tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54073916249858290892024-03-14T02:13:38.890-04:00Radiator HeavenJ.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11823190634186509982noreply@blogger.comBlogger687125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-18723539625438157782023-12-29T17:54:00.006-05:002023-12-29T17:56:17.695-05:00Bullitt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM6TJ7gSFAXZQcoQ2s1Eff1pzNP9AsDfoC6A_cK-dBmp4PRF2g_utDbwgqQmRtW4idl9VryY2l9B_pMn7zvjnQekjn0XQYBRICWxdWDsIVnXVuOLgENxpIclpWKmA_sAViuR5KXkT1G9cNNOmazZxF_NWlJChyphenhyphenZorJ7D3xpGXaVU2G0XguotdTahCdWAvj/s1200/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM6TJ7gSFAXZQcoQ2s1Eff1pzNP9AsDfoC6A_cK-dBmp4PRF2g_utDbwgqQmRtW4idl9VryY2l9B_pMn7zvjnQekjn0XQYBRICWxdWDsIVnXVuOLgENxpIclpWKmA_sAViuR5KXkT1G9cNNOmazZxF_NWlJChyphenhyphenZorJ7D3xpGXaVU2G0XguotdTahCdWAvj/w400-h225/download.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In the late 1960s,
Hollywood was undergoing a significant change. The studios had lost touch with
what moviegoing audiences wanted to see. By 1969 and the release of </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Easy
Rider</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> and its subsequent success signaled a seismic shift in cinema, making
way for a myriad of unusual films that were pushed through the system throughout
the following decade. Actor Steve McQueen was at the height of his powers
during the transition period with a toe in each era. He had risen to prominence
during the ‘60s with such films as </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Magnificent Seven</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (1960) and </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
Great Escape</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (1963), which transformed him into a bonafide movie star but,
at heart, he was a Method actor serious about his craft. He used his newfound
clout within Hollywood to produce two films that catapulted him to the next
level, </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Thomas Crown Affair</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> and </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Bullitt</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">, both released in
1968.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bullitt </span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">is a perfect example of
the aforementioned transitional period that was going on in Hollywood. It is a
studio movie, specifically a crime thriller that sees McQueen as a police
detective, however, he cut a significant amount of his character’s dialogue to
suit his particular style of acting. In addition, he had the production shoot
on location in San Francisco (uncommon at the time) and adhere to strict
authenticity when it came to police procedural details. One of the most
important aspects of this shoot was the show-stopping car chase scene that
eschewed traditional Hollywood techniques in favor of cars at actual high
speeds on actual city streets. This not only added to the film’s realism - it
gave the sequence a visceral thrill that hadn’t been done before.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">
The opening credits employ a fisheye lens, mixing black and white with color as
Lalo Schifrin’s cool, jazzy score sets a stylish vibe. Initially we have no
idea what is going on; the action that occurs during this sequence is without
dialogue. Who is chasing whom and why? Even when dialogue is finally spoken,
just before director Peter Yates’ credit, it is unclear exactly what happened.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh6q7YPxkeyfDTwfQ3RoJVElPXogJTklvURCAoI-qTmVAoxmFfRMkXFT5DghLVq-5Vjt3SUOnER-eB1E4vVh2js2uiXRO_cX6yt3DgChSpjBnnMQyK0jemptFDEvZVW8jqqoO2M4u4DHDjM-jyjNcsX3DTApfEf5u7U-U-LI4YYwLUtqkRZMk_-jXZuI-V/s1084/bullitt6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="1084" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh6q7YPxkeyfDTwfQ3RoJVElPXogJTklvURCAoI-qTmVAoxmFfRMkXFT5DghLVq-5Vjt3SUOnER-eB1E4vVh2js2uiXRO_cX6yt3DgChSpjBnnMQyK0jemptFDEvZVW8jqqoO2M4u4DHDjM-jyjNcsX3DTApfEf5u7U-U-LI4YYwLUtqkRZMk_-jXZuI-V/w400-h226/bullitt6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Lt. Frank Bullitt
(McQueen) is tasked by Senator Walter Chalmers (Robert Vaughn) with protecting
the star witness – Albert "Johnny Ross" Renick (Felice Orlandi) – in
a big trial against the Mob, known here simply as The Organization. He has to
keep him safe for 40 hours. What seems like a routine assignment turns out to
be much more complicated: the witness and the police detective guarding him are
critically injured by two hitmen in a situation that reeks of a set-up. Why
would the witness let these two men into the apartment? Frank’s boss (Simon
Oakland) tells him to investigate further and do it by the book… but, of course,
a maverick cop like Frank goes his own way, authority figures be damned. As he
puts it, “You work your side of the street, and I’ll work mine.” It is a
beautifully succinct line that sums up Frank’s ethos as a cop.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">What is so fascinating
about McQueen’s performance is his choice to emphasize facial expression and
body language (or the lack thereof) over dialogue. When a fellow cop is injured
in the line of duty, he says little to the man, except to ask the identity of
the person who shot him. The rest of the scene shows Frank reacting to what
happened, the grave concern that plays across his face. No trite words of
comfort are needed – the expression on McQueen’s face says it all.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This technique is used
again when Frank revisits the crime scene where Ross and the cop were shot. No
dialogue, just him looking over the scene and thinking about what happened,
trying to piece things together. Typically, a scene like that would have a
voiceover or Frank would be talking to himself or someone there explaining what
he’s doing. Instead, the filmmakers assume the audience is smart enough to
figure it out.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2j3fc5hwBx9YkeBGZtXOyjPr0wG_PJfk3a1IfgUgsyF5YJgJBFaIV4J7Qkzjfr7B-WOa7-26RBDCb3OW5blCFk7DDRVAXpY2hx-GGxL1kBVwdGBJ5okhb0RPliQyEinfJFVyyWybduqSA4-zDv_-H-EbDBlgzcUsqG41J3DdWc_8z0VlEpr-VOMD4na57/s1600/MV5BYWM3NjdjNjgtMzhiOS00ODIyLThhZWEtODU5MDMwNjBmOWI3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzc5NjM0NA@@._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2j3fc5hwBx9YkeBGZtXOyjPr0wG_PJfk3a1IfgUgsyF5YJgJBFaIV4J7Qkzjfr7B-WOa7-26RBDCb3OW5blCFk7DDRVAXpY2hx-GGxL1kBVwdGBJ5okhb0RPliQyEinfJFVyyWybduqSA4-zDv_-H-EbDBlgzcUsqG41J3DdWc_8z0VlEpr-VOMD4na57/w400-h225/MV5BYWM3NjdjNjgtMzhiOS00ODIyLThhZWEtODU5MDMwNjBmOWI3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzc5NjM0NA@@._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This being McQueen,
Frank is a hip guy. He dresses stylishly and takes his beautiful girlfriend
(Jacqueline Bisset) to a snazzy jazz club for lunch. Even his introduction is as
low-key as the man himself: his partner (Don Gordon) wakes him up after a long
night (he went to bed at 5 a.m.). Frank isn’t much for small talk and that’s
all we know about him; their relationship is all business. They aren’t friends
that crack jokes together or are at odds with each other like buddy cop movies
of later decades. It is an underwhelming introduction that gives no indication
of what kind of cop Frank is – we find out over the course of the film. This is
quite unusual for a mainstream studio film at the time, which traditionally
spelled everything out – this is not the case as <i>Bullitt</i> adopts its
leading man’s less-is-more aesthetic, extending to its very economic use of
dialogue. When Frank goes to dinner with a group of friends, his girl by his
side, we see them all talking but don’t hear their conversation as the jazz
music drowns out their voices. What they’re saying isn’t important, only that
we see what Frank does in his off-hours.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">For the most part,
Jacqueline Bisset is saddled with the thankless token girlfriend role. Late in
the film, however, she gets a moment to showcase her acting chops when her
character confronts Frank about his job, after seeing a crime scene where a
woman was brutally strangled. She tells him, “Do you let anything reach you – I
mean really reach you – or are you so used to it by now that nothing really
touches you?” She continues, “How can you be part of it without becoming more
and more callous?” referring to the violence and ugliness of his job. He has no
answer for her. She cannot reconcile the vast difference between her world and
his, asking, “What will happen to us in time?” to which he replies, “Time
starts now.” If up until now he’s kept her at arm’s length about the harsh
realities of his job, perhaps now that she has gotten a glimpse of it, she
understands why he doesn’t share the ugly details with her. Bisset does a
fantastic job in this scene and one wishes she was given more to do in the
film.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Yates shows off the
hilly streets of San Francisco beautifully. You get a real sense of place and
the city becomes another character unto itself. We see the neighborhood
convenience store where Frank gets his groceries and the grubby,
hole-in-the-wall hotel room in which the witness is hidden away. Throughout <i>Bullitt</i>,
the director demonstrates his considerable skill at visual storytelling. A key
example of this takes place at the hospital, when Frank shows up to check on
the condition of the witness with Dr. Willard (Georg Stanford Brown). In the
foreground of the shot Frank is eating while Willard is nearby. In the background
we see and hear Chalmers tell a nurse that he wants Willard replaced as Ross’
doctor because, “He’s too young and inexperienced,” and he would prefer his own
surgeon to take care of the man.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4eIbUXgKzdPy5mlKWWsydNpvcE4vzUvigMja5OxvM76QOYY9krEOL6ZXfrkUA2h_kIWh0PX73eboVSPno2moSvIjrY1gjc5-dV5ggdWSNeeHjyAZnDv12tcymdnZU2xMhrzDemE0-H0tC9coCw4vCBAokqkbJjt0vPLGjsHl0hw6e-UcTNVp9_ijbt1T/s2522/EStUOCjWoAIjiNL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1444" data-original-width="2522" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4eIbUXgKzdPy5mlKWWsydNpvcE4vzUvigMja5OxvM76QOYY9krEOL6ZXfrkUA2h_kIWh0PX73eboVSPno2moSvIjrY1gjc5-dV5ggdWSNeeHjyAZnDv12tcymdnZU2xMhrzDemE0-H0tC9coCw4vCBAokqkbJjt0vPLGjsHl0hw6e-UcTNVp9_ijbt1T/w400-h229/EStUOCjWoAIjiNL.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Frank and Willard
exchange a look that indicates they know the real reason: he’s black. It’s not
spelled out and nothing is said between the two men but they know and we know
it, too. It also reveals Chalmers’ unsavory side that had not been revealed up
to this point. Frank was already unsure of him because he came off as a smug
prick, but this clinches it: Chalmers has his own agenda and is not to be
trusted.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The film rights to <i>Mute
Witness</i> by Robert Pike had sold five times with McQueen’s Solar Productions
being the last buyer. Initially, he didn’t want to play a cop as he felt it
would hurt his counterculture/rebel reputation. Over time, he changed his mind,
reasoning that an authentic performance might change people’s opinions of the
police. He enlisted Alan Trustman, who wrote the screenplay for <i>The Thomas
Crown Affair</i>, to write a treatment for <i>Bullitt</i>. McQueen wasn’t crazy
about the complicated plot that the writer created.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">While that was being
worked on, he and producer Robert Relyea saw <i>Robbery</i> (1967), a heist
film directed by Peter Yates, which contained a car chase sequence that
impressed both men. Relyea said, “Yates had a car chase in that movie that
involved cars moving along very fast, then cutting to these children at a
crosswalk. It made you so nervous you couldn’t see straight.” The director was
sent the script for <i>Bullitt </i>and thought it was “awful.” He was asked to
re-read it and replied, “I’m not coming to America to make that kind of film!”
He was eventually coaxed to fly to Los Angeles to tell McQueen and Relyea what
he thought of the script and within hours signed on to direct the film.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgImeQDco4ksI1Q7zUAcGzwHG166AV5zDLI2HDDCuAj1DO0ZZT7c-xMt0QWuMx_uFv6Oqto0RZEEQMbYnikbtKa-wgz7mKzvbwYG6lUWw4s7ORo1OGpwwsaheMcDA_9ZyBvU_mX9hUdmiYBCUm5aLfsss_54fix7uJnRmn-MmP-HyPHM3VJSKMyJLSpxmBU/s736/CJpbD0pVAAIgdzk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="736" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgImeQDco4ksI1Q7zUAcGzwHG166AV5zDLI2HDDCuAj1DO0ZZT7c-xMt0QWuMx_uFv6Oqto0RZEEQMbYnikbtKa-wgz7mKzvbwYG6lUWw4s7ORo1OGpwwsaheMcDA_9ZyBvU_mX9hUdmiYBCUm5aLfsss_54fix7uJnRmn-MmP-HyPHM3VJSKMyJLSpxmBU/w400-h308/CJpbD0pVAAIgdzk.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">While the script was
being rewritten, McQueen was hands on with the casting, handpicking Robert
Vaughn, Simon Oakland and others. Vaughn actually turned down the project three
times and agreed to do it only after talking to McQueen, his agent and then
Yates. For his partner in the film, McQueen cast long-time friend Don Gordon,
whom he had known since the late 1950s when they were working in television. It
was his first film role and gave his career a boost.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">For the role of Frank’s
girlfriend, McQueen cast Jacqueline Bisset because he was attracted to her,
claiming that she was the most beautiful co-star he worked with up to that
point in his career. He made excuses to his wife to keep her away from the
shoot while he conducted an affair with Bisset during filming. He also thought
she was an excellent co-star: “She catches good. She can throw it back to you
with a great depth for a girl of that age.”<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Yates thought it would
be good for McQueen and Gordon if they researched their roles. They went on
ride-alongs with San Francisco police officers. Yates said, “Steve and Don
Gordon really had down their procedures. I thought it would be more exciting,
and it was.” The two cops assigned to McQueen hazed him a bit to see if he was
just another poseur actor and took him to a morgue. He was up to the challenge,
showing up with an apple, eating it while being shown cadavers. Gordon,
meanwhile, was taken out on a real drug bust and given a police I.D. card and
carried a badge and a prop gun. He was even recognized by a suspect on a bust.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF3nl5M6VA-nz17zUXJdncqaxQJYdASuiA-aG5LP8hnET6YHIVYgzdnvBlZ6D8RA_Xwq025vDEGLlWARbHOLwwHgMJv83cH60j5W_JzRpQ8Kwv2zwrx0tf9JTIzj9rA0mQyPomPh7ngc3yO846ZVwvOKqVAsBeu8UcbnfajAJ5BL4X0wZbKgEZASm_INlt/s1026/l5vrzj8c92u51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1026" data-original-width="821" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF3nl5M6VA-nz17zUXJdncqaxQJYdASuiA-aG5LP8hnET6YHIVYgzdnvBlZ6D8RA_Xwq025vDEGLlWARbHOLwwHgMJv83cH60j5W_JzRpQ8Kwv2zwrx0tf9JTIzj9rA0mQyPomPh7ngc3yO846ZVwvOKqVAsBeu8UcbnfajAJ5BL4X0wZbKgEZASm_INlt/w320-h400/l5vrzj8c92u51.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Up to this point,
McQueen had a good relationship with the studio and its head, Jack Warner, who
quickly agreed to make <i>Bullitt</i> and was hands off, trusting the actor. As
production ramped up, Warner sold his stock and retired. Kenneth Hyman and
Seven Arts took over and told McQueen that they wanted to be more hands-on.
Relyea said, “We came in with one understanding and then found ourselves in another,
it led to misunderstandings on both sides.” The studio told McQueen that his
six-picture deal was now going to be a one and done deal.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Filming began in
February 1968 and finished in May of the same year. The pressure of the new
studio regime and his reduced deal weighed heavily on McQueen. He didn’t
display the good humor he had on other sets as the pressure of carrying the
film affected his day-to-day mood – but it did not deter him from fighting for
what he wanted. The studio wanted <i>Bullitt</i> shot on the lot but McQueen
pushed to have it shot entirely on location. Yates said, “My biggest concern
was that if we were to make a picture totally on the lot, that it would look
like a television series.” San Francisco’s mayor Joseph L. Alioto was very accommodating
and the studio backed down. As a result, <i>Bullitt </i>was the first film to
be shot on location with an all-Hollywood crew, a major feat unto itself.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Yates encouraged the
actors to ad-lib and was not afraid to change a scene if it wasn’t working. For
example, in the scene where Frank meets his girlfriend for dinner, McQueen
didn’t feel comfortable with the dialogue as written. Yates told him and Bisset
to act as if they were having a real dinner and filmed them from the outside.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SsIfH36BU4E5lzD9H-WwABXTOsacMODt88xQ_bLj7apNoYJhY900AcBcRALxcHiJ4Q5ozuYUv4r-7s8O_p5U3YS43Y1SY4MXi0qtoD1PgmL1IgxmdIpIqQ-m_ZodpcknJoDRj50nF61btkzHHN54w95W76obxgI7gGlhedPM6sAezDORzEItrjfxORPJ/s1280/dgordon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SsIfH36BU4E5lzD9H-WwABXTOsacMODt88xQ_bLj7apNoYJhY900AcBcRALxcHiJ4Q5ozuYUv4r-7s8O_p5U3YS43Y1SY4MXi0qtoD1PgmL1IgxmdIpIqQ-m_ZodpcknJoDRj50nF61btkzHHN54w95W76obxgI7gGlhedPM6sAezDORzEItrjfxORPJ/w400-h225/dgordon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">During filming, the studio
rode McQueen hard about the budget. Whenever a studio executive would show up
on location, the actor would kick them off. The studio claimed that the
production was going over budget while in actuality there was no real projected
budget! In the end, the studio claimed that the budget went from four million
dollars to six million when it actually only cost five million.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Some of the stunts that
were performed during the production were quite dangerous and they didn’t
always involve cars. In the scene where Frank pursues Johnny Ross on the
airport runway and goes under a Boeing 707 passenger jet, the stunt involved
240-degree heat blasts from the engine with unpredictable cross winds. Stuntman
Loren James talked to the FAA and pilots and was told that it couldn’t be done.
Eventually, he found a pilot that was willing to do it and the stunt was done
in one take. James was paid $5000 for the death-defying stunt.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The film’s famous car
chase sequence was saved for the last two weeks of filming with the studio
threatening to deny it if the production went over budget. Screenwriter Alan Trustman
claims that the car chase was in the script but Yates has said that it was
producer Phil D’Antoni that pushed for it. Yates had just done one in a
previous film and didn’t want to do it. McQueen was prepping for the car racing
drama <i>Le Mans</i> (1971) and didn’t want to do it either. Stunt driver Carey
Lofton was brought in to coordinate the chase. He had known McQueen since the
late ‘50s and they had a good relationship. The actor wanted to make the best
car chase depicted on film and Lofton told him, “I knew a lot about camera
angles and speeds to make it look fast. You can underground the camera so you
can control everything in the scene.” Lofton told McQueen it would be expensive
to do. The actor replied, “Money is no object here.”<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN3mdD1AlErnECcUnyuFZEwbxtJUGhKSQEwXJAbBr5dE46V3rJduGQy2W0hQGOwHJLywEYAKWAQFlI7C9elyfCk3kHtNoh65LPtpTCMqqUB-q5rNQu50hCSi8-94YFzKxGD_7nqY6AQoP7roclEEQjIP54sEzRX2gs2IV6N1tR1kYxr5Mvb1XQONblf-Rg/s1024/Bullitt-Mustang-in-flight-1024x578.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="1024" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN3mdD1AlErnECcUnyuFZEwbxtJUGhKSQEwXJAbBr5dE46V3rJduGQy2W0hQGOwHJLywEYAKWAQFlI7C9elyfCk3kHtNoh65LPtpTCMqqUB-q5rNQu50hCSi8-94YFzKxGD_7nqY6AQoP7roclEEQjIP54sEzRX2gs2IV6N1tR1kYxr5Mvb1XQONblf-Rg/w400-h226/Bullitt-Mustang-in-flight-1024x578.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">McQueen wanted to do
his own driving and Lofton spent four days trying to convince him otherwise. It
wasn’t until he crashed into another car three times that Lofton asked
McQueen’s friend Bud Elkins to double for him. Elkins said of his friend, “He
took the corners too fast and he overshot them and crashed into cars.” The
climactic explosion at a gas station was, not surprisingly, the most expensive
aspect of filming and could be done only once. It was shot on the last day of
filming. Even though the car overshot the gas pumps, clever editing covered
this mistake.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The final showdown
where Frank chases his suspect on a busy airport runway and beyond is more than
a little reminiscent of the climactic showdown between Robert De Niro and Al
Pacino in Michael Mann’s <i>Heat</i> (1995). This, coupled with the
all-business Bullitt and the attention to procedural details, influenced
filmmakers such as Walter Hill and the aforementioned Mann; both are fascinated
by the machinations between cops and crooks.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bullitt</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> had its premiere on
October 17, 1968 at Radio City Music Hall. Roger Ebert gave it four out of four
stars and wrote, “The beautiful thing is that Yates and his writers keen
everything straight. There's nothing worse than a complicated plot that loses
track of itself.” In her review for <i>The New York Times</i>, Renata Adler
wrote that it was a “terrific movie, just right for Steve McQueen: Fast, well
acted, written the way people talk.” <i>The Hollywood Reporter</i> wrote, “Apart
from specific business assigned, McQueen is able to convey the same depths of
complexity in close-up reactions throughout the film’s action, which stresses
brutal action no less efficiently than the political intimidation, and
opportunistic legal maneuvers which are the cool menace of Vaughn’s tactics.”
In his review for <i>Artforum</i>, Manny Farber wrote, “in a long, near-silent
and very good stretch in U.C. Hospital, which is almost excessive in the way it
sticks like plaster to the mundaneness of the place, the movie hits into about
seventeen verities: faces looking out as though across the great divide of
20th-century lousiness.”<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvUdtK9AvKusmQ5XnSqmBphByKERpqldVaPjWVidDb6cWghHPFDyGsGjcwP_l5Z6qgsiquzpj18APVarLxHvzavk6C5ImqcdSrUdcG3u3oXoz-CTfiWdtTIYASdzYUmHe-gce9dEa3utALR6vYf4raG7VXs6-jypeiZBpkb3QBV2bvFd1gs3dFfcBgA7QX/s1352/Bullitt%201.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="1352" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvUdtK9AvKusmQ5XnSqmBphByKERpqldVaPjWVidDb6cWghHPFDyGsGjcwP_l5Z6qgsiquzpj18APVarLxHvzavk6C5ImqcdSrUdcG3u3oXoz-CTfiWdtTIYASdzYUmHe-gce9dEa3utALR6vYf4raG7VXs6-jypeiZBpkb3QBV2bvFd1gs3dFfcBgA7QX/w400-h180/Bullitt%201.png" width="400" /></a></div> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">After watching this
film, audiences questioned: what was the point? Was Chalmers in league with The
Organization or merely an arrogant and inept politician? Robert Vaughn keeps
his cards close to his vest, never giving us a clear indication of his
character’s true motivations. He maintains a slick, impenetrable façade that
the actor does a great job of maintaining throughout the film. <i>Bullitt </i>simply
ends with Frank returning home, his girlfriend asleep in his bed. He washes his
face and looks in the mirror, a grim expression looking back. One wonders if
this befuddled audiences at the time. It certainly isn’t the happy ending most
expected with this kind of a film and again, it is further proof of the winds
of change going on in Hollywood where McQueen could push a film like this
through the system. It isn’t as radical as something like Robert Altman’s <i>The
Long Goodbye</i> (1973), but it is groping towards that kind of reinvention.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">SOURCES<br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Terrill, Marshall. <i>Steve
McQueen: Portrait of An American Rebel</i>. Plexus. 1993.</span></div>
J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11823190634186509982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-89730760346551065862023-10-30T14:01:00.007-04:002023-10-30T14:02:36.520-04:00The Lords of Salem<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLUU6aaI6yANrnX52WspYRz-j39NF9RCGq-HTzoC9tl10lPGlet5bN8qUQyL5b5tqurCeX5EEVdm2j9mJGf8ltYEgWINjbiVzGAZcbtKSv0y6zoOEFPpEKP8FPBYqrXOzXUIZTHDOycnBG6opJAPdMqcJAKnlYTvA_Njw29U8Or_wiaPVNjDvguR_uMRYR/s720/los003.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="720" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLUU6aaI6yANrnX52WspYRz-j39NF9RCGq-HTzoC9tl10lPGlet5bN8qUQyL5b5tqurCeX5EEVdm2j9mJGf8ltYEgWINjbiVzGAZcbtKSv0y6zoOEFPpEKP8FPBYqrXOzXUIZTHDOycnBG6opJAPdMqcJAKnlYTvA_Njw29U8Or_wiaPVNjDvguR_uMRYR/w400-h160/los003.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">With the exception of
Eli Roth, no other filmmaker in the 2000s has divided horror movie fans more
than hard rocker turned director Rob Zombie. People either love or hate his
brand of grungy, white trash nihilistic cinema where he identifies with the
antagonists rather than the protagonists, be it the Firefly clan in </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">House of
1000 Corpses</i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> (2003), </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Devil’s Rejects</i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> (2005), and </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">3 From Hell</i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">
(2019), or Michael Myers in </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Halloween</i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> (2007) and its sequel (2009). With
</span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Lords of Salem</i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> (2012), he created his first traditional protagonist
only to place her in an unconventional film. Enjoying the most creative freedom
he had since </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Rejects</i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">, he eschewed the gore and extreme violence of his
previous films in favor of a heavy atmosphere of dread. Freedom from the
constraints of a studio franchise (</span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Halloween</i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">) emboldened Zombie to push
himself as a filmmaker, creating a fascinating phantasmagorical experience.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Heidi LaRoc (Sheri Moon
Zombie) is a disc jockey at a local, popular Salem hard rock radio station
where she co-hosts a show along with two others – Herman “Whitey” Salvador
(Jeff Daniel Phillips) and Herman “Munster” Jackson (Ken Foree). She lives with
her dog in an old apartment building and one day spots a new tenant in the
apartment down the hall. When she asks her landlady (Judy Geeson) the identity
of the new inhabitant, she is told that no one lives there.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">One day at work, a
mysterious record shows up in an old wooden box, addressed to Heidi, by a band
called The Lords. She listens to it with Whitey and the music causes her to
have a vision of a 17th century-era coven of Satan-worshipping
witches. She finds herself inexplicably drawn to the apartment down the hall
and once there, finds herself confronted by disturbing visions, including a
nightmarish beast in an otherworldly landscape. Heidi’s mind unravels over the
course of the film as The Lords record really puts the zap on her, blurring the
lines between reality and nightmare.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9U7IV8GLBinvhyphenhyphen5bOR8QwmlefJ97FwkjYpR_pwFroyB0jGS64arTXyom1Z9FID4qCauxY_K74V0Zc4K3k_e_0ZCvpXJYBuOjdkP9WL3lcXkBIJTcij2FD4IAoGVwL5Hws7iN3OQDZMW5czZbhfgGKUa5dlnI3CH9Cx9ONeGlR2qNsuZJBttRHCwMSiQuS/s1024/vlcsnap-2013-05-06-16h35m19s89.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="1024" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9U7IV8GLBinvhyphenhyphen5bOR8QwmlefJ97FwkjYpR_pwFroyB0jGS64arTXyom1Z9FID4qCauxY_K74V0Zc4K3k_e_0ZCvpXJYBuOjdkP9WL3lcXkBIJTcij2FD4IAoGVwL5Hws7iN3OQDZMW5czZbhfgGKUa5dlnI3CH9Cx9ONeGlR2qNsuZJBttRHCwMSiQuS/w400-h166/vlcsnap-2013-05-06-16h35m19s89.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Right from the get-go,
Zombie does a wonderful job capturing the cool, crisp autumn days in the
Northeast via the cinematography, drawing us into this world. He utilizes a
warm, amber filter for night scenes and muted colors, creating a grey, cold
look for day scenes. For the first third, he adopts a slow burn approach, not
revealing too much, gradually building the dread, letting us get to know Heidi
so that we care about happens to her in the latter two acts of the film. He
populates the film with Kubrickian low-angle shots of hallways and breaks up
the story into days of the week, a la <i>The Shining</i> (1980). He also shows
a knack for striking visuals as evident in the fiery, apocalyptic inferno that
is the 17th century witch trials, illustrating the Puritans meting
out their religious brand of ‘justice.’<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Sheri Moon Zombie has
gotten a lot of flak for her acting prowess and the fact that she almost
exclusively appears in her husband’s films, usually in a supporting role,
whether it be significant (<i>Rejects</i>) or smaller (<i>Halloween</i>). In <i>The
Lords of Salem</i> she is cast in the lead role, the responsibility of carrying
the film placed squarely upon her shoulders. Because Moon’s acting ability is
inherently tied to her expressive looks and may not have the broadest range,
she benefits from Zombie’s ‘less is more’ approach. Heidi doesn’t have a lot of
dialogue and, once the effects of The Lords record take hold on her character.
She spends most of her time reacting to the strange things going on around her.
Sheri does a commendable job of showing a woman plagued by horrible visions of
faceless surgeons pulling her intestines out, struggling to make sense of what
is happening, and displaying increasingly erratic behavior.<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Veteran actor Bruce
Davidson is excellent as a Salem witch scholar that figures out the connection
between The Lords record and the Salem witches. Zombie regular Jeff Daniel
Phillips is also memorable as a disc jockey that works and is close friends
with Heidi. There is a nicely understated romantic tension between the two
characters, suggesting a longstanding friendship, evidenced by the familiar
shorthand between them.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">
As with his other films, Zombie acknowledges horror films from the past by
casting its royalty with the likes of Dee Wallace, Judy Geeson, and Ken Foree
in crucial roles, and blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameos by Barbara Crampton,
Michael Berryman, and Sig Haig. This isn’t simple stunt casting or a knowing
wink to fellow horror genre fans, rather actors playing bonafide, lived-in
characters.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1VauNEGmR11o-xCa3g8vr5YLMY6oi-26lqT4g8BQrf1O77YbvnAgrt1S7SbASbHvpGzKx1fM9Rxlzdgb6WI9iWiYY8rPYl0LDMmqLZzxwI_fWjwPjMnOdbgE1RLVNIb3WiyfTv_9pD2n415lNkbRMNA5glloxQJXwJbXr2afGxznqA09HEJYGtVuU1RFa/s1024/vlcsnap-2013-05-06-16h41m32s53.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="1024" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1VauNEGmR11o-xCa3g8vr5YLMY6oi-26lqT4g8BQrf1O77YbvnAgrt1S7SbASbHvpGzKx1fM9Rxlzdgb6WI9iWiYY8rPYl0LDMmqLZzxwI_fWjwPjMnOdbgE1RLVNIb3WiyfTv_9pD2n415lNkbRMNA5glloxQJXwJbXr2afGxznqA09HEJYGtVuU1RFa/w400-h166/vlcsnap-2013-05-06-16h41m32s53.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">The Lords of Salem</span></i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> is a captivating film
with Brandon Trost’s atmospheric cinematography giving it a much richer look
than its meager $1.5 million budget would suggest. Zombie gets the most out of
his locations, choosing those that give a real sense of place including, most
crucially, the apartment building that Heidi inhabits. Everything has a
lived-in look, from the clutter in the D.J. booth where Heidi does her show to
Davidson’s bookcase-dominated home.<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">If there is one
erroneous aspect of this film, it’s the reliance on the tired cliché of Satan-worshipping
witches. Witchcraft is pagan in nature. While a large number of witches don’t
worship any god or goddess, there are those that do…but not Satan. It could be
that he is used in film because it is an easily identifiable embodiment of
evil, even outside of the Christian faith. Zombie did such a great job in all
other areas and seemed to be interested in bucking tradition, then fell back on
a stereotypical portrayal that is disappointing, but hardly surprising as this
has been done in countless horror films.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Zombie tones down the
gore in favor of disturbing imagery reminiscent of Ken Russell’s <i>The Devils</i>
(1971), creating an overwhelming feeling of dread and unease. In that sense, <i>The
Lords of Salem</i> is a refreshing outlier in Zombie’s filmography as it dials
back the aggressive, extreme horror films of such films as <i>31</i> (2016) by
shifting gears to more supernatural-based horror, as demonstrated in the
showstopping finale. Zombie pulls out the strangest imagery that he’s ever
produced and marries it with his trademark downbeat ending, scored to chilling
effect with “All Tomorrow’s Parties” by The Velvet Underground and Nico. <i>The
Lords of Salem</i> is not a scary movie per se… instead Zombie creates a more
chilling, unsettling experience. It appeared that he was maturing and evolving
as a filmmaker but when it barely made back its budget, he went back to what he
knew best – extreme horror with hillbillies and white trash with <i>31</i>.
