tiger” has much about it that is bleak and depressing, but it’s also a sensitive study of a middle-aged American who, while his life appears to be falling apart, still manages to keep going. Lemmon absolutely inhabits the character of Harry, with a performance that earns that Oscar many times over.

VIDEO/AUDIO

The original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 4K, which extracts the gritty natural film grain from cinematographer James Crabe (“Rocky,” The China Syndrome”). The color palette was toned in muted colors, while the 1080p imagery is very good, especially with the wide-angle framing and close-ups.

The original Mono soundtrack has been restored with DTS-HD encoding, with everything front and center including the score from Marvin Hamlisch (“The Sting,” “The Spy Who Loved Me”) and the jazzy trumpet rendition of “I Can’t Get Started” from Bunny Berigan during the opening.

(1) Harry tries to calm a dispute between the fashion designer Rico (Harvey Jason) and his top cutter Meyer (William Hasen). (2) Harry checks on Rico as he puts a designer shirt on one of the models. (3) Harry tries to convince Phil that their only hope for survival is collecting insurance after arson.

EXTRAS

Two extras come with this Kino Lorber disc. One is a recent commentary by author/film historian Dwayne Epstein. The other, by Avildsen and Shagan, is a lively conversation with plenty of fascinating behind-the-scenes information.

Starting with the roll of title credits, Avildsen notes that the first choice for the accompanying music had been “Mack the Knife,” in its original German from Kurl Weill’s “Threepenny Opera.” When they couldn’t get rights to that, they settled for “I Can’t Get Started,” a 1930s jazzy song by Vernon Duke and Ira Gershwin. Avildsen says, “Save the Tiger” was his “first Hollywood movie,” as well as his “first time directing without being my own cameraman,” after having made the 1970 Indy “Joe,” a scathing social satire. He’d never worked with such a large crew, nor had “so many toys at my disposal.” He mentions his luck at landing Lemmon, “a big Hollywood star,” for the film.

When Shagan presented the screenplay to Lemmon, he told Shagan he didn’t think he had what it took to portray Stoner. After Shagan reminded him of his terrific performance in “Days of Wine and Roses,” Lemmon replied, “Anyone can play a drunk, but Harry Stoner is emotionally naked.” When Shagan called Lemmon the next morning, however, he said, “Okay, let’s go.” About the performance, Avildsen says, this was “a whole other Lemmon. We’d never seen this guy before.” Adds Shagan, “The character got hold of Jack … he became that guy.”

Paramount studio executive Robert Evans greenlit the project, which was a “miracle,” says Shagan, but they had to make it on a low budget of $1 million. That meant that all the locations in the film were “practical” – nothing was done in the studio, because that would have added a lot to the cost. Adds Avildsen, there was “no money for lights … everything bounced off a piece of cardboard,” or they had to use natural available light. The factory in the film was a real one in L.A.’s garment district, but the crew built the offices on the factory floor, which were retained after the shoot. Avildsen says he was “blessed, because my first Hollywood film wasn’t a Hollywood film,” since it was about an “unsung hero who nobody pays attention to … a most unusual occurrence.” He adds that it was an “old-fashioned movie, driven by the script” …  and that, “often, the lack of money can make the story better.”

(1) Harry welcomes Fred (Norman Burton), one of his regular buying clients. (2) Harry and Phil share the elevator with a group of immigrant workers. (3)

Fred suffers a heart attack during his kinky encounter with the call girls he insisted Harry hire for him. 

Shagan explains that what inspired him to write the screenplay for the film, that one critic called a “time capsule of 1970s America,” was “anger.” At the time, he says, the country was in a “state of war … it was turning on a conservative spin … cities were burning … young men were coming home from Vietnam in aluminum boxes … Nixon was about to be thrown out … and the middle guy in our society was forgotten.” He refers to the film as “‘Death of a Salesman” in the garment district.” He shares a story about when he and Avildsen “kidnapped” the first cut of the film and took it to Rome, where Lemmon was making a movie with Billy Wilder. They screened it for Lemmon and Wilder, whose comment after seeing it was, “The only thing wrong with this picture is that I didn’t direct it” which was, says Shagan, “the sweetest thing any director could say to another,” especially coming from a living legend like Wilder.

— Peggy Earle

(1&2) While giving an introduction to the fashion show, Harry is stopped by his hallucination of a group of fallen soldiers he served with during the war. (3)

Harry and Phil meet Charlie (Thayer David), a professional arsonist, to work out the details of the crime. (4&5) Harry continues to suffer with the horrors of the war, as Myra gives him a massage during their night together. (6) Harry, an avid baseball fan, wistfully watches a group of youngsters playing in a park.

SPECS:

• 50 GB disc

• 4K master, downconverted to 1080p

• Panavision cameras with Spherical lens, 1.85:1 aspect ratio

• Video bitrate: 39 Megabits per second

• Academy Awards: Three nominations, including Best Writing from an Original Source, Best Supporting Actor for Jack Gilford, and Best Actor winner Jack Lemmon.

• Golden Globes: Three nominations, including Best Motion Picture Drama, Best Supporting Actor, Jack Gilford, and Best Actor, Jack Lemmon.