Chilly Scenes of Winter

Joan Micklin Silver first came to national attention in 1975 with her stirring and evocative film Hester Street, starring Carol Kane as an Orthodox Jewish woman who comes to the New World to be with her husband but finds the old ways out of place in this new American society. The independently made movie features strong performances and great period re-creations. Its story of a husband and wife who do not quite connect resonates in Chilly Scenes of Winter. Based on a novel by Ann Beattie (who has a cameo as a waitress early in the film), the movie tells the story of an obsessively heartsick man (Heard) who pines for his lost love (Hurt). Casting the man as the lovelorn character provides an interesting role reversal to the usual romantic comedy. The story of the affair is told in snippets, little flashbacks or memories that provide the story's "chilly scenes" and telltale moments. The movie is chock-full of wonderful character studies and ironically contemporary sensibilities. An added treat is the appearance of film legend Gloria Grahame. The film's self-knowing spirit and sly wit may have gotten in the way of its box-office figures. After a disappointing initial release under the title Head Over Heels, the film's upbeat ending was re-shot to better capture the tone of Beattie's novel and re-released as Chilly Scenes of Winter.