That being said, he is still capable of throwing audiences the occasional curve
ball as he did in 2002 with the odd career move of making a studio-backed film
adaptation of the much-beloved 1960s family sitcom, <i>The Munsters</i>. True
to form, by design or not, Zombie’s work continues to fascinate fans and
detractors alike.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqwuDKKCXFtTvAPruJXJlCJ1AP3PDiGByS6lVAvjhA3WNbOOs6q3VdIKczo64r9otYtn4Hq4DqAJ_uGLUqgZGv8bojXtnexxxooM8S6FCgWBFoXQYuUIyxpEkmeWmNZJG42IKERzwrDCRp09y6BBPpaI5VC33XV8nwzou3NzeLgyUFcHgZ9RZmRwDhUOmf/s1675/1039748_668076316537673_1033950386_o.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="684" data-original-width="1675" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqwuDKKCXFtTvAPruJXJlCJ1AP3PDiGByS6lVAvjhA3WNbOOs6q3VdIKczo64r9otYtn4Hq4DqAJ_uGLUqgZGv8bojXtnexxxooM8S6FCgWBFoXQYuUIyxpEkmeWmNZJG42IKERzwrDCRp09y6BBPpaI5VC33XV8nwzou3NzeLgyUFcHgZ9RZmRwDhUOmf/w400-h164/1039748_668076316537673_1033950386_o.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11823190634186509982noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-65074186943804116842023-09-15T16:48:00.001-04:002023-10-16T16:54:16.071-04:00L.A. Takedown<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-I8VbrzEX6r89EsKw89hEMSTN0K8BwekSeY4FiI-2BagZ4IMRQ63cHo15Vvvg0q6GQv1GM5Vfw9-LG4_CMfHzoi5lKilZS5aBBdWJL0ac5fNIVgMPXwNJuKcE-TOvX4A8V8y-8WtAeUQLj6QVBeWx_vbSm8REzM5o4Pax5hr713N3B7w-Xdf69AU0muuW/s1200/C-8A-1qXoAEYRYZ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1200" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-I8VbrzEX6r89EsKw89hEMSTN0K8BwekSeY4FiI-2BagZ4IMRQ63cHo15Vvvg0q6GQv1GM5Vfw9-LG4_CMfHzoi5lKilZS5aBBdWJL0ac5fNIVgMPXwNJuKcE-TOvX4A8V8y-8WtAeUQLj6QVBeWx_vbSm8REzM5o4Pax5hr713N3B7w-Xdf69AU0muuW/w400-h250/C-8A-1qXoAEYRYZ.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It says something about
the kind of juice Michael Mann had within the industry in 1989 that he was able
to create – and get on television – a rough draft for a film he would make six
years later. He wrote an early draft of what would become <i>Heat </i>in 1979
that was 180 pages and based on real people he knew both personally and by
reputation in Chicago. Ten years later, he cut the screenplay down to 110 pages
and raised the financing himself so that he owned the rights to the material. The
result was a made-for-television movie entitled <i>L.A. Takedown</i>, a
cat-and-mouse story between a career criminal and a dedicated police detective
that aired on NBC on August 27, 1989 at 9 p.m.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The origins for the
project were based in large part from the experiences of a police officer and
an old friend of Mann's, Chuck Adamson, who had been chasing down a high-line
thief named Neil McCauley in Chicago in 1963. Mann wrote another draft after
making <i>Thief</i> (1981) with no intention of directing it himself. In the
late 1980s, he tried to produce the film several times and offered it to his
friend and fellow filmmaker Walter Hill but he turned it down. Mann was still
not satisfied with the script, which had developed the character of McCauley
but who still needed work. It also lacked an ending.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Early on, <i>L.A.
Takedown</i> follows the plot to <i>Heat </i>beat-for-beat with Scott Plank
playing Los Angeles Robbery-Homicide division cop Vincent Hanna and Alex
McArthur as Patrick McLaren (Neil McCauley in <i>Heat</i>), the veteran thief.
It is fascinating to see the different choices that Mann makes, such as the
tweaks in dialogue or in the casting of certain characters. For example, Xander
Berkley, a fantastic actor in his own right, is cast as Waingro, the loose
cannon McLaren hires to help his crew knock over an armored truck. The actor
plays him initially as a jittery psychopath, only to later settle on a
drugged-out look, whereas in <i>Heat</i>, Kevin Gage brings a scary, simmering
intensity to the role – a stone-cold serial killer and agent of chaos.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtF9t4JWt2FKLyv7ebS6tESlu6iJsRVdkZCLFWiuEnzqGHdgxq0-bXbZSh3NT3fHBtvLWZpOYw953rT29QfUc1jAce-BRGkiHfMDFZgB4F3w3KTIg_ut55XDESYhwCchlsqsQcFG0qtG1YokT5ozsTjP-RCA2OzO2zvhCgcZhjyttxGEK7bJVUFpo2yflJ/s1440/C-8e3_AXUAAq8vo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1440" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtF9t4JWt2FKLyv7ebS6tESlu6iJsRVdkZCLFWiuEnzqGHdgxq0-bXbZSh3NT3fHBtvLWZpOYw953rT29QfUc1jAce-BRGkiHfMDFZgB4F3w3KTIg_ut55XDESYhwCchlsqsQcFG0qtG1YokT5ozsTjP-RCA2OzO2zvhCgcZhjyttxGEK7bJVUFpo2yflJ/w400-h250/C-8e3_AXUAAq8vo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The most interesting
casting in the movie is Hanna’s team, which includes Richard Chaves (<i>Predator</i>),
Michael Rooker (<i>Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer</i>), and Daniel Baldwin
(<i>John Carpenter’s Vampires</i>). Unfortunately, they hardly get any screen
time and therefore make little impact. Plank is okay as Hanna but lacks the
confident swagger that Al Pacino brought to the role. That being said, he does
have a nice moment with his estranged wife, Lillian (Ely Pouget), near the end,
after McLaren is killed, where he admits that he loves her but isn’t going to
change.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">L.A. Takedown</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> suffers most in the
casting of McLaren and his crew. McArthur, eerily chilling in William
Friedkin’s <i>Rampage</i> (1987) as a sadistic serial killer, lacks the
gravitas of Robert De Niro. The same can be said for the barely seen Peter
Dobson (<i>The Frighteners</i>) as Chris Sheherlis who comes off as a glorified
extra in this incarnation, whereas the role was expanded significantly in <i>Heat</i>
with Val Kilmer taking over the character. Vincent Guastaferro (<i>NYPD Blue</i>)
plays Michael Cerrito and lacks the intensity that Tom Sizemore brought to the
part. They are simply not convincing as a team of elite thieves but then, they
aren’t given the screen-time.<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The scene where Hanna
and McLaren meet face-to-face is fine but it makes one realize just how much De
Niro and Pacino brought to the table – nuance and subtlety –that is lacking
from McArthur and Plank. There is stiffness to the line readings from both
actors as they fail to bring Mann’s words to life, summing up what’s going on
in this movie. The inflexible actors are cast in the lead roles and the actors
you’d like to see cut loose, like Rooker, are wasted in nothing roles. The
famous bank robbery shoot-out is still exciting to watch and one of the few
times <i>L.A. Takedown</i> comes thrillingly to life. It lacks the visceral
immediacy of <i>Heat</i> but does have some cool shots, such a McLaren and
Sheherlis running back into the bank after Hanna and his team show-up, with
them chasing the camera in a slick tracking shot.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXDYd6pttBDgaC0W_EqIqIBZwH44vAbJ5BYe-aN0DTh8Vde3v-arZwHCXBCQQmlxLIAcVYqfoFfqDbCg-uOAoIK4mWe6dR44Maq3P6OwLjO3QcIJT0_3FSh9k2PvafmASLOIDzMK3THphPi7OZoHkMqS7rtrfEq_WMjJ3U8RNmSxbDbUq_VzpJlT-m1dLi/s1280/image-w1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXDYd6pttBDgaC0W_EqIqIBZwH44vAbJ5BYe-aN0DTh8Vde3v-arZwHCXBCQQmlxLIAcVYqfoFfqDbCg-uOAoIK4mWe6dR44Maq3P6OwLjO3QcIJT0_3FSh9k2PvafmASLOIDzMK3THphPi7OZoHkMqS7rtrfEq_WMjJ3U8RNmSxbDbUq_VzpJlT-m1dLi/w400-h225/image-w1280.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">There are some
enjoyable bits of business, such as a montage of Hanna working the streets of
L.A., asking around about McLaren and his crew. Mann gives us a brief slice of
the city’s night life via quick, broad strokes. Perhaps what is most striking
about <i>L.A. Takedown</i> is how it doesn’t feel or look like a Mann
production. While Ron Garcia’s (<i>Twin Peaks</i>) cinematography is just fine,
it lacks the widescreen mastery of Dante Spinotti’s work in <i>Hea</i>t. The T.V.
movie’s 1.33:1 aspect ratio certainly doesn’t do it any favors, giving it a boxed-in
feel as opposed to <i>Heat</i>’s 2.39:1 aspect ratio, which opens everything up
and gives the film more of an epic feel. The lack of Mann’s distinctive touch
may also be due to the incredibly fast shoot – uncharacteristic for the
methodical filmmaker – with only ten days of pre-production and 19 days of
shooting. In comparison, <i>Heat</i> had a six-month pre-production period and
a 107-day shooting schedule.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">At the end of the day, <i>L.A.
Takedown</i> is a fascinating curio, nothing more – a stripped down, rough
draft. Gone is Shiherlis’ subplot, so is the bungled precious metals sting, the
subplot involving Hanna's stepdaughter, and McLaren dies differently and less
satisfyingly. Due to the short running time, everything feels condensed while <i>Heat</i>’s
expanded running time allows the story to breathe and provide nuanced characterization,
thereby shedding more light on the motivations for the characters’ actions. <i>Heat
</i>shows how more time, millions of dollars and a talented, star-studded cast can
make a difference. Afterwards, Mann had a much clearer idea of how he wanted <i>Heat</i>
to be structured. More importantly, he also figured out the ending. In 1994,
Mann showed producer Art Linson another draft of <i>Heat </i>over lunch and
told him that he was thinking of updating it. The producer read it, loved it,
and agreed to make the film, giving ‘90s cinema what would prove to be a timeless
heist classic.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDUmGbh4SZguOOC6F_eSW-UUtk5A3qZLFdHZh6o3q5XuIVzspW6Tnxmbc4XBb-8gKzVtrI8v2waKT00AR9mnMv3nDWb3GhZgtTmCFWu4QelwOwW6vDGfC1rE71Hd7vrFAxFjuKhks0zukSwOpKPa2xopDWY2mlyZ4Rs14lD1KWnkMjiXrtIvTDJptyOzYP/s438/LA%20Takedown%20cast.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="348" data-original-width="438" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDUmGbh4SZguOOC6F_eSW-UUtk5A3qZLFdHZh6o3q5XuIVzspW6Tnxmbc4XBb-8gKzVtrI8v2waKT00AR9mnMv3nDWb3GhZgtTmCFWu4QelwOwW6vDGfC1rE71Hd7vrFAxFjuKhks0zukSwOpKPa2xopDWY2mlyZ4Rs14lD1KWnkMjiXrtIvTDJptyOzYP/s320/LA%20Takedown%20cast.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11823190634186509982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-59160370372683259412023-05-12T08:46:00.000-04:002023-05-12T08:46:29.444-04:00Miami Blues<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpBjWLeZoKv3gd1U8ky3Y9NELy0GFo986djaCImovs8MjtgkJtSO2uKMYVk5MjwBwAm3P6-uur54GbxD0xrjQ_7aBuVdlCCsOPRkrlUNINywDub5hXy9cTdueeAQfTIYG91Oy3J6mipp44vQ2JOWL0-TjDFJUCtN3mauret07z_p76tiPz2vOcBxYdhg/s1280/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpBjWLeZoKv3gd1U8ky3Y9NELy0GFo986djaCImovs8MjtgkJtSO2uKMYVk5MjwBwAm3P6-uur54GbxD0xrjQ_7aBuVdlCCsOPRkrlUNINywDub5hXy9cTdueeAQfTIYG91Oy3J6mipp44vQ2JOWL0-TjDFJUCtN3mauret07z_p76tiPz2vOcBxYdhg/w400-h225/maxresdefault.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"> <br /><i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">"The Sunshine
State is a paradise of scandals teeming with drifters, deadbeats, and misfits
drawn here by some dark primordial calling like demented trout.” – Carl Hiaasen</span></i></p><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Author Charles
Willeford has been called “the progenitor of modern South Florida crime novel”
with his last four novels chronicling Miami’s shift from vacation paradise
destination for retirees to “the nation’s capital of glamor, drugs, and weird
crime,” inspiring writers such as Carl Hiaasen and James W. Hall, and
filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino. It was his 1984 novel <i>Miami Blues</i>
that started it all, featuring the first appearance of grizzled police
detective Hoke Moseley who would go on to appear in three subsequent novels.
Their commercial success eventually roused interest in Hollywood and <i>Miami
Blues</i> was adapted in 1990, part of a fantastic crop of neo-noirs that also
included <i>The Grifters</i>, <i>The Hot Spot</i>, and <i>After Dark, My Sweet</i>.
A passion project for both its writer/director George Armitage and producer/star
Fred Ward, it sadly did not do well at the box office, was coolly received by
critics, and has become largely forgotten, despite its profane dialogue and
sudden, often violence that anticipated the films of Tarantino two years later.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Frederick J. Frenger
Jr. a.k.a. Junior (Baldwin) is an ex-convict flying into Miami from California,
armed with someone else’s driver’s license, and ready to wage a one-man crime
spree on the city. He gets off to a roaring start right out of the gate –
literally, when he tries to steal another passenger’s luggage but misses the
opportunity. Undaunted, seconds later, he bribes a small child and makes off
with another piece of unattended luggage and for an encore, breaks the finger
of a Hari-Krishna follower who subsequently dies from shock.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9hkO49CA6Sm810AjLgwqhiaDtClTfK22ClyU1ja0fBz4UZIMNo4DW1fnQ42g2_voLUK455dmxa61hnyk0rNSzyKkrQ8kNXgfyLrnQ_PvuojqHO-oAAeOi_JuC_k13lpq3IDDWPT83ZgM3Bb6VDkkMZuGT8_XlAnQB3z_l61rH9CwU4vqdUxwzFIB5YA/s1920/large_miami_blues_15_blu-ray_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9hkO49CA6Sm810AjLgwqhiaDtClTfK22ClyU1ja0fBz4UZIMNo4DW1fnQ42g2_voLUK455dmxa61hnyk0rNSzyKkrQ8kNXgfyLrnQ_PvuojqHO-oAAeOi_JuC_k13lpq3IDDWPT83ZgM3Bb6VDkkMZuGT8_XlAnQB3z_l61rH9CwU4vqdUxwzFIB5YA/w400-h225/large_miami_blues_15_blu-ray_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">We meet homicide
detective Hoke Moseley (Ward) negotiating money with a blind informant, which
is the kind of colorful introduction that tells us a lot about his character.
He and his partner (Charles Napier) investigate the Krishna murder and the scene
illustrates the short-hand between these two men who have obviously been
partners for a long time, while showcasing the film’s black humor: “Your turn
to notify next of kin,” Hoke says to his partner who replies, “No way! I did
the fat lady that sat on a kid. That’s good for two.” It’s great fun to see
these two veteran actors share a scene together, lobbing dialogue back and
forth. One almost wishes a prequel had been done about these two characters.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Junior checks into a
hotel and quickly arranges for a hooker and meets Susie (Jennifer Jason Leigh).
He doesn’t want to have sex, but instead sells her clothes out of his stolen
luggage. He takes an immediate shine to her. He hasn’t been with a woman in a
long time – and initially it looks like he’s going to be rough with her – but
instead is very tender.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Miami Blues</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> is a battle of wills,
fused with a cat-and-mouse game, as Hoke pursues Junior. He questions him early
on at Susie’s over a dinner in a fantastic scene that’s crackling with subtle
tension simmering under the surface, as the cop knows the crook is lying about
the dead Hari Krishna, but puts on airs for Susie’s benefit. It is a
wonderfully acted and staged scene as she is oblivious to what is going on
while Hoke and Junior sniff each other out.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPpfppMQmk-XkUZWvlBtp1kGWJeJnAO2u4r7y3HJkkIm82tl-WnGyZuLC2da62nqRozQ7JyrnljsWAkdwD3fnyM5x3c-G4S5PZS41PIiElBGWZvwjIxcueEaLm1xn3UUOlcFMiuGWDEiCQGtU5WByJrlXUT4_1fkOGw7UFVnaUGod8Q5A_kBe44kaQag/s1920/large_miami_blues_01_blu-ray_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPpfppMQmk-XkUZWvlBtp1kGWJeJnAO2u4r7y3HJkkIm82tl-WnGyZuLC2da62nqRozQ7JyrnljsWAkdwD3fnyM5x3c-G4S5PZS41PIiElBGWZvwjIxcueEaLm1xn3UUOlcFMiuGWDEiCQGtU5WByJrlXUT4_1fkOGw7UFVnaUGod8Q5A_kBe44kaQag/w400-h225/large_miami_blues_01_blu-ray_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Junior is a career
criminal who sees the world as a playground. If he wants something he takes it.
Someone gets in his way he removes them. He is all about taking short cuts. The
first third of the film mostly focuses on Junior’s exploits as we see him
spotting a two-man pickpocket team and follows the guy with the loot into a
public bathroom, beats him up, and takes the money. He’s a ballsy crook, buying
a realistic looking water gun and then robbing a bunch of guys on the street.
Baldwin looks like he’s having a blast playing Junior as a legend in his own
mind as he sits in his hotel room at one point with a bunch of money,
pretending he’s Al Pacino in <i>Scarface</i> (1983). He is excellent as a clever
crook whose fault is that he never plans his crimes ahead of time. He’s spontaneous
and this works for awhile but eventually catches up to him.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Jennifer Jason Leigh
plays Susie as a naïve innocent who falls in love with Junior but is blind to
his true nature. The actor conveys an earnest vulnerability. Susie sees Junior
as a way to a better life – the house, the white picket fence, kids, and so on.
Juniors taps into this when he tells her, “Let’s go straight to the ‘happily
ever after’ part, okay?” She is the one ray of hope and optimism in his
otherwise cynical world.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ward’s Hoke is a
broken-down detective on the outskirts of retirement but he’s smart and a
student of human behavior, sussing Junior right away, correctly figuring out
he’s an ex-con by the way he protects his food while eating dinner. He’s also
pissed that Junior is running around with his badge impersonating him and makes
it his mission to take the guy down. It’s a fantastic role that showcases
Ward’s considerable talents and rare opportunity to headline a film. It’s a
shame that <i>Miami Blues</i> wasn’t a bigger hit as it would’ve been great to
see him reprise the role again in another adaptation.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAzVaO0mSxcyGfs0rjP_t-4Xs-tP7SauQr0YsoG9Y_GVpgvIJGU0W1kDI_gQ_knAkgG_a5Gnin80UwBjQPQPA73EFcCryo53Dhewqq-HPDUOTqjqZ21g7VZToflnmk2e0i0yZkw8EB3v2MXLKKN_TgLELNnpqmYdXDPoAE_EDWt9MkHzk5OqYkRX0Xwg/s1920/miami_blues_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="1920" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAzVaO0mSxcyGfs0rjP_t-4Xs-tP7SauQr0YsoG9Y_GVpgvIJGU0W1kDI_gQ_knAkgG_a5Gnin80UwBjQPQPA73EFcCryo53Dhewqq-HPDUOTqjqZ21g7VZToflnmk2e0i0yZkw8EB3v2MXLKKN_TgLELNnpqmYdXDPoAE_EDWt9MkHzk5OqYkRX0Xwg/w400-h216/miami_blues_4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Associate producer
William Horberg gave <i>Miami Blues</i> to Fred Ward soon after it was
published. After reading it, he thought it would make for a great film. “It has
a certain irony about it, a certain dark comedy that I like. It’s a little
absurd. There’s a random violence in it that I thought was very real,” Ward
said in an interview. He optioned the book rights for a two-year deal with
$4,000 that the actor paid out of his own picket. He brought it to friend and
filmmaker Jonathan Demme, with whom he had worked with on <i>Swing Shift</i>
(1984), in the hopes that he’d direct. Demme, just having shot <i>Married to
the Mob</i> in Miami (1988), demurred but suggest another friend of Ward’s –
George Armitage – to direct instead. Demme knew Armitage from when they were
starting out, making films for Roger Corman. He read the book and loved it,
going on to write a spec screenplay and agreed to helm it with Demme producing
along with Gary Goetzman. Ward had pitched the project to Orion Pictures on two
occasions and was turned down both times until he showed them Armitage’s
script. They agreed but only if a young actor was cast in one of the lead
roles.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Originally, Ward wanted
to play Junior with Gene Hackman playing Hoke. The two men met and Hackman was
interested but when Alec Baldwin came in to read for the part of Junior, he was
so good they cast him in the role, and Ward decided to play Hoke. Early on,
Leigh Taylor-Young (<i>Jagged Edge</i>) was originally cast as Susie but
dropped out for unknown reasons. Jennifer Jason Leigh was later cast in the
role and to prepare, she cut her hair short and isolated herself from the rest
of the crew to replicate the loneliness of her character. She also went to Okeechobee,
Florida, attended her first football game, and hung out with local high school
girls to learn the dialect, their attitudes and aspirations.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Miami Blues</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> received mixed reviews
from critics. Roger Ebert gave it two out of four stars and wrote, “The movie
wants to be an off-center comedy, a lopsided cops-and-robbers movie where
everybody has a few screws loose. But so much love is devoted to creating the
wacko loonies in the cast that we're left with a set of personality profiles,
not characters.” In her review for <i>The New York Times</i>, Janet Maslin
wrote, “<i>Miami Blues</i> is best appreciated for the performances of its
stars and for the kinds of funny, scene-stealing peripheral touches that keep
it lively even when it's less than fully convincing.” The <i>Washington Post</i>’s
Rita Kempley wrote, “Armitage, a Demme pal, has been struggling to escape
B-moviedom for the past decade. But <i>Miami Blues</i>, panicky and sleek as a
fire engine, is more than a snappy comeback. It's a centered lament, a
screwball thriller about making ends meet, about how even an armed robber can't
afford the American Dream.”</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiouZx8RdMTZ7sEa1j_uSEd-CkW4SKgQXwloWs2LRdL_O0bRNvIYPcqaKdcurREJQxU0sIqYB7XB_5-iv59Ca25oDuJRHqAgWpOvYOEnt5fNbopiEXI5-2uIWjcT0KodzLi2isQb6FCk5gG99iNB9AjdH7ZiXqA9uNcYMMOIV9VxxLSqJ6oHee0GpN-hQ/s1920/MV5BYTQwMTQ5OTMtNTJhMy00YTQyLTkyM2MtMGEyYzQ2NDBhYzJlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUyNDk2ODc@._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiouZx8RdMTZ7sEa1j_uSEd-CkW4SKgQXwloWs2LRdL_O0bRNvIYPcqaKdcurREJQxU0sIqYB7XB_5-iv59Ca25oDuJRHqAgWpOvYOEnt5fNbopiEXI5-2uIWjcT0KodzLi2isQb6FCk5gG99iNB9AjdH7ZiXqA9uNcYMMOIV9VxxLSqJ6oHee0GpN-hQ/w400-h225/MV5BYTQwMTQ5OTMtNTJhMy00YTQyLTkyM2MtMGEyYzQ2NDBhYzJlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUyNDk2ODc@._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In his review for <i>Entertainment Weekly</i>, Owen Gleiberman wrote, “By the
time <i>Miami Blues</i> winds into its crushingly bloody, absurdist finale, the
only question of any urgency is, Which actor has become harder to watch:
Baldwin with his histrionics or Fred Ward flashing those naked gums?” The <i>Los
Angeles Times</i>’ Peter Rainer wrote, “This is the problem with the
action-filmmaker’s anything-for-a-jolt ethos: Whatever doesn’t jump-start the
story is skimped. In fact, in <i>Miami Blues</i>, the story is all jump-starts.
I realize that this may be all that most people require from a glorified
programmer like <i>Miami Blues</i>, but the film has so much finesse, and its
best moments are so freakishly dippy, that you regret the devaluation.”<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Miami Blues</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> presents a heightened
reality of a city where danger lurks behind every corner, where a veteran
police detective is assaulted in his own home, and where an opportunistic crook
can wage a one-man crime wave posing as a cop. As Hiassen has said, the film presents
“a paradise of scandals teeming with drifters, deadbeats, and misfits drawn
here by some dark primordial calling like demented trout.”<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">SOURCES<br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Fisher, Marshal Jon.
“The Unlikely Father of Miami Crime Fiction.” <u>The Atlantic</u>. May 2000.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Leung, Rebecca.
“Florida: ‘A Paradise of Scandals’.” <u>60 Minutes</u>. April 17, 2005.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Mitchell, Sean.
“Exploring the Dark Side.” <u>Los Angeles Times</u>. April 15, 1990.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">
Pinkerton, Nick. “Interview: George Armitage.” <u>Film Comment</u>. April 28,
2015.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">
Van Gelder, Lawrence. “Miami Splice.” <u>The New York Times</u>. September 30,
1988.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">
Van Gelder, Lawrence. “Fred Ward’s <i>Blues</i>.” <u>The New York Times</u>.
April 20, 1990.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Weinstein. Steve. “The
Transformation of Jennifer Jason Leigh.” <u>Los Angeles Times</u>. April 29,
1990.</span></div>
J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11823190634186509982noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-42216625727390998532023-01-16T09:53:00.005-05:002023-01-16T09:53:36.842-05:00A Flash of Green<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4KD3J239MHnb8C1NkVV487gwdHz3gvjG6Nk7h_o8xXuFCbKKsPzoYCmIjh2zcAFtFw0Z17Vmj14wpW6ErA2lJcISLtAfdMtDMnjyaoBhpEtbpn-MYMTVL1XVSkuQwtoB0zxfohFtWAdyhOsKtMOBqm8dgjP-5g6XHI7zNSbO4fH9z1oLKwoRaYU-7Sw/s1920/backdrop-1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4KD3J239MHnb8C1NkVV487gwdHz3gvjG6Nk7h_o8xXuFCbKKsPzoYCmIjh2zcAFtFw0Z17Vmj14wpW6ErA2lJcISLtAfdMtDMnjyaoBhpEtbpn-MYMTVL1XVSkuQwtoB0zxfohFtWAdyhOsKtMOBqm8dgjP-5g6XHI7zNSbO4fH9z1oLKwoRaYU-7Sw/w400-h225/backdrop-1920.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">What is
the price for one’s soul? Is it ever worth the price, to betray loved ones,
those who matter most to you? This is the dilemma that newspaper reporter Jimmy
Wing (Ed Harris) wrestles with in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Flash
of Green</i> (1984), Victor Nunez’s adaptation of John D. MacDonald’s 1962
novel of the same name. As with all of the filmmaker’s films, this one is,
first and foremost, a fascinating character study with a conflicted protagonist
at its center.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Jimmy is
a reporter for a local Florida newspaper in 1961. Developers are trying to buy
Grassy Bay, a body of water in the heart of Palm City. Their goal: fill it in
so that they can build homes on it, making a lot of money in the process. Some
of its residents, however, have formed a committee called Save Our Bay (S.O.B.)
to stop it, citing egregious environmental damage if it goes through.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Jimmy
meets with Elmo Bliss (Richard Jordan), a county commissioner, to get the
skinny on the development. He is told that the plan is to create an island,
populating it with homes; as he puts it, “We’re going to manufacture a
paradise.” Elmo is tired of being a commissioner and is going to run for the
governor’s mansion. He plans to use the money he makes from Grassy Bay to fund
his campaign. He wants Jimmy to spy on the S.O.B.s and dig up dirt on them …
for a price, of course. He lays it all out for the reporter when he tells him,
“World needs folks like me. Folks with a raw need for power. Without us,
wouldn’t anything ever get done.”<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimzao85zrCUbeTm0UXuMD2Bd-UC5tBraIhkcZjx-Ny1HaIvodTO8j0EVv1V6Si8UrFW1Ca01z2mAaJ3Xd-i6EwnqQCr4hRpakC7bZPtep6J2d8kz8PrAy_IKyo89_RFc8HYN-f6ijQENez4GS1_bw9LwwzzcY45tEZm5pR6hTCRahLcLs1WQyGpnBTpQ/s320/002125_47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimzao85zrCUbeTm0UXuMD2Bd-UC5tBraIhkcZjx-Ny1HaIvodTO8j0EVv1V6Si8UrFW1Ca01z2mAaJ3Xd-i6EwnqQCr4hRpakC7bZPtep6J2d8kz8PrAy_IKyo89_RFc8HYN-f6ijQENez4GS1_bw9LwwzzcY45tEZm5pR6hTCRahLcLs1WQyGpnBTpQ/w400-h300/002125_47.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Initially,
Jimmy stays neutral, giving Katherine Hobble (Blair Brown), one of leaders of
the eco-group, a heads up and she begins to rally the locals to stop it. He
checks in on her and her two children from time to time as her husband - his
best friend -- died a year ago. The steady income from Elmo, however, sways
Jimmy, who is adrift in life. Adding to the weight of this decision is his wife,
Gloria (Tiel Rey), who suffers from a degenerative brain disorder that her
doctors understand little about and from which, it appears, she will never
recover. The rest of the film plays out his moral dilemma – help Elmo for the
money and in doing so betray Kat, the woman he loves but is afraid to admit it,
even to himself.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ed Harris
delivers a memorable turn as a man faced with a conflict, a crisis of
conscience. The deeper Jimmy digs for dirt for Elmo, the more morally
compromised he becomes. He passively watches as his friends are railroaded by
local politicians. Why is Jimmy willing to do this? Has his wife’s medical
condition left him so cynical that he doesn’t care about anything? Kat and her
kids humanize him, give him something to care about – a life he’d like to have.
