Cactus Flower (film)

Cactus Flower (film)

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Cactus Flower
Directed by	Gene Saks
Produced by	M. J. Frankovich
Written by	Abe Burrows (play), Pierre Barillet (Fleur de cactus), Jean-Pierre Grédy (Fleur de cactus), I. A. L. Diamond (screenwriter)
Starring	Walter Matthau, Ingrid Bergman, Goldie Hawn
Music by	Quincy Jones
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	December 16, 1969
Running time	103 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$3 million
Box office	$25,889,208[1]

Cactus Flower is a 1969 comedy film directed by Gene Saks and starring Walter Matthau, Ingrid Bergman, and Goldie Hawn, who won an Oscar for her performance. The screenplay was adapted by I. A. L. Diamond from a Broadway stage play written by Abe Burrows, which in turn was based upon the French play Fleur de cactus by Pierre Barillet and Jean-Pierre Grédy. The film was the seventh highest grossing film of 1970.

The film has been remade twice. A Hindi version titled Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya?, starring Salman Khan, Sushmita Sen and Katrina Kaif was released in 2005. An English language remake, Just Go With It starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston, was released in 2011.

Contents

 [show] 

• 1 Plot
• 2 Cast
• 3 Reception
• 4 Awards
• 5 See also
• 6 Notes
• 7 External links

Plot[edit]

21-year-old Toni Simmons attempts to commit suicide by inhaling gas from a second-hand stove. Her neighbor, Igor Sullivan, smells the gas and rescues her by using mouth to mouth resuscitation, which evolves into a kiss after Toni regains consciousness.

Toni's suicide attempt stems from her despondency following a romantic breakup. Her lover, Julian, ended the relationship by announcing he had a wife and three children. Unknown to Toni, Julian is not married. Upon learning of Toni's suicide attempt, Julian decides to marry Toni, but he needs a wife to divorce in order to sustain his earlier lie. Julian asks Stephanie Dickinson, his long time assistant, to pose as his wife. At first unwilling, she ultimately relents, since she has long had a crush on her employer.

Toni senses Miss Dickinson's feelings for Julian and asks Julian to help Miss Dickinson find another man. Ultimately Julian's friend Harvey, Señor Arturo Sánchez, and Igor all become embroiled in Julian's scheme. Toni suspects Julian's untrustworthiness and leaves him for Igor. Julian finally falls in love with Miss Dickinson.

The prickly cactus Miss Dickinson keeps on her desk in the office gives the film its name. Like Miss Dickinson, the cactus thrives in the driest of settings. By film's end, however, both the cactus and Miss Dickinson have "bloomed".

Cast[edit]

Actor	Role	Other notes
Walter Matthau	Dr. Julian Winston	a dentist
Ingrid Bergman	Stephanie Dickinson	Dr. Winston's assistant
Goldie Hawn	Toni Simmons	Dr. Winston's girlfriend
Jack Weston	Harvey Greenfield	a friend and patient of Dr. Winston
Rick Lenz	Igor Sullivan	a writer and Toni's neighbor
Vito Scotti	Señor Arturo Sánchez	a diplomat and patient of Dr. Winston
Irene Hervey	Mrs. Durant	a patient of Dr. Winston
Eve Bruce	Georgia	a date of Harvey Greenfield's
Irwin Charone	Record Store Manager	Toni's employer
Matthew Saks	nephew	one of Mrs. Dickinson's nephews

Reception[edit]

On release, the film was acclaimed by both critics and the general public, becoming the eighth highest grossing film of 1969. Howard Thompson of The New York Times stated that "both the expansive scenario of I. A. L. Diamond and the flexible direction of Gene Saks open up and even ventilate the story".^[2] Roger Ebert declared that "the chemistry works" and "the movie is better than the play".^[3]

The film marked the return of Ingrid Bergman to the movies. After the 1940s, Bergman had moved to Europe and pursued a relationship with director Roberto Rossellini, diminishing her appeal to US audiences. After returning to film in Anastasia, Bergman agreed to star in this film, her first comedy, again gaining critical praise.

In her first major film role, Goldie Hawn, once described as the "dizzy cream puff who is constantly blowing her lines [on Laugh-In]",^[4] was praised for being "a natural reactress; her timing is so canny that even her tears run amusingly".^[5] Hawn's performance in Cactus Flower won her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, her sole Oscar to date.

Awards[edit]

Goldie Hawn won two awards for her supporting role:

• Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress - Goldie Hawn
• Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture - Goldie Hawn

In addition, there was a nomination for Ingrid Bergman and an additional one for Goldie Hawn:

• BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role - Goldie Hawn
• Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy - Ingrid Bergman

Screenwriter I. A. L. Diamond was nominated for the 1969 Writers Guild of America Award for Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium, the only one of his ten screenplay nominations that was not for a screenplay that he co-wrote with Billy Wilder.