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PLAY MISTY FOR ME

Eastwood is local jazz DJ David Garver who gains one extra special fan while working in the small town of Carmel, California. Jessica Walter plays obsessive and creepy Evelyn Draper, who is determined to make Dave her man at all costs. Evelyn calls into Dave's radio station on a regular basis requesting the song "Play Misty for Me" and eventually sets up an impromptu meeting with Dave. Soon they start an illicit affair. But when Evelyn shows up everywhere Dave is, he starts to feel suffocated, asking a fellow employee, "Do you ever find yourself being completely smothered by somebody?" He can't even go for a drink without her following him. She leaves presents, messages and notes on his door constantly. He quickly realizes Evelyn is in dire need of a good psychiatrist but Dave can't seem to shake this woman. He tries breaking it off with her but she won't have it. And when Dave's ex, Toby (Donna Mills) comes back to town in hopes of re-igniting their romance it only makes matters worse for Dave. Things go from bad to worse to... deadly.

The story is a simple one that most of us can relate to in some degree. One person is desperately caught up with another, even willing to break the law, and even worse - murder, if necessary, to get what they want. Since MISTY made its debut, many films have taken on this subject matter to mostly lesser results.

Years later MISTY was updated and revamped in bigger-budgeted Hollywood style with 1987's FATAL ATTRACTION, a superb film focusing on one man's (Michael Douglas) infidelity turning his whole life upside down when the woman (Glenn Close) he spends a weekend with sets her sights on having him permanently. MISTY and FATAL ATTRACTION rank high in their drama, terror and entertainment values. And both are very similar in their structure. Eastwood's Dave spends a very small amount of time with Evelyn before she suddenly is consumed with him. While Douglas' Dan they even have similar names - spends just a few days with Close's Alex and she too becomes immensely engrossed with him. Both women make references to Madame Butterfly and both try to kill themselves for sympathy and it works. Both stalkers attack the object of their obsession's affection. And each are brought to their demise by the man whom they are obsessed with.

Very few people who saw FATAL ATTRACTION will recognize the similarities in these two films since MISTY came out 16 years earlier to a smaller, yet appreciative, audience. Yet MISTY was there first. Enormous credit must be given to the encapsulating thriller that, under the reigns of Eastwood, was made for a mere $750,000, a low cost even in '71. At the time Eastwood had just made it big as an actor in COOGAN'S BLUFF and KELLY'S HEROES and was eager to get behind the camera.

Hiring COOGAN'S BLUFF director Don Siegel to play a small part in MISTY comforted Eastwood, knowing that if he screwed anything up his friend was there to help him through it. But Eastwood didn't need any help. His keen eye and distinct sense of style shone through instantly on set. MISTY's spectacular scenery with many shots of the ocean from high above a cliff top or the beautiful greenery and mountain ranges of the Northern California coast where Eastwood still calls his home today - fills the screen with serene moments while horrid and brutal occurrences, ironically, balance the film. Setting the movie in a sweet and picturesque town is a clever way to surprise the audience of what is to come. It offsets the predictability of the film, in turn building great suspense to it.

Besides the film itself being a treat, Universal, widely known for giving ample extras on their DVDs, does not disappoint once again. A thorough look back at the making of MISTY with interviews with Eastwood, Walter, Mills and producer Robert Daley makes up for having no director's audio commentary throughout the film. Also included are the trailer, poster ads, and production notes  - although they are somewhat redundant after the documentary on the film in which Eastwood goes step by step into the process of making MISTY. Still photos and DVD-ROM features complete this "must have" DVD.