A Safe Place (1971)

30% of users liked it
(193 ratings)

A Safe Place, writer/director Henry Jaglom's feature film debut, is a time-fractured, hallucinatory fantasy, featuring Tuesday Weld as a lonely and confused woman named, at times, Susan and at other times Noah, who comments that "Tomorrow is where the past is." Too delicately ethereal to cope with… More A Safe Place, writer/director Henry Jaglom's feature film debut, is a time-fractured, hallucinatory fantasy, featuring Tuesday Weld as a lonely and confused woman named, at times, Susan and at other times Noah, who comments that "Tomorrow is where the past is." Too delicately ethereal to cope with either the hussle and bustle of a 1970 New York City or her un-hip boyfriend, Fred (Philip Proctor), Susan/Noah escapes into another reality, presided over by The Magician (Orson Welles with a cheap Yiddish accent). As she flits back and forth between past and present, fantasy and reality, Susan encounters Mitch (Jack Nicholson), an old lover who might also be her brother, and Bari (Gwen Welles) who delivers a soliloquy concerning New York City mashers. Opinion about this film was so divided when it was shown at the 1971 New York Film Festival, that the audience broke out into shouting matches which nearly led to a brawl. One highlight of the film is the wide assortment of popular music in its soundtrack. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 34 min.
Directed By: Henry Jaglom
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Oct 1, 1971 Wide
On DVD: Feb 13, 2012

No Critic Reviews Found…

Featured Audience Ratings

Tim S

Another head-scratch inducing film from the BBS library. I think I wrapped my head around it and it turns out it's just one of those weird plays you got dragged to in college trying to impress a hip girl you wanted to date. I felt nothing for Tuesday Weld and her plight which… More
Another head-scratch inducing film from the BBS library. I think I wrapped my head around it and it turns out it's just one of those weird plays you got dragged to in college trying to impress a hip girl you wanted to date. I felt nothing for Tuesday Weld and her plight which basically focuses on trying to figure out what kind of person that she wanted to be all the while not wanting to grow up. Boo-hoo. These are the type of films that make me hate the entire movement of hippies.
Eric B

Very strange film...comes off like a rough student project from someone who recently saw "Last Year at Marienbad" for the first time. One gets the impression that five or six extended improvisations were shot, and director Jaglom chopped them up, intertwined portions across… More
Very strange film...comes off like a rough student project from someone who recently saw "Last Year at Marienbad" for the first time. One gets the impression that five or six extended improvisations were shot, and director Jaglom chopped them up, intertwined portions across the film's duration and chose certain bits to naggingly repeat. Tuesday Weld smiles, laughs, and philosophizes like a daydreaming child. Orson Welles -- with a awkward foreign accent -- does magic in the park, paternally cuddles with Weld and holds onto hopes of making things disappear with a word. The Firesign Theatre's Phil Proctor is a dull, passive-aggressive schmuck who fails to win Weld's heart by endlessly trying to think of world cities which span his love for her. Jack Nicholson (whose role is probably not substantial enough to satisfy curious fans) drops in, acts rakish and aims to steal Weld from Proctor. Scratchy torch ballads (mostly French) dawdle throughout the score, serving as aimless backdrop for the montages. As the credits rolled, I realized that I couldn't remember why Weld's character had been called both "Noah" and "Susan." It's that sort of movie.