The Second Coming of Suzanne is a 1974 American drama film directed by Michael Barry. It stars Jared Martin as an obsessed San Francisco indie film maker who hires a beautiful woman called Suzanne (played by Sondra Locke) to star as a female Christ in his next film. Paul Sand co-stars as Suzanne's artist boyfriend. Richard Dreyfuss appears as a member of the crew who becomes concerned at the increasingly weird antics of the rest of the ensemble, which culminate in the crucifixion of Suzanne on a local hill. The film was inspired by the lyrics of Leonard Cohen's song "Suzanne", as heard on the soundtrack. The director's father Gene Barry is also featured, as a TV presenter, in a somewhat opaque sub-plot. The film music was recorded by Touch.
Shot in 1972 but shelved for two years, The Second Coming of Suzanne garnered mixed reviews from critics and minimal box office revenues. It did gain some notoriety due to a racy-for-its-time sex scene between Locke and Sand.
Cast Sondra Locke as Suzanne Paul Sand as Lee Simon Jared Martin as Logan Richard Dreyfuss as Clavius Gene Barry as Jackson Sinclair Gregory Enton as Heath Penelope Spheeris as Margo Rudy Lavalle as Cameraman David Moody as Soundman Robert Feero as S.F.
Production Principal photography was originally set to start September 1, 1971, but was delayed until the following summer.Murphy, Mary (September 18, 1972). "Movie Call Sheet". Los Angeles Times. p. 16. Gene Barry raised the financing from private sources.Miller, Jeanne (January 30, 1973). "At Last They Can Co-Star". San Francisco Examiner. p. 20. Filming finally began July 31, 1972 in San Francisco and surrounding areas, and lasted "six or eight weeks". Locations include Sam's Anchor Café, Angel Island and the Lyford House in Tiburon, the Bay Bridge toll plaza, Golden Gate Park and downtown Berkeley.
Reception The Second Coming of Suzanne won three medals for best first feature, film editing and cinematography at the Atlanta Film Festival.Manners, Dorothy (September 5, 1974). "Hollywood Highlights". The Daily Advertiser (Lafayette, Louisiana). p. 27. Joe Pollack of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch gave the movie two out of five stars, calling it "visually fascinating, but also strangely disconnected and extremely self-indulgent."Pollack, Joe (October 21, 1977). "The Second Coming of Suzanne". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 5D. Jacoba Atlas, writing for the Los Angeles Free Press, called it "banal in the extreme," and the San Francisco Examiners Michele Lomax echoed that the movie is "without soul."Lomax, Michele (October 21, 1974). Suzanne' fails to speak out". San Francisco Examiner. p. 33. Syndicated critic Rex Reed, however, hailed it as "an arresting, poetic puzzle of a film that stimulates and hypnotizes by utilizing every aspect of the cinematic medium...courageous, free-swinging filmmaking, full of surprises and freshness...it's exciting."Sleeve notes, The Second Coming of Suzanne, Video Gems, 1980 John H. Dorr of The Hollywood Reporter praised the movie's unusual atmosphere, saying it "unfolds from image to magic image with an innovative beauty" and "lingers long in the mind." New York Daily News reviewer Kathleen Carroll said it is "an artistic triumph" and "a dazzling surrealistic trip." A mixed review from The Oregonians Ted Mahar stated that the film is "technically first class but its content [is] like something cooked up by the freshman class."Mahar, Ted (October 22, 1974). "Film festival officials honor Truman Capote". The Oregonian. p. B6.
See also List of American films of 1974 List of avant-garde films of the 1970s
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