BEYOND THE SEA / NEW DVD Available June 6, 2024 $22.95

Presentation: Wide Screen Sound: Dolby Digital Stereo Features: Director commentary; "Making of" featurette, interviews wtih cast and crew; 16:9 widescreen version ; 5.1 Dolby Digital; 2.0 Dolby stereo

Time: 1 Hour 58 Minutes

This story appears unedited on the fan site portion of blue-eyes.com. It ws written in November 2004.

Eight days ago I attended a screening of "Beyond The Sea" sponsored by The Museum of The Moving Image in NYC. What made this special was the promise of Kevin Spacey's attendance for a Q & A after the film was shown. It was held in a small 200 seat theatre on the 4th floor of a 42nd street multiplex.

First, the film. I was very skeptical about Spacey doing the vocals and had less than an open mind before the lights went down. To add to this, I played the soundtrack cd on my two hour drive to Manhattan. I thought he captured the spirit of Bobby, but he wasn't Bobby. He still sounded surprisingly good and the original arrangements never sounded better.

The film was a revelation for me. Not the typical linear musical biopic. This was Fellini's" 8 1/2" crossed with Fosse's "All That Jazz". A whole new approach to the genre. It worked for me. In fact, it was friggin' great ! Two hours sailed by as I watched one of the great actors of this generation pay homage to one of my musical heroes.I don't want to give away too much.

"Splish Splash" is a recreation of Bandstand viewed by Bobby's family in all its b&w; splendor. The early Dorsey Bros TV appearance is lovingly recreated with Bobby/Kevin utilizing the palm of his hand as a lyrical cheat sheet. "Beyond The Sea" becomes a major production number that charts his courtship of Sandra Dee. 'Up A Lazy River" charts his early Bronx years in still another splish splashily exciting song and dance fest. Exciting visuals abound throughout. I can't wait to see it all again.

Greeted with a standing ovation, Kevin Spacey was then interviewed by the museum's curator. He explained his attempt to capture Darin's attack,style and energy in his approach to the music. "I didn't want to do a slavish imitation. It had to come from me", he explained. He also noted that it would have been impossible to use the original Darin tracks for the production numbers.

He was not a fan of the New York Times BTS feature that appeared a couple of Sundays ago. He cited factual errors and its dwelling too much on the negative aspects of making the film. "It was more about how the movie almost wasn't made and not how it came to fruition".

He mentioned having lunch with Dick Clark. Clark told him a story about advising Bobby (after Splish Splash) to stay away from standards and stick with rock n' roll or his career would die.

He closed the Q & A session by saying how important Darin's legacy meant to him. He urged the audience to go out and buy "Aces Back To Back" and "Mack is Back" to experience Bobby's magic firsthand.

It was pure serendipity that gave me a chance for a few moments of one-on-one time after the screening. He told me the film's eventual dvd release will have several deleted scenes of songs that didn't make the final cut. His biggest regret was the deletion of "If I Were A Carpenter". "I just couldn't justify its inclusion within the dramatic framework of the film", he said

He came off as a down to earth guy with a sincere passion for Darin and his legacy.

It couldn't be left in better hands.

Rick Apt