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The Personals (1982 film)

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The Personals
Film poster
Directed byPeter Markle
Written byPeter Markle
Produced byPatrick Wells
StarringBill Schoppert
Distributed byNew World Pictures
Release dates
  • April 1982 (1982-04)
(Houston)
  • October 1982 (1982-10)
(regular)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$375,000[1]
Box office$2 million[1][2]

The Personals is a 1982 romantic comedy written and directed by Peter Markle.[3][4] It was shot in Minneapolis. The film was picked up for distribution by Roger Corman's New World Pictures.[3]

Production

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Writer/director Peter Markle's first feature film,[1] it was made with a SAG cast recruited from the Guthrie Theater[5] and a nonunion crew.[6] Principal photography was May–September 1980, with additional takes and pickups through December and continuing into August 1981.[4] It was shot on 16 mm,[4] and blown up to 35 mm for theater screenings.[7]

It was filmed in and around Minneapolis, including such landmarks as the Lake of the Isles,[5] Bde Maka Ska,[8] and the Minneapolis Institute of Art.[9] As a low budget, independent film, the homes of director Markle, writer Wells, and actor Schoppert were used as filming locations as well.[10]

Plot

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A man whose wife has left him starts dating again by placing ads in newspaper personal columns. He gets some letters and he dates around the Minnesota area.

Cast

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Reception

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The film won the Best First Feature Award at the Houston International Film Festival.[6]

New World Pictures distributed the film nationally, and it ran for twelve weeks at St. Louis Park's Cooper Theater.[8] It also received generally positive reviews:[8] The Washington Post called it a "minor but admirably polished and attractive low-budget gem,"[5] and Variety said that the "story really isn't all the profound, but it's told with sincerity and humor, full of likeable, decent people dealing with familiar problems with wigging out."[11] Variety also commended the cast "making their feature film debut ... so natural it could embarrass some Hollywood acting schools."[11] Multiple reviewers appreciated Minneapolis as a fresh setting for filmmaking.[11][12]

Its rental tally was $2 million (equivalent to $6.31 million in 2023).[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Koetting, Christopher T. (2009). Mind Warp!: The Fantastic True Story of Roger Corman's New World Pictures. Bristol: Hemlock Books. pp. 216–217. ISBN 9780955777417.
  2. ^ Donahue, Suzanne Mary (1987). American film distribution : the changing marketplace. UMI Research Press. p. 295. Please note figures are for rentals in US and Canada
  3. ^ a b Canby, Vincent (March 20, 1983). "Screen: 'Personals' in Minneapolis". The New York Times. p. 60.
  4. ^ a b c Timberg, Bernard; Arnold, Thomas (February 1982). "Voices from the Hinterlands... Part Three". The Independent. Vol. 4, no. 10. pp. 10–11. Starting out with $50,000 of their own money, Pat Wells and Peter Markle raised the balance of the $375,000 needed to produce their film The Personals by this method.
  5. ^ a b c Arnold, Gary (January 22, 1983). "Roller Romance, as Advertised". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. pp. B1, B4.
  6. ^ a b Anderson, Phil (November 1982). "Prairie Film Companion". American Film.
  7. ^ "SWM, 32, Looks for Love in 'The Personals'". Philadelphia Daily News. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. October 20, 1983. p. 52.
  8. ^ a b c Canton, Rolf J. (2007). "Producers". Behind the Cameras: Minnesotans in the Movies, Volume II. Minneapolis, MN: Nodin Press. p. 22. ISBN 9781932472530.
  9. ^ Markle, Peter (director) (1982). The Personals. YouTube (motion picture). 91 minutes in.
  10. ^ Canton, Rolf J.pp=172–173. Behind the Cameras: Minnesotans in the Movies, Volume II.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ a b c "Film Reviews: The Personals". Variety. Vol. 309, no. 3. Los Angeles. November 17, 1982. p. 14.
  12. ^ Thomas, Kevin (March 3, 1983). "Movie Review: 'Personals' A Fresh Surprise". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. J1.
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