In his heart there remains a ray of hope that will transport him to a warm and colorful world. Through the music his spirit is renewed, if only for an instant, at the end of the rainbow.

"It is done with tenderness in an uplifting key but with raw and rifling energy. A stunning, soulful 15 minute short." ... Duane Byrge, Hollywood Reporter

There's a very dark old joke about a haggard tenor sax man who gets a chance to play "Over the Rainbow" for the King of England. He does just fine, giving it a ready and anguished lilt that pleases HRH. The jazzman's ready to blow wild, reaching into the lower registers, but then he forgets the bridge. A quick ad-lib but still nothing. He falters. Hushed silence. He repeats the melody but the crowd goes restless. In shame, the defeated sax man leaves the stage, goes back to his tiny flat and jumps. Face-down on the street, the ambulance with those weird and shrill European ambulance tones bleats out the forgotten tune.

"End of the Rainbow," a stunning, soulful 15-minute short starring Ray Pizzi as the tenor sax player, is a variation on that joke. It is done with tenderness in an uplifting key but with a raw and rifling energy. Key signature, with inspired transitions between a stark naturalistic tone and a transcendent ephemeral radiance, punctuate this musical allegory.

Exhibitors with intelligent fare might do well to couple "End of the Rainbow," a gleaming and wonderful film, with their feature presentations.

Shot entirely in downtown L.A., this Marino Colmano production has won six international film awards, including the top award at the 1983 Chicago International Film Festival. Picked up by Fox, "End of the Rainbow" got lost in the regime shuffle, but is currently with "Death of an Angel," (the last from the defunct Fox Classics).

A sterling and piercing Phil Marshall score hits every tone in the emotional scale: despair to euphoria. And photography by Philippe Rousselot and Colmano adds not only grace notes to this vivid human story but a lilting undercurrent as well.

Pizzi as the down-on-his-luck jazz man is terrific. His performance as the hang-dog artist blends with all the right modulations and tones, the teaming spirit of an artist with the grim and cruel realities of the everyday.

"End of the Rainbow" is a stunning and mesmerizing short.