Jimmy’s actions are ruining people’s lives … good, decent people he’s known for
years. Even those closest to him, like Kat, are being harassed on the phone by
religious zealots, surreptitiously employed by Elmo to scare of members of the
S.O.B. Harris does an excellent job conveying the guilt that plays across
Jimmy’ face when the S.O.B. fall apart, knowing that it is because of his
actions.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Richard
Jordan does an excellent job of expressing Elmo’s passion for the development
deal. He’s honest with Jimmy about his ambitions but not about how far he will
go to realize them. Jordan is a fascinating actor to watch as he so
effortlessly disappears into his character, something he did often in such
diverse films as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Friends of Eddie
Coyle</i> (1973), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Mean Season</i>
(1985), and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Hunt for Red October</i>
(1990). In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Flash of Green</i>, Elmo is
the obvious villain of the film, but Jordan resists the urge to play him that
way, even when he obliquely admits to sending guys to beat-up Jimmy repeatedly
in the hopes of ‘persuading’ him to leave town after he turns the tables on
Elmo. It is hinted that these two men have known each other for many years, the
only reason why Elmo doesn’t have Jimmy killed.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvB0l7yIKGdbveaRMksTxTKDBL3nc0dlPMldBVDRnJr1MUlheg3tjzcnTI4dn1o2h4PERg_KliC81mo4SZq6Oa3lupnStS9IdSiPfZjpbl5vtUtGV2995HIWmnFTs6IDvaeGtx-o4eOGA-N537fTulfp261tbIcLpkyy9FUw5INIhaHVd_KHtucRLfQ/s477/flash_of_green.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="238" data-original-width="477" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvB0l7yIKGdbveaRMksTxTKDBL3nc0dlPMldBVDRnJr1MUlheg3tjzcnTI4dn1o2h4PERg_KliC81mo4SZq6Oa3lupnStS9IdSiPfZjpbl5vtUtGV2995HIWmnFTs6IDvaeGtx-o4eOGA-N537fTulfp261tbIcLpkyy9FUw5INIhaHVd_KHtucRLfQ/w400-h200/flash_of_green.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Blair
Brown is also very good as a woman still struggling with the loss of her
husband, raising two children, trying to protect the bay from greedy
developers, and sorting out her feelings for Jimmy. She has a lot on her plate
and Brown’s intelligent, layered performance results in a fascinating
character. At times, it is painful to watch her and the other committee members
struggle against more powerful forces that they have no hope of beating. Brown
resists any urge to inflate Kat’s fight to heroic heights, as one would see in
a Hollywood movie, and instead opts to have that be only one of many aspects of
her rich character.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">There are
also memorable minor roles, such as George Coe as a fellow journalist who
doesn’t have the stomach for the darker stories that he and Jimmy sometimes
cover. His response is to get so drunk that Jimmy must take him to his wife who
cares for him. Even his character has his own arc and finds a way to redeem
himself as he does his own part in the unfolding drama.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Sam
Gowan, who had worked on Victor Nunez’s first film, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gal Young ‘Un</i> (1979), went on to work at the University of Florida
Libraries as the assistant director for special resources. Part of his division
was the John D. MacDonald repository. MacDonald was a successful crime author,
both critically and commercially, with his series of Travis McGee novels, and
1957 novel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Executioners</i> adapted
into film twice, in 1962 and 1991. Gowan and his wife enjoyed the man’s novels
and she suggested asking Nunez to adapt one of them. Warner Bros., however,
owned long-term options on all the Travis McGee novels, save for a couple of
the early ones, which were available. He contacted MacDonald’s agent in Los
Angeles and worked out a deal that required a small payment up front and a
loaded backend, whereby if the film did well financially, the author would be
paid more.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBX3O80lohweCGuRwAd0uiZhfFx_MklLLYrd4eKjBmPNaxT8c2Gf57FQAZnMHDvMO_tDE6TzxwDhMxvvcXGjECm5IQi-6nRZlm4_m4Smqgg969HSkFyNYTAS5szkK8UdwKaCBmtXcye26N9J8syG9lAW4_3_f2wJcTbET2jAZsobbY51Xjo_eS55Pa-w/s800/JYK2JE44BNEFJKIZ2RVV5C52P4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="588" data-original-width="800" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBX3O80lohweCGuRwAd0uiZhfFx_MklLLYrd4eKjBmPNaxT8c2Gf57FQAZnMHDvMO_tDE6TzxwDhMxvvcXGjECm5IQi-6nRZlm4_m4Smqgg969HSkFyNYTAS5szkK8UdwKaCBmtXcye26N9J8syG9lAW4_3_f2wJcTbET2jAZsobbY51Xjo_eS55Pa-w/w400-h294/JYK2JE44BNEFJKIZ2RVV5C52P4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
budget for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Flash of Green</i> was
$750,000, ten times larger than <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gal Young
‘Un</i>. Half of the budget came from a small group of local investors with PBS
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">American Playhouse</i> covering the rest,
who had been impressed with Nunez’s first film. To keep costs down, the entire
cast worked for Screen Actors Guild minimum.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">At the
time the film was cast, Ed Harris turned down a chance to extend his run on Sam
Shepard’s off-Broadway success, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Fool
for Love</i> (for which he won an Obie Award), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and</i> an offer from Paul Newman to appear in Arthur Miller’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Death of a Salesman</i>, to go to Florida
and act in Nunez’s project. Harris said, “I loved Victor’s sensibility and his
cinematic tastes, his knowledge and how he films.” The actor was also drawn to the
character of Jimmy Wing:<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“I really
appreciated the subtle character study that this guy is. He goes through so
many changes. He’s someone who gets caught up in events that sort of catch him
and sweep him away and he really has to climb his way back. He was a character
I could really explore.”<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">To this
end, the actor worked with the filmmaker on the screenplay, and during
rehearsals, he frequented local stores for his character’s outfits. Harris’
hands-on approach extended to other cast members. Richard Jordan helped get
period-specific props for the film and remarked on the challenge: “That era is
too recent for anyone to collect and a lot of what you’d want to use has wound
up in garbage cans.”</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_8NJaTjYDxIVyEJkRXB5RrN3-4ELllot6XpVKHjPuFvk5cyIWB5MV-SVBQ5yv4bSr2Nj-zi8PxRgkIELsUs4k9FsVgyEgaATXoYNQj75z_cau1Yepl-4hoOToReF54DMN_3TJrhJUjBzpOmrVrcYuPfx01wwpXBHhMbvRJca-DMlG4TmZOHRI1zbvvg/s430/00001613-430x286.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="286" data-original-width="430" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_8NJaTjYDxIVyEJkRXB5RrN3-4ELllot6XpVKHjPuFvk5cyIWB5MV-SVBQ5yv4bSr2Nj-zi8PxRgkIELsUs4k9FsVgyEgaATXoYNQj75z_cau1Yepl-4hoOToReF54DMN_3TJrhJUjBzpOmrVrcYuPfx01wwpXBHhMbvRJca-DMlG4TmZOHRI1zbvvg/w400-h266/00001613-430x286.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Critics of the day gave <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Flash of Green</i>
generally favorable reviews. Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars
and wrote, "<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Flash of Green</i> is
attentive to the compromises of daily life, and it understands how people can
be complicated enough to hold two opposed ideas at the same time." In his
review for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The New York Times</i>,
Vincent Canby wrote, "<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Flash of
Green</i> is not perfect, but it is provocative and nearly always
intelligent." The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Washington Post</i>'s
Lloyd Grove wrote, "Nunez, who also worked the camera with an eye for
faded beauty, has made Palm City a self-contained world where there can be no
appeal to a higher authority. While sometimes he's a bit heavy on the symbolism
-- having Wing, at one point, fiddle with a two-faced doll -- he usually
handles the material with admirable subtlety, letting the story all but tell
itself."<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
worlds in Nunez’s films feel fully fleshed out and realized, populated by
readily identifiable people with compelling dilemmas. In the case of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Flash of Green</i> he also creates a real
sense of place; the attention to period detail on a budget is fantastic, with
vintage cars and clothes used sparingly and matter-of-factly. He achieves it
with small details, such as the cluttered office that Jimmy works in or the
Spartan wood interior of Elmo’s office. Nunez also has a great ear for dialogue,
accurately capturing the way people talk, evident in the scene where Kat debates
with her friends about the development of Grassy Bay, with one arguing that
developing the land will help the depressed local economy. The film presents
several different points-of-view and then shows them in conflict with one
another.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Nunez
does a deft juggling act of showing how parts of Florida are being ruined by
greedy developers and the toll it is taking on the residents, without being
preachy about it, and by focusing on the relationships between them. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Flash of Green</i> might be the most
low-key crusading journalist film ever made. There are no heroic, epic
speeches, moustache-twirling villains, car chases or gun battles – just people
trying to protect their own little piece of the world. Much like John Sayles,
Nunez is interested in telling stories about everyday people trying to get by,
finding that their personal dilemmas are just as worthy of telling as any epic
tale. For the people in his films, what goes on in their small world means <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">everything</i> to them. Life is about the
choices we make and having to live with them. Jimmy has to live with the
choices he has made. They were tough decisions that took their toll on him
physically and emotionally. Jimmy finds that it isn’t easy buying back even a
part of his soul. It is a long, hard journey but by the film’s end, there is
hope that he is on his way to redemption.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc3txQanp1OEgaoSRlnLHkUUWuR55kxmu_cYTwW0bdjhfWfdiuSaisjwEmtkS6scofsXGPsT_eGZwJJM-kPG2XRBFImNdMe_vTiq5W8P7CJobHXA5ySRqrG50YCPmazgOPpI4IEkQ7lQIESGGI26JOEmW9jpvuZAGhX6CzVdfKIFDbpK1uePvo0fjuCQ/s613/32466_CTEK_Indie80s_aflashofgreen_613x463.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="463" data-original-width="613" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc3txQanp1OEgaoSRlnLHkUUWuR55kxmu_cYTwW0bdjhfWfdiuSaisjwEmtkS6scofsXGPsT_eGZwJJM-kPG2XRBFImNdMe_vTiq5W8P7CJobHXA5ySRqrG50YCPmazgOPpI4IEkQ7lQIESGGI26JOEmW9jpvuZAGhX6CzVdfKIFDbpK1uePvo0fjuCQ/w400-h303/32466_CTEK_Indie80s_aflashofgreen_613x463.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">SOURCES<br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Crandell,
Ben. “FLIFF Reunites Old Friends Ed Harris, Victor Nunez.” <u>South Florida Sun
Sentinel</u>. November 17, 2015.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">
Fein, Esther B. “Shaking A Hero Image.” <u>The New York Times</u>. July 22,
1985.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Gowan,
Sam. “My Life in Movies.” <u>The Gainsville Sun</u>. April 1, 2004.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Maslin,
Janet. “At the Movies – Jordan Assembled Props.” <u>The New York Times</u>.
June 28, 1985.</span></div>
J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11823190634186509982noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-89008233337361503742022-10-28T11:52:00.002-04:002022-10-28T11:52:36.349-04:00High Plains Drifter<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0qLKqBVv49Q2mSKMC1D7ReUUAr1nyl-0qvnt8p2DgFq5mUMRA-TMrYRPHa0Dc9Op5gYiVp_MleRS1tiG1j3YAka9hFMk0j4id1kaQo2aPpH-PJhwSJr6C9PB4xUVQO6umyvDO2u0aMobfZuh_LFwl_q4RRoDScexibt2T2m9u5XejOdu-0gYVxwLrhg/s977/high_plains_drifter_stranger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="977" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0qLKqBVv49Q2mSKMC1D7ReUUAr1nyl-0qvnt8p2DgFq5mUMRA-TMrYRPHa0Dc9Op5gYiVp_MleRS1tiG1j3YAka9hFMk0j4id1kaQo2aPpH-PJhwSJr6C9PB4xUVQO6umyvDO2u0aMobfZuh_LFwl_q4RRoDScexibt2T2m9u5XejOdu-0gYVxwLrhg/w400-h168/high_plains_drifter_stranger.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <br /><p></p><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">From <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Good, The Bad & The Ugly</i> (1966)
to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Two Mules for Sister Sara</i> (1970)
to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Unforgiven</i> (1992), Clint Eastwood
has made all kinds of westerns. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">High
Plains Drifter</i> (1973) is one of his more intriguing efforts in the genre –
it takes the enigmatic Man with No Name gunslinger from Sergio Leone films such
as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Fistful of Dollars</i> (1964),
fusing it with the gothic sensibilities of the Don Siegel film, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Beguiled</i> (1971). It starts off as a
typical lone gunfighter-for-hire story. In this film, Eastwood’s mysterious
character is part avenging angel and part vengeance demon, determined to punish
the people of a town for a crime that is gradually revealed.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Stranger
(as he is referred to in the credits) literally materializes out of the hazy,
shimmering horizon like an apparition while Dee Barton’s eerie music plays on the
soundtrack. After Eastwood’s credit and the film’s title appears, the score
transitions into a more traditional western motif, reminiscent of Ennio
Morricone’s Spaghetti Western soundtracks.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">High Plains Drifter</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> starts in typical
western fashion with a hired gun wandering into the town of Lago looking for
work. After quickly and efficiently dispatching three mercenaries who challenge
him, he’s offered a job by the town elders. Stacey Bridges (Geoffrey Lewis) and
the Carlin brothers, Dan (Dan Vadis) and Cole (Anthony James), have just been
released from prison. They tried to steal gold from the town and whipped
Marshal Jim Duncan (Buddy Van Horn) to death. Now, they aim to return, take the
gold, and exact revenge on the townsfolk.<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLa7PbxZAbJReIswyfBxpEzA4FTyraWkQNmFpE5XrceRHuWHW5NgGq81Hnemy4WeNZtp3Qq2TEVRy_ZWRB3PJoxEc3-RMZPkaCusiZ7IlQuGFXj7uCLs2DOadHeH7eNq43W9YpcjTVWnE1tSkArsBqREFOpLhl33vljgenDrRvvSEjLJl00PNHg7i6EA/s1920/MV5BNDU2ZTM3YzctNzk2Ny00NjJhLWFjYzktZTI5YzliYTM0YmI0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDEwNjcyMDM@._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLa7PbxZAbJReIswyfBxpEzA4FTyraWkQNmFpE5XrceRHuWHW5NgGq81Hnemy4WeNZtp3Qq2TEVRy_ZWRB3PJoxEc3-RMZPkaCusiZ7IlQuGFXj7uCLs2DOadHeH7eNq43W9YpcjTVWnE1tSkArsBqREFOpLhl33vljgenDrRvvSEjLJl00PNHg7i6EA/w400-h225/MV5BNDU2ZTM3YzctNzk2Ny00NjJhLWFjYzktZTI5YzliYTM0YmI0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDEwNjcyMDM@._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
Stranger agrees and is given unlimited credit at all of the town’s stores and
proceeds to exploit their goodwill, starting off by giving two American Indian
children candy they were eyeing and a pile of blankets to their grandfather,
right after the store owner berated them with racial slurs. He goes on to
accumulate material items for free – new boots, a saddle, and cigars. He then
uses his leverage to humiliate the town elders by making Mordecai (Billy
Curtis), the town dwarf, the new sheriff and mayor, and has the hotel owner’s
barn stripped of its wood to build picnic tables, much to their chagrin. They
have to go along with it, lest they lose the only person standing between them
and the vengeful outlaws headed their way.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
film’s big question: who is The Stranger and what is his motivation? Within
minutes of being in Lago he has killed three men and raped a woman (Marianna
Hill). Initially, it appears to be a nasty, misogynistic streak in the
character but, as we learn more about the town and in its denizens, the more we
understand what this mysterious gunslinger is doing. His motivation begins to
shift into focus early on when he dreams of the Marshal being whipped to death
while the whole town watched and did nothing. The haunting music from the start
of the film comes on as we see Bridges and the Carlin brothers whip Duncan at
night. He pleads for help while all the townsfolk stand and stare, the camera
framing them in near-dark shots, some almost in silhouette, which creates an
ominous mood. As the poor man is whipped to death he mutters, “Damn you all to
hell,” which is exactly what The Stranger plans to do to the complicit
townsfolk.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Interestingly,
the second flashback to what happened to the Marshal that fateful night is
predominantly from Mordecai’s perspective. He takes us back and this time, we
see the townsfolk’s faces more clearly. Unlike The Stranger, he was there and
saw what happened. Eastwood also cuts back and forth from shots of the outlaws’
evil faces, the residents, and the Marshal’s point-of-view. In doing so, he makes
the man’s pain and suffering more personal and we see the townsfolk’s reaction
to what is happening more clearly – some are indifferent, some afraid, and some
malevolently approving. It is Mordecai, however, who seems the most upset and
remorseful.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5x9CLkcjUCyuqseVCouEedBiCQyyJLoS1y-KgTTZFlTq3j-Bz6wemjt3yhHBfHlPjiedDPqD1928JKrx4jsqNqipZDhxk_l7OByFoxgW8bu4bHtmw4PetgeWOo-7PMl75Dv1j2TuAgYHhuPtFir-rM3UUweu_njWSvhMMWqp3pAU1AZ3ZdW6uG1AQSg/s1919/MV5BODFhM2VlMTgtMjE0Mi00YjM0LTg2NGUtNzYwYzU0OThkMDNjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjI5MTEyNzY@._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="806" data-original-width="1919" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5x9CLkcjUCyuqseVCouEedBiCQyyJLoS1y-KgTTZFlTq3j-Bz6wemjt3yhHBfHlPjiedDPqD1928JKrx4jsqNqipZDhxk_l7OByFoxgW8bu4bHtmw4PetgeWOo-7PMl75Dv1j2TuAgYHhuPtFir-rM3UUweu_njWSvhMMWqp3pAU1AZ3ZdW6uG1AQSg/w400-h168/MV5BODFhM2VlMTgtMjE0Mi00YjM0LTg2NGUtNzYwYzU0OThkMDNjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjI5MTEyNzY@._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Who is
the Marshal to The Stranger? It is never clear. The hotel owner’s wife, Sarah
(Verna Bloom) even asks him: he is coy with the answer, refusing to confirm or
deny his relationship with the dead man. Everything he does in the town, from
making a mockery of its elders to getting carte blanche with all of their
resources, is to punish the townsfolk, not just for their complacency but for
their sins. As the film progresses, we also learn more about what motivates the
town elders – why they are so distrustful of outsiders, why they are so eager
to cover things up, and why they hired The Stranger to protect them from
Bridges and the Carlin brothers. The scenes with them illustrate the corruption
inherent in the authoritarian structure – something Eastwood has been distrustful
of his entire career – as The Stranger’s abuse of power eats away at the
relationship among the town elders until they begin to turn on each other.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Future
members of Eastwood’s informal repertory company of actors, Geoffrey Lewis, Anthony
James, and Dan Vadis are well cast as the grungy, amoral outlaws that kill
three men in cold blood as soon as they are released from prison, stealing
their horses and clothes. These consummate character actors have no problem
playing dirty, unrepentant, evil criminals and, over the course of the film, we
anticipate their inevitable confrontation with Eastwood’s gunfighter. The key
to his films is to have someone who is a formidable threat to his character and
Lewis, with his character’s ruthless drive to exact revenge, is completely
believable in that role.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Clint
Eastwood received a nine-page treatment from Ernest Tidyman, known mostly for
writing the screenplays for urban crime films such as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shaft</i> (1971) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The French
Connection</i> (1971). The primary inspiration for the screenplay was the
real-life murder of Kitty Genovese in Queens, New York in 1964, in which 38
witnesses saw or heard the attack and failed to help her or call the police. The
starting point for Eastwood was, “What would have happened if the sheriff in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">High Noon</i> had been killed? What would
have happened afterwards?” Once he agreed to do it, Tidyman took these two
ideas and developed the treatment into a script that was subsequently revised
by Eastwood’s go-to script doctor, Dean Riesner, who added, his trademark black
humor: early in the film, one of Lago’s hired guns says to The Stranger, “Maybe
you think you’re fast enough to keep up with us, huh?” to which he replies
curtly, “A lot faster than you’ll ever live to be.” The biggest mystery of the
film is The Stranger’s identity. Eastwood later admitted that the script
identified him as the dead sheriff’s brother and that “I always played it like
he was the brother. I thought about playing it a little bit like he was sort of
an avenging angel, too.”<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcIhr1pHee3Xuda834ecmAo4VUmH_Jw8CyCkEug4WPxIRULfUdhWTaeAe9zIKi_DKo0kZIlgEQzZjxjgWclPWqehyMCbNZZkfrsk9pd2VozizgNGqQk88pKJmazNYIRDEX7SZGgixIcCF-J6vULwAEd3HfZ3NDGHJgSzVavOrvTNj7cii5E1mK4UEirg/s307/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="164" data-original-width="307" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcIhr1pHee3Xuda834ecmAo4VUmH_Jw8CyCkEug4WPxIRULfUdhWTaeAe9zIKi_DKo0kZIlgEQzZjxjgWclPWqehyMCbNZZkfrsk9pd2VozizgNGqQk88pKJmazNYIRDEX7SZGgixIcCF-J6vULwAEd3HfZ3NDGHJgSzVavOrvTNj7cii5E1mK4UEirg/w400-h214/images.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">High Plains Drifter</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> was put into
production in late summer of 1972. The studio wanted Eastwood to shoot the film
on its backlot but Eastwood decided to shoot on location. He originally
considered Pyramid Lake, Nevada but his car ran out of gas before he got there.
The American Indian tribal council were divided about a film crew shooting on
their land. Someone in the production suggested Mono Lake in California, which Eastwood
had visited in the past. Once he arrived, the filmmaker found a point
overlooking the lake and decided that would be the site for the town. He went
on to find all the other locations within a four-minute drive save for the
opening shot, which was done outside of Reno. Production designer Henry
Bumstead and his team built the town of Lago in 28-days. They assembled 14
houses, a church and a two-story hotel. These were complete buildings so that
Eastwood could shoot interior scenes on location.<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
Stranger has the townsfolk literally transform Lago into Hell by painting of
all the buildings red – a striking image to be sure – which not only evokes
hellish imagery but also symbolizes the blood on the hands of the townsfolk who
were all culpable in the Marshal’s death. The climax of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">High Plains Drifter</i> is where the film goes full-on horror as The
Stranger leaves, letting the ill-prepared townsfolk “handle” Bridges and the
Carlin brothers. Naturally, they put up little to no resistance as they are too
scared to shoot and run away or as in the case of Drake (Mitchell Ryan), the
mining executive, are shot and killed.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Later
that night, Bridges and his crew terrorize the survivors, exposing their hypocrisy.
It is at this point when The Stranger reappears, that, just like the Marshall, as
Cole is mercilessly whipped to death with The Stranger framed with nightmarish
flames of the town burning in the background. The two surviving outlaws walk
through the town on fire – hell on earth indeed – only for Dan to be whipped
around the neck and hung. Bridges still has not seen The Stranger until he
hears the words, “Help me,” (sounding very much like the murdered Marshal) and
turns to see him standing in front of a burning building for the final
showdown. He easily guns down Bridges who asks The Stranger’s identity – and
gets no response.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS6TXztrfXavC7aKvte4zzX0vjXik0SjQ9Xxfsyidyh8PTeBDaDQ50FSVitoaMjV01MsvXpL6zHwqDErBdu5o762d9x-sHZzlA_1kCJSLLght1Gl9PdkirhfICnI8bjn1IbfgTTp3Bd-LudQSXYmDAE2g-MN3FIDZv0mprLmEOsPMRZDAT2gzvQug93g/s1200/screenshot_20220607-174307_google.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="1200" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS6TXztrfXavC7aKvte4zzX0vjXik0SjQ9Xxfsyidyh8PTeBDaDQ50FSVitoaMjV01MsvXpL6zHwqDErBdu5o762d9x-sHZzlA_1kCJSLLght1Gl9PdkirhfICnI8bjn1IbfgTTp3Bd-LudQSXYmDAE2g-MN3FIDZv0mprLmEOsPMRZDAT2gzvQug93g/w400-h169/screenshot_20220607-174307_google.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Late in
the film, the motel keeper’s wife, Sarah (Verna Bloom) says, “They say the dead
don’t rest without a marker of some kind.” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">High
Plains Drifter</i> ends on an emotional note as The Stranger observes Mordecai
naming the Marshal’s previously unmarked grave before riding out of town,
disappearing into the hazy horizon like a ghost with a reprise of the unnerving
music from the opening credits. The dead Marshal can finally rest: those
responsible for his demise have been punished. The film is a scathing
indictment of how greed can corrupt those in positions of power. It is also a
powerful critique of bystander apathy, as embodied by a town of cowards and
petty, greedy tyrants that let a good man die. The Stranger embodies the dead
man’s spirit and his search for vengeance.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">SOURCES<br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Gentry,
Ric.</span> <span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">"Director
Clint Eastwood: Attention to Detail and Involvement for the Audience.” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Clint Eastwood: Interviews</i>. University
of Mississippi. 1999.<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Hughes,
Howard. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aim for the Heart</i>. I.B.
Tauris. 2009<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">McGilligan,
Patrick. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Clint: The Life and Legend</i>.
Harper Collins. 1999.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Schickel,
Richard. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Clint Eastwood: A Biography</i>.
Alfred A. Knopf. 1996.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Wilson,
Michael Henry. “’Whether I Succeed or Fail, I Don’t Want to Owe it to Anyone
but Myself’: From <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Play Misty for Me</i>
to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Honkytonk Man</i>.” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Clint Eastwood: Interviews</i>. University
of Mississippi. 1999.</span></div>
J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11823190634186509982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-69901246865267177972022-08-19T21:40:00.006-04:002023-03-01T11:04:47.672-05:00White Squall<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZreNRuWo8ucco5b5e_Tb6sj3AEAWtFzQAhBSVXHnTakdbnqDshy5yF1z13gV2zBGMtRAwL-hNSumIyJOH5iCGL5t5tGrKX7EaaHzlWfK582405Etr6AJV1DMxBR-bqBtnByvk1Fo-yVraLDUyVlQQougGbBERVpvrby_F5N21weoZrCHhjahhEFRC0Q/s1024/MV5BMWMwMDVmOWMtZmMzMS00MzRiLTg4YWQtZDQ5OWEwMDFjZTVhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTA1NDY3NzY@._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="1024" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZreNRuWo8ucco5b5e_Tb6sj3AEAWtFzQAhBSVXHnTakdbnqDshy5yF1z13gV2zBGMtRAwL-hNSumIyJOH5iCGL5t5tGrKX7EaaHzlWfK582405Etr6AJV1DMxBR-bqBtnByvk1Fo-yVraLDUyVlQQougGbBERVpvrby_F5N21weoZrCHhjahhEFRC0Q/w400-h188/MV5BMWMwMDVmOWMtZmMzMS00MzRiLTg4YWQtZDQ5OWEwMDFjZTVhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTA1NDY3NzY@._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><p></p><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">For a
filmmaker as prolific as Ridley Scott he’s bound to have a lot of hits and
misses. For every </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">Gladiator</i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> (2000),
there’s a few </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">Someone to Watch Over Me</i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">’s
(1987). It is some of the fascinating yet flawed outliers in his filmography
that are the most interesting. Case in point: </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">White Squall</i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> (1996), a dramatic recreation of the doomed school
sailing trip lead by Dr. Christopher B. Sheldon on the brigantine </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">Albatross</i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">, which sank on May 2, 1961,
allegedly due to a white squall, killing six people. Adapted from Charles
Gieg’s book </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">The Last Voyage of the
Albatross</i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">, the film received mixed reviews and, despite its cast, featuring
a bevy of young, up-and-coming actors, performed poorly at the box office.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">The film
follows Chuck Gieg (Scott Wolf) as it opens with the young man giving up his
last year of high school to sail on the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Albatross</i>.
His brother got into an Ivy League school on a scholarship and it is hinted
that he doesn’t have the grades to do the same. The rest of the boys are
loosely sketched and it’s up to the talented young cast to breathe life into
their respective characters. You’ve got Dean Preston (Eric Michael Cole), the
bully who thinks he’s cooler than everyone else; Gil Martin (Ryan Phillippe),
the meek one; Frank Beaumont (Jeremy Sisto), the spoiled rich kid who doesn’t
want to be there, and so on.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">We meet
most of these boys as they are prepared to board the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Albatross</i> for a year-long voyage at sea where they’ll learn
everything they need to know about operating a boat while also keeping up with
their academic studies. They are immediately greeted by McCrea (John Savage),
the grizzled English teacher who quotes Shakespeare’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Tempest</i> to them. They go below decks and are greeted by boys
already there. True to Social Darwinism, a pecking order is quickly established
but as they will find out, everyone answers to Captain Christopher Sheldon
(Jeff Bridges) a.k.a. The Skipper who sets the ground rules when he addresses
them for the first time: “The ship beneath you is not a toy and sailing’s not a
game.” In this scene, Jeff Bridges tempers his innate likability and charisma
by playing the Skipper as a no-nonsense disciplinarian who demands his students
follow the rules. This is further reinforced in the next scene when he finds
out that Gil is afraid of heights and browbeats the young man to climb up the
rigging and in the process not only traumatizes him but humiliates him in front
of the other boys.</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPc1_m-etdAAKZHxWc_o2VvldfGEtG_xytV7Xv7_EbzfSbYgw6RQtWFiS5XV1jPuuyjHUPBSA-_INHRdQy7W6Hopu9t6-KTuqXBqR0_k-WGK85yr9NyLFg1uUlG0RnmY5FzjYuEOUSL2nxj9R-Z1PWPDAmfI90WoU_-iIZlLylQr9wCenmS6Z74HUQJA/s690/LowerSaloon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="690" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPc1_m-etdAAKZHxWc_o2VvldfGEtG_xytV7Xv7_EbzfSbYgw6RQtWFiS5XV1jPuuyjHUPBSA-_INHRdQy7W6Hopu9t6-KTuqXBqR0_k-WGK85yr9NyLFg1uUlG0RnmY5FzjYuEOUSL2nxj9R-Z1PWPDAmfI90WoU_-iIZlLylQr9wCenmS6Z74HUQJA/w400-h215/LowerSaloon.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Scott shows us what it takes to get a boat such as the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Albatross </i>ready for sea, how everyone works together, and how a
rookie mistake almost costs Chuck his life when he hangs himself on the rigging
only for the Skipper to rescue him. Early on, the boat hits a rough patch of
water, a foreboding taste of what’s to come, and we see everyone act as a team
to rescue one of boys who is tossed overboard. To make up for the deficiencies
in the lack of character development in Todd Robinson’s screenplay, Scott
includes several scenes showing the boys bonding, whether its’s Gil’s tearful
recollection of how his brother died or Dean admitting he’s a poor student that
doesn’t know to spell. We slowly begin to care about what happens to these
boys, which is crucial later when they are put in peril with the storm.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Everything
has been building to the film’s climactic set piece – a massive white squall
that threatens to sink the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Albatross</i>.
Scott and his crew create a harrowing scene that rivals the nautical disasters
depicted in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Titanic</i> (1997) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Perfect Storm</i> (2000), only he did it
with practical effects while those other films leaned on CGI to do most of the
heavily lifting. This gives the sequence a visceral impact as it looks and
sounds real. This isn’t some CGI creation but an actual thing that Scott
captures in vivid detail. It’s a powerful visual reminder of the true power of
nature and that we are insignificant compared to it. Every so often we are
reminded of this fact.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Chuck
provides the film’s voiceover narration, taken from the journal he kept during
the journey. He is the wide-eyed idealist that is the calming influence on the
rest of the boys and takes to the Skipper’s tough love style of leadership
without losing his humanity. Scott Wolf channels a young Tom Cruise as he
delivers a strong performance as the audience surrogate. After the survivors
are taken back to land he breaks down in a moving scene, and then Chuck
attempts to clear the Skipper’s name in the ensuing tribunal, Wolf delivering a
passionate speech expertly. Chuck is the film’s social conscience as he
struggles to do the right thing. He stands up for the Skipper when it looks
like he will be blamed for what happened.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7Vvy-lnIalMGLBRi6ixQzJ48FI2ySC3Vi1bBb8BHyu5DVN9b4wexoozTR2JM45TSyD21IFS8iTynuWYBIyejlE8pBN-4MfFCasAH-fhs78hdBPYZAw3-LP6it8viofQfVyDhORSkfe-ycvNi9ztaJkdm4g0x7dY2uatmEuKdCy9L-wodU5MMVzaiLw/s684/logis.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="684" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7Vvy-lnIalMGLBRi6ixQzJ48FI2ySC3Vi1bBb8BHyu5DVN9b4wexoozTR2JM45TSyD21IFS8iTynuWYBIyejlE8pBN-4MfFCasAH-fhs78hdBPYZAw3-LP6it8viofQfVyDhORSkfe-ycvNi9ztaJkdm4g0x7dY2uatmEuKdCy9L-wodU5MMVzaiLw/w400-h216/logis.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">It is
easy to see why the name actors in the cast such as Ethan Embry, Ryan Phillippe,
Jeremy Sisto, and Wolf went on to notable careers. They are most successful at
making their characters memorable but there is also Eric Michael Cole who plays
the bully in the group. Channeling a young Matt Dillon his character is full of
swagger and we eventually discover what’s behind the bravado as delivers an
impressive performance that should have garnered him more high-profile roles.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">White
Squall, however, falters in its depiction of the Skipper. At one point his
wife, Alice (Caroline Goodall), says to him, “You know, Sheldon, sometimes, not
often, you act almost half human.” Therein lies the problem with this character
– there’s nothing human about him, just some glowering Ahab that not even
Bridges’ ample charisma can make a dent in. We get zero insight into what
motivates him beyond running a tight ship. The actor tries his best but he’s
not give much to work with, such as a scene where Frank inexplicably harpoons a
dolphin. To punish him, the Skipper tells him to finish off the poor animal and
when he refuses, does it for him. It’s an unnecessarily, ugly scene that
provides no insight into either character.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">This
being a Ridley Scott film everything looks beautiful from the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Albatross</i> docked at dusk silhouetted against
the sky to the slow-motion glamor shot of Dean diving off the highest point of
the ship with the skill and grace of an Olympic athlete. We get a seemingly
endless number of exquisite shots of the boat at sea with the sunlight hitting
it at just the right angle.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaflWBnxcYd75C575d0iWx4HG-gKEIzQz9Bw3RN5IY3_aC5hptjD5VEu9JhJJS_Xoup0g6bdaXc9d9KEIY7fj4guGmS_Gzi-9aHp9zuXf-w3Q_sdYQjQUqJJbvung7IWEFO6I0rrRnGW6NhACfs5b0dDa3lMHMRk3Jz7qVE7fCDGuO1Y-WretnBTnBkw/s339/download.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="149" data-original-width="339" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaflWBnxcYd75C575d0iWx4HG-gKEIzQz9Bw3RN5IY3_aC5hptjD5VEu9JhJJS_Xoup0g6bdaXc9d9KEIY7fj4guGmS_Gzi-9aHp9zuXf-w3Q_sdYQjQUqJJbvung7IWEFO6I0rrRnGW6NhACfs5b0dDa3lMHMRk3Jz7qVE7fCDGuO1Y-WretnBTnBkw/w400-h176/download.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Screenwriter
Todd Robinson met Chuck Gieg while on vacation in Hawaii and the latter told
him the true story of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Albatross</i>.
