While You Were Sleeping (1995)

 

While You Were Sleeping - 1995

Our next film is 1995's rom-com "While You Were Sleeping", a story about a lonely young woman whose life changes drastically when she's mistaken for the fiancée of a coma patient.

The film's cast includes Sandra Bullock, Bill Pullman, Peter Gallagher, Peter Boyle, Jack Warden, Glynis Johns, and Margaret Travolta.

Lucy Moderatz works for the Chicago Transit Authority as a token collector.  A handsome guy comes by every day and drops a token then gets on his train.  They never speak, yet Lucy finds herself having a crush on the man.  She imagines a whole life for herself with him.

One Christmas Day, he wishes her a Merry Christmas and hurries off to catch his train.  Lucy is so stunned at being spoken to by him that she can't say anything in return.  She berates herself for this.

That same day the man is mugged and pushed onto the train tracks by his attackers.  Lucy rushes to help him and saves him from narrowly being run over by an oncoming train.

She follows the man to the hospital.  She finds out his name is Peter.  However, she is told that no one but family would be allowed to follow him to his room.  She whispers to herself, thinking no one can here her, "but I was going to marry him".

A nurse overhears her whisper and takes her to Peter's bedside, where Lucy sees he is in a coma.  Lucy is able to spend a few quiet moments with him before chaos breaks loose.

Peter's family arrives at the hospital and is completely shocked to find out that he is engaged.  They begin yelling at him while he is in a coma.  Lucy tries to explain everything, but she isn't given the chance to tell her story.

Peter's family immediately takes to her as one of their own.  She is pleasantly surprised to be embraced by all of them in a group hug.

They invite her to spend Christmas with them, and they even put up a stocking on the mantlepiece.  Lucy loves having a family life.  She's also embarrassed about the situation, and she doesn't want to cause Peter's grandmother to have any heart episodes.  So, she lets the engagement story play out.

With the exception of Peter's godfather (who overhears the truth from Lucy), no one knows or suspects the engagement is fake.  However, when she meets Peter's brother, Jack, Lucy finds out that he has more than a few doubts about his brother's fiancée.

While the family debates about it in church, Peter's eccentric grandmother observes, "I like Mass better in Latin.  It's nicer when you don't know what they're saying".

The more time Jack spends with Lucy, the more the two find themselves falling in love.  Jack feels guilty about falling in love with his brother's fiancée, and Lucy finds her affections transferring to Jack.

All of this becomes more complicated when Peter wakes from his coma.  He recognizes all of his family, but when he sees Lucy he asks, "Who are you?"  Everyone assumes he has amnesia, and Peter, not knowing any different, goes along with it.

Peter is even persuaded to marry Lucy.  And a wedding is hastily arranged in the hospital chapel.

However, before they can say their vows, Lucy tearfully breaks down and tells the truth.  She also tells everyone that she loves Jack.  While the family argues amongst themselves, Lucy slips out unnoticed.

Back at work, Lucy is very surprised to see an engagement ring slipped into the token tray.  She pulls it out and looks up through the window.

Lucy smiles when she sees Jack accompanied by all of his family.  Jack tells her that he needs to ask her a question.

After putting a token into the tray, Lucy allows him through.  Jack proposes and Lucy accepts to the delight of his family.

They get married with plans to honeymoon in Florence.  Lucy calls it the greatest gift, because after years of dreaming of traveling, she's finally going to get a stamp in her passport.  Lucy finishes the film by saying, "Peter once asked me when I fell in love with Jack.  And I told him 'it was while you were sleeping'".

Cast rundown:

   Sandra Bullock...............................Lucy Moderatz

   Bill Pullman....................................Jack Callaghan

   Peter Gallagher...............................Peter Callaghan

   Peter Boyle.....................................Ox Callaghan

   Jack Warden...................................Saul

   Glynis Johns...................................Elsie

   Margaret Travolta............................Admitting Nurse

And that's it for While You Were Sleeping.  The original screenplay was about a woman in a coma with a man pretending to be her fiancé.  Studio executives thought that that storyline was too predatory.  Once it was altered, production went ahead.  Demi Moore and Julia Roberts were both offered the role of Lucy Moderatz, and both declined.  At one point, Harrison Ford and Geena Davis were offered the lead roles.  Nicole Kidman auditioned for the role of Lucy.  Matthew McConaughey tested for the role of Jack, but he was passed over because of his Texas accent.

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Death On The Nile (1978)

Death On The Nile - 1978

Our next film is 1978's Poirot murder/mystery "Death On The Nile", which follows the tale of an heiress found murdered on board a cruise during her honeymoon.  As always in these films, all the passengers have a connection to the deceased, and it is up to our famous Belgian sleuth Poirot to find the murderer.

