Henry Jaglom

American actor/director/writer Henry Jaglom studied acting at the University of Pennsylvania, then completed his training at the Actors Studio in New York. Jaglom acted on stage and in TV, marking time in small roles until 1967, when Jaglom found a project that could provide his big break: a marathon documentary of the Israeli six-day war, which he filmed, wrote and edited, but which was never generally released. Back in the U.S. as an actor in 1968, Jaglom was able to attain backing for his first film directorial job, A Safe Place (1971). While capable of turning out a "safe" commercial film like Always (1985), Jaglom has preferred to work in a European-style cinema verite fashion, encouraging his actors to improvise within a "party" framework. The director's Someone to Love (1987), set during a birthday celebration, allowed Orson Welles in his last screen appearance to expouse his philosophies to his heart's content. Jaglom's Eating (1990), which took place during another birthday bash, contained an incredibly self-revealing scene featuring Frances Bergen, Candice Bergen's mother. Jaglom's work is not always to everyone's taste, especially those films in which he self-indulgently cast himself in the leading role, but those willing to go along for the ride are in for a treat, albeit a long-winded one.

~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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