Inspired by it and the book Gieg had co-written about surviving the incident,
Robinson wrote the screenplay with his close involvement, to ensure it stayed
true to the actual events, and took it to producers Rocky Lang and Mimi Polk
Gitlin. They shopped it around to various directors but they all wanted to
change it to fit their vision. The producers finally brought it to Ridley Scott
who bought it before Christmas 1994. At the time, he was considering directing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mulholland Falls</i> (1996) but after
reading Robinson’s script in 90 minutes he immediately wanted to do it. He was
drawn to the lack of sentimentality and the coming-of-age aspect of the script.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">As was
his custom with films based on real-life incidents, Scott strove for
authenticity and brought Gieg and the real Captain Sheldon on as technical
advisors. For the ship, the production used <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eye
of the World</i>, a 110-foot topsail schooner from Germany. He did not want to
shoot the sea sequences in a giant water tank, common at the time, as he felt
that the waves never looked large enough or realistic. He studied documentary
footage and water patterns to see how they moved and reacted. He and director
of photography Hugh Johnson shot mostly with hand-held cameras to get the raw
look they wanted. To this end, they filmed four months on the seas, starting in
the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, where on the first day got 30-foot seas,
“because the crew was so well-versed by then in terms of leaping around this
boat and getting camera positions, we dealt with it pretty easily actually,”
Scott said. From there they spent most of the time in the Caribbean with
shooting the land scenes on the islands of St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenada.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Scott
eventually had to concede using water tanks for the climactic storm sequence
that sinks the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Albatross</i>. He waited
to film this sequence until the end of principal photography as he was dreading
it “like a big monster. I didn’t want it to be a 9-minute, crash-wallop-bang
and everybody’s in the water. I wanted to experience the whole process of what
it means to be shot out of the blue like that, to be trapped, to see people
that you got to know quite closely just taken away from you.” He used two water
tanks in Malta – one that held six million gallons of water and was 40 feet
deep and the other held three million gallons of water and was eight feet deep.
Initially, wave machines were used but they did not produce strong enough wind
effects for Scott so he brought in two jet engines to do the job. As he said
they “basically blew the shit out of the set – 600 mile-an-hour winds.” The
storm sequences took five days to film with the production constantly having to
worry about the cameras getting wet.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMOvou_H6BptL4kSvYKsvAcPbc2RhgoWta1A_xNW4QKiKyIr9yidWYDcrKbE2ByCVjPq0HJ-aQFjd73Xou6Zi65IyZl6wiK0tj21MV2-lZzuoKkgLK4M6uhzhzaEVrWq_IMU3UbHuVuno3i1w-BECMgiEz5YQDsZsb85-qFVjTndd277O2uQGWWVakXg/s690/AlbatrosStruck.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="690" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMOvou_H6BptL4kSvYKsvAcPbc2RhgoWta1A_xNW4QKiKyIr9yidWYDcrKbE2ByCVjPq0HJ-aQFjd73Xou6Zi65IyZl6wiK0tj21MV2-lZzuoKkgLK4M6uhzhzaEVrWq_IMU3UbHuVuno3i1w-BECMgiEz5YQDsZsb85-qFVjTndd277O2uQGWWVakXg/w400-h215/AlbatrosStruck.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Filming
the sequence wasn’t without its peril as Jeff Bridges recalled, “I’ve had some
real-life close calls when I’ve been surfing, and I know that feeling of
fighting for your life in the water. During the storm scene there were some
long takes where we were being hit with wind and waves and being knocked
underwater. You don’t worry so much about acting then--you just want to survive
the take.” Scott remembered one day of filming: “We got the water pretty
churned up and I saw Jeff sticking his arm rigidly in the air with his fist
clenched. I thought he might be screaming, ‘Right on,’ but it turned out he was
screaming, ‘Stop, I’m going under.’”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">White Squall</span></i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> received mixed to negative reviews from
critics. Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars and wrote, "The
movie could have been smarter and more particular in the way it establishes its
characters. Its underlying values are better the less you think about them. And
the last scene not only ties the message together but puts about three ribbons
on it." In her review for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The New
York Times</i>, Janet Maslin wrote, "Written by Todd Robinson and
photographed against beautiful blue skies by Hugh Johnson, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">White Squall</i> improves when it takes on the daunting job of
replicating the title storm. Mr. Scott manages to capture pure, terrifying
chaos for a while, and this slow-moving film finally achieves a style of its
own." The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Washington Post</i>'s
Richard Leiby wrote, "It's disappointing that a director with the vision
of Ridley "<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blade Runner</i>"
Scott and an actor with the depth of Jeff "<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fearless</i>" Bridges conspired to produce such a sodden venture,
but Hollywood never seems to tire of flushing multimillions down the bilge
pipes." In his review for the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Los
Angeles Times</i>, Jack Mathews wrote, "The 20 or so minutes we spend with
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Albatross</i> in the squall is high
adventure, to be sure. Everything else is ballast." <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Entertainment Weekly</i>'s Lisa Schwarzbaum wrote, "<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">White Squall</i> is lovely to look at, but
frustrating to behold. These boys are fine specimens of American manhood. But
they’re unreachable, like ships in a bottle."<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">White Squall</span></i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> takes more than a few pages out of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dead Poets Society</i> (1989) playbook – a coming-of-age
story populated with a cast of young, aspiring actors, most of whom would go on
to memorable careers. Scott’s film falters when it tries to replicate the
heartfelt, emotional ending of Peter Weir’s film but instead feels forced as
the soulless Frank suddenly redeems himself and all the surviving boys rally
around the Skipper. It feels false as the film has done nothing to achieve this
moment unlike in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dead Poets</i> where its
satisfying conclusion was the culmination of everything that came before. Also,
the Skipper is such an unlikable character throughout the film it is hard to
see why the boys admire him enough to rally to his defense at the end unlike
Robin Williams' teacher in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dead Poets</i>
who gradually gains his students trust and admiration. Sometimes there is a
good reason why a particular film is an outlier in a director’s filmography –
it’s not very good. Such is the case of <i>White Squall</i>, a beautifully mounted
film, pretty to look at but ultimately with an empty core.<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi5TpuMEfJguISH8ge0_cASAqUbj8QogqLUtexUa6mQVppxpcqIfqw3Fadc2Rt6ZPZlNzP9v7lwNthLI4MMZhnCWjU72tfoD54e-Umcm1V2UezAkqtxqFT8v9_qiGmbyIOUmoLrTaR4pVznW1OotApJ0Vq0gh_ItMPmJ0dHBkn4UkcC0arU9yULsDuzQ/s760/screenshot005.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="760" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi5TpuMEfJguISH8ge0_cASAqUbj8QogqLUtexUa6mQVppxpcqIfqw3Fadc2Rt6ZPZlNzP9v7lwNthLI4MMZhnCWjU72tfoD54e-Umcm1V2UezAkqtxqFT8v9_qiGmbyIOUmoLrTaR4pVznW1OotApJ0Vq0gh_ItMPmJ0dHBkn4UkcC0arU9yULsDuzQ/w400-h214/screenshot005.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">SOURCES<br /></span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Clarke,
James. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Virgin Film: Ridley Scott</i>.
Virgin Books. 2010.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Crisafulli,
Chuck. “Stirring Up a See-Worthy Squall.” <u>Los Angeles Times</u>. January 28,
1996.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">LoBrutto,
Vincent. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ridley Scott: A Biography</i>.
University Press of Kentucky. 2019.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Williams,
David E. “An Interview with Ridley Scott.” <u>Film Threat</u>. April 26, 2000.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Wilmington,
Michael. “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">White Squall</i> Director a
Visionary without Visual Strategy.” <u>Chicago Tribune</u>. March 15, 1996.</span></span></div>
<p></p>J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11823190634186509982noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-27435411248787273402022-07-24T09:58:00.003-04:002022-07-24T09:58:29.638-04:00Hoffa<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUBOIPO667wTaDORrVyEZEYy7QtKQSiTzn8u69Gza6zb8bhWigPLkwMOko9z1m-aVRDCnoAI1fGCjI0Jo-j0YPFnJP_fJanHAvr4ovN67kb7_0xDA5KSpHbZiORKUGn5EM2CGd5soveAye-5lcjvM-UhymmqOVmJl1U_NHDMxlGixUKo2F6fpADcm6Zg/s1200/FGbJeXGWQAEfLD5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUBOIPO667wTaDORrVyEZEYy7QtKQSiTzn8u69Gza6zb8bhWigPLkwMOko9z1m-aVRDCnoAI1fGCjI0Jo-j0YPFnJP_fJanHAvr4ovN67kb7_0xDA5KSpHbZiORKUGn5EM2CGd5soveAye-5lcjvM-UhymmqOVmJl1U_NHDMxlGixUKo2F6fpADcm6Zg/w400-h225/FGbJeXGWQAEfLD5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Danny
DeVito is quite the accomplished character actor, starring in television shows
such as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Taxi</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia</i>, and highly regarded films such
as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest</i>
(1975) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Get Shorty</i> (1995). What
isn’t talked about nearly enough is his directorial output, which is not as
prolific but does contain some notable efforts. In the 1980s, he directed
back-to-back hits with the Hitchcockian goof <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Throw Momma from the Train</i> (1987) and the pitch-black divorce
satire <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The War of the Roses</i> (1989).
Both films demonstrated his stylistic flare behind the camera and decidedly
darkly humorous worldview.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DeVito
parlayed the box office clout he accrued from those two films into <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hoffa</i> (1992), an epic rise and fall
historical biopic about controversial labor leader James R. Hoffa, who led the powerful
International Brotherhood of Teamsters union and eventually ran afoul of both
organized crime and the United States government, disappearing on July 30, 1975
never to be seen again.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
success of Martin Scorsese’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">GoodFellas</i>
(1990) kicked off a golden age of historical biopics in the 1990s with the
likes of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">JFK</i> (1991), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bugsy</i> (1991), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Malcolm X</i> (1992), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Quiz Show</i>
(1994), and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The People vs. Larry Flynt</i>
(1996) among many others populating cinemas during this time. Stone’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Doors</i> (1991) and the aforementioned <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">JFK</i>, however, paved the way for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hoffa</i> to get made – that, and the
machinations of the film’s producer Edward R. Pressman to put together the team
of legendary actor Jack Nicholson in the titular role, getting Pulitzer
Prize-winning playwright David Mamet to write the screenplay, and DeVito to
direct.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgssp9qnzrtj5IFH9hFCZwOuqBewrD3nH5c5YvA_sSKTsvNnTZfXG2uT-__CnAX47nxdSCCGK3KEGMGQjVU4TjSpP3ih3itl5J8WroJp-OQfGkk8Ry-JIW6LkndQeHZNwmBnDPskMlDLR-o-1L2ZUJ2zHTV-LH-pjM6bgxr0crSt3cHKkkQHXzPd9AHnQ/s1920/MV5BOWYyMDk5YWMtMWU1ZS00YjYwLTlkYzEtODI4ZDliYzQwZmM2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyOTc5MDI5NjE@._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgssp9qnzrtj5IFH9hFCZwOuqBewrD3nH5c5YvA_sSKTsvNnTZfXG2uT-__CnAX47nxdSCCGK3KEGMGQjVU4TjSpP3ih3itl5J8WroJp-OQfGkk8Ry-JIW6LkndQeHZNwmBnDPskMlDLR-o-1L2ZUJ2zHTV-LH-pjM6bgxr0crSt3cHKkkQHXzPd9AHnQ/w400-h225/MV5BOWYyMDk5YWMtMWU1ZS00YjYwLTlkYzEtODI4ZDliYzQwZmM2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyOTc5MDI5NjE@._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This was
going to be the latter’s magnum opus that would garner all kinds of awards and
catapult him into the rarified air of the likes of Steven Spielberg and Stone.
Some critics, however, bristled at the lionization of Hoffa as a hero, raising
more than a few more eyebrows as the man was known for employing controversial
tactics to get want he wanted. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hoffa</i>
failed to make back it’s $40+ million (which reportedly rose to close to $50
million) budget, received mixed reviews and picked up a few, scattered award
nominations. What happened?<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The film
begins at the end of Hoffa’s (Nicholson) life – the last day he was seen alive
with the rise and fall of his career seen through the flashback reminisces of
Robert Ciaro (DeVito), a long-time friend and an amalgamation of several real-life
associates. We see how the two men met, while Ciaro is on the road making a
delivery and Hoffa pitches him a membership to the Teamsters, then a fledgling
organization. At the time, truck drivers were overworked and underpaid. Hoffa
shows up to the loading docks one-day spouting Mamet’s profane dialogue,
telling the workers to go on strike, which starts a massive brawl. In doing so,
he also costs Ciaro his job and later that night he ambushes Hoffa only to be
held at gunpoint by one of his associates, Billy Flynn (Robert Prosky). “Life’s
a negotiation. It’s all give and take,” Hoffa tells Ciaro as he apologizes and
explains him motives.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">We see
Hoffa’s early, botched strong arm tactics, such as firebombing a local business
that results in the death of Flynn. We see Hoffa mixing it up, yelling at scab
drivers crossing picket lines, getting into scuffles not just with the cops but
also the mafia. The strike is cutting into their profits and Hoffa cuts a deal
with them, which not only aids in his rise to leadership of the Teamsters, but
also, ultimately, led to his downfall. The film shows early on how Hoffa wasn’t
afraid to get his hands dirty, helping a trucker change his tire while he
pitches membership to the Teamsters, natch, and getting bloody while fighting
in the strikes.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioIo6ll04nykn1pP6Rb0uucaq9ALrXWCwVBSl4G-BvMg1InDJ3a0H3nZ_qO2_LSkUrA9yK6ApKdlY8SBgFpb6ha-MSZLUJ25siVmLmVRvAfYkHOTMkiXkL24rwuAiw9kGvs4H1NZRqHzuDL7iwUOKi5dlHMTRoFGBfDkpEtuSY4K26YGklWtQyfcUcHg/s1920/MV5BZjVkOGYwMjctZWJkMC00NDVlLThiOTAtZjFkYTQyOTllOTE1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUyNDk2ODc@._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioIo6ll04nykn1pP6Rb0uucaq9ALrXWCwVBSl4G-BvMg1InDJ3a0H3nZ_qO2_LSkUrA9yK6ApKdlY8SBgFpb6ha-MSZLUJ25siVmLmVRvAfYkHOTMkiXkL24rwuAiw9kGvs4H1NZRqHzuDL7iwUOKi5dlHMTRoFGBfDkpEtuSY4K26YGklWtQyfcUcHg/w400-h225/MV5BZjVkOGYwMjctZWJkMC00NDVlLThiOTAtZjFkYTQyOTllOTE1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUyNDk2ODc@._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">At times,
David Mamet’s Midwest tough guy dialogue feels like it could have come from one
of fellow Chicago native Michael Mann’s films but it has his distinctive
cadence in such gems as “Because I’m sitting out here to meet with a fella,” or
“What’s out the car is my guy. What’s in here is you watching the phone.”
Another memorable bit of dialogue: “Are we talking words, here, we usin’ words?
That’s what we’re doin’.” The cast, in particular Nicholson and DeVito nail the
sharp, clipped style of Mamet’s dialogue.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Unlike
the cast of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Irishman</i> (2019),
Nicholson, et al were cast at just the right time in their lives to play
younger and older versions of their characters credibly. Nicholson does an
excellent job delivering several of Hoffa’s fiery speeches. He fully commits to
the role compared to Al Pacino’s take on the man in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Irishman</i> where the legendary actor seems to be playing himself
rather than the man. Nicholson certainly captures the bluster and swagger of
Hoffa, a man with charisma and confidence to spare. One of the joys of his
performance is watching him spout so much of Mamet’s dialogue – no easy feat –
and he does it while adopting the Teamster’s distinctive tone and way of
speaking. Some of his best scenes are the ones where he squares off against
Robert Kennedy (Kevin Anderson) as he reduces their conflict to the working man
versus the rich elite. Nicholson does get a few reflective moments in the
scenes on his last day seen alive as he and Ciaro reflect on their friendship
over the years.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Nicholson
and DeVito are surrounded by a hell of a supporting cast with Anderson’s
uncanny take on Kennedy, nailing his distinctive accent. J.T. Walsh shows up as
one of Hoffa’s close associates who is initially loyal until he gets a taste of
power and turns his back on his mentor at a crucial moment. A young John C.
Reilly shows up as another one of Hoffa’s associates who worships him early on
but eventually betrays him by testifying against him during the trial for labor
racketeering. Armand Assante also pops up as the mob boss that Hoffa makes a
deal with to gain more power within the Teamsters. The veteran actor wisely
downplays his performance next to Nicholson’s acting pyrotechnics. He doesn’t
need to chew the scenery as his mere presence exudes power and authority. His
performance is a sobering reminder of how much his presence is missed films
such as this and Sidney Lumet’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Q & A</i>
(1990). There are also small parts for Bruno Kirby and Frank Whaley, who was on
quite the run at the time with pivotal roles in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Doors</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">JFK</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hoffa</i>.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3x-5S_7HtvepKMz6bmpYtuXWxkN_IRXxbm3mPtkBOZAx98U8wOh2aI1vlNiTOsWYojmycwnOUMMRiwxRSJ1cwJmwuktUoTOfljjQOnOAIC8yt5g6MJ3Ykz4pZTzKrsSQWZYAdesbdqtEA6ww1mWA9VhQd_qvk0CxFHyAtIKQXyEJLRZxRyZ_GFMp2w/s1920/MV5BZThiOTA3ZjItMjhhMS00ZDNmLWE3N2YtMTM2NmUxNTNkODRkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyOTc5MDI5NjE@._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="816" data-original-width="1920" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3x-5S_7HtvepKMz6bmpYtuXWxkN_IRXxbm3mPtkBOZAx98U8wOh2aI1vlNiTOsWYojmycwnOUMMRiwxRSJ1cwJmwuktUoTOfljjQOnOAIC8yt5g6MJ3Ykz4pZTzKrsSQWZYAdesbdqtEA6ww1mWA9VhQd_qvk0CxFHyAtIKQXyEJLRZxRyZ_GFMp2w/w400-h170/MV5BZThiOTA3ZjItMjhhMS00ZDNmLWE3N2YtMTM2NmUxNTNkODRkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyOTc5MDI5NjE@._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The film
is ambitious in its scale and scope as evident in the scene where Hoffa leads a
strike that turns into a massive brawl involving hundreds of people. DeVito
captures the chaos masterfully as trucks are overturned, people are viciously
beaten and even a mother is separated from her child all the while the
corporate bigwigs can be seen watching safely from their lofty vantage point.
It’s a tough, brutal sequence that is unflinching in its depiction of ugly
violence. The epic look and feel of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hoffa
</i>is due in large part to his direction with the help of legendary cinematographer
Stephen H. Burum as he digs deep into his stylistic bag of tricks including
crane shots, split diopter lens, sweeping 360-degree camera moves, God’s eye
overhead shots, point-of-view shots, and masterful framing of shots and scenes
via 2:35.1 aspect ratio that rival the likes of Spielberg and Stone at the
time.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Joe Isgro
was a top record promoter making a reported $10 million a year but in 1989 a
grand jury indicted him on 51 counts of payola and drug trafficking. The
charges were dismissed a year later but the damage to his reputation had been done
and he decided to pivot into the film business. Just before this legal mess he
had been approached by Frank Ragano, former Hoffa attorney, and Brett O’Brien,
son of Chuckie O’Brien, Hoffa’s adopted son. The former claimed he had obtained
the film rights from the Hoffa estate, however, not long after Isgro signed a
letter of agreement to do the film, O’Brien told him that they didn’t have the
rights and their option had expired. Isgro told O’Brien the deal was off and
made a new one with another production company for the rights to Chuckie’s
story, which was used as the basis for the screenplay written by Robin Moore,
who had authored <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The French Connection</i>,
and interviewed several members of the Teamsters union about Hoffa’s disappearance
in 1975.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Isgro approached
film producer Edward R. Pressman with Moore’s script hoping that Pressman could
convince Oliver Stone to direct. Pressman liked what he read and optioned the
script as well as the tapes and transcripts of Moore’s interviews. He found the
script “very expositional, not fully formed as a movie but there was the raw
material for one.” Caldecot Chubb, then Vice President of Pressman’s production
company, pitched Hoffa to 20th Century Fox production executive Michael London
in August 1989. He recalled telling London, “In America, everyone thinks they
know Hoffa. They think he was a gangster, period. But he was a labor leader, a
guy with courage and heroism, a guy who stood up for his men.” An hour and half
after their meeting concluded, London called Chubb and told him that if he could
get David Mamet to write the script they would finance the film.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQPbDh8FJsDa6o3C7DXhTmkZ7DnX1gKqlUb0ynFWhqAf2cDPpvHGxyEnqdB2OlT6klLGdAgBLs7hhA6hmLlDPFsSUKhMyb7ZeFK1g36MEmrNCTf3hksPNFcUC0S1c0ljYjiBvx2IPnlcOjV-_Hw6S17bSWflH0ZRT6hH7H7BuMNy4eIHq85cl0qcwwA/s1024/hoffa4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQPbDh8FJsDa6o3C7DXhTmkZ7DnX1gKqlUb0ynFWhqAf2cDPpvHGxyEnqdB2OlT6klLGdAgBLs7hhA6hmLlDPFsSUKhMyb7ZeFK1g36MEmrNCTf3hksPNFcUC0S1c0ljYjiBvx2IPnlcOjV-_Hw6S17bSWflH0ZRT6hH7H7BuMNy4eIHq85cl0qcwwA/w400-h225/hoffa4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Pressman
had met Mamet in 1985 and called him, pitching the idea of Hoffa as King Lear.
In October 1989, Mamet met with Pressman, Chubb and Joe Roth, then President of
Fox. Pressman remembers Mamet telling them that his father had been a labor
lawyer and he understood that world. His conditions were that they could give
him and all their research material and he would give them back a finished
script. He was paid in the neighborhood of one million dollars and put two
other projects on hold while he spent several months writing the script.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
studio loved what Mamet wrote and told Pressman to hire a top director. His
first choice was Barry Levinson but when he met with Mamet about the script in
1990, the men did not see eye to eye on the vision for the film and the
director passed on the project. Pressman reportedly met with Stone and John
McTiernan but they weren’t seriously considered for the film. Around this time,
Danny DeVito was having lunch with Roth who was telling him about the projects
they were working on and when the former heard about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hoffa</i> he immediately wanted to do it. He met with Pressman in April
1990 and presented his vision of the film. The producer said, “It was clear to
me Danny was articulate and ambitious and every bit as prepared as the best filmmakers
I’d worked with.” DeVito was hired.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">To play
Hoffa, both Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino were considered until someone suggested
Jack Nicholson. He read the script in the summer of 1990 after making <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Two Jakes</i> (1990) and agreed to do it
but principal photography had to be delayed for six months while he filmed <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Man Trouble</i> (1992) for Bob Rafelson. His
salary increased the film’s budget dramatically to over $40 million and Roth
told Pressman in the fall of 1991 that Fox would only pay for $37 million of
it. Pressman sold the cable rights in France for $5 million and convinced
DeVito to work for union scale, saving an additional $7 million in exchange for
a share of the film’s box office receipts.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8EfxS51sI2yuPqLRRNSScdTB1f0OnaeT38teoLXkjDh6TdpiSIRpm9us5QnuEMAI5YTiC7cuNGU8GswRd_EPFV-pLnH9tYIlSw62a541PGgmHMwA6byfAVc_kFmJGQSmr2clj1f872maLustR_Ol1tKHlHtViEOSCvzvAxVWWRJ3GR1Ov_5OtBgtYLQ/s1508/oDBj0E5oITBxiK2hn6EON-7qtVLrIf8KiAaS4MjQxx-x3AA9carqrO6SIXakDTaq5Y4PYRl-WM0bpGTmVpn6G8Ji8lFwDxewSgbd36QGedI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1508" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8EfxS51sI2yuPqLRRNSScdTB1f0OnaeT38teoLXkjDh6TdpiSIRpm9us5QnuEMAI5YTiC7cuNGU8GswRd_EPFV-pLnH9tYIlSw62a541PGgmHMwA6byfAVc_kFmJGQSmr2clj1f872maLustR_Ol1tKHlHtViEOSCvzvAxVWWRJ3GR1Ov_5OtBgtYLQ/w400-h265/oDBj0E5oITBxiK2hn6EON-7qtVLrIf8KiAaS4MjQxx-x3AA9carqrO6SIXakDTaq5Y4PYRl-WM0bpGTmVpn6G8Ji8lFwDxewSgbd36QGedI.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Hoffa</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> shot for 85 days, starting in February 1992 in
Pittsburgh before moving on to Detroit, then Los Angeles with the final two
weeks in Chicago in June on an initial budget of $42 million that eventually
came in just under $50 million.<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Hoffa </span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">received mixed reviews from critics. Roger
Ebert gave the film three-and-a-half out of four stars and wrote, "<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hoffa</i> shows DeVito as a genuine
filmmaker. Here is a movie that finds the right look and tone for its material.
Not many directors would have been confident enough to simply show us Jimmy
Hoffa instead of telling us all about him.” In his review for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The New York Times</i>, Vincent Canby wrote,
"Mr. Nicholson has altered his looks, voice and speech to evoke Hoffa, but
the performance is composed less of superficial tricks than of the actor's
crafty intelligence and conviction. The performance is spookily compelling
without being sympathetic for a minute." The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Los Angeles Times</i>' Kenneth Turan wrote, "All the audience is
left with are snapshots of repetitive tough-guy behavior, a scenario that is
too limited to hold anyone’s interest for a 2-hour-and-20-minute length."<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Entertainment Weekly</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">'s Owen Gleiberman gave
the film a "D" rating and wrote, "When an actor as great as
Nicholson gives a performance this monotonous, it raises the question, Why make
a movie about Jimmy Hoffa in the first place? The answer, I suspect, is that it
wasn’t so much Hoffa’s life as his lurid, headline-making death that hooked a
major studio into backing this project. The result is somehow perversely
appropriate: a massive Hollywood biopic about a man who never quite seems
there." In his review for the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Washington
Post</i>, Desson Howe wrote, "The biggest mistake is DeVito's direction.
He fills every moment with soaring, weighty music and spectacle-happy
cinematography. Like a kid clutching power candy, he can't let go." While doing
press for the film, DeVito made no apologies for his positive take on Hoffa: “He
put bread on the table of the working man. That to me is a hero.”<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DeVito
does lay it on a bit thick at times, such as the scene where hundreds of trucks
park by the side of the road as drivers show their support for Hoffa as he and
Ciaro are driven to prison with David Newman’s score swelling dramatically.
Hoffa’s home life is also never seen with his wife Josephine (Natalia Nogulich)
trotted out for a few moments but we get no insight into their dynamic. If the
film’s portrayal of Hoffa has fault it’s that we don’t get an understanding of
what motivated the man. When we meet him, he is fully-formed. He is confident
of his convictions. How did he get that way? What made him such a staunch
defender of the working man? Why was he so power hungry? We never know for
certain and maybe no one did but it is a lack of depth in an otherwise
compelling portrait of the man. For all the hero worship of Hoffa, DeVito does
try to show the ramifications of the man’s actions such as him ignoring the
Teamsters leadership’s orders to back off and starting a massive brawl with the
scabs and cops that results in the death of several of his fellow members.
There’s also the scene where he uses intimidation tactics to kill a newspaper
story that will portray him in a negative light thereby damaging his chances of
being elected President of the Teamsters.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9DXzYNoUWnrjH-e0bAhA6tH-hraLY06t_VwOv23pAoU5-60PZ6QrFj9irtA_IMy0C7x5bHtRWOPJACIHcakIZRjg6kAraKT7_k_-Q-_Y_KuALk6aL0fFqEaKMVl9noE7TkZjnIbIeLD1HEcNVCojWyVoy8n87lkPSmtRkaXq78th-JKVTmqd9xfMcPw/s850/EJ5RpbOXkAI1yQb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="850" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9DXzYNoUWnrjH-e0bAhA6tH-hraLY06t_VwOv23pAoU5-60PZ6QrFj9irtA_IMy0C7x5bHtRWOPJACIHcakIZRjg6kAraKT7_k_-Q-_Y_KuALk6aL0fFqEaKMVl9noE7TkZjnIbIeLD1HEcNVCojWyVoy8n87lkPSmtRkaXq78th-JKVTmqd9xfMcPw/w400-h210/EJ5RpbOXkAI1yQb.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Among the
gold rush boom of historical biopics in the ‘90s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hoffa</i> has mostly become forgotten thanks to its lackluster box
office and mixed critical reaction. By the time Stone made <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nixon</i> (1995), large scale, star-studded historical films were no
longer en vogue and by the end of the decade less and less of these films were
being made with notable exceptions such as Michael Mann’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Insider</i> (1999), but despite stellar reviews it also
underperformed at the box office. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hoffa</i>
has enjoyed some renewed interest thanks to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Irishman</i>, which features the labor leader prominently. While he is not the
central character his presence casts a long shadow over the film and is nowhere
near as interestingly depicted as in DeVito’s film. Perhaps there is a more
definitive take on the man? A limited series that could go into more detail? In
the meantime, we have this lavishly staged, well-acted look at the man who had
a profound effect on labor unions and the working class.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">SOURCES<br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Freedman,
Samuel G. “The Captain of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hoffa</i> Team.”