The film's superb cast includes Peter Ustinov, Jane Birkin, Lois Chiles, Bette Davis, Mia Farrow, Jon Finch, Olivia Hussey, George Kennedy, Angela Lansbury, Simon MacCorkindale, David Niven, Maggie Smith, Jack Warden, and Sam Wanamaker.

Wealthy heiress Linnet Ridgeway returns to her English estate to be greeted by her good friend Jackie.  Jackie wants Linnet to give her out of work fiance a job.  Linnet agrees to meet with him.

When Jackie brings Simon to meet Linnet, the two only have eyes for each other, and Jackie is left on the sidelines.  Linnet and Simon are married after a whirlwind romance.

They take a honeymoon to Egypt, where they spend time horseback riding around the pyramids and the Great Sphinx.

Unfortunately, Jackie keeps showing up and making a nuisance of herself, tormenting Linnet at every turn.

Also in Egypt on holiday is Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, who happens to witness the scene between Jackie and the honeymooners.

As the next part of their honeymoon, Linnet and Simon board a boat for a cruise down the Nile.  Also on the boat is Monsieur Poirot and his friend Colonel Johnny Race.

Linnet and Simon breathe a little easier when they are on board and out of Jackie's reach.

Things are far from smooth sailing, however.  At the Karnak Temple, Linnet is nearly crushed to death by a falling temple stone.

And at the temple at Abu Simbel, Jackie again makes her presence known.  What is even more irritating is that Jackie has now joined the cruise.  When she meets Monsieur Poirot on the boat, he tells her, "I must warn you, mademoiselle: do not allow evil into your heart, it will make a home there."

And, sadly, it isn't long before evil joins the cruise, too.  Linnet is shot in the head and killed.  Her husband Simon has also been shot.  And Jackie was with people and under the influence of a strong sedative.  Who could have killed Linnet?

As it turns out, any one of the passengers on board could've done it.  All had a motive.  Monsieur Poirot and Colonel Race are asked to take on the investigation.  Among the suspects is Linnet's maid.  She asked Linnet to give her some money that was promised to her.  When Linnet refused, the maid became extremely upset.

Linnet's American lawyer is also on board, and he is very anxious to cover up and conceal the fact that he has been embezzling heavily from Linnet.

Also on board is Mrs. Van Schuyler, who has had her eye on a valuable pearl necklace that Linnet possessed.  The necklace also turns up missing.

Mrs. Van Schuyler's maid is also a suspect.  Her father and Linnet's father were business partners.  Linnet's father went on to success, while the maid's father was ruined.  The maid has wished nothing but ill on the Ridgeway family.

Over-sexed author Salome Otterbourne is being sued by Linnet for having used Linnet as the model for one of the characters in her romance novels.  Poirot reminds Madame Otterbourne that "you cannot libel the dead", and that could be the motive for killing her.

Otterbourne's daughter is also aboard and anxious to protect her mother at all costs.  Jim Ferguson, who takes an interest in the younger Miss Otterbourne, is a Communist, and intensely hates Linnet's wealth.

And then there is Dr. Bessner, who was going to be exposed by Linnet for some of his medicinal practices that he used on her friends.

By the end of the film, Monsieur Poirot has rounded everyone up and tells how the murder went down in his inimitable style.

One of the film's funny moments comes near the beginning when still on land.  Salome Otterbourne is giving Colonel Race a lesson in the tango.  She dances quite enthusiastically and funnily around him.

Another good moment is when Monsieur Poirot discovers that a cobra has been placed in his cabin on board the ship to get rid of him.  Some quick thinking and the intervention of Colonel Race saves the day.

Cast rundown:

   Peter Ustinov................................Hercule Poirot

   Jane Birkin...................................Louise Bourget

   Lois Chiles....................................Linnet Ridgeway Doyle

   Bette Davis...................................Marie Van Schuyler

   Mia Farrow....................................Jacqueline de Bellefort

   John Finch....................................James Ferguson

   Olivia Hussey................................Rosalie Otterbourne

   George Kennedy............................Andrew Pennington

   Angela Lansbury............................Salome Otterbourne

   Simon MacCorkindale.....................Simon Doyle

   David Niven..................................Colonel Johnny Race

   Maggie Smith................................Miss Bowers

   Jack Warden.................................Dr. Ludwig Bessner

   Sam Wanamaker...........................Sterndale Rockford

And that's all for Death On The Nile.  It's another triumph in the Ustinov/Poirot films.  The cruise, by the way, is impossible to take.  The trip starts in Aswan then goes to Karnak, followed by Abu Simbel, which is in the opposite direction from Aswan.  It was also never possible to sail from Aswan to Abu Simbel because of the cataracts in that section of the Nile.  Apparently, actors had to be in the makeup room at 4 a.m. so they could start shooting by 6 a.m.  This was all in an effort to beat the heat, which would get up to 130 degrees Fahrenheit.  You can see the actors sweating profusely in several scenes during the film.

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