Review of Save the Tiger (1973) by Keith A — 08 Nov 2009

In what seems like a mostly forgotten movie, Jack Lemmon gives a wonderful performance and strikes so many right notes in the role that won him the Oscar for Best Actor of 1973. He excels as Harry Stoner; his frequent wishes for the days of his youth are quite interesting to listen to, even as he sometimes babbles incoherently, confusing others around him. Jack Gilford (also an Oscar nominee that year) has a nice, quiet supporting performance as his friend and business partner, who is almost as desperate as Lemmon's character in trying to keep their company afloat. All the while, Harry's dream of the old days may cause him to feel alone and frustrated at the world around him.

The film is mostly quiet (toward the end, I had an almost surreal feeling as I was around it), and that may be why so few people comment on it. This is a bit unfair, as it is a worthy film of the 1970's (possibly the greatest decade of films), and it features a superb piece of acting by Lemmon, who again proves, with his versatile career, why he has become one of the film world's most beloved actors. If it weren't for his performance, this movie might've become completely obscure. For that, I feel sorry for this entertaining and mostly straightforward story, and I wish that more were aware of it. I'm forced to identify and think, once again.

Isolation is a scary place.