<u>The New York Times</u>. September 13, 1992.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Goldstein,
Patrick. “A Labor-Intensive <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hoffa</i>.” <u>Los
Angeles Times</u>. August 30, 1992.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Willistein,
Paul. “DeVito’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hoffa</i> Salutes Top
Teamster Working Class Hero.” <u>The Morning Call</u>. December 25, 1992.</span></div>
J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11823190634186509982noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-57854674209970301082022-06-30T10:14:00.003-04:002022-06-30T10:14:50.065-04:00Dick<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuqmfdEM99l8ya_EXE0WoQEOtRcirCxZepv5rPf_utVUaVDhcB7EUwmAM6Rm49Pq4ja6-dYBeluDP5QvyASZyg77tQ0LTBhVqmlyeYak_xxn_VcHr7VnVn3oP_UTNggK8yKUXuhsB0FAVaWtfOM6E9Y1J8x88etm5PLLUW69lLcQ7e1arDWDylFb8ARg/s1425/Dick_dunst-williams_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="781" data-original-width="1425" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuqmfdEM99l8ya_EXE0WoQEOtRcirCxZepv5rPf_utVUaVDhcB7EUwmAM6Rm49Pq4ja6-dYBeluDP5QvyASZyg77tQ0LTBhVqmlyeYak_xxn_VcHr7VnVn3oP_UTNggK8yKUXuhsB0FAVaWtfOM6E9Y1J8x88etm5PLLUW69lLcQ7e1arDWDylFb8ARg/w400-h219/Dick_dunst-williams_3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">On June
17, 1972, Washington, D.C. police arrested five burglars breaking into the
Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate Office Building. It
was later revealed that then-President Richard Nixon approved plans to cover up
the break-in. </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Washington Post</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein were instrumental in bringing much of
this scandal to light with their chief anonymous source famously nicknamed “Deep
Throat” after the mainstream pornographic movie that was popular at the time.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This
scandal has been documented and dramatized numerous times, most famously in
Alan J. Pakula’s film, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">All the
President’s Men</i> (1976), arguably the definitive take on this incident. In
1999, along came director Andrew Fleming and his screenwriting partner Sheryl
Longin with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dick</i>, a comical movie
that pokes fun at the Nixon administration and the Watergate scandal as it
imagines “Deep Throat” being two naïve 15-year old girls. This was several
years before the real identity of this informant was revealed so much of the
movie’s humor comes from these unlikely teenagers helping take down Nixon.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Dick </span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">opens with a framing device of French Stewart
as a Larry King-type talk show host interviewing an aging Woodward (Will
Ferrell) and Bernstein (Bruce McCullough). Naturally, he asks them to reveal
the identity of “Deep Throat,” which of course they refuse while bickering like
an old married couple. The movie proceeds to riff on the famous opening credit
sequence of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">All the President’s Men</i>,
poking fun at it with two teenage girls doing the typing and making a mistake
that is corrected with White Out.<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7mOd2fIx5QNpVheFZC5i6hI0ikFucAp_98W5oIlKUclppa6z5A-9qCBKLQJaeaVqDXu0JMK7w1L2ePiHqgoLgpitZu4wAE66mVuct1Pyg_YyuLRs7lOmBpmYmt-rMXYUAui8xfM1SWA6dbG30pHBIbum3xdPGt5QpyqKDeqVVv8ws6KCYIZnN021yFQ/s1421/Dick_heydaya_2a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="781" data-original-width="1421" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7mOd2fIx5QNpVheFZC5i6hI0ikFucAp_98W5oIlKUclppa6z5A-9qCBKLQJaeaVqDXu0JMK7w1L2ePiHqgoLgpitZu4wAE66mVuct1Pyg_YyuLRs7lOmBpmYmt-rMXYUAui8xfM1SWA6dbG30pHBIbum3xdPGt5QpyqKDeqVVv8ws6KCYIZnN021yFQ/w400-h220/Dick_heydaya_2a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Arlene
Lorenzo (Michelle Williams) and Betsy Jobs (Kirsten Dunst) are hanging out at
the Watergate Hotel where the former lives with her mother (Teri Garr) writing
a fan letter some pop rock star of the day late one night. While mailing said
letter they accidentally stumble into the Watergate break-in. The next day,
they encounter G. Gordon Liddy (a wonderfully twitchy Harry Shearer) during a
tour of the White House with their class and spot a piece of “toilet paper”
stuck to his shoe. It turns out to be the CREEP list featuring financial
pay-offs to the Watergate burglars. Naturally, the two girls are clueless as to
what the list means.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">While
H.R. Haldeman (Dave Foley) is interrogating Arlene and Betsy (“When you think
of your President do you think friendly thoughts?”), President Richard Nixon’s
dog Checkers notices them and seeks attention from the two girls. To keep them
quiet, Nixon (Dan Hedaya) appoints them official White House dog walkers,
thinking that they are just a couple of dumb girls, but it allows them access
to the inner workings of the White House where they witness cover-up tactics
such as the shredding of important documents.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
characters of Arlene and Betsy carry on in the proud comedic tradition of
movies such as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bill and Ted’s Excellent
Adventure</i> (1989), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Romy and Michelle’s
High School Reunion</i> (1997) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dude,
Where’s My Car?</i> (2000), of two, not-so-smart or naïve best friends bumbling
their way through a series of misadventures. Michelle Williams and Kirsten
Dunst are well-cast as two teenagers that aren’t exactly dumb per se, but
rather inexperienced. Arlene is the smarter of the two and it is she who
decides to ask Nixon to put an end to the Vietnam War when Betsy’s perpetually
stoned brother (Devon Gummersall) gets drafted. The next day, Nixon announces
an end to the war! Dunst’s Betsy isn’t as smart but plays her part in helping
shape history. Williams and Dunst are believable as best friends that spend
most of their time together in their own little world. The movie tracks their maturation
from naïve teenagers to politically astute young women that help bring down a
presidency.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivmJBGSCsnKal79k14x_8GrD46km-tndTOcUSUDkaKN-MysTgEWemCzv2LT8E9NQ3AQvpzh-lajfir41Vtu-MMqghT3NJrq6LKM8pZ9uXKktljpts98Jfw4WotBTyzximKDlbfRI2xvkprkhrMqPwSAna7HE40djyFQflRVRZ7bRRv8CNIlMJDeC6Wdg/s1280/dick-1999.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivmJBGSCsnKal79k14x_8GrD46km-tndTOcUSUDkaKN-MysTgEWemCzv2LT8E9NQ3AQvpzh-lajfir41Vtu-MMqghT3NJrq6LKM8pZ9uXKktljpts98Jfw4WotBTyzximKDlbfRI2xvkprkhrMqPwSAna7HE40djyFQflRVRZ7bRRv8CNIlMJDeC6Wdg/w400-h225/dick-1999.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Veteran
character actor Dan Hedaya is a hoot with his wonderful caricature of Nixon as
a gruff bumbler who thinks that he’s manipulating these two girls when it is the
other way around. Hedaya is surrounded by impressive supporting cast of
comedians from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Kids in the Hall</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Saturday Night Live</i>, including Jim
Breuer as White House counsel John Dean, Dave Foley as Haldeman, Ana Gasteyer
as Nixon’s secretary, and Harry Shearer as Liddy. Much as Steven Soderbergh
would do later with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Informant!</i>
(2005), these comedians were not instructed to ham it up but instead play it
straight, which makes their performances funnier.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">About an
hour in, scene stealers Will Ferrell and Bruce McCullough show up as the famous
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Washington Post</i> investigative
journalists, playing them as antagonistic partners with the Bernstein being the
vain one, occasionally checking his hair, and the Woodward as the more serious
one refusing to share any of his work. These comedy ringers’ exaggerated take
is in humorous contrast to the solemn view in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">All the President’s Men</i>.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Much of
the humor in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dick </i>derives from a
treasure trove of Easter eggs for history buffs as the infamous
18-and-a-half-minute gap in one of Nixon’s audio recordings is explained because
of Arlene and Betsy recording a message for the President with the former
professing her love for him at length. We also see Arlene and Betsy
inadvertently help alter history as they not only contribute to ending the war
but also aid in brokering peace between Russia and the United States. “I think
your cookies have just saved the world from nuclear catastrophe,” Nixon tells
them about the latter. Dean betrays Nixon and testifies against him after
Arlene and Betsy shame him for his involvement in the cover-up.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1EGhQ_VDEZU0Sd4xmD16Cm3uZi4U6xQcJ4ebwBHK7S4E3NF_pXyE-v2BzGGT42O1UbcdinxfcxV0n2S9K_uZDQwCDJ7AwcjD8i3xQHw0umI0r2kIdNSDVKxDLk9gFMe8QSryd7HSei_I9ixvL06sQJ8rl-gGb4KKJCzcofR8_YmeWNkG34sH5IMp3g/s1416/Dick_ferrell-mccolloch_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="782" data-original-width="1416" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1EGhQ_VDEZU0Sd4xmD16Cm3uZi4U6xQcJ4ebwBHK7S4E3NF_pXyE-v2BzGGT42O1UbcdinxfcxV0n2S9K_uZDQwCDJ7AwcjD8i3xQHw0umI0r2kIdNSDVKxDLk9gFMe8QSryd7HSei_I9ixvL06sQJ8rl-gGb4KKJCzcofR8_YmeWNkG34sH5IMp3g/w400-h221/Dick_ferrell-mccolloch_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Director
Andrew Fleming and his co-screenwriter Sheryl Longin first started writing the
screenplay for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dick</i> in 1993 where
they started with two teenage girls getting into all kinds of misadventures but
none them worked. Longin remembered an experience she had at the age of seven.
She was with her family on vacation at the same hotel as President Nixon in Key
Biscayne. She and two older friends threw ice cubes at Secret Service agents
from a seventh-floor window and was convinced that she would get in trouble.
Nixon subsequently canceled a planned speech by the hotel pool. She and Fleming
took that incident and came up with the idea of the girls being “Deep Throat.”<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Initially
this was just a joke that they found amusing, “and we kept absorbing that, and
it just never went away. We just kept finding it amusing. I told people about
it. They said, ‘That’s hilarious. No one will ever make that movie.’,” Fleming
said years later. After the success of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Craft</i> (1996), he decided to use the buzz from that movie to make <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dick</i>, shopping it around Hollywood.
People thought it was funny but didn’t want to make it. Fortunately, Mike
Medavoy, head of Phoenix Pictures, who had worked with Fleming on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Threesome</i> (1994), agreed to make it with
Columbia Pictures.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">They
initially sent the script to former <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Washington
Post</i> executive editor Ben Bradlee asking if he’d play himself but he
declined. They also sent a copy to former John Dean who sent it back with a
note that read, “Good luck.” For the two leads, Fleming was impressed with
Kirsten Dunst in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Interview with a Vampire</i>
(1994) and cast her alongside Michelle Williams, hot off the popular television
show <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dawson’s Creek</i>.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlA0gC5rLuQODm_JFaLTB1PHjJQDZUxV6VOa7sAi4cuY3Lxz0nBeWjtqTGD2NOGXz731HbVti8qUecLMK53swqLCpCNCaWllOzmYsL8IDMIIEeaAWhjtqkSnHh0ZEdNH3x_YWG-JAcNqw4Hei77uXNbwO6Dx-lVAkq9MRyBjMQlY4bAzeAjleBoE9ppw/s1000/Dick-Dunst-Andrew-Fleming-Williams-BTS-Everett-MSDDICK_CO001-EMBED-2022.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="1000" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlA0gC5rLuQODm_JFaLTB1PHjJQDZUxV6VOa7sAi4cuY3Lxz0nBeWjtqTGD2NOGXz731HbVti8qUecLMK53swqLCpCNCaWllOzmYsL8IDMIIEeaAWhjtqkSnHh0ZEdNH3x_YWG-JAcNqw4Hei77uXNbwO6Dx-lVAkq9MRyBjMQlY4bAzeAjleBoE9ppw/w400-h260/Dick-Dunst-Andrew-Fleming-Williams-BTS-Everett-MSDDICK_CO001-EMBED-2022.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Fleming
and Longin were worried early on that the movie was too irreverent but after
reading transcripts of Nixon’s infamous audio tapes they felt that “he was
irreverent. He violated us, lied to us. Did things that were illegal and
seriously, permanently damaged this country.” Longin said, “Our generation then
felt very cynical about politics. We became cynical and apathetic, and we
really feel it was because the earliest thing we knew about politics is that
they were lying and abusing power.”<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Dick</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> was well-reviewed by critics at the time. Roger
Ebert gave the movie three-and-a-half out of four stars and wrote, "Comedy
like this depends on timing, invention and a cheerful cynicism about human
nature. It's wiser and more wicked than the gross-out insult humor of many of
the summer's other comedies." In his review for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The New York Times</i>, Stephen Holden wrote, "In exaggerating
Nixon's mannerisms, Mr. Hedaya has created the year's funniest film caricature.
With his hunched shoulders, darting paranoid gaze and crocodile grimace, Mr.
Hedaya's Nixon is the quivering, skulking embodiment of a single word:
guilty." The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Washington Post</i>'s
Rita Kempley wrote, "Dunst and Williams, with their giggly comic
chemistry, loopy charm and resourcefulness, can be universally
appreciated." In his review for the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Los
Angeles Times</i>, Kevin Thomas said of the filmmakers, "the core audience
they’re most likely hoping to connect with are Betsy and Arlene’s
contemporaries, who today would be hitting 40. Actually, ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dick</i>’ is so sharp and funny it should appeal to all ages." <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Entertainment Weekly</i>'s Lisa Schwarzbaum
wrote, "Like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Election</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rushmore</i>, it’s a ‘teen’ comedy that
isn’t a teen comedy at all, but cops groovy teen spirit in the service of
something much more adult."<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Dick</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> uses <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
World of Henry Orient</i> (1964) as its primary template with two young girls bonding
over their mutual obsession with an older man that includes posters and scrap
books dedicated to him. Once they get to see behind the curtain, as it were,
they become disillusioned and mature both emotionally and politically, and
participate in his downfall. The movie eventually mutates into a paranoid
conspiracy thriller a la <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">All the
President’s Men</i> as the girls not only witness the last days of the Nixon
administration but help take it down while being followed and surveilled.<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4QIXxVASKPhVgv58gZalLyrm6RZy9IuJT2CBVgFBbgamxO9G00UxCwik-y_sWVRNEaLHnw_WjGfKtH2_T89tMX27_pqrDBE1vMUZPcQbXR_eEP_TxfqLpKysT1y8EDRk3aa1tKLvLJ87AI9F5knJEswq9dQa3Ubosrmye9Ff534e-EbZRVd2_Tz9HsQ/s1000/Kirsten%20Dunst,%20Dan%20Hedaya,%20and%20Michelle%20Williams%20in%20Dick%20(1999).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="1000" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4QIXxVASKPhVgv58gZalLyrm6RZy9IuJT2CBVgFBbgamxO9G00UxCwik-y_sWVRNEaLHnw_WjGfKtH2_T89tMX27_pqrDBE1vMUZPcQbXR_eEP_TxfqLpKysT1y8EDRk3aa1tKLvLJ87AI9F5knJEswq9dQa3Ubosrmye9Ff534e-EbZRVd2_Tz9HsQ/w400-h251/Kirsten%20Dunst,%20Dan%20Hedaya,%20and%20Michelle%20Williams%20in%20Dick%20(1999).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Dick </span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">is a fun movie but it is easy to see why it
tanked at the box office, not even making back its modest $13 million budget.
While it certainly can be enjoyed as a goofy comedy about the hijinks of two
girls, as it was marketed, you really need to be well versed in the Watergate
scandal and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">All the President’s Men</i>
to fully enjoy the humor and inside jokes. This is what killed it commercially
as teenagers either didn’t know about it or didn’t care, which is a shame as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dick</i> is an immensely enjoyable movie
that deserves a second lease on life.<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">SOURCES:<br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Gajewsk,
Ryan. “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dick</i> Director on Challenges of
Making a Watergate Comedy and Whether It Could Be Done Today.” <u>The Hollywood
Reporter</u>. June 17, 2022.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Waxman,
Sharon. “Generation X’s Tricky Dick.” <u>Washington Post</u>. August 1, 1999.</span></div>
J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11823190634186509982noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-30518375247526783102022-05-28T10:04:00.000-04:002022-05-28T10:04:01.573-04:00Gotham<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim07DxEdGTttp6uQ8nCHzBWGc1Q-0o305cfANFRLxZ7bq32kcbYTwoncZ3isPrmVAkCjGCVBtkqmu0ZvkwPqiTwFuWN0Sx8YCs56zYJqbnQFrNCSeH5qYyEXWjqsETmrAkadJqIheD1CZKU0O3zkv5N1gg3gyWZQFb3-OrdzQY8rwyu2xvcZEjZKGBkg/s300/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim07DxEdGTttp6uQ8nCHzBWGc1Q-0o305cfANFRLxZ7bq32kcbYTwoncZ3isPrmVAkCjGCVBtkqmu0ZvkwPqiTwFuWN0Sx8YCs56zYJqbnQFrNCSeH5qYyEXWjqsETmrAkadJqIheD1CZKU0O3zkv5N1gg3gyWZQFb3-OrdzQY8rwyu2xvcZEjZKGBkg/w400-h224/images.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Made
during her bombshell period, Virginia Madsen is perfectly cast as an elusive
femme fatale in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gotham</i> (1988), a
made-for-television movie for the Showtime Channel and that was part of a run
of sexy roles in the late 1980s that also included <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Slam Dance</i> (1987), and into 1990s with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Hot Spot</i> (1990) and forgettable erotic thrillers such as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Caroline at Midnight</i> (1994) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blue Tiger</i> (1994). Fortunately, this one
stars Tommy Lee Jones and whose angle is a neo-noir fused with a ghost story.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">
“You ever find yourself walking down a dark street, you think you hear
footsteps coming up slowly, somebody just out of sight?” This question
kickstarts the story as Charles Rand (Colin Bruce) asks down-on-his-luck
private investigator Eddie Mallard (Jones) to find his wife Rachel (Madsen) and
tell her to leave him alone. The only problem: she’s been dead for over ten
years. Rand offers Mallard a lot of money to take the case, which he accepts
even though, as he confesses to his friend Tim (Kevin Jarre) later on, he fears
that he’s feeding into this man’s delusions.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">
Eddie humors his client and his odd ramblings about his wife (“She lusts for
daylight. She wants power in the daylight.”). The man is truly haunted by her
death and apparent resurrection and this intrigues Eddie – that and the hefty
paycheck. One day, Charles spots Rachel across the street and asks Eddie to go
over and talk to her. With her long white gloves, vintage hat tilted at just
the right angle and retro black dress, Rachel looks like she stepped right out
of a 1940s film noir. Of course, she denies knowing Charles and humors Eddie by
going out for a drink with him where she explains that she is a woman of
expensive tastes.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUinuxghm2T1rUvMLFp2tOOgSAK53ie_rpwIz2joIZqgSelbIWXH2SDaWu_fmtny-YgLt-fsC-_32b6WvroPrmOrxgqX8kdohScQUl7WaG3Tn2Rz3wNN3EJRkNa_EzgiL36wlkTxMdRbm2iApql-eU1zbsCyH-3XIoNZKsc1RyytP37y-51awCk5QKYA/s1000/MV5BYmUyMzJlMTgtYThkNS00NTFjLWI3YjUtODQzYzMyMjk3MjBmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjMzMzk2Mjg@._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="714" data-original-width="1000" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUinuxghm2T1rUvMLFp2tOOgSAK53ie_rpwIz2joIZqgSelbIWXH2SDaWu_fmtny-YgLt-fsC-_32b6WvroPrmOrxgqX8kdohScQUl7WaG3Tn2Rz3wNN3EJRkNa_EzgiL36wlkTxMdRbm2iApql-eU1zbsCyH-3XIoNZKsc1RyytP37y-51awCk5QKYA/w400-h285/MV5BYmUyMzJlMTgtYThkNS00NTFjLWI3YjUtODQzYzMyMjk3MjBmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjMzMzk2Mjg@._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Rachel
shows up at Eddie’s office and apologizes for coming on so strong the other day
and takes him out for a bite to eat as a way of apologizing. She comes across
as a slightly sad, lonely wealthy lady. He’s intrigued by her stunning looks
and enigmatic past. Their paths cross again as she wanders out of the smoke on
a deserted city street one night. The deeper he goes into the case the more he
realizes it’s not as simple as it seems and like most noirs he finds himself
drawn into an increasingly complex web with Rachel at its center. Is she really
the deceased wife or is this merely the delusions of a crazy man?<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The movie
has odd beats that occasionally disrupt its traditional narrative, such as a
scene where Eddie and Rachel are serenaded in an alleyway by a dirty bum with
an immaculate acoustic guitar and a beautiful voice. It’s a poignant moment as
the camera stays on Madsen’s face as Rachel reacts to “Danny Boy,” her eyes
gradually welling up and a tear runs down her face. With the help of his very
talented crew that includes the likes of David Cronenberg’s longtime production
designer Carol Spier, legendary cinematographer Michael Chapman (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Raging Bull</i>) and composer George S.
Clinton (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Austin Powers</i>), writer/director
Lloyd Fonvielle creates a suitable neo-noir mood and atmosphere with a touch of
the supernatural, such as a spooky shot of Rachel submerged in murky water, a
gloved hand reaching out to Eddie.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">With her
old school looks, Virginia Madsen could have been a Classic Hollywood movie
star and is perfectly cast as an elusive femme fatale cum woman out of time.
She does an excellent job of coming across as this sweet, alluring presence and
then transforms into a vulgar, vengeful creature. The actor is more than
believable as a woman that could seduce men into doing her bidding and
destroying their lives in the process.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH3TsV1o__eTg-4NdEaYhX-RUuoZ0TyQOENNZvDKhsQM84G-KEZsw9GchBPUP2DwL8397UC6_n4ugdFeU2HEQ-Hp_jI3xb2zH7ymanP7_hLVI6xBfgOtAVgjoiYqQCVCFlIDaVq-w-Lrju3HjMNrFc0RalCDVDSi8JcjSpvgQyfM6pKr85zXXF_6tUvQ/s1024/54892_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH3TsV1o__eTg-4NdEaYhX-RUuoZ0TyQOENNZvDKhsQM84G-KEZsw9GchBPUP2DwL8397UC6_n4ugdFeU2HEQ-Hp_jI3xb2zH7ymanP7_hLVI6xBfgOtAVgjoiYqQCVCFlIDaVq-w-Lrju3HjMNrFc0RalCDVDSi8JcjSpvgQyfM6pKr85zXXF_6tUvQ/w400-h225/54892_6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Tommy Lee
Jones is well cast as a world-weary gumshoe who thinks he knows all the angles
until he takes on this case and becomes entangled in Rachel’s web. Like Rachel,
Eddie undergoes his own transformation and Jones does an excellent job of
conveying a man who has seen it all to one obsessed with a woman that tears his
life apart.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
critics of the time weren’t too kind to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gotham</i>.
The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Washington Post</i>'s Tom Shales
wrote, "Madsen is a sensuously spooky Rachel. She is also quite naked in
two or three scenes, popping up, literally, in the bathtub, and falling out of
a refrigerator. Madsen holds Jones and the camera captive. Maybe it doesn't
matter that the whole thing is senseless." In her review for the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Los Angeles Times</i>, Lynne Heffley wrote,
"What viewers fall victim to is a flawed vision. Suspense fizzles into
steamy homage to Madsen’s beauty, clad and unclad; New York City locales are
unbelievably underpopulated; a street bum sings “Danny Boy"-all of it-and
Madsen’s exquisite lips are either framing romance novel banalities or a
favorite obscenity." <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The New York
Times</i>’ Walter Goodman described it as “a lugubrious telling of a story that
at its best is incomprehensible.”<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“It may
be a dream but it’s one of those dreams you can’t wake up from,” Eddie says at
one point and it is the narrow line <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gotham</i>
treads between what is real and what we perceive as real. And isn’t that all
down to perception anyway? One person’s reality could be another’s dream. Since
this movie is a neo-noir typically things don’t go well for the protagonist but
Fonvielle twists this convention so that his main character is spared while
another character is doomed. He does an excellent job of grounding the movie in
its own reality so we’re never sure what is real and what is a dream except for
little details that he uses as signposts along the way. It’s a tricky balancing
acting between the ridiculous and the sublime but then again, isn’t all a
matter of perception?</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbPs9BSHKoWMRZW6KkB8NfyYfgGvAfZEWp9ZV5gmZ3pHqtDfuyb83-wgMJhCcDacS0rwS9ewKOtDTQ9Rv5lsVBELls0FJgLoMbyoO6sYcT8D17K15T6oX9HEx2CZRw_0PpqEJi-Tv0Qx7IDCoAfTMtZkga6SKX1w6NbBBfN5lFKHYqtapSH5CzOGE0_A/s560/gotham-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="416" data-original-width="560" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbPs9BSHKoWMRZW6KkB8NfyYfgGvAfZEWp9ZV5gmZ3pHqtDfuyb83-wgMJhCcDacS0rwS9ewKOtDTQ9Rv5lsVBELls0FJgLoMbyoO6sYcT8D17K15T6oX9HEx2CZRw_0PpqEJi-Tv0Qx7IDCoAfTMtZkga6SKX1w6NbBBfN5lFKHYqtapSH5CzOGE0_A/w400-h297/gotham-01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<p></p>J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11823190634186509982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-69812257827803510452022-04-23T11:09:00.002-04:002022-04-23T11:11:52.906-04:00Licorice Pizza<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF-H6WstMYtfD976XU14m68HDjFiUcJFo32R2KHOnevdU8Vbaue6PUekbrXGgXFCNp5OxlCXf-7mqZnOfz02UHo7HwKDXuxBC9aexjImiGFSOABkikmG0QECRDY-pEC5TfN0Uyhx9hi90M8gfEbDO-6LLTNX6g7UFGGXZFRF-nMfPQ3wpOrzW85BDIzA/s2280/FL-K3_QacAAg7H_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2280" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF-H6WstMYtfD976XU14m68HDjFiUcJFo32R2KHOnevdU8Vbaue6PUekbrXGgXFCNp5OxlCXf-7mqZnOfz02UHo7HwKDXuxBC9aexjImiGFSOABkikmG0QECRDY-pEC5TfN0Uyhx9hi90M8gfEbDO-6LLTNX6g7UFGGXZFRF-nMfPQ3wpOrzW85BDIzA/w400-h190/FL-K3_QacAAg7H_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Filmmaker
Paul Thomas Anderson was born, raised and continues to live in the San Fernando
Valley in California. It has and continues to provide a source of inspiration
for some of his most personal films, including <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Boogie Nights</i> (1997), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Magnolia</i>
(1999), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Punch-Drunk Love</i> (2002), and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Licorice Pizza</i> (2021). He even shot
parts of his adaptation of the Thomas Pynchon novel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Inherent Vice</i> (2014) in the Valley. Why does PTA return to this
place repeatedly? Beyond the convenience of shooting close to home, he is fascinated
by the towns and the people that inhabit them as evident most significantly
with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Licorice Pizza</i>, a nostalgic look
back at the area, focusing on the burgeoning romance between two young people
in 1973.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">This is a
largely plotless film that follows the misadventures of Gary Valentine (Cooper
Hoffman), a 15-year-old high school student, and Alana Kane (Alana Haim), a
25-year-old woman. He’s an aspiring actor with several projects already on his
resume and she works for a photographer. They meet at his school during class photo
day and immediately starts hitting on her. Initially, she’s repulsed by him but
gradually he wears down her resistance through sheer force of will and she
finds herself intrigued by his tenacity.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Gary is
bursting with youthful confidence, ready to take on the world and launch his
next entrepreneurial scheme, whether it’s selling waterbeds or opening a
pinball emporium. Alana already seems resigned to her lot in life when she
tells him, “I’m going to be here taking photos of kids for their yearbooks when
I’m 30. You’re never going to remember me.” This is such a sad admission for
someone so young.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMKi51EJiEGpu3g0MTqtfhvMuhkN_PIx4NdKDpl5G-EyhdpLtr2eLWBnNMN6A-qq7cZBvv1bEuve_jn7528HiyGi6Y1xikgCB71FwxeTp0sP0tRSXD7TyWK1NvdmdLUd3yBl0ZRd9Lq6XZLQVdqrk7aLm1sGPgMyQpol30LSAy61XPQ7yC4GKnjbnwBw/s1450/FL-3VHGVIAIqdDz.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="1450" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMKi51EJiEGpu3g0MTqtfhvMuhkN_PIx4NdKDpl5G-EyhdpLtr2eLWBnNMN6A-qq7cZBvv1bEuve_jn7528HiyGi6Y1xikgCB71FwxeTp0sP0tRSXD7TyWK1NvdmdLUd3yBl0ZRd9Lq6XZLQVdqrk7aLm1sGPgMyQpol30LSAy61XPQ7yC4GKnjbnwBw/w400-h166/FL-3VHGVIAIqdDz.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">At the
end of their initial encounter and after repeatedly insulting Gary, rebuffing
his advances, Alana walks away, giving a little smile and a shake of her head
that is handled beautifully by Alana Haim. It’s a wonderful, little moment in a
film full of them as we see how Garry has gotten to her and she’s smitten. The
film examines the push-pull of their courtship. He’s a hopeless romantic and
she’s a jaded cynic. She knows that this can’t go anywhere because of their age
difference, but is intrigued enough by his impressible attitude that she wants
to see how it all plays out.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Soon,
Alana finds herself caught up in Gary’s infectious optimism and the rest of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Licorice Pizza</i> follows these two and
their wild misadventures as they navigate the will they or won’t they fall in
love journey we’ve seen before albeit through PTA’s unique filter. Much has
been made about the age gap between the two lead characters and PTA seems
acutely aware of this, deftly handling their romance in a way that is sweet
while eschewing anything overtly sexual.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">After the
initial meet-cute between Gary and Alana, the film stumbles and loses its way
for a moment with a baffling scene where we see Gary’s mother (Mary Elizabeth
Ellis) handle public relations for a local Japanese restaurant owned by an
American (John Michael Higgins) and his Asian wife (Yumi Mizui). He speaks normally
to Gary’s mom but to his wife in a cartoonish Asian accent that comes off as
offensive. This scene is jarring in tone and content compared to the rest of
the film. What is the point of it other than showing us what Gary’s mom does
for a living? What are we supposed to take away from this scene? People were
racist back in the ‘70s? It serves no real purpose and temporarily breaks the
enchanting spell of the film. The same could be said about a weird, random
moment later when Gary is suddenly and literally yanked from a scene by the
police who mistakenly arrest him for murder. No reason is given and it is never
addressed again.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS8CVYtNlTENNFEG5qb2qQRm8G0ZdPks4uleubPjwM0QCsfBm2CF4nuL2oBARtsrfk6GLC59eno-oWKZOjAqB4nO_Ii_u4wklkmkCIgyq49qOZOmX9f0avyCP-t2Z3YCqaPXd2VdFtdGwLSWH-KppGLzXJ3l38Q5yYSpVY4zyzZGFpVufa6mSgCqeKsQ/s800/FN7M3hnXwAgxcYl.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="336" data-original-width="800" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS8CVYtNlTENNFEG5qb2qQRm8G0ZdPks4uleubPjwM0QCsfBm2CF4nuL2oBARtsrfk6GLC59eno-oWKZOjAqB4nO_Ii_u4wklkmkCIgyq49qOZOmX9f0avyCP-t2Z3YCqaPXd2VdFtdGwLSWH-KppGLzXJ3l38Q5yYSpVY4zyzZGFpVufa6mSgCqeKsQ/w400-h168/FN7M3hnXwAgxcYl.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Like he
did with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Punch-Drunk Love</i>, PTA casts
unconventional actors for his leads. Cooper Hoffman and Alana Haim aren’t your typical
handsome Hollywood actors – hell, they aren’t even actors at all, but rather
normal-looking people that could’ve come out of the 1970s. For two people whose
first time it is acting in a film Hoffman and Haim have wonderful chemistry
together and are believable in their respective roles as they aren’t saddled
with actorly affectations that can happen to professionally-trained actors at
that age.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Gary
talks a good game but doesn’t really know what he wants to do as evident with
all the endeavors he starts but doesn’t stick with – acting, waterbed salesman,
pinball emporium manager – but that’s okay, that’s what you’re supposed to do.
You are supposed to try all kinds of things and have all kinds of experiences.
That’s called growing up. Alana is self-aware and acknowledges how weird it is
that she’s hanging out with Gary and his 15-year-old friends. She may not have
it all figured but she’s trying and this journey she takes is one of the most
fascinating aspects of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Licorice Pizza</i>.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">PTA
deftly chronicles the ups and downs of their relationship, from getting to know
each other only to back off when faced with obstacles such as jealousy and rivals
for their respective affections. They are both young and still figuring out how
to communicate with each other and sometimes mixed messages are conveyed such
as Alana overcompensating for her attraction to the younger Gary by getting
briefly involved with a much older man, Jack Holden (Sean Penn channeling
William Holden), an actor in the twilight of his career. This segues into a
memorable vignette involving a veteran filmmaker (played by Tom Waits no less)
who coaxes Jack into performing a wild stunt. He may be much older than Gary
but he’s just as immature as Sean Penn illustrates masterfully with a
deliciously eccentric performance.</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnyHEHCGuvFAxj0-R3c94nuiB-nLus7aqU-SspthzEGPkYD-4INsw8jLpuqWC3vpV4jj1baBmzLT6W9iNVNSV5kkyHQJ0t-BvlJcORfhsfEf6myt3_qfxW0DTTprmtXyxTStst4jMKU1qAk8_zrtfQc8tYHDJUZalfq4YlHVeTfIogKzzFAmXomhNk4g/s1334/FOQNkcsXIAMj06b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="1334" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnyHEHCGuvFAxj0-R3c94nuiB-nLus7aqU-SspthzEGPkYD-4INsw8jLpuqWC3vpV4jj1baBmzLT6W9iNVNSV5kkyHQJ0t-BvlJcORfhsfEf6myt3_qfxW0DTTprmtXyxTStst4jMKU1qAk8_zrtfQc8tYHDJUZalfq4YlHVeTfIogKzzFAmXomhNk4g/w400-h161/FOQNkcsXIAMj06b.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Another memorable sequence comes when Garry and his friends deliver a waterbed
to the house of famous hairdresser turned movie producer Jon Peters (a hilariously
arrogant Bradley Cooper) who proceeds to go on about his very famous girlfriend
Barbra Streisand and threatens them if they mess up assembling his waterbed.
