Roseland

Three interlocking stories comprise this poignant and haunting film set entirely within the legendary New York City dance palace of the title. In “The Waltz,” a widow (Teresa Wright) who regularly comes to Roseland in order to sustain the memory of her late husband, meets a man who offers her an opportunity for happiness in the present. In “The Hustle,” a handsome gigolo (Christopher Walken) is entangled with three women; one of them, Marilyn (Geraldine Chaplin) offers to support him if he’ll resume his promising dancing career. And in “The Peabody,” an older Viennese woman (Lilia Skala) dreams of winning the weekly dance competition and so spurns a marriage proposal because her suitor is an awkward dancer.

Playing out in an almost timeless realm, the dancehall exists to satisfy its characters’ dreams and sustain their illusions, and the film continues Merchant Ivory’s exploration of the way the past continues to maintain its grip on the present.

Nominated — 1978 Golden Globes: Best Supporting Actress, Motion Picture

USA | English | 1977 | 104 mins | 2K Restored