Review of Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) by Mark H — 08 May 2012

Robert Getchell's script was nominated for an Oscar and it's ingenious in the way it fashions everyday difficulties into an intimately engaging saga. Coming at the end of 1974, the film touches on themes popularized by Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique published a decade before but still very much a part of the ongoing women's movement at the time.

At first Martin Scorsese might seem like an odd choice to direct this ode to female independence. Scorsese wrings real drama from the simplicity of this woman's drive to succeed against increasingly insurmountable odds.

But this is not some weepy women's picture. Scorsese brings grittiness to a narrative that could have slipped into treacle. His direction is self assured. What could have been heavy-handed is rendered as a genuine portrait of a person in crisis.

There is an utter commonality to the proceedings. It speaks to both men and women. There isn't a false note in the entire 112 minutes. What truly makes the drama powerful is the magnitude of Ellen Burstyn's Academy Award winning performance.

Alice Hyatt is a testament to the human spirit. It's clear why Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore remains one of the enduring classics of 70s cinema. It just gets better with age.