Bradley Cooper’s take on Peters is equal parts comical and frightening – a Hollywood
mogul high on his own supply and with a raging ego to match it.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Hoffman
does an excellent job conveying the awkwardness of being a teenager because he
is one. He also exudes the arrogant confidence of youth. Gary hasn’t been
beaten down by life yet and has no fear of failure. Haim’s performance
epitomizes that weird zone of being in your mid-twenties where she’s out of
school but hasn’t settled on a profession. Alana is no longer a child but doesn’t
quite feel like an adult either. Her relationship with him only complicates
things.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Licorice Pizza</span></i></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> perfectly captures
what it means to be young with your whole life in front of you and not knowing what
you want to do with it as evident in the montage of Gary’s burgeoning waterbed
business set to “Peace Frog” by the Doors where we see his growing attraction
towards Alana and vice versa. PTA remembers the age when you thought
30-years-old and over was ancient and a lifetime away. He also captures the
awkwardness of youth, saying the wrong thing at the wrong moment, succumbing to
petty jealousy and feeling insecure about yourself. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Licorice Pizza</i> is PTA’s most unabashed romantic film since <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Punch-Drunk Love</i> and a love letter to
the place he’s lived his entire life. Much like Quentin Tarantino’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Once Upon a Time in Hollywood</i> (2019),
PTA has crafted an affectionate hang-out movie bathed in the warm, comforting
glow of nostalgia for the ‘70s.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZYnwteyhNWk8H4Jem3TeSlYmv2B-jcF4HhIhO0mr213_GtNf8DJAI4XwVnjbJIt4MsdS-82zJSt2fZpgkqLIGb3VOoc0N4NEj_IzySV-H51tSHOucNJ5LAALpSO7WdJ4LeTf5X2WR0lF3Fje2xOtVhXCWiSFmKxwUuZz5g8A8VgTrYuvZLkOil1JVMw/s1920/FL-1yMZWYAEkCUE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="796" data-original-width="1920" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZYnwteyhNWk8H4Jem3TeSlYmv2B-jcF4HhIhO0mr213_GtNf8DJAI4XwVnjbJIt4MsdS-82zJSt2fZpgkqLIGb3VOoc0N4NEj_IzySV-H51tSHOucNJ5LAALpSO7WdJ4LeTf5X2WR0lF3Fje2xOtVhXCWiSFmKxwUuZz5g8A8VgTrYuvZLkOil1JVMw/w400-h166/FL-1yMZWYAEkCUE.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11823190634186509982noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-43134118084393769532022-03-19T17:43:00.002-04:002022-03-19T17:43:22.515-04:00Tequila Sunrise<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi2vw5KviiVSyiyIZlfOoJ55uBZguX8XjhhpHf9yxaUlArO4cIKWPB_pPoWcI0eka1CPlxl4lgKlZj2PVsoZpG50wbPSlG7lU5bork85znmdurG16L6irwftn4h8mLDg53J_gdjmc2aoj_hlIwaZ1iKZMXk1gpKtTGsUTrQ1pjwU3CcsrC1s2PKiZdUWw=s1200" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi2vw5KviiVSyiyIZlfOoJ55uBZguX8XjhhpHf9yxaUlArO4cIKWPB_pPoWcI0eka1CPlxl4lgKlZj2PVsoZpG50wbPSlG7lU5bork85znmdurG16L6irwftn4h8mLDg53J_gdjmc2aoj_hlIwaZ1iKZMXk1gpKtTGsUTrQ1pjwU3CcsrC1s2PKiZdUWw=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Robert
Towne needed a box office hit. By 1987, the legendary Hollywood screenwriter,
who rose to fame in the 1970s with the likes of </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Last Detail</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (1973) and </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Chinatown</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
(1974), was in director’s jail after his debut, </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Personal Best</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (1982), flopped at the box office and he went through
a messy legal battle against studio executive David Geffen. He was trying to
get his second directorial effort, </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tequila
Sunrise</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (1988), off the ground and knew he’d need bankable movie stars in
the lead roles. He managed to secure Mel Gibson, Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt
Russell who were all coming off successful high-profile hits with </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lethal Weapon</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (1987), </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Witches of Eastwick</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (1987) and </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Overboard </i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(1987), respectively. They
jumped at the opportunity to work with someone such as Towne, drawn to his
well-written screenplay. The end result is a gorgeously shot neo-noir with a
love triangle that tests the friendship between two long-time friends on
opposite sides of the law.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Dale
“Mac” McKussic (Gibson) is a high-end drug dealer that is supposedly retired
even though Nick Frescia (Russell), head of narcotics for Los Angeles County,
runs into him at a drug deal. They are friends from way back and so Nick lets
him go before the bust goes down, however, Mac knew it was coming and got rid
of the drugs. One gets the feeling from the casual way they interact with each
other that they’ve crossed paths many times before this incident. Mac escapes
and just makes his late reservation at his favorite posh restaurant run by Jo
Ann Vallenari (Pfeiffer), who catches the eye of both him and Nick. The rest of
the film plays out a twisty cat and mouse game as Nick is torn between busting
his friend and trying to save him while Mac is torn between doing one last drug
deal and his love for Jo Ann – the person that puts their friendship to the
test. As the film progresses, various characters’ true motivations come into
focus and we see if Mac is smart enough to stay one step ahead of the Columbian
drug cartel he works for, the DEA and hold on to Jo Ann.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">All three
lead actors exude sex appeal like crazy and part of the thrill of watching <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tequila Sunrise</i> is how these three movie
stars interact with one another, breathing life into Towne’s wonderful prose. Michelle
Pfeiffer’s Jo Ann is no damsel in distress. She’s a strong woman who easily
holds up to questioning early on from federal agents who grossly underestimate
her fortitude as evident in a beautifully acted and written scene where Jo Ann
expertly turns the tables on the Feds to Nick’s bemusement. She’s suave and
knows how to deal with her classy clientele but isn’t snobby either. With her
beautiful smile, Pfeiffer makes Jo Ann very charismatic and sexy. It is easy to
see why Mac and Nick find her so alluring. In turn, she is drawn to Nick’s
charisma and Mac’s vulnerability.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZDJKgISo97VcDyaId6Wb_52LVvpqsyjdyMRdrnsOHIRsn-JkFz29xBAdjalep7YI5zM37i3epkd3DLMo4z_f41EyTh_Lbb-ndOsq8UPEWiO4wh7I6Z8zxBeNxN1rSkZ74m4u6hhXIhxWX23uiBqFXR5pZmm_0gCt2iSN_hFLcj6fSjkaamKVwYpxvYg=s1200" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="728" data-original-width="1200" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZDJKgISo97VcDyaId6Wb_52LVvpqsyjdyMRdrnsOHIRsn-JkFz29xBAdjalep7YI5zM37i3epkd3DLMo4z_f41EyTh_Lbb-ndOsq8UPEWiO4wh7I6Z8zxBeNxN1rSkZ74m4u6hhXIhxWX23uiBqFXR5pZmm_0gCt2iSN_hFLcj6fSjkaamKVwYpxvYg=w400-h243" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">With his
slick, Pat Riley hairdo and shark grin, Kurt Russell’s Nick is a super
confident lawman that is great at his job as he is very perceptive and savvy,
which comes from years of experience and knowing what goes on in his own
backyard. The actor gives his character just the right amount of cockiness so
that he doesn’t come across as arrogant. This plays well off J.T. Walsh’s
humorless federal agent intent on busting Mac regardless of Nick’s friendship
with him. Russell has a wonderful scene with Pfeiffer where Nick comes clean
and explains why he got romantically involved with Jo Ann and the cocky façade comes
down to reveal a brutally honest person not afraid to be vulnerable in front of
her. He didn’t just get close to her to get close to Mac. He genuinely loves her
and is willing to put all his cards on the table. Russell shows an impressive
range in this scene but, like Jo Ann, you’re still not quite sure if he is 100%
genuine and not playing an angle.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Mel
Gibson’s laidback drug dealer is an excellent counterpoint to Russell’s
gregarious lawman. Mac plays things close to the vest and Gibson gives little
away which keeps us guessing as to how his character is going to evade the cops
and not get killed by his South American counterparts. His performance may not
be as flashy but it has a brooding intensity that is fascinating to watch. He can
go back and forth between showing Mac’s day-to-day routine (work at his legit
job and hang out with his son) and the aspects of his drug dealing trade and
show how they inform his character.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
always reliable Arliss Howard is excellent as one of Mac’s drug contacts who is
constantly trying to get him to do another drug buy but he’s savvy enough to
know that this guy is bad news. Howard’s character comes across as amiable
enough but it isn’t too hard to figure out his character is probably an
informant trying to set up Mac. He’s a little too eager to do business and this
ultimately tips his hand.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisBcovx-DgpF7VBVXkv7aHisdsM3lyHWWh80oofT4nxdV1eVYa_jgqmqjz5tC2FzUq_ZCATXJWJabZOyAtyn-jtcVK6O5xm4KSWZJ03W8ZNFVQHc9CouwurINIKFvVwkWj2B5gn_JT-2IBLGtsD6pu39L5z2TgvK1GIg6qKeExTDuibPXVKdk11AbrbQ=s727" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="727" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisBcovx-DgpF7VBVXkv7aHisdsM3lyHWWh80oofT4nxdV1eVYa_jgqmqjz5tC2FzUq_ZCATXJWJabZOyAtyn-jtcVK6O5xm4KSWZJ03W8ZNFVQHc9CouwurINIKFvVwkWj2B5gn_JT-2IBLGtsD6pu39L5z2TgvK1GIg6qKeExTDuibPXVKdk11AbrbQ=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The great
Raul Julia shows up partway through as the DEA’s Mexican counterpart but with a
secret agenda of his own. The actor looks like he’s have all kinds of fun with
his role, breaking out into song on two separate occasions for no reason at
all, taking over the scene for a few seconds. He really gets to sink his teeth
into the role once his character’s true identity is revealed.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">
Character actor extraordinaire, J.T. Walsh is excellent as a slimy DEA agent
that immediately butts heads with Nick who is much smarter and has no problem
rubbing the man’s nose in it. Walsh is a master of simmering rage, glowering
constantly as his character is constantly outsmarted and proven wrong.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Tequila Sunrise</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> is beautifully shot by
the great cinematographer Conrad Hall (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Butch
Cassidy and the Sundance Kid</i>) as evident from the stunning sunset featured
in the background of a scene where Nick and Mac are captured in silhouette talking
on the beach. It’s an excellent scene as the two men sniff each other out to figure
out what the other knows and to tell each other to back off in so many words.
We get a real indication of what’s at stake and it’s not just their friendship
but potentially Mac’s life if he doesn’t play his cards exactly right as he’ll
either get busted or killed.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjB0B14FnDiJ88MOXobAp1lpyykA-nT1KTCgbLgvcQ2zgYi-qMozYGaOZhgP2UrN4eNpVReuKNRQkanjU_dTFMNAK6ieZw37tOhNSHF6LAvyVjWfWSSkrCf6LY1C6ngsOkDcOU_UrhlWX0fg0qw_Ofgj_YP4YZG6wjvogOnVe5fcgOiM6myayKlgULNJg=s1200" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="692" data-original-width="1200" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjB0B14FnDiJ88MOXobAp1lpyykA-nT1KTCgbLgvcQ2zgYi-qMozYGaOZhgP2UrN4eNpVReuKNRQkanjU_dTFMNAK6ieZw37tOhNSHF6LAvyVjWfWSSkrCf6LY1C6ngsOkDcOU_UrhlWX0fg0qw_Ofgj_YP4YZG6wjvogOnVe5fcgOiM6myayKlgULNJg=w400-h231" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Robert
Towne based the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tequila Sunrise</i>
screenplay on the courtship of his wife. In the mid-1980s, he frequented chef
Piero Selvaggio’s Valentino restaurant in Santa Monica. He would arrive late
and talk with Selvaggio’s wife Luisa. She would end up leaving her husband for
Towne. At one point, he moved to Paris to help Roman Polanski on the script for
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Frantic</i> (1988) and met producer Thom
Mount. He told him about his script for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tequila
Sunrise</i> and after reading it took it to Warner Bros. The studio agreed to
do it if Mount could attract a movie star. Mount and Towne approached Harrison
Ford while he was making <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Frantic</i> with
Polanski and he agreed to do it but as they got closer to principal photography
he pulled out as he didn’t think he could play Mac.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Towne
liked Mel Gibson in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lethal Weapon</i> and
approached him about playing Mac. He flew to Australia to meet with the actor who
asked him, “How do you feel about actors watching dailies?” to which Towne
replied, “Fine,” and he agreed to do it. Mac was based after “one fellow in
particular who was in that line of work, and who was experiencing the same
painful difficulty of extricating himself from it,” Towne recalled. He wrote
the role of Nick with Kurt Russell in mind and on then-L.A. Lakers head coach,
and close friend, Pat Riley, while also being inspired by a close friend who
was an undercover narcotics cop for the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department. He
initially wanted Riley to play the part because of the way he “very carefully
holds himself together – his necktie tight, his hair slicked back – so that he
looks like he’ll never come unglued, he never seems stressed.” Riley turned it
down and Alec Baldwin was considered before Towne decided to go with Kurt
Russell who he introduced to Riley and proceeded to adopt his look. Towne saw
Michelle Pfeiffer in Alan Alda’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sweet
Liberty</i> (1986) and liked the “disparity between public and private behavior”
in the role and cast her as Jo Ann.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Tequila Sunrise</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> was financed independently
by Mount with a negative pick-up for Warner Bros. It was only Towne’s second
directorial effort, the first being <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Personal
Best</i>, which was a notoriously difficult shoot that resulted in the
filmmaker liberating the negative of the picture while David Geffen said he
stole it. The studio had to step in and make peace between the two men. As a
result, Mount wanted to surround Towne with seasoned crew members and hired
Richard Sylbert to design <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tequila Sunrise</i>.
He had worked with Towne previously on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chinatown</i>
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shampoo</i> (1975) and they were good
friends. Sylbert had also worked as a studio executive and, according to Mount,
“understood the process from top to bottom. So you were hiring, not a
production designer, not even a co-producer, you were hiring like this
Renaissance maniac who was your partner in the movie, in every way.”<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6YjebCUuNRE8O7bJ_XQoe9YeKCpDP6lcPqnD1c-X5H9_091CCgVRJxNFd0OpShAmmi-N9bzrVbHTOiaBAM0VRj1Kh4xz6TcDpc0oIgPjmUCVIVzwYb1VDJjoFzav38CT0kl67DXuj8XS2tH8YVB0fzO37js0iC8OH-SPQQoBfzS0Tohssb9Md_4iaQw=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1000" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6YjebCUuNRE8O7bJ_XQoe9YeKCpDP6lcPqnD1c-X5H9_091CCgVRJxNFd0OpShAmmi-N9bzrVbHTOiaBAM0VRj1Kh4xz6TcDpc0oIgPjmUCVIVzwYb1VDJjoFzav38CT0kl67DXuj8XS2tH8YVB0fzO37js0iC8OH-SPQQoBfzS0Tohssb9Md_4iaQw=w400-h284" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">To save
money on the $38 million budget, Sylbert found a large, old empty warehouse,
instead of a soundstage, in Santa Monica to house the production offices and
build sets. For the look of the film, Sylbert chose the colors of the Tequila
Sunrise drink and the Los Angeles sunset – gold, orange and red. According to
Mount, “Richard understood that the drink was the color key from the very
beginning.” Sylbert based Jo Ann’s restaurant on Valentino’s and Matteo’s, an
Italian restaurant in West L.A. It was built in the warehouse over eight weeks.
He also helped design the menu and chose the cuisine. Towne even brought in
Giuseppe Pasqualato, a former chef at Valentino’s to cook on set, which also
had a functioning bar.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Filming
began in February 1988 in the South Bay section of L.A. and lasted 68 days. Ten
days in, cinematographer Jost Vacano was fired as his gritty, realistic style
was not the tone Towne was after – rather a more romantic vibe. He called
Conrad Hall, his first choice that was nixed by the producer, and within 24
hours was on the set.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Tequila Sunrise</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> received mixed to
negative reviews from critics at the time. Roger Ebert gave the film
two-and-a-half out of four stars and wrote, "<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tequila Sunrise</i> is an intriguing movie with interesting characters,
but it might have worked better if it had found a cleaner narrative line from
beginning to end. It’s hard to surrender yourself to a film that seems to be
toying with you." In his review for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
New York Times</i>, Vincent Canby wrote, "Here the problem seems to be the
fatal collaboration of a good writer with a director who wasn't strong or
overbearing enough to pull him up short. The movie has the fuzzy focus of
someone who has stared too long at a light bulb." The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Los Angeles Times</i>' Sheila Benson wrote, " It’s enough to send
you out of the theater thirsty. Unfortunately, it sends you out hungry too, for
a whole movie to offset this upscale grazing." In his review for the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Washington Post</i>'s Hal Hinson wrote,
"In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tequila</i>, the divisions
between business and pleasure, love and friendship break down, and the
breakers...do it beautifully, with sweet talk, tough talk and hot
kissing."<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj49dlImUxPKiwIcaV39F1rBdtetKJiFntSZr-Yt6WIiMSlsrYFp_7SO_ClyPi8Mzmpzq2oevd-pliK5WAfAhuSU4NWu26yAYp55DIs_oacdcIAYNA4gebEhaDsoZgzXHz7t7xQ8BpV-Dx9q5uyAyHQ54vF39jLSAFTxp_YOqfwEh8qPmQLd16RsNbb4A=s3360" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1880" data-original-width="3360" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj49dlImUxPKiwIcaV39F1rBdtetKJiFntSZr-Yt6WIiMSlsrYFp_7SO_ClyPi8Mzmpzq2oevd-pliK5WAfAhuSU4NWu26yAYp55DIs_oacdcIAYNA4gebEhaDsoZgzXHz7t7xQ8BpV-Dx9q5uyAyHQ54vF39jLSAFTxp_YOqfwEh8qPmQLd16RsNbb4A=w400-h224" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Tequila Sunrise</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> was the box office
success Towne needed but he didn’t direct another film for ten years – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Without Limits</i> (1998). He kept busy, though,
thanks to a lucrative partnership with Tom Cruise, contributing several
screenplays for the movie star in the 1990s, including <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Days of Thunder</i> (1990), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Firm</i> (1993), and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mission: Impossible</i>
(1996). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tequila Sunrise</i> is a fascinating
battle of wills. We have three highly intelligent people trying to figure out
each other’s motives. It becomes complicated when mixed with emotions as a love
triangle develops and clouds judgement. As one character says late in the film,
“Friendship is all we have! We chose each other!” This is a film about
friendship and loyalty. This is what motivates the three lead characters. Nick
tries to save Mac from getting killed or busted as the drug dealer is his
friend. Mac finds a way out of the drug dealing business as he loves Jo Ann.
She loves Mac and doesn’t want him to get hurt. For a neo-noir it is lacking
that fatalistic streak that runs through many of them. Towne is a little too
enamored with the romantic aspects of his script to convey a convincing doomed
protagonist that is a hallmark of the genre. Gibson’s Mac is a little too
slick, a little too sure himself for anything really bad to happen to him and
that is perhaps the film’s only glaring flaw in an otherwise wonderful,
sun-drenched cinematic cocktail.<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">SOURCES<br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Lazar,
Jerry. “Towne’s Country.” <u>Chicago Tribune</u>. December 4, 1988.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">
Mount, Thom. Audio Commentary. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tequila
Sunrise</i> DVD. 1988.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Sylbert,
Richard & Sylvia Townsend. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Designing
Movies: Portrait of a Hollywood Artist</i>. Frager. 2006<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Turan,
Kenneth. “Robert Towne’s Hollywood Without Heroes.” <u>The New York Times</u>.
November 27, 1988.</span></div>
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J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11823190634186509982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-68317643517544362082022-02-18T08:15:00.000-05:002022-02-18T08:15:18.766-05:00Desperado<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjsMN2ns6IJiyoG2WQk3mZc-dozZBCdw3lY1rRm-ZBVg_3cx-Q7XmqiHWNHGo2mE0y6lWZFEHd1hZwNsrJb0SHBoaeRGE5pEPqQViYeE0n47u6G_oURU29-v98LeZDsT4ldYpL0pd6fPtsYafMKlQVmXS2TEqVpMA26jo87fmfXxaLZtPeZlWYVT4Wpng=s1280" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjsMN2ns6IJiyoG2WQk3mZc-dozZBCdw3lY1rRm-ZBVg_3cx-Q7XmqiHWNHGo2mE0y6lWZFEHd1hZwNsrJb0SHBoaeRGE5pEPqQViYeE0n47u6G_oURU29-v98LeZDsT4ldYpL0pd6fPtsYafMKlQVmXS2TEqVpMA26jo87fmfXxaLZtPeZlWYVT4Wpng=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In 1992,
independent filmmaker Robert Rodriguez made his feature film debut with </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">El Mariachi</i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, a $7,000 action movie that
showed a stylistic flare beyond its meager budget. It made the rounds at
several film festivals with a lot of media attention on the self-assured young
man and the incredible story of how he made a movie for so little money.
Naturally, Hollywood came calling and initially Rodriguez resisted, making </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">Roadracers</i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> (1994) for the Showtime cable
television channel after his deal with Sony Columbia Pictures was put on the
back burner due to scandal. He eventually made </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">Desperado</i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> (1995), a sequel to </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">Mariachi
</i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">that not only saw him working with a significantly larger budget of $7
million, but with movie star Antonio Banderas.</span></p></span><p></p><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The film
begins almost as if we are in a Quentin Tarantino film with a grungy gringo
(Steve Buscemi) walking into a Mexican bar. He proceeds to tell a story about
how he witnessed a massacre in a similar bar by a mysterious man. Rodriguez
cuts back and forth between the storyteller and what happened at the bar to the
strains of “Jack the Ripper” by Link Wray.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">What is
immediately clear from this opening scene is how far Rodriguez has progressed
as a filmmaker. The screenplay is well-written as Steve Buscemi delivers his
hilarious monologue with gusto. The director’s technique has also gotten better
as the opening gunfight is stylishly choreographed with the El Mariachi
(Banderas) dispatching bad guys like something out of a 1980s action movie as a
shotgun blast sends a goon hurtling through the air.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh8-KzjNYfRlObur2yZ_I8Nw0hKyirJQqCcZK0uJsVetmVFH3GmUsDEgeE8XQ7nMHhVvfWTUAQHUXFXEnNFqjqB62taS8ckkCCytiyu0_G-jxu_QIETWpm-HJAuGYbmb-HnYA4Y_JEMUe7y55CV3zC7dSYPorcjAv6eV2hRRPy8gFCkvoBa4SqqVYHfdw=s1366" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1366" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh8-KzjNYfRlObur2yZ_I8Nw0hKyirJQqCcZK0uJsVetmVFH3GmUsDEgeE8XQ7nMHhVvfWTUAQHUXFXEnNFqjqB62taS8ckkCCytiyu0_G-jxu_QIETWpm-HJAuGYbmb-HnYA4Y_JEMUe7y55CV3zC7dSYPorcjAv6eV2hRRPy8gFCkvoBa4SqqVYHfdw=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It is
interesting to note that Rodriguez not only plays up the mythic quality of El
Mariachi, introducing him walking into a bar in slow motion in the shadows so
you never get a good look at his face, but also has fun with the character as well,
showing him playing with his band in a nightclub over the opening credits. El Mariachi
even has time to stop a bar fight by striking a patron with his guitar without
missing a beat. Rodriguez reveals that this sequence is a dream as we see the
villain from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">El Mariachi</i> appear in
the nightclub and we flashback to the end of that film.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Another
façade is stripped away when it is revealed that the story Buscemi’s character
told was exaggerated for effect – he’s El Mariachi’s hype man. Armed with a
guitar case full of weapons, the musician cum killer is working his way through
the Mexican criminal underworld to find and kill Bucho (Joaquim de Almeida),
the man responsible for his wife’s death. Not surprisingly, the crime lord is
surrounded by an army of flunkies, chief among them Navajas (Danny Trejo), a
man armed with a seemingly endless supply of throwing knives. El Mariachi is
aided in his quest for revenge by Carolina (Salma Hayek), the beautiful local
bookstore owner who patches him up whenever he’s wounded (which is often).<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In the
film’s second action sequence, Rodriguez really cuts loose as he transforms
Banderas into a two-gun-toting action hero in the tradition of John Woo’s
heroic bloodshed films. Apart from doves flying in slow motion, it features
many of Woo’s trademark action flourishes but with a cheeky sense of humor as
El Mariachi and the last man left search frantically for a weapon that has
bullets before he eventually breaks the man’s neck to the strains of “Strange
Face of Love” by Tito & Tarantula. It is a beautifully choreographed action
sequence that demonstrates his skill as not just a director but as an editor as
he times the cuts to the rhythm of the action. When it comes to action editing
is everything and Rodriguez understands this intuitively.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipjFODerugffiY4b6oyY74HxMpwSwwU6klkbFx5N3awvGElKfj-KeapFoLb1Uu_-Nqep1mlmqQHzpEBorY7m09T1MWIqaL35wCFqW65NEDTu6Lyu9OlM7DiBL8Jz9t8oKi2v5bGo3-SVmfR3ixbXOUvzMbgu9P3ni-97LDCDtXD65MfT4bDmbvoau2sw=s1121" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="1121" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipjFODerugffiY4b6oyY74HxMpwSwwU6klkbFx5N3awvGElKfj-KeapFoLb1Uu_-Nqep1mlmqQHzpEBorY7m09T1MWIqaL35wCFqW65NEDTu6Lyu9OlM7DiBL8Jz9t8oKi2v5bGo3-SVmfR3ixbXOUvzMbgu9P3ni-97LDCDtXD65MfT4bDmbvoau2sw=w400-h215" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Rodriguez
cast Antonio Banderas at just the right time in their respective careers. The
former needed to cast a movie star and the latter was looking for a change of
pace having just come off the big budget adaptation of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Interview with the Vampire</i> (1994). Banderas not only has the
charisma to carry the film, he also demonstrates an ability to go from dramatic
moments to comedic ones with ease. He also showed his ability to handle action,
transforming himself into a credible action star. The actor also has wonderful
chemistry with Salma Hayek as their characters develop a romantic relationship
over the course of the film.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Desperado</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> was Hayek’s first mainstream, Hollywood
role, cast by Rodriguez against the wishes of the studio. The impossibly
beautiful actor holds her own against the likes of Banderas as she demonstrates
a light, comic touch and dramatic chops when Carolina explains why she is
complicit with Bucho’s dealings with the town, aiding and abetting his drug
operation in order to survive. She forces El Mariachi to realize that his
desire for revenge is not the only reason to take out Bucho – it would also
free the town of his tyrannical hold on it. He is a tragic hero and she gives
him a reason to keep on going after he fulfills his goal.<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Desperado</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> would mark the beginning of a
long-running collaboration with several actors, including Banderas, Hayek, Cheech
Marin, Danny Trejo, and Quintin Tarantino, who he met on the film festival
circuit while promoting <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">El Mariachi</i>.
He made Tarantino the lead on his next film, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">From Dusk Till Dawn</i> and has often featured him in cameos where he delivers
a monologue and is then killed off in gruesome fashion. Marin and Trejo make
quite an impression with the former playing a grinning bartender that meets his
fate at the hands of the El Mariachi and the latter in a silent role as a
deadly assassin brought in to take out the film’s hero but in an unexpected
twist is taken out prematurely through a comic case of mistaken identity.<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgc8NvFHhjHvYlmjYp-oAITxLRaNJi5gIsWu39Q7UMK23fheaQ6r-Hb_SqX-DD0WIouT0CRc2U-beinYJcTH7qwj78Tv_xflgipO-357xlpPY-tc7HCVJT9R09M_35jErotCtfPGVF3NtDpmaPRdi0zX2SPqOfU32rqhELEfEpZIQhdF-Ejiwo9ISaqlw=s1920" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="1920" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgc8NvFHhjHvYlmjYp-oAITxLRaNJi5gIsWu39Q7UMK23fheaQ6r-Hb_SqX-DD0WIouT0CRc2U-beinYJcTH7qwj78Tv_xflgipO-357xlpPY-tc7HCVJT9R09M_35jErotCtfPGVF3NtDpmaPRdi0zX2SPqOfU32rqhELEfEpZIQhdF-Ejiwo9ISaqlw=w400-h216" width="400" /></a></div><br /> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">After the
success of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">El Mariachi</i>, Rodriguez was
eager to make a sequel and capitalize on his new deal with Sony Columbia but
the studio put on the brakes while they dealt with the Heidi Fleiss scandal
that broke in early summer of 1993. She was a high-end madam that facilitated
call girls to several of Hollywood’s elite and a list of her clients, which
included at least two studio executives, appeared in the press. At the time,
producers Carlos Gallardo (who starred in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">El
Mariachi</i>), Elizabeth Avellan, and line producer Bill Borden had already
begun pre-production and realized that the film was on hold until the scandal
blew over. Never one to be idle, Rodriguez shifted gears and accepted another
gig making <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Roadracers</i> that he shot in
less than two weeks in January 1994 for $1 million. It was his first Hollywood
production and working with a union crew. He was struck by how wasteful and
slow studio productions were as he was used to collaborating with a small,
hand-picked crew that worked fast. It would give him a taste of what he would
be in store for when working for Sony.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">By the
summer of 1994, Rodriguez finally got the greenlight to make his Mariachi
sequel, then known as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Return of El
Mariachi</i> but soon changed to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pistolero</i>
during production and eventually became <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Desperado</i>.
Ironically, this was due in large part to his future employer – Bob and Harvey
Weinstein – who approached Sony executive Stephanie Allain at the Cannes Film
Festival telling her what a fan they were of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">El Mariachi</i> and how they would be more than happy to make the
sequel with Rodriguez.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The studio
wanted a name actor cast in the lead role and Allain suggested Antonio Banderas
but Rodriguez was hesitant to cast a non-Mexican in the part. Undeterred,
Allain showed Banderas <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">El Mariachi</i>
and he loved it. He said, “I thought, ‘This guy has incredible energy.’ It
reminds me of the first films I did with (Pedro) Almodovar. Not in his style,
of course. But it’s like, you know, the same thing, when you don’t have any
money and you’re working outside the studio, with no trailer, no nothing, just
waiting on the corner to do your shot. And I thought, ‘Wow! That’s the kind of
cinema I would like to do again.’” She told Rodriguez this and he agreed to
meet with the actor.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhFj4yuLWRhr6Hf-ImmGFf3yKDWyd1YVNPn424SPM8Vj0fluM2z_FtIoSZm22aNEc3Kg-NU7hXlXA9VMS6pJCgzFQRAG0kLnpa2SxbkP3HWIa8eMV1CfdqJfO1VDPv_pWYPWi4uu1maVmByjDIUTUkCf-Fc3rAR5QEh7CxtIgQ6KTnwRWhjY-8Dr2XgAg=s1200" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="1200" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhFj4yuLWRhr6Hf-ImmGFf3yKDWyd1YVNPn424SPM8Vj0fluM2z_FtIoSZm22aNEc3Kg-NU7hXlXA9VMS6pJCgzFQRAG0kLnpa2SxbkP3HWIa8eMV1CfdqJfO1VDPv_pWYPWi4uu1maVmByjDIUTUkCf-Fc3rAR5QEh7CxtIgQ6KTnwRWhjY-8Dr2XgAg=w400-h216" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Rodriguez
and Avellan saw a rerun of Salma Hayek on comedian Paul Rodriguez’s talk show from
1992 where she talked about changing Hollywood’s refusal to cast Latina
actresses. The next day, Avellan called her and asked her to audition for the
female lead in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Desperado</i>. In addition
to competing with many other Latina actresses, auditioning many times and
performing several screen tests, she was up against the likes of Cameron Diaz
who the studio liked as, according to Hayek, “her last name was Diaz, so they
said she can be Mexican.” Originally Raul Julia had been cast as Bucho and
Rodriguez had scheduled principal photography around his availability but when
he suffered a stroke that preceded his death, he was replaced by Argentine
actor Joaquim de Almeida.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">On <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Desperado,</i> Rodriguez was working with a
significantly larger budget of $7 million and returned to Acuna, Mexico to use
the same locations he had on his first film. It was a challenging shoot with
cast and crew members staying on both sides of the border and filming equipment
shipped in from both Mexico and the United States. During the first week of
shooting the studio was not happy and threatened to fire people until Rodriguez
showed them dailies and cut together a couple of trailers to give them a taste
of what he was doing.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In
addition, the studio insisted on using department heads and imposed a more traditional
studio structure, which Rodriguez balked at having been used to working with a
small crew and doing a lot of the different jobs himself. Gary Martin, head of
physical production at Sony, was being told exaggerated stories that the
filmmaker was “throwing a lot of tantrums and kicking cameras” on location with
key crew members, such as director of photography Guillermo Navarro, ready to
quit. Avellan claims that Borden was the source for a lot of disinformation and
discord, creating problems on the set. Borden even played Gallardo, Avellan and
Rodriguez against each other. When Allain called Avellan and asked her about
these rumors she responded that everything was fine and defended Rodriguez.
