The Personals (1982 film)

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]

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

Production

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

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

Reception

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 $6.06 million in 2022).[1]

See also

References
  1. 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. Canby, Vincent (March 20, 1983). "Screen: 'Personals' in Minneapolis". The New York Times. p. 60.
  4. 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. Arnold, Gary (January 22, 1983). "Roller Romance, as Advertised". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. pp. B1, B4.
  6. 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. 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.
  11. "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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