That's the Way of the World

                 

Sig Shore's That's the Way of the World, from 1975, is a teeny bit better than its dire reputation. As Robert Lipsyte, author of the original screenplay and a noted sportswriter, put it, "the soundtrack went platinum and the the film wnt lead." The soundtrack was Earth, Wind & Fire's sixth album and it went to number one, as did lead single, "Shining Star". The film, however, suffers from not having enough footage of the band; called in the film, "The Group". Harvey Keitel plays the band's producer, Coleman Buckmaster, who is cajoled by the mobbed up corporate poohbahs of his employer, A-Chord Records, to shift his attentions from Earth, Wind & Fire to an anodyne "family" trio. 

This is one of the hurdles the film cannot overcome. A large portion of the film is devoted to Buckmaster helping craft a hit for the trio, named The Pages. Bert Parks and Jimmy Boyd are kinda fun as two thirds of the trio. The trio sing schmaltzy, Carpenters type tunes and Parks' showbiz smarm, he was the longtime MC of the Miss America pageant, is a snug fit. As is Boyd, who gained fame as a teenager for singing the execrable "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus". It is a measure of the film's satiric intent that after The Pages hit paydirt, Boyd is shown cooking heroin in his dressing room.

Unfortunately, the third member of the trio and Keitel's love interest, Cynthia Bostick, is the weakest link. She has zero chemistry with Keitel and sinks every scene she is in. Bostick only had a total of four screen acting credits, so I think my opinion of her talents was widely shared. The twenty minutes or so of The Pages cutting their single, the cutesy pie "Joy, Joy, Joy", is hard to sit through unless you are into 70's recording technology.

The biggest problem with the film was that Sig Shore, who had had a big success producing Superfly, was not cut out to be a director. Shore, a hustler and fascinating character who got his start in the biz importing international films such as Hiroshima Mon Amour, did not know where to place his camera or his players or how to pace a scene. The film is choppy, but individual shots are so erratic that I'm not sure the blame can be placed on the editing team.

There are a couple of good concert sequences with Earth, Wind & Fire. I particularly enjoyed the roller disco scene with Keitel boogieing along in extra tight trousers. The funky 70s fashion are a delight throughout. At one point, Keitel is wearing a white suit with a black shirt, so somebody associated with the making of Saturday Night Fever probably made a mental note. Keitel's presence and Lipsyte's script are the main reasons to see the film. Lipsyte displays a good feel for New York City and the music business. Keitel's scenes with Shore himself, as a retired record executive, and Murray Moston, as Keitel's musician father, show what might have been. As the street smart and cocksure Buckmaster, Keitel is in his element. I especially enjoyed watching him motor around Gotham in a vintage Rolls convertible. The film features cameos by Murray the K, Frankie Crocker, and Doris Troy ("Just One Look"). I can in no way call this a good film, but those who want to see Keitel, Earth, Wind & Fire or a good script mangled could do worse.