Avellan told Rodriguez about Borden and they decided to keep a close eye on
him.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgEa2eY44Gc8bRK7YazbUmobZPbElpKA50iXfX8dk-gwXD8FXaNzPi-U9649kUt2Krikj4FVVsZYpmwOxKK72zMo5dhrebQez0yxJTF0rco5DfQbhaFnZw0D5Y4r3i_qd1NBavm5NwQOvm1cSEGRHoV1SA5tvqmT0q6CykVUBo0_zyNMyPY7QJ6VeGLig=s960" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="950" data-original-width="960" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgEa2eY44Gc8bRK7YazbUmobZPbElpKA50iXfX8dk-gwXD8FXaNzPi-U9649kUt2Krikj4FVVsZYpmwOxKK72zMo5dhrebQez0yxJTF0rco5DfQbhaFnZw0D5Y4r3i_qd1NBavm5NwQOvm1cSEGRHoV1SA5tvqmT0q6CykVUBo0_zyNMyPY7QJ6VeGLig=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Hayek
remembers that the film’s steamy sex scene her character has with El Mariachi
was not in the screenplay and was added after a screen test. To try and make
her as comfortable as possible, Rodriguez filmed it on a closed set with just
him, Avellan and Banderas but Hayek found it a difficult experience
nonetheless.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">
Martin met with Avellan and told her that Rodriguez would not be editing the
film himself as he had done on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">El
Mariachi</i> and told her, “Honey, just like when you go to a beauty parlor and
somebody does your nails because they specialize in that and somebody does your
color because they specialize in that, it’s the same in the movie business.”
Insulted, Avellan said nothing in order to keep the peace between Rodriguez and
the studio but inside she was fuming. Post-production began in November 1994 in
Los Angeles with the studio finally allowing Rodriguez to edit his own film but
only if he did it there where they could keep an eye on him. Rodriguez said:<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“They
just didn’t want me to have that much control, but they let me do it. That was
a big mistake because it sets another precedent. If my next movie hadn’t been <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Desperado</i>, if I had done one of the
really big budget movies they were offering me, I would have lost that control.”<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">His
studio experience on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Desperado</i> soured
the filmmaker on ever working in Hollywood and convinced him to put down
permanent roots in Austin. With his deal done with Sony, he made his next film,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">From Dusk Till Dawn</i> (1996), for indie
film darlings Miramax who gave the kind of creative freedom he craved.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjW9saIofA3_-CUNUx7amgBb0TFFEdhX9mK2_KFFdYMGaNtKOlOqt-gbYq5Eu_cw_lj-YLvL1ERKIGyXN1Ybts_Bm225tes6TRvv3KbMsqL0NtFAnPxXF01kiJv6zAUTEknSdkfC5ity31UQ4Uoo07-3keZS8aSsJRGJFlDoXTShsejTFc6K1dwAEt2qA=s3840" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="3840" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjW9saIofA3_-CUNUx7amgBb0TFFEdhX9mK2_KFFdYMGaNtKOlOqt-gbYq5Eu_cw_lj-YLvL1ERKIGyXN1Ybts_Bm225tes6TRvv3KbMsqL0NtFAnPxXF01kiJv6zAUTEknSdkfC5ity31UQ4Uoo07-3keZS8aSsJRGJFlDoXTShsejTFc6K1dwAEt2qA=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Desperado</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> garnered mixed to negative reviews from
critics. Roger Ebert gave it two out of four stars and wrote, "Rodriguez
has a lively color sense, a good feel for composition and a willingness to put
the camera anywhere it can possibly go. What happens looks terrific. Now if he
can harness that technical facility to a screenplay that's more story than
setup, he might really have something." In her review for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The New York Times</i>, Janet Maslin wrote,
"Overdependence on violence also marginalizes <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Desperado</i> as a gun-slinging novelty item, instead of the broader
effort toward which this talented young director might have aspired. It's still
clear that Mr. Rodriguez has a talent for fancy directorial footwork and that
his movie has its fiery moments. But not even a Mariachi in Mr. Banderas's
league can get by on looks alone."<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In his
review for the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Los Angeles Times</i>,
Kenneth Turan wrote, "if you’re not a fan of huge explosions, oversized
weapons and people getting sliced and diced in all kinds of ways, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Desperado</i> doesn’t have a lot more to
offer." The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Washington Post</i>'s
Desson Howe wrote about Rodriguez's jump from indie film to his big budget
remake/sequel: "the commercial transition has been remarkably successful.
This is primarily thanks to Rodriguez, who not only retains the original
movie's kinetic flair, but takes it further. Finally, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Entertainment Weekly</i>'s Owen Gleiberman gave it a "B"
rating and wrote, "The dawdling pace has us lingering a little too much
over <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Desperado</i>‘s primitive human
dimensions. Still, when Rodriguez unleashes a scene with Banderas leaping
backwards from one building to the next, or with a couple of mariachis
launching rockets from their guitar cases, he’s a true corker. The action, in
all its demonically outlandish wit, is its own show."<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">At the
time, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Desperado</i> was a breath of fresh
air in the action genre by starring a Latino actor with a predominantly Latino
cast that also had universal appeal. In many respects it is a modern western
with El Mariachi as a lone gunslinger that walks into town and rids it of the
bad guys. Much like one of his cinematic heroes, director George Miller,
Rodriguez draws inspiration from Joseph Campbell’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Hero with a Thousand Faces</i> with El Mariachi as this mythic
figure that makes the hero’s journey to redemption. In this respect, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Desperado </i>is part Mad Max myth-making
and part John Woo action melodrama. Rodriguez gives this template a novel spin
by having his film showcase Latino culture and present a hero that can be
celebrated, which was largely absent in the mainstream at the time. It can’t be
stated enough how significant an achievement that was back then or even now for
that matter. Like, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Evil Dead 2</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Desperado </i>is the rare successful
remake/sequel hybrid that manages to not alienate fans of the first film while
appealing to people who haven’t seen it. The film demonstrated that Rodriguez
could work with bigger budgets and movie stars, paving the way for a fantastic
career that he made his way.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgoi_EpozaVnspIZle4xp3Dg0vtZuh2Vtr9S9QHmsfkj5izyzEa1CIXu3Lg417r1dnBp3zDnZvJL_2E7S8byZ8qkQ-JDkeqXprLAQjyt8N--70vRjU2Wyww3Tpcdj2zRehM3dMKCP-nPoucytGh-Hv4CpRNARGnvXXlm3BuJoNX7sbcIrUB_WxE9SfD1Q=s1920" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgoi_EpozaVnspIZle4xp3Dg0vtZuh2Vtr9S9QHmsfkj5izyzEa1CIXu3Lg417r1dnBp3zDnZvJL_2E7S8byZ8qkQ-JDkeqXprLAQjyt8N--70vRjU2Wyww3Tpcdj2zRehM3dMKCP-nPoucytGh-Hv4CpRNARGnvXXlm3BuJoNX7sbcIrUB_WxE9SfD1Q=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <br /></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">SOURCES<br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Frederick,
Candice. “’The Studio Wanted Cameron Diaz’: Salma Hayek on the Role that
Changed Her Life.” <u>Elle</u>. October 15, 2020.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">
Leydon, Joe. “Cranking up the Volume.” <u>Los Angeles Times</u>. November 27,
1994.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Macor,
Allison. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chainsaws, Slackers and Spy
Kids: 30 Years of Filmmaking in Austin, Texas</i>. University of Texas Press.
2010.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Martinez,
Jose and Christian Divine. “Hispanic Blood: An Interview with Robert
Rodriguez.” <u>Creative Screenwriting</u>. December 21, 2015</span></div>
J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11823190634186509982noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-33358809221712761932022-01-21T07:49:00.000-05:002022-01-21T07:49:16.341-05:00The Razor's Edge<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEic1QXrksYiMZk4fJHQ0ych2h2OMN5olSSL5VgQGub1nhQSadAOQ59E7LbEz_M1d_VKRIxZG_Vv92clCUyk_lzbW3EE0TWAgXZvG6FawgBGbFgKbM7-LiNQYCBXe2DhACoDhGpXGwJ3iexjHrsoffR9wD7UcWtR0Mlst9wcSPg1oadNHeiyWlSLE-xlUg=s900" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="900" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEic1QXrksYiMZk4fJHQ0ych2h2OMN5olSSL5VgQGub1nhQSadAOQ59E7LbEz_M1d_VKRIxZG_Vv92clCUyk_lzbW3EE0TWAgXZvG6FawgBGbFgKbM7-LiNQYCBXe2DhACoDhGpXGwJ3iexjHrsoffR9wD7UcWtR0Mlst9wcSPg1oadNHeiyWlSLE-xlUg=w400-h250" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">After
starring in several successful comedies in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Bill
Murray wanted to try something different. He wanted to flex his acting chops
and do something more dramatic. He wanted to make a passion project of his, an
adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham’s 1944 novel </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Razor’s Edge</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">, the spiritual journey of its protagonist Larry
Darrell. The book had already been adapted into a well-respected film in 1946,
starring Tyrone Power and Gene Tierney. Not surprisingly, no Hollywood studio
was interested in making the modestly budgeted film until Murray’s former </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Saturday Night Live</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> cast member, Dan
Aykroyd, cut a deal with Columbia Pictures. They would bankroll </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Razor’s Edge</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (1984) if Murray would
star in their summer blockbuster </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ghostbusters</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
(1984) alongside Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. Murray agreed and got to make his
film, but the big question – would anyone want to see it was quickly answered
upon its theatrical release. It received mixed to negative reviews and flopped
at the box office, only making half of its $12 million budget while </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ghostbusters</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> was a massive success.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It is the
early days of World War I and the United States has yet to throw their hat in
the ring but gear and supplies are being donated to aid their future allies. Best
friends Gray Mautrin (James Keach) and Larry Darrell (Murray) have volunteered
to accompany an ambulance overseas and help the cause. When we meet Larry he’s
the sarcastic wisecracker we’ve come to expect from Murray as he dabbles in
bits of physical comedy, flirting with longtime sweetheart Isabel Bradley
(Catherine Hicks) and close friend Sophie MacDonald (Theresa Russell) – two
women that will feature prominently in his life.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">There is
a feeling of hopeful idealism in these scenes as we see the idyllic home he’s
leaving behind for the grim, meat hook reality of the war. The tone of the film
changes immediately once Gray and Larry arrive at the battlefront and meet
their no-nonsense commanding officer Piedmont (Brian Doyle-Murray). They are
told that their squad has been depleted and are given sidearms even though they
are neutral participants in the war. Murray doesn’t say anything – no witty,
snarky comments a la <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Stripes</i> (1981) –
just a worried expression on his face that seems to say, what the hell did I
sign up for?<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjvm0QBsAVaFrSTCFZ9tEtHaxX-UDtZ_N2Y-Luov3xmRo39JaqaiQbBQ7Y-Da_xNyWXyFfLZ_kTxMvT4Y4DvogFP_7ZTzpJ0giflgZUw418L3r9ZwWBFLk2AgIFtNUhOmeTgz_7JCLgVXeoZc-V_qmTuC9hn-g8bbF0j5q1S0yQfqNZgqQkKTpPbSymEA=s1082" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="1082" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjvm0QBsAVaFrSTCFZ9tEtHaxX-UDtZ_N2Y-Luov3xmRo39JaqaiQbBQ7Y-Da_xNyWXyFfLZ_kTxMvT4Y4DvogFP_7ZTzpJ0giflgZUw418L3r9ZwWBFLk2AgIFtNUhOmeTgz_7JCLgVXeoZc-V_qmTuC9hn-g8bbF0j5q1S0yQfqNZgqQkKTpPbSymEA=w400-h166" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">He says
very little for most of the WWI sequences as we see Larry take everything in
and get the lay of the land thanks to Piedmont’s tough love approach. He also
experiences the horrifying effects, transporting the wounded and the dying from
the battlefield to a nearby first aid station. Gone is the wisecracking Murray
as Larry does everything he can just to survive. The actor does an excellent
job of conveying the utter despair Larry feels after what he’s seen.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The war
sequences are among the strongest in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Razor’s Edge</i>, especially the last one where Larry and his squad are caught
out in the battlefield and find themselves facing insurmountable odds. Larry is
wounded and Piedmont is killed saving his life. After the danger has passed,
Larry delivers a stirring anti-eulogy for his fallen comrade that is the one
Murray gave his <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">SNL</i> castmate John
Belushi when he died. It is a powerful and moving moment as it is something
real and authentic captured on film.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Larry
returns home from the war and finds himself adrift in life after being deeply
affected by his experiences overseas. He spends the rest of the film finding
himself by shedding his trappings of wealth, by working menial jobs and living
in modest accommodations in Paris. This comes at a cost as his friends and
family reject his new bohemian lifestyle, including Isabel who cannot
understand why he is willing giving up his wealthy life of privilege. He tells
her, “I got a second chance at life. I am not going to waste it on a big house,
a new car every year and a bunch of friends who want a big house and new car
every year!” She returns to the States and marries Gray while Larry continues
his spiritual journey, gaining life experiences such as working in a coal mine
where he meets a man that extols the virtues of India, which becomes Larry’s
ultimate destination and the source of the spiritual enlightenment he seeks.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgJxuPmn_Pa6PtmGmDvVuv8HIeQDpxF8-cL9-x8F18fesBB_DsHP91ozmLbWcVFm5HwgKUz7h7dd6XI6NPMhBHtVruiB5OKx-za_lmm9OKwM3oImuup0tkkANgthX_k6idn-_7Pm9X2exmmfL7mN11fgsK27Cv4HxaQQ7sulwm6Rb1OkaY6vvOcz0ZQ9g=s915" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="915" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgJxuPmn_Pa6PtmGmDvVuv8HIeQDpxF8-cL9-x8F18fesBB_DsHP91ozmLbWcVFm5HwgKUz7h7dd6XI6NPMhBHtVruiB5OKx-za_lmm9OKwM3oImuup0tkkANgthX_k6idn-_7Pm9X2exmmfL7mN11fgsK27Cv4HxaQQ7sulwm6Rb1OkaY6vvOcz0ZQ9g=w400-h219" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
always reliable Theresa Russell is excellent as one of Larry’s closest friends
that goes on her own harrowing journey. There is a scene where a grief-stricken
Sophie tearfully tells Isabel about her husband and son dying in an automobile
accident that is raw as she chastises the nuns at the hospital in an
understandable outpouring of grief. How does she find the will to live after
such a horrible event? As a result, she numbs the pain that comes from a
catastrophic loss by losing herself in alcohol and prostitution. Russell and
Murray have wonderful chemistry together and her impressive dramatic chops
forces him to up his game in their scenes together. The sequence where Larry
gets Isabel to quit drinking and prostitution are well done as Murray uses his
easy-going charm to incredible effect. This is the film at its most romantic as
we see these two characters falling in love in Paris. Larry brings her back
from the brink in a way that is quite moving.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">One must
give Murray credit, he gives the role everything he has in what was obviously a
labor of love but he wasn’t a good enough actor back then to know when to tone
down his comedic shtick and this results in an uneven performance. At times, he
can’t quite cut loose of the broad physical comedy that made him a star, such
as a scene where Larry runs from a gaggle of poor children begging for money on
the streets of India. It must’ve been hard to let go of comedic tendencies that
came so naturally to him. It would be years before he’d try it again and was
more successful as the scary mob boss in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mad
Dog and Glory</i> (1993), but it wasn’t until he made <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rushmore</i> (1998) with Wes Anderson that he was experienced enough as
an actor to modulate his performance to accommodate the tone of a given scene.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Filmmaker
John Byrum met Bill Murray in New York City in 1974. The two men hit it off and
wanted to work together but the opportunity wouldn’t arise until almost 10
years later. Byrum was interested in adapting W. Somerset Maugham’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Razor’s Edge</i> but assumed that 20th
Century Fox, the studio that released the 1946 adaptation, still had the
rights. When he approached the studio, they wouldn’t even take a meeting with
him and after doing more digging found out that the rights had reverted to the
Maugham estate. Unfortunately, recording industry executive Bob Marcucci had already
acquired them. Byrum struck a deal – he would write the screenplay for no fee,
for a 50-50 partnership and the right to direct. Marcucci agreed and in 1982,
Murray joined the project after Byrum gave him a copy of the book. He wanted to
make the film after reading 50 pages, drawn to the project as he was getting
offered the same kind of scripts repeatedly and wanted to try something new.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1n1kU0QHf1AhXC0MR7yfAqwrc0Oz4TBzzrDuVLCjScA6xvWR68P1tu_w4KNAkNSms0Wb6F6IWhyAWtNzcPJU-WesuGMM_PDP-fVPSsXSbpqqfb3jR2xf2Nl349nJw8pZ1sDhg1-yYnNnJY9e_FJRM_uWw66ytJXrCrPhHnAzZBWz6k6P5Lat8YwaqEg=s1440" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1440" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1n1kU0QHf1AhXC0MR7yfAqwrc0Oz4TBzzrDuVLCjScA6xvWR68P1tu_w4KNAkNSms0Wb6F6IWhyAWtNzcPJU-WesuGMM_PDP-fVPSsXSbpqqfb3jR2xf2Nl349nJw8pZ1sDhg1-yYnNnJY9e_FJRM_uWw66ytJXrCrPhHnAzZBWz6k6P5Lat8YwaqEg=w400-h209" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Byrum asked
Murray to write the script with him and the two men worked on it for a year-and-a-half.
Murray suggested writing in bars and restaurants as he believed “that good
things come from difficult conditions, and I thought that no matter how badly
we did, at least we’d have the experience of trying to concentrate on one thing
while being distracted all the time.” To this end, they went to all kinds of
places in Manhattan, New Jersey and upstate, southern New York. They wrote in
spas near San Francisco and even a monastery in Ladakh, India during a
religious war!<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Byrum and
Murray approached several studios but none were interested as they felt that no
one wanted to see the comedian in a serious role. Dan Aykroyd was working on a
script for an ambitious comedy called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ghostbusters</i>
that was generating a lot of interest around Hollywood and Columbia Pictures
made a deal to bankroll <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Razor’s Edge</i>
if Murray also starred in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ghostbusters</i>.
Murray agreed and started filming the former soon after.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It was a
tough shoot lasting five months. The production fell behind schedule while
shooting the war sequences. As Byrum said at the time, “To set up an explosion
takes time. Then the wind might shift and destroy the shot, and you have to
rewire all the explosives and organize the extras.” They shot for a month in
Paris and then three hard weeks in India. At one point, a crew member attempted
suicide and another developed such a crippling drinking problem they had to be
sent home. Many got food poisoning with Byrum himself losing 12 pounds. While
all of this was going on, the studio kept asking when they would be finished as
they were eager for Murray to start shooting <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ghostbusters</i>.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_1t_qj6Gq6exToLwFg42QsqyUwCO9UKwRqqwmYA0IVUwYTvnczPKF9-A740Ym93ZsQE4aQrbmzqynIAhAkXoPC7vnyvvgzxVBpxiT-oNTf3rvgOYJQofiTiqxC0xtjorswUXTPUQsSWl0-QWJc-AgFEEd1KeYJNnXdcqQIVBhaxFUvlk5hmhrp8Ib5w=s1280" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_1t_qj6Gq6exToLwFg42QsqyUwCO9UKwRqqwmYA0IVUwYTvnczPKF9-A740Ym93ZsQE4aQrbmzqynIAhAkXoPC7vnyvvgzxVBpxiT-oNTf3rvgOYJQofiTiqxC0xtjorswUXTPUQsSWl0-QWJc-AgFEEd1KeYJNnXdcqQIVBhaxFUvlk5hmhrp8Ib5w=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As soon
as principal photography was finished, Murray flew to London where he saw a
rough cut of the film and then got on the Concord where he flew to New York
City. He got off the plane, went straight to Madison Avenue and 62nd Street,
and donned his Ghostbusters outfit. “A week before I had worked with yellow-hat
lamas in the Himalayas,” he remarked in an interview.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Most film
critics at the time were not kind to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Razor’s Edge</i>. Roger Ebert gave it two-and-a-half stars out of four and
wrote, “I didn't feel that the hero's attention had been quite focused during
his quest for the meaning of life. He didn't seem to be a searcher, but more of
a bystander, shoulders thrown back, deadpan expression in place, waiting to see
if life could make him care.” In her review for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The New York Times</i>, Janet Maslin called it, “slow, overlong and
ridiculously overproduced.” The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Washington
Post</i>’s Paul Attanasio wrote, “Murray's style into the '20s is jarringly
bizarre. Murray puts his comedy together with riffs drawn from contemporary
popular culture, in the way a modernist sculptor welds fragments found in a junkyard.
Much of the humor of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Razor's Edge</i>
simply isn't intelligible within the context of the period; he's a Connecticut
hipster in President Hoover's court.” Finally, in his review for the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chicago Tribune</i>, Gene Siskel gave the
film three out of four stars and wrote, "If Murray's young <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ghostbusters</i> fans do go to see <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Razor's Edge</i>, they will receive a
pleasant, thought-provoking surprise, a film that gently asks us to consider
lifestyles other than the one into which we were born."<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Razor’s Edge</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> is an impressively
staged and beautifully shot period film directed by John Byrum (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Heart Beat</i>) and shot by Peter Hannan (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Withnail and I</i>) that gives a real sense
of place. The film juxtaposes the opulent wealth of Larry’s friends back home
with the physical limits he pushes himself for spiritual enlightenment. He
makes an arduous journey through punishing environments, constantly pushing himself,
testing his limits.<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijstnJUHn_xaKrVamtD6tzuhgnDezp9brM1o23ISFHBIfLfUCUy0vkGy3TsNvCXA4G5J7FAZhpiRJVVZGfGItccf_HRjetuPmo9O7_PmGj656kzGKAyV4PZZWhvwfCmsR425YSzHDzoeZHU4fOSO02wW87IgNm4Cm1D5-3fMZ0TVNIiUuTf0qjVWqVOg=s1600" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijstnJUHn_xaKrVamtD6tzuhgnDezp9brM1o23ISFHBIfLfUCUy0vkGy3TsNvCXA4G5J7FAZhpiRJVVZGfGItccf_HRjetuPmo9O7_PmGj656kzGKAyV4PZZWhvwfCmsR425YSzHDzoeZHU4fOSO02wW87IgNm4Cm1D5-3fMZ0TVNIiUuTf0qjVWqVOg=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">While
hardly the cinematic disaster that it has been regard as over the years, it
isn't that successful either. Chalk this up as a noble failure. Murray's heart
was in the right place but he miscast himself in the lead role of Larry
Darrell, a man who finds himself thrust from the upper crust of society to the
battlefields of WWI where he is forever changed by the horrors he witnesses,
motivating him to find personal enlightenment in India. Timing is everything
and at the time of its release mainstream moviegoing audiences did not want to
see Murray in a serious role. As a result, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Razor’s Edge</i> tanked at the box office the same year that the crowd-pleasing
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ghostbusters</i> was a huge hit. To be
fair, Murray hadn’t developed the dramatic acting chops to pull off a role like
Larry Darrell. He delivers an uneven performance in an uneven film.
Understandably, disappointed with its reception and disenchanted with making
movies, Murray took his family to Paris and except for a cameo in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Little Shop of Horrors</i> (1986), didn’t
act for four years.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">SOURCES<br /></b></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Crouse,
Timothy. “Bill Murray: The Rolling Stone Interview.” <u>Rolling Stone</u>.
August 16, 1984.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Pollock,
Dale. “Bill Murray on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Razor’s Edge</i>
After <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ghostbusters</i>.” <u>The Victoria
Advocate</u>. October 29, 1984.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Weinstein,
Wendy. “John Byrum Traverses <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Razor’s
Edge</i>.” <u>The Film Journal</u>. September 1984.</span></div><p></p>
J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11823190634186509982noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-91161540009139340602021-12-17T09:00:00.001-05:002021-12-17T09:49:55.567-05:00JFK<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg0InEG1aOUf53ETQgvotdWA_p6g1XcKrpGiz6lGGMobRZ_QVpMD_tnnrepsvF2Mpey3gCTxnwoplRwSU1WfylVmsa_E4lAvrbzwnw04veOPLkJ4qh9iHkTdD6yjVKZC6eP3kps1_L5eEYOyLLU27UoXwQCUfgtWS1FWkQkUJSnceceNDPKD8Yq4K83Xg=s853" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="853" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg0InEG1aOUf53ETQgvotdWA_p6g1XcKrpGiz6lGGMobRZ_QVpMD_tnnrepsvF2Mpey3gCTxnwoplRwSU1WfylVmsa_E4lAvrbzwnw04veOPLkJ4qh9iHkTdD6yjVKZC6eP3kps1_L5eEYOyLLU27UoXwQCUfgtWS1FWkQkUJSnceceNDPKD8Yq4K83Xg=w400-h225" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">There’s
only one thing everyone can agree on regarding the assassination of American
President John F. Kennedy: he was killed on November 22, 1963. Everything else
around this watershed event in American history has been subject to intense
debate and one that has provoked people to question their own beliefs and those
of their government. Yet, for such a highly publicized affair there are still
many uncertainties that surround the actual incident. Countless works of
fiction and non-fiction have been created concerning the subject, but have done
little in aiding our understanding of the assassination and the events
surrounding it. Oliver Stone's film <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">JFK</i>
(1991) depicts the events leading up to and after the assassination like a
densely assembled puzzle complete with jump cuts and multiple perspectives.
Stone’s film presents the assassination as a powerful event constructed by its
conspirators to create confusion with its contradictory evidence, to then bury
this evidence in the Warren Commission Report, which in turn manifests multiple
interpretations of key figures like triggerman Lee Harvey Oswald. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">JFK</i> offers a more structured examination
of the conspiracy from one person's point of view where everything fits
together to reveal a larger, more frightening picture implicating the most
powerful people in the United States government.<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Stone’s
film filters an examination of two conspiracies, one to kill the President and
one to cover it up, from one person's point of view — Jim Garrison (Kevin
Costner) — the New Orleans District Attorney who then assembles all the
evidence at his disposal to deliver a powerful and persuasive case for a
conspiracy to kill Kennedy. Stone saw his film consisting of several separate
films: Garrison in New Orleans against Clay Shaw (Tommy Lee Jones), a key
figure in the assassination, Oswald’s (Gary Oldman) backstory, the recreation
of Dealey Plaza, and the deep background in Washington, D.C. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">JFK</i> is the mother of all paranoid
conspiracy thrillers, the ultimate one man against the system film with
Garrison taking on the establishment, attempting to uncover one of the most
nefarious plots in history. It created such profound shockwaves in the real
world that Stone was criticized and vilified in the press.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">“God, I’m
ashamed to be an American today,” says Garrison when he finds out that Kennedy
has been shot and we see people in the bar he’s in applaud the man’s death.
Stone and cinematographer Robert Richardson desaturate the colors in the 1963
scenes, which creates a somber tone as the country reacts to the Kennedy
assassination.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVEqr6oh7oJuWTKlhnho_vAG7dKyV9uDp8ATZBIQWXq3Wz9qzvepU0e2jpdcgNWSFRVUCVVtxCVrd6F5LiaUkk2gkmuLWJN-YlHzovGU276cuskX8OZgC06PaGVIB0mZTP5PmSquk7qmx718iOJZlS7SJlCNeNSExVqXed0c5lXUOiUOu88exMMvw_Sg=s1437" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="1437" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVEqr6oh7oJuWTKlhnho_vAG7dKyV9uDp8ATZBIQWXq3Wz9qzvepU0e2jpdcgNWSFRVUCVVtxCVrd6F5LiaUkk2gkmuLWJN-YlHzovGU276cuskX8OZgC06PaGVIB0mZTP5PmSquk7qmx718iOJZlS7SJlCNeNSExVqXed0c5lXUOiUOu88exMMvw_Sg=w400-h169" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Six years
later, the color returns to the film as Garrison shares a plane ride with
Senator Russell B. Long (Walter Matthau) who plants the first seeds of doubt in
the District Attorney’s mind about the Kennedy assassination. He points out
that Oswald was a lousy shot and couldn’t have made all those shots in that
time with that kind of accuracy. He also scoffs at the “magic bullet” theory –
that one bullet created seven wounds and came out in pristine condition. “I’d
round up 100 of the world’s best riflemen. Find out which ones were in Dallas
that day. You’ve been duck hunting. I think Oswald is a good old-fashioned
decoy.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">This
encounter provokes Garrison to go through all the volumes of the Warren
Commission Report and find that, “Again and again credible testimony ignored,
leads are never followed up, its conclusions selective, there’s no index. It’s
one of the sloppiest, most disorganized investigations I’ve ever seen.” He
concludes that this was by design: “But it’s all broken down and spread around
and you read it and the point gets lost.” He continues to dig deeper and the
testimony of Lee Bowers (Pruitt Taylor Vince), who hints at another shooter on
the grassy knoll, is the final straw.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Garrison
walks the streets of New Orleans with two of his investigators Lou Ivon (Jay O.
Sanders) and Bill Broussard (Michael Rooker), recounting Oswald’s time in the
city in a brilliantly written and performed monologue (one of many). He points
out to them that Oswald, a supposed communist sympathizer, spent his time in
the heart of the government’s intelligence community with the FBI, the CIA, the
Secret Service and the Office of Naval Intelligence all within spitting
distance of each other. As Garrison tells them, “Isn’t this seem to you a
rather strange place for a communist to spend his spare time?” He tells them that
they are going to reopen the investigation of the Kennedy assassination and
this is where the film really begins to gather narrative momentum.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEidSseNGZEtyedEwRfi4EWQH-fou3takx7tX5GpmyJuEI3JGCMqbTV4tbLGxbf2yVF9semJG718Y9cRK8jNOEKMwmdGlNt-duIbwbEjf8-LwvchA4uWwGtAWbqBrtlPd22LMsEtnaf9FNWNZKzd30LS7YHVEJZ_4geh3-H-9FyfYmzuRm-KMebfRsa5fQ=s1777" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="1777" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEidSseNGZEtyedEwRfi4EWQH-fou3takx7tX5GpmyJuEI3JGCMqbTV4tbLGxbf2yVF9semJG718Y9cRK8jNOEKMwmdGlNt-duIbwbEjf8-LwvchA4uWwGtAWbqBrtlPd22LMsEtnaf9FNWNZKzd30LS7YHVEJZ_4geh3-H-9FyfYmzuRm-KMebfRsa5fQ=w400-h166" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Garrison
starts interviewing people that had some link to the conspirators, namely Clay
Bertrand a.k.a. Clay Shaw, which gives Stone the opportunity to trot out a
parade of name actors such as Jack Lemmon, John Candy and Kevin Bacon to
portray a very colorful cavalcade of characters. The interviews paint a vivid
picture of David Ferrie (Joe Pesci) and Shaw working with Oswald. Stone uses
Bacon and Lemmon to detail the conspiracy on a local level, expounding a ton of
expositional dialogue brilliantly, while Candy’s hipster lawyer conveys the danger
Garrison faces digging into the murder of the President.</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">
Stone presents a series of lengthy dialogue-driven scenes conveying an
incredible amount of information in palatable fashion by having recognizable
actors as his mouthpieces while dynamically shooting and editing them. He has a
character spout a fact or theory and then cuts to a dramatic reenactment that
depicts it in black and white and/or different film stock, often blurring the
line between fact and fiction, which is the point. In a case as complex as this
it is hard to discern which is which as witness testimony conflicts one another
making it difficult to make sense of it all.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">A great
example of this is the sequence where Garrison and his team explain Oswald’s
background leading up to the assassination with Stone cutting to staged
footage, actual documentary footage and the famous <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Life</i> magazine cover photograph that cemented Oswald’s guilt in the
public’s mind but might be a doctored image. It is a bravura sequence that
marries complex editing, pasting together all kinds of different formats, with
past events being discussed in the present with many characters talking as the
conspiracy deepens and the thriller elements take hold. It culminates with
Broussard disbelievingly saying, “We are talking about our government!” to
which Garrison replies, “No. We’re talking about a crime, Bill. Plain and
simple…We’re through the looking glass, here, people. White is black and black
is white.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">The scene
where Garrison first meets Shaw is a fantastic clash between two characters as
the former goes after the latter who defiantly deflects and denies any
involvement in the assassination plot. During the conversation, Stone intercuts
footage that shows he is lying or, at least, that is Garrison’s interpretation.
