The Elements Of Magic - "When Harry Met Sally"

(This is Part Two) Okay, so the first element of movie magic is a good, preferably great script. Then a great cast. And what a strange number of psychic variations can arise in the casting of a movie. Did you know that Tom Hanks turned down the role of Harry? As did Albert Brooks. Molly Ringwald was offered the part of Sally but couldn't schedule it. Can you imagine anyone else but Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan? If magic happens it happens because the casting provides the sparks while the actors bring the magic.

The sexual tension between Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan was undeniable. But to me it was, at first, almost unbelievable. Billy is not the greatest looking actor around but he's got so much humor, energy and honesty that somehow he's quite likeable. In Casablanca, is Bogart some man-hunk of a guy? No. His face is etched in booze, cigarettes and sadness. To me that's magic. And as much as I like George Clooney I also miss actors with blemishes. And women with figures. And actors who could act. But I digress....

Thus, script plus cast equals magic? Maybe. We know that actors without scripts equals good looking garbage. But what else transforms the two dimensions of film into magic? In my book it's Premise plus Timing. Take "Fatal Attraction". Great script, great actors and a very fresh twist on the very old premise of adultery. And everyone involved knew that film would create controversy, excitement and fear. Today I'm sure it would spin off it's own reality show.

So great script, great actors, timely premise. Can a Man and Woman Be Friends? That still has legs doesn't it? When your premise has that much staying power you got yourself some magic. I think Rob knew what he had. But he was also into a new relationship at the time so that added even more juice to the whole story. It was Barry Sonnenfeld who introduced Reiner to Michele Singer, his wife to be. And I think it was on the set of When Harry Met Sally. (The fact of When is a still question in my memory. The Who and What are certain.) Additionally Reiner and his partner revised the script and whatever Reiner was going through had a good deal to do with that film.

And as a sidebar soapbox there's nothing like honesty in creation. I don't care what you are working on, if it comes from an honest place then you are on a good foundation. The reason there's so much crap labeled as "film" is because it comes from a place with no foundation. Spend as much money as you want, Pearl Harbor at 135 million will never be a watchable film. Spend 400k and add a little honesty, what might happen? Napoleon Dynamite. It's not about money. All good art is about honesty, or what strikes us as truth, even if it's fiction.

Okey dokey. Script. Actors. Timely and Powerful Premise. Does that make magic? One would think so. But that ain't all of it. A director needs to know where to place a camera and he needs the proper lighting to produce the images. And yet there are two more elements that can catalyze a little magic. Music and Luck. (There may be more but I'm over my head now...)

From the beginning Reiner had a vision of using Jazz Standards as the music behind the action. Woody Allen had done it for years but it seemed that When Harry Met Sally revitalized an entire genre of music that hadn't been heard in years. Later in the editing process Billy Crystal didn't feel that the song "It Had To Be You" - played when he was running through the streets to get to the New Years Party - was strong enough in Tempo to match his actions.

I think everyone just stared Billy down on that one. In retrospect you could have put a different song in that sequence because the movie was working so well. Just think of it this way: Mediocre, or good, music will enhance a decent movie. Inspired music will lift an already great film. But - brilliant music will never polish a turd. (as they say) In the case of When Harry Met Sally you had some of the finest recordings ever made. Louis Armstrong / Ella Fitzgerald. My God, just stop and listen to them sing "Summertime".

The man responsible for Harry Connick Jr's involvement is Bobby Colomby. Bobby was the drummer for Blood, Sweat and Tears. I think he was the Senior Vice President, Creative Development, at CBS records / Sony Music. Whatever he was, he brought Harry Connick Jr into the fold. Bobby is a music guru. He knows everyone in the business. Everyone. I'm not kidding. Many years ago I was working up in Toronto during the winter on a movie that I didn't enjoy for many reasons. I called Bobby and told him how miserable I was in the cold, very cold Toronto. Bobby can cheer anyone up. Anyway a week went by and my cell phone rang. "Hello," said the woman on the phone "David Copperfield calling can you take it?" I stared into my cell phone thinking it a practical joke. It was David Copperfield, the magician. He told me he had heard "great things" about my work from Bobby Colomby and could I hop on a plane to Vegas to check out his show? And come work for him? I couldn't help laughing. I didn't take the job but damn if Bobby Colomby didn't make my year. With Bobby in the mix you get some magic.

Finally I'll wrap it up with some fun stuff about Harry Connick Jr and what was (for me) the real magic moment. In the meantime here is some fun When Harry Met Sally Trivia.


Here is Part 3

Technorati Tags:
Rob Reiner, Marc Shaiman, Nora Ephron, Andrew Scheinman, When Harry Met Sally, Movie Magic, Harry Connick Jr, Barry Sonnenfeld, Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, David Copperfield, Bobby Colomby