Zelly and Me
| Zelly and Me | |
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| Directed by | Tina Rathborne |
| Produced by | Tina Rathborne |
| Written by | Tina Rathborne |
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| Music by | Pino Donaggio |
| Cinematography | Mikael Salomon |
| Edited by | Cindy Kaplan Rooney |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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87 minutes |
Zelly and Me is a 1988 American drama film written, directed and produced by Tina Rathborne. The film stars Isabella Rossellini, Glynis Johns and Alexandra Johnes, and features film-maker David Lynch in a minor role.
Released on April 15, 1988, Zelly and Me has received mixed reviews, citing its unsteady tone and a narrative which one reviewer felt would be more suited to a novel than a film.
After her parents died in an aeroplane crash, Phoebe (Alexandra Johnes) lived with her grandmother Co-Co (Glynis Johns) and a nanny, Zelly (Isabella Rossellini). Co-Co and Zelly soon find themselves competing for the child's affections, leading to Phoebe growing isolated when Co-Co jealously fires all of her staff.
Zelly and Me was the first film by writer and director Tina Rathborne. The film was greenlit by David Puttnam during his tenure as head of Columbia Pictures, and was based on Rathbourne's own childhood. Rathborne cast Rossellini's real-life partner David Lynch in a small role in the film, as Rossellini's character's lover. As a result, Lynch would later offer Rathborne the opportunity to direct for his 1990 television series Twin Peaks. Lynch agreed to take part in the film at Rossellini's behest, in order to overcome his fear of acting.
It's heartfelt, and marked by some devoted work, but [...] Rathborne hasn't yet learned how to let the really powerful stuff boil up implicitly from beneath the surface. Here, everything is on the surface, rather flatfootedly and awkwardly laid out, with clunky establishing speeches and pointers that deflate whatever mystery and tension lies in the material.
Zelly and Me was released on April 15, 1988. The film had previously been screened as part of the 1988 Sundance Film Festival, on January 23.
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