Tommy Lee Jones is brilliant here as he changes tone on a dime, going from amused
elegance to angrily indignant and back again all the while maintaining an air
of cultured sophistication. Finally, Garrison tires of his act and accuses him
of killing Kennedy. When Shaw finally leaves, he gives parting pleasantries but
Jones gives Costner a lingering, threatening look. From this point on, the
pressure on the D.A. and his team increases as the powers that be attempt to
discredit him.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpihDUgDe13tLHLG2VzGfl206Wab9LCHTpfAgowAkU6IZWdf2skF1LOhhP1BLAVZS-P-u9KkWfrndAO4LHt7N29Rn1_GuyL1FIGwO4Nnfn1feLoUomTw56RrB2GEHdjGnFKM_dDI3AYSMpYR29j_m05pu9mnMmw4U_zbOQw2B3oAAJ-xcM5sx3XSFlDg=s1024" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="1024" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpihDUgDe13tLHLG2VzGfl206Wab9LCHTpfAgowAkU6IZWdf2skF1LOhhP1BLAVZS-P-u9KkWfrndAO4LHt7N29Rn1_GuyL1FIGwO4Nnfn1feLoUomTw56RrB2GEHdjGnFKM_dDI3AYSMpYR29j_m05pu9mnMmw4U_zbOQw2B3oAAJ-xcM5sx3XSFlDg=w400-h166" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Stone’s
portrayal of Garrison is reminiscent of Jimmy Stewart in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mr. Smith Goes to Washington</i> (1939) – the last honest man in
government – and he tries to temper this by showing the trouble he faces at
home as his wife (Sissy Spacek) complains that he’s never around anymore and
that he cares more about the Kennedy assassination than his own family. She is
the film’s weakest character whose sole purpose, initially, is to provide
strife on the home front. Stone then has her come around to her husband’s way
of thinking after he tearfully tells her late one night that Robert Kennedy has
been shot and killed. She admits he was right all along and they make love in a
scene that is unnecessarily maudlin. These scenes feel shoehorned in and take
away from the main thrust of the film. Stone is on more comfortable ground when
he returns to more familiar turf as we see the press arriving in droves to
Garrison’s office, making it impossible for he and his team to get any work
done. Funding for his office has dried up and he is forced to use his own
savings to keep the investigation going. We also see infighting among his staff
and Ivon and Broussard butt heads as we see the latter scared off the case.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Another
bit of tour-de-force acting comes from Joe Pesci in the scene where Ferrie
rapidly unravels as he fears for his life based on what he knows about the plot
to kill Kennedy. Ferrie gets increasingly manic as he rattles off the people
and organizations involved, getting worked up until he utters the iconic line,
“It’s a mystery wrapped in a riddle inside an enigma!” It’s hyperbolic and
over-the-top to be sure but it does illustrate how complex the assassination
plot is with fake Oswalds and conflicting eyewitness accounts. After the
incredible outburst, Ferrie winds down as Pesci elicits sympathy for this
terrible man who is under a lot pressure and is incredibly paranoid. This scene
threatens to throw the film right off the rails as Pesci goes for it, acting
his ass off, chewing up the scenery in breathtaking fashion.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">The
centerpiece of the film is when Garrison travels to Washington, D.C. to meet
with an ex-high-ranking CIA officer known only as Mr. X (Donald Sutherland). In
this bravura sequence he lays out the motivation for killing Kennedy including
how and why. It’s an incredible amount of dialogue and Stone wisely cast a
skilled actor such as Donald Sutherland to convey it in a coherent and engaging
way. X lays out the most important aspect of the assassination: why? “The how
and who is just scenery for the public. Oswald, Ruby, Cuba, the Mafia – keeps
‘em guessing like some kind of parlor game preventing them from asking the most
important question – why? Why was Kennedy killed? Who benefitted? Who has the
power to cover it up?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0Zmc_nzfpk7E6clN2ozlgdSddCtsLeudaqM4gbw-x_uIxrormmJSbA04fmME2dRj9SZROTVxw52SS6GamWSkClY7nv7F1myy_Zj_XZkjmBByZNPN80E6DBOLPUZpLU9aVB1z4H5jhHeHRmEOWhIEUaNoYBXGkflk0ej7IzFdHipp_2e0oParqKMrYww=s500" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="210" data-original-width="500" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0Zmc_nzfpk7E6clN2ozlgdSddCtsLeudaqM4gbw-x_uIxrormmJSbA04fmME2dRj9SZROTVxw52SS6GamWSkClY7nv7F1myy_Zj_XZkjmBByZNPN80E6DBOLPUZpLU9aVB1z4H5jhHeHRmEOWhIEUaNoYBXGkflk0ej7IzFdHipp_2e0oParqKMrYww=w400-h168" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">X posits
that Kennedy was killed because he wanted to break up the CIA, make peace with
Russia and end the Vietnam War, which not only pissed off a lot of powerful
people but would cost a lot of money as he tells Garrison, “The organizing
principle of any society, Mr. Garrison, is the war. The authority of the state
over its people resides in its war powers.” He encourages Garrison to “come up
with a case. Something. Anything. Make arrests. Stir the shitstorm. Hope to
reach a critical mass that’ll start a chain reaction of people coming forward.
Then the government’ll crack. Remember, fundamentally, people are suckers for
the truth.” This is the film’s idealistic mission statement. Judging from the
critical reaction towards the film, Stone certainly succeeded in stirring up
the shitstorm and in the court of public opinion he helped reshape the
perception of the Kennedy assassination.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">These
increasingly dense and dynamic exposition scenes lead up to the mother of all
courtroom scenes as Garrison goes in knowing he’s going to lose and goes for it
anyway. It is Costner’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mr. Smith Goes to
Washington</i> filibuster moment by way of Gary Cooper as Garrison debunks the
Warren Commission Report’s account of Oswald by audaciously showing the real
Zapruder film that depicted the Kennedy killing in real time. Stone edits in
recreation footage with actual footage of the assassination as Garrison lays it
all out. The filmmaker also recreates Kennedy’s controversial autopsy and shows
actual photos of the man taken at the time.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">This
scene involves a massive amount of dialogue and information to convey and
Costner handles it like a pro, making this exposition compelling, especially at
the end when the actor performs his final speech without the aid of intercutting
other footage. It’s Costner out there on his own, even getting emotional
towards the end at the most powerful moment when Garrison address the jury,
“Show this world that this is still a government of the people, for the people
and by the people. Nothing as long as you live will ever be more important.
It’s up to you.” And with that last line, Costner breaks the fourth wall. That
line is meant for us and is one of the most moving parts of Garrison’s speech.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhT448k0Bwxu6NuXn0xIoVxWZpj3Ao3MSXWpD8xDVA6KGI8Ln2UQkAYqpX7i5ZdrMKIee7keHIay0VtEb_hPvVTvUl3QFsQhMq8rWyk8qSvHFYsutBJ69QLyF0D1EjeSqDrlA5Tj4-YZ3v1929JKfy1qaykQvpypgdCnSCZXY56K3h9hfmMzXqPeJqjfg=s1000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="421" data-original-width="1000" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhT448k0Bwxu6NuXn0xIoVxWZpj3Ao3MSXWpD8xDVA6KGI8Ln2UQkAYqpX7i5ZdrMKIee7keHIay0VtEb_hPvVTvUl3QFsQhMq8rWyk8qSvHFYsutBJ69QLyF0D1EjeSqDrlA5Tj4-YZ3v1929JKfy1qaykQvpypgdCnSCZXY56K3h9hfmMzXqPeJqjfg=w400-h169" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">While
attending the Latin American Film Festival in Havana, Cuba, Stone met Sheridan
Square Press publisher Ellen Ray on an elevator. She had published Jim
Garrison's book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">On the Trail of the
Assassins</i>. Ray had gone to New Orleans and worked with Garrison in 1967.
She gave Stone a copy of Garrison's book and told him to read it. He did and
quickly bought the film rights with his own money. The Kennedy Assassination
had always had a profound effect on his life and he eventually met Garrison,
grilling him with a variety of questions for three hours. The man stood up to
Stone's questioning and then got up and left. His hubris impressed the
director.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Stone was
not interested in making a film about Garrison's life but rather the story
behind the conspiracy to kill Kennedy. To this end, he also bought the film
rights to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Crossfire: The Plot That Killed
Kennedy</i> by Jim Marrs. When Stone set out to write the screenplay, he asked Columbia
University’s Professor of Journalism Zachary Sklar to co-write it with him and
distill the Garrison book, the Marrs book and all the research he and others
conducted into a script that would resemble what he called "a great
detective movie." Stone told Sklar his vision of the movie: "I see
the models as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Z</i> (1969) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rashomon</i> (1950), I see the event in
Dealey Plaza taking place in the first reel, and again in the eighth reel, and
again later, and each time we're going to see it differently and with more
illumination.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Sklar
worked on the Garrison side of the story while Stone added the Oswald story,
the events at Dealey Plaza and the "Mr. X" character. To tell as much
of the story as they could, Stone and Sklar used composite characters, a
technique that would be criticized in the press, most notably the "Mr.
X" character played by Donald Sutherland and who was a mix of several witnesses
and retired Air Force Colonel L. Fletcher Prouty, an adviser on the film.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEifetVDc3B5Ft72wr2pmLrbxN5SLOBdriP0e5Zd3yciYntji1QnWw-sLwZfp28PBQQStcAzVE_qTkn4zgDBJcL3anYSUZRxkhb80RwHcZNSDEMC2pfOOZdqEL0_4TNnOoayGWQk173UO6UwddAHx0MU2U7-1AkkPSvSV4dRLcPwu2Ew6wemhn58OjyhBQ=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1305" data-original-width="2048" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEifetVDc3B5Ft72wr2pmLrbxN5SLOBdriP0e5Zd3yciYntji1QnWw-sLwZfp28PBQQStcAzVE_qTkn4zgDBJcL3anYSUZRxkhb80RwHcZNSDEMC2pfOOZdqEL0_4TNnOoayGWQk173UO6UwddAHx0MU2U7-1AkkPSvSV4dRLcPwu2Ew6wemhn58OjyhBQ=w400-h255" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">In 1989,
Stone met with the three top Warner Bros. executives – Terry Semel, Bob Daly, and
Bill Gerber – who had been interested in his work for some time. At the time,
Stone was trying to make a film about Howard Hughes but Warren Beatty owned the
rights. Stone then pitched <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">JFK</i> to
them in 15-20 minutes: “I told them I wanted <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">JFK </i>to be a movie about the problem of covert parallel government
in this country and deep political corruption.” Semel remembers Stone asking
them, “’Are you concerned politically? Would it affect your company? Are there
negative reasons why you wouldn’t do it?’ My immediate reaction was, ‘No, we
should do it.’ If it’s entertaining and it’s intriguing, a great murder mystery
about something we all cared about and grew up thinking about, why not?” A
handshake deal was done and the studio agreed to a $20 million budget.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Stone
could have shopped <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">JFK </i>around in the
international market but chose WB because, “I knew the material was dangerous and
I wanted on entity to finance the whole thing and the history of WB, given
Terry Semel’s record of political films (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">All
the President’s Men</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Parallax
View</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Killing Fields</i>), was
my first choice.” Kevin Costner signed on to play Garrison in 1991, which
pleased the studio who wanted a bankable movie star attached to the project. In
addition, independent producer Arnon Milchan came on board as an executive
producer and doubled the budget allowing Stone to cast a star-studded
supporting cast around Costner.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Stone
ambitiously wanted to recreate the Kennedy Assassination in Dealey Plaza and
his producers had to pay the Dallas City Council a substantial amount of money
to hire police to reroute traffic and close streets for three weeks. He only
had ten days to shoot the footage. Getting permission to shoot in the Texas
School Book Depository was more difficult. They had to pay $50,000 to put
someone in the window that Lee Harvey Oswald was supposed to have shot Kennedy.
They were allowed to film in that location only between certain hours with only
five people on the floor at one time: the camera crew, an actor, and Stone.
Co-producer Clayton Townsend has said that the hardest part was getting the
permission to restore the building to the way it looked back in 1963. That took
five months of negotiation.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgm9zDdEJ9eJ7Y2PPYm1__3759MPPi-9RfosaNZzqChys-6ChsEnzki-ow-HodWFLp75ivChgU0-5jzilVy12pRghdrGr8tdf-7nxahvuAZK5Z03VBkdZJ9Sx1O5QrtbnQJEt8lma7TshHRnslI8HL0f4RFHYShwTTTC3xW8C8dYYypAotRoellK9w1ow=s1825" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1825" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgm9zDdEJ9eJ7Y2PPYm1__3759MPPi-9RfosaNZzqChys-6ChsEnzki-ow-HodWFLp75ivChgU0-5jzilVy12pRghdrGr8tdf-7nxahvuAZK5Z03VBkdZJ9Sx1O5QrtbnQJEt8lma7TshHRnslI8HL0f4RFHYShwTTTC3xW8C8dYYypAotRoellK9w1ow=w400-h263" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Filming
was going smoothly until several attacks on the film in the press surfaced in
the mainstream media including the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chicago
Tribune</i>, published while the film was only in its first weeks of shooting.
Five days later, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Washington Post</i>
ran a scathing article by national security correspondent George Lardner
entitled, "On the Set: Dallas in Wonderland" that used the first
draft of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">JFK</i> screenplay to blast
it for "the absurdities and palpable untruths in Garrison's book and
Stone's rendition of it.” The article pointed out that Garrison lost his case
against Clay Shaw and claimed that he inflated his case by trying to use Shaw's
homosexual relationships to prove guilt by association. Other attacks in the
media soon followed. However, the Lardner <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Post</i>
piece stung the most as he had stolen a copy of the script. Stone recalls,
"He had the first draft, and I went through probably six or seven drafts.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">The film
depicts the events leading up to and after the assassination as a densely
constructed story complete with jump cuts, multiple perspectives, a variety of
film stocks and the blending of actual archival footage with staged scenes
dramatized by a stellar cast of actors. This blurring of reality and fiction by
mixing real footage with staged footage makes it difficult to discern what
really happened and what is merely speculation. Stone does this to create what
he calls "a countermyth to the myth of the Warren Commission because a lot
of the original facts were lost in a very shoddy investigation," and
simulate the confusing quagmire of events as they are depicted in Warren Report.
Stone creates different points of views or "layers" through the
extensive use of flashbacks within flashbacks. Stone has said that he “wanted
the film on two or three levels — sound and picture would take us back, and
we’d go from one flashback to another, and then that flashback would go inside
another flashback ... I wanted multiple layers because reading the Warren
Commission Report is like drowning.” This technique conveys the notion of
confusion and conflict within evidence<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Kevin
Costner acts as the perfect mouthpiece for Stone’s theories. The auteur’s
infamously forceful directorial approach to his actors pays off here as he
reins in the Costner’s usual tics and mannerisms. Stone was no dummy — he knew
that by populating his film with many famous faces, he could make the
potentially bitter pill that was his film that much more palatable to the
mainstream movie-going public. The rest of the cast is phenomenal. Gary Oldman
delivers an eerily authentic portrayal of the enigmatic Lee Harvey Oswald. Tommy
Lee Jones is note-perfect as the refined, self-confident businessman, Clay
Shaw. Even minor roles are filled by such name actors as Vincent D’Onofrio,
Kevin Bacon, Jack Lemmon, and Walter Matthau.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSOTbHIes1cBYsYzHzwwG4mOJSKepRLBwRakVzLYJsDNNWlbwEVQ_HlUvb8urMdhf6BIUg-hH_NRvGdqiMh5L0DatafkAMtjVsSt3JlR8jktAM3mqa3qrVwNbwfGTGt4Ln3RvaUySoQmNJHq52tEB1Nn3AvPeePXMFk4GlhfGwrAcjRVK5t212G0yHHA=s1777" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="1777" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSOTbHIes1cBYsYzHzwwG4mOJSKepRLBwRakVzLYJsDNNWlbwEVQ_HlUvb8urMdhf6BIUg-hH_NRvGdqiMh5L0DatafkAMtjVsSt3JlR8jktAM3mqa3qrVwNbwfGTGt4Ln3RvaUySoQmNJHq52tEB1Nn3AvPeePXMFk4GlhfGwrAcjRVK5t212G0yHHA=w400-h166" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">The film
throws many characters at us and it is easier to keep track of them by
identifying them with the famous person that portrays them. Stone was evidently
inspired by the casting model of a documentary epic he had admired as a child:
“Darryl Zanuck's <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Longest Day</i>
(1962) was one of my favorite films as a kid. It was realistic, but it had a
lot of stars ... the supporting cast provides a map of the American psyche:
familiar, comfortable faces that walk you through a winding path in the dark
woods.” Future biopics with sprawling casts, like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Insider</i> (1999), and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Good
Night, and Good Luck</i> (2005), and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Good Shepherd</i> (2006) would use this same approach.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Seeing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">JFK</i> now, one is reminded that first and
foremost, it is a top-notch thriller. There are so many fantastic scenes of
sheer exposition that would normally come across as dry and boring but are
transformed into riveting scenes in the hands of this talented cast. For
example, the famous scene between Garrison and X (Sutherland) where the
mysterious man lays out all the reasons why Kennedy was killed and how is not
only a marvel of writing but also of acting as the veteran actor gets to
deliver what is surely one of the best monologues ever committed to film.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Once the
film was released in theaters, it polarized critics. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The New York Times</i> ran an article by Bernard Weinraub entitled,
"Hollywood Wonders If Warner Brothers let <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">JFK</i> Go Too Far.” In it, he called for studio censorship and wrote,
"At what point does a studio exercise its leverage and blunt the highly
charged message of a film maker like Oliver Stone?" The newspaper also ran
a review of the film by Vincent Canby who wrote, "Mr. Stone's hyperbolic
style of film making is familiar: lots of short, often hysterical scenes
tumbling one after another, backed by a soundtrack that is layered, strudel-like,
with noises, dialogue, music, more noises, more dialogue.” However, Roger Ebert
praised the film in his review for the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chicago
Sun-Times</i>, saying, "The achievement of the film is not that it answers
the mystery of the Kennedy assassination, because it does not, or even that it
vindicates Garrison, who is seen here as a man often whistling in the dark. Its
achievement is that it tries to marshal the anger which ever since 1963 has
been gnawing away on some dark shelf of the national psyche.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnYOnNbxIna6ASOOFrbnHjeHlgjMoIZYZV-Gq6WtAIcOzyh5oYm8gJQghBSwx_vcN6uaxj1IlSqrigZ0mc6_fQF4RifIajGN7bdPDm1yMiqSywYXAsxN3DfVDr8JlmLtQE5avIHiid_kBMfoOOVRtHS01hQcu1aS3HJynkqA6HdV5zW9369hLXGTgEZw=s800" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="800" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnYOnNbxIna6ASOOFrbnHjeHlgjMoIZYZV-Gq6WtAIcOzyh5oYm8gJQghBSwx_vcN6uaxj1IlSqrigZ0mc6_fQF4RifIajGN7bdPDm1yMiqSywYXAsxN3DfVDr8JlmLtQE5avIHiid_kBMfoOOVRtHS01hQcu1aS3HJynkqA6HdV5zW9369hLXGTgEZw=w400-h166" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Rita
Kempley in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Washington Post</i> wrote,
"Quoting everyone from Shakespeare to Hitler to bolster their arguments,
Stone and Sklar present a gripping alternative to the Warren Commission's
conclusion. A marvelously paranoid thriller featuring a closetful of spies,
moles, pro-commies and Cuban freedom-fighters, the whole thing might have been
thought up by Robert Ludlum.” On Christmas Day, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Los Angeles Times</i> ran an article entitled, "Suppression of the
Facts Grants Stone a Broad Brush" attacking the film. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">New York Newsday</i> followed suit the next day with two articles –
"The Blurred Vision of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">JFK</i>"
and "The Many Theories of a Jolly Green Giant.” A few days later, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chicago Sun-Times</i> ran an article
entitled, "Stone's Film Trashes Facts, Dishonors J.F.K." Stone even
received death threats as he recalled in an interview, "I can't even
remember all the threats, there were so many of them.” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Time</i> magazine ranked it the fourth best film of 1991. Roger Ebert
went on to name Stone's movie as the best film of the year and one of the top
ten films of the decade.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Stone
paints his canvas with broad brushstrokes and powerful images. This isn’t a
documentary or even a docudrama. It is a fever dream straight out of Stone's
head. He’s a Baby Boomer upset that the death of Kennedy obliterated the
idealism of the '60s and uses the film to vent about it. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">JFK</i> is an important work in the sense that it accurately portrays
the assassination of Kennedy as a complex public event surrounded by chaos and
confusion. Stone’s film presents an intricate conspiracy at the source of the killing
with one main protagonist who exposes the conspiracy to be an intricately
constructed coup d'état. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">JFK </i>takes a
larger, confrontational stance by boldly implicating the government in the
conspiracy and the mainstream media in conspiring to cover it up. Stone is
using the persuasive power of film to reach the largest number of people he can
to wake them up and to reveal how they have been deceived by higher powers.
There is no mistaking the importance of the assassination of Kennedy in American
culture. Based on the excitement that surrounded Stone's film, the American
public was still greatly interested in the event with more and more people
believing in a plot to kill the President. Kennedy's death continues to
intrigue and interest people who are more open to the idea of a conspiracy that
this film openly advocates. For better or for worse, it helped cultivate a conspiracy
culture that has only grown larger and more unwieldy with the rise of social
media. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">JFK</i> continues to serve as a
powerful piece of cinematic agitprop whose conspiracy theories can be
questioned and criticized but its power as an engaging and moving thriller
cannot.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZPyxWLLuqmm6WIvqpa22LcpDKlc9jHRe43ncTkiBChx4_hUp9L8BRDhSPKsuikMGeUQuWF-4Cl4yNx_-18cWMlST2EZFhCITkeEGju2uS03yfjgwZLNS1OVXwQ6B8N8wcv7X9KaDtnAIlSmtn4RPysxglMvxhN-3ZsSR0fb7qo31hWDYKUPQuuwjz2Q=s1280" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="1280" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZPyxWLLuqmm6WIvqpa22LcpDKlc9jHRe43ncTkiBChx4_hUp9L8BRDhSPKsuikMGeUQuWF-4Cl4yNx_-18cWMlST2EZFhCITkeEGju2uS03yfjgwZLNS1OVXwQ6B8N8wcv7X9KaDtnAIlSmtn4RPysxglMvxhN-3ZsSR0fb7qo31hWDYKUPQuuwjz2Q=w400-h168" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">SOURCES<br /></span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Fisher,
Bob. “The Whys and Hows of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">JFK</i>.” <u>American
Cinematographer</u>. February 1992.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Petras,
James. “The Discrediting of The Fifth Estate: The Press Attacks on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">JFK</i>.” <u>Cineaste</u>. May 1992.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Riordan,
James. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Stone: A Biography of Oliver Stone</i>.
Aurum Press. 1996.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Scheer,
Robert. “Oliver Stone Builds His Own Myths.” <u>Los Angeles Times</u>. December
15, 1991.</span></span></div><p></p>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-71683288507259215782021-11-28T11:31:00.003-05:002021-11-28T11:31:48.246-05:00The World's Greatest Sinner<p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQjKNoGzNBTuQqxVcD0gEs5FYGZ2jB4vjZEmQxsSU2Jz5auZE6no5FmqL211zaSgaexRgjrCXzc0-J7y1eeb4uFzIUxWIfU3xdrdUgeBBLgRqStBDz0IK_VZA7fINJ9AewvzN-9G3ywuA6UoOrO5dT9N4JeTFRlbJkNnr_Yo6Hhancgkqdq51NXUtIBA=s720" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="537" data-original-width="720" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQjKNoGzNBTuQqxVcD0gEs5FYGZ2jB4vjZEmQxsSU2Jz5auZE6no5FmqL211zaSgaexRgjrCXzc0-J7y1eeb4uFzIUxWIfU3xdrdUgeBBLgRqStBDz0IK_VZA7fINJ9AewvzN-9G3ywuA6UoOrO5dT9N4JeTFRlbJkNnr_Yo6Hhancgkqdq51NXUtIBA=w400-h299" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Without a
doubt, Timothy Agoglia Carey is one of the most eccentric character actors in
American cinema. This is a man that was fired from Stanley Kubrick’s </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Paths of Glory</i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> (1957) for faking his own
kidnapping. One only must see his scene-stealing performances in the likes of
the aforementioned film where he breaks down and cries hysterically before a
firing squad or in </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Killing</i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> (1956)
where he speaks most of his dialogue while flashing his clenched teeth to
witness the wonderful off-kilter choices he made that enhanced the films he was
in. Unfortunately, he rarely got to headline a film with </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The World’s Greatest Sinner</i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> (1962), which he starred in, wrote,
directed and produced, being one of the rare exceptions. Freed from the
constraints of the Hollywood studio system, he created a crudely made, yet
fascinating look at the cult of personality.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">The film
begins, appropriately, in bizarre fashion with the title song playing over a
black screen and the sound of an explosion segues into the opening credits with
classical music playing over the soundtrack inducing wicked tonal whiplash. In a
gleefully audacious move, the story is narrated by none other than God (and
then, bafflingly, abandons it for the rest of the movie) who introduces us to
Clarence Hilliard (Carey) by describing him as “just like any other male the
only difference is he wants to be God. And that’s coming right out of the horse’s
mouth.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">He lives
in domestic bliss with his wife Edna (Betty Rowland) and his two children, working
as the head of the department of an insurance company. One day, he decides to
give everyone the day off which doesn’t sit too well with his boss (Victor
Floming). It doesn’t help that Clarence has also been telling potential clients
not to get insurance, telling one person not get a funeral policy because, “When
you die, your body starts to stink.” Not surprisingly, he gets fired from his
job, comes home and tells his wife that he wants to write a book and get into
politics (?!).<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_GMyvbpRXTumF2ZMCDqATOuU1D5gMYVCsD27lrQfsTvOY3TbUqKwzejXMTnEd3TzgPb2jLteh8EDfJF9wzeKj31jUew3YvoulOf8PT_GQSUWXJUyslkcQbk_IE5DjDYlPpiwUUPgNfOaQF_X3vBH6Sz5bW1ycKm1xNROj5B_InhC4AlZPYIKsF_4brg=s1024" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="654" data-original-width="1024" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_GMyvbpRXTumF2ZMCDqATOuU1D5gMYVCsD27lrQfsTvOY3TbUqKwzejXMTnEd3TzgPb2jLteh8EDfJF9wzeKj31jUew3YvoulOf8PT_GQSUWXJUyslkcQbk_IE5DjDYlPpiwUUPgNfOaQF_X3vBH6Sz5bW1ycKm1xNROj5B_InhC4AlZPYIKsF_4brg=w400-h255" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">While he
earnestly tells her about his aspirations she falls asleep so he tells his pet
horse Rex about a dream he had: “I’m gonna make people live long. I wanna put
something into life. I wanna make life be eternal.” These are the seeds for a cult
that he plans to start but how will he get people to follow him? One night, he
goes to a rock ‘n’ roll concert and observes teenage girls screaming in
excitement at and worshipping the lead singer. The next day, Clarence hits the
streets, literally, preaching eternal life to anyone who will listen. He wants
to make people super human beings, promising, “age won’t exist anymore.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Clarence
transforms himself into a rock ‘n’ roll preacher in a show-stopping sequence
that evokes Elvis Presley and James Brown in raw energy and showmanship as he
sweats, yells and dances with wild abandon. It is a truly astonishing
performance to behold. He eventually changes his name to God Hilliard and
becomes drunk on power, alienating his earlier followers and even his family.
He meets a shady, political fixer whose credentials are that he worked for one
of the leading political parties but fell out of favor thanks to “a few jealous
underlings” and “got into a few difficulties.” He dazzles Clarence with
political doublespeak and tells him, “If you can stir the people’s emotions,
you can win.” The first thing he does is get Clarence to drop the rock ‘n’ roll
preacher shtick, which he agrees to do by dramatically smashing his guitar over
a desk.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">He is
soon running for President of the United States on his eternal life platform.
Eventually, his rhetoric changes to that of a fanatical dictator: “We must gird
ourselves with an armor of inspiration. We’ll reach them in the big cities! In
the small towns! And the crossroads! We’ll weed them out! Any place where there’s
people, we’ll get our message to them!” Carey lays on the fascist imagery as Clarence’s
followers wear armbands of their party and have their own book documenting
Clarence’s manifesto. Soon, he is speaking at larger and larger rallies until
he has a crisis of confidence and of faith at the film’s climax.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi4sywffhdyAfw6G6UNnELDgaC0wUKkNzIP3SyBFQ-Hpz5YeoykDzTh1F-pvWyxpE-AfhXZSoiBqq_PxUh0vMcIDGqq772GjjAg3Mll7T7AUw2LT4DBd-v7aOdVAKWATW-j0sJLpccIezr8BzayGBSooSUiOFhnwm3Y2ezzn8AE0XhaV7J5AqsApyRC8w=s720" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi4sywffhdyAfw6G6UNnELDgaC0wUKkNzIP3SyBFQ-Hpz5YeoykDzTh1F-pvWyxpE-AfhXZSoiBqq_PxUh0vMcIDGqq772GjjAg3Mll7T7AUw2LT4DBd-v7aOdVAKWATW-j0sJLpccIezr8BzayGBSooSUiOFhnwm3Y2ezzn8AE0XhaV7J5AqsApyRC8w=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">The making
of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The World’s Greatest Sinner</i> was
almost as wild and unpredictable as the film itself with the inspiration coming
from Carey’s desire to shake things up in Hollywood: “I was tired of seeing
movies that were supposedly controversial. So I wanted to do something that was
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">really</i> controversial.” He began filming
in 1956 in El Monte, California, where he lived, at his home and on the city
streets, using locals as extras. This continued sporadically until 1961 on a
budget of $100,000 under its original title, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Frenzy</i>. While making <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Second Time Around</i> (1961), Carey was approached by a young musician by the
name of Frank Zappa who complimented his acting. Carey told him, “We have no
music for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The World’s Greatest Sinner</i>.
If you can supply the orchestra and a place to tape it, you have the job.” The
aspiring musician composed the score and then went on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Steve Allen Show</i> and said it was “the world’s worst film and
all the actors were from skid row.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Filmmaker
Dennis Ray Steckler (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Incredibly Strange
Creatures</i>) also got his start on the film. After several cameramen had been
fired during filming, Carey brought Steckler out to Long Beach to shoot scenes
of extras watching Carey on stage and then rioting. Steckler later claimed that
at while was in a closet loading film, Carey threw a boa constrictor in with
him. To top it all off, at the film’s premiere, Carey fired a .38 pistol above
the heads of the audience, causing a riot.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">The World’s Greatest Sinner</span></i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> