A fascinating late '70s box-office bomb making its first home video appearance in decades, GOLDEN GIRL (105 mins., 1979, PG) is one of those films I've been hoping to see for many years – and not only has Kino Lorber and Scorpion Releasing brought us a 4K restoration from Studio Canal, they've added a plethora of terrific extras including a great conversation with composer Bill Conti.
Model/singer Susan Anton plays an athlete “engineered” by German scientist father Curt Jurgens to become America's next big track and field star – just in time for the 1980 Moscow Olympics (oops!). To capitalize on “Goldie”'s athletic prowess, Jurgens assembles a “team” of financiers to hawk her guise on cereal boxes and commercials, including wise agent James Coburn. Coburn, though, is suspect of Jurgens' methods – dating back to the Nazi days – while Anton's naivete is on display as Goldie has difficulty functioning, emotionally and otherwise, away from the track.
“Golden Girl”'s “science” might have formed the basis for a really crackling, Michael Crichton-like thriller – think a mix of “Marathon Man” and “Personal Best” – but this co-production of Avco Embassy and NBC is not that. In fact, it's hard to tell at times what director Joseph Sargent was aiming for with “Golden Girl,” which assembles a big cast but never settles into a comfortable dramatic rhythm. Perhaps that's because NBC's involvement meant this John Kohn-scripted adaptation of Peter Lear's novel was supposed to – and may have been – shot for a three or four hour running time (seems like there's plenty of conflicting information there). Whether all of this material was ever shot, the resulting theatrical cut moves quickly from one dramatic element to the next – Coburn beds Anton one moment, tries to keep her away from meddlesome sportscaster Robert Culp the next, only to have her succumb to diabetes – with little dramatic tissue connecting its fast-moving narrative.
Yet, for all its faults, I can't say “Golden Girl” didn't keep me watching. The suaveness of Coburn and Anton's physicality compensate for the gaps, while Bill Conti's score (conducted by Harry Rabinowitz, who shares an on-screen credit) adds some class.
“Golden Girl”'s Blu-Ray debut (1.85) looks good – the framing seems a little tight at times (perhaps further evidence this was intended for TV more than the cinema) and the source displays its age, but the transfer itself is superlative. The mono sound is okay, and one wonders if the Dolby Stereo recording listed in the credits ever made it out to theaters.
Extra features is where the disc really shines. A commentary from the engaging Nathaniel Thompson/Howard S. Berger duo speculates on the longer version that may or may not exist (NBC didn't even end up airing the film, handing it off to CBS instead), while Anton and co-star Nicolas Coster offer their insights. Best of all is a 15-minute talk with Bill Conti that spans his entire career, covering “Rocky” to turning down “Saturday Night Fever” (lamenting that David Shire pocketed a million for his limited space on the soundtrack album), working with Alan Alda on a rescore for “The Seduction of Joe Tynan,” and having to personally pay for a session with the London Symphony to get “The Right Stuff” recorded after the LP was canceled (he notes he was “paid back” after Varese ended up releasing that classic “Right Stuff/North and South” album).
