Search - Play Misty for Me

Play Misty for Me marked Clint Eastwood's debut as a director, and it gave him the then-unusual opportunity to play a regular contemporary guy in a thriller about sex, obsession, and stalking. Eastwood's Dave Garver is a self-centered California jazz disc jockey struggling with the idea of committing to his on-again, off-again girlfriend Tobie (Donna Mills). One night he meets the mini-skirted Evelyn (Jessica Walters) in a bar, and he goes home with her for what he assumes is a one-night stand. Dave discovers, however, that Evelyn has repeatedly called his show requesting that he "play 'Misty' for me," and she is not about to go gently into the night now that she has bedded him. Even though it touches on the early-'70s flashpoints of sexual liberation, studio execs expressed doubts about why anyone would want to see a movie featuring Eastwood as a deejay. Eastwood reportedly answered that he was not sure either, but he thought it was a good suspense story, and he offered his services as director for free. Play Misty for Me wound up making five times more than it cost and is a precursor to such erotic thrillers as Fatal Attraction (1987) and Basic Instinct (1992). Eastwood mentor Don Siegel appears early on as a bartender. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

Clint Eastwood - Dave Garver
Jessica Walter - Evelyn
Donna Mills - Tobie
John Larch - Sgt. McCallum
Clarice Taylor - Birdie

1971

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama (nominee)

Golden Globe

Jessica Walter

This excellent DVD release of Clint Eastwood's 1971 directorial debut Play Misty for Me will please newcomers and longtime fans alike. Loaded with DVD extras, the movie's print has been cleaned up and returned to its original aspect ratio with a good anamorphic widescreen transfer. Beautifully filmed on-location by master cinematographer Bruce Surtees, the movie also serves as a love letter to the rugged California coastal town of Carmel. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono audio track is excellent and the scenes set at the Monterey Jazz Festival are given new sonic life on this disc. There are numerous disc extras to select (though some of them are too slight to be worth mentioning), but by far the best is the hour-long look back at the making of the movie. Entitled "Play It Again: A Look Back at Play Misty for Me," it's full of interviews with Eastwood, female lead Jessica Walter (in an excellent, star-making performance), key producers, writers, and others. This documentary makes plain that Play Misty for Me set the stage for Eastwood's career as a talented, individualistic director who refuses to get sucked into Hollywood power games or pointless power trips. After this film, Eastwood continued to use little or no makeup for actors, naturalistic lighting, real locations over sets, rich jazz scores, and tight budgets. Made for well under a million dollars, Play Misty for Me was a big mainstream hit with general audiences that also earned praise from indie film godfather John Cassavetes. The DVD also features a too short featurette on Eastwood and famed action-suspense director Don Siegel. A mentor and collaborator, Siegel was even amusingly cast as a bartender, mainly so Eastwood could get help from him on the first couple of days of shooting (he ended up not needing any). Besides better-than-average production notes and movie stills, the disc also features a montage of potential poster art that ends with the finished product. As a side note, the disc also makes plain that Eastwood considers Fatal Attraction to be an uncredited remake of Play Misty for Me. ~ Nick Dedina, All Movie Guide

These movies have the touch and feel of Play Misty for Me...
3	Belle de Jour (R)
45	Fatal Attraction [Special Collector's Edition] (R)
1	The River Niger (R)
2	Thieves Like Us (R)
2	The Unfaithful Wife (NR)
S	Not Tonight Darling
1	Blue Desert (R)
These movies have the subject or theme of Play Misty for Me...
11	The Phantom of the Opera
13	The Phantom of the Opera (R)
45	Fatal Attraction [Special Collector's Edition] (R)
23	Psycho II [Fullscreen] (NR)
6	Frenzy (R)
5	Boston Strangler (R)
2	Far From Home (R)
15	Blue Steel (R)
13	Raising Cain (R)
S	The Seduction (R)
These movies share cast/crew with Play Misty for Me...
16	Dirty Harry (R)
22	Firefox (PG)
7	The Eiger Sanction (R)
46	Unforgiven (R)
22	The Outlaw Josey Wales (PG)
11	The Gauntlet (R)
7	Tightrope (R)
14	A Perfect World (PG-13)
6	Clint Eastwood Collection: Pink Cadillac (PG-13)
12	High Plains Drifter (R)
5	Coogan's Bluff (R)
6	Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (R)
12	Kelly's Heroes (PG)
13	Sudden Impact (R)
5	Creature From the Black Lagoon
15	Heartbreak Ridge (R)
2	White Hunter, Black Heart (PG)
19	Pale Rider (R)
5	Honkytonk Man (PG)
46	In the Line of Fire (R)
S	The Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection, Vol. 1 and 2 (NR)
These movies are similar to Play Misty for Me...
78	Basic Instinct (R)
32	The Crush (R)
45	Fatal Attraction [Special Collector's Edition] (R)
51	Misery (R)
24	Poison Ivy (R/NR)
52	Single White Female [Fullscreen/Widescreen] (R)
9	Talk Radio (R)
29	The Fan [Widescreen/Fullscreen] (R)
41	Fear (R)
S	Clean Kill (R)
50	Swimfan (PG-13)
1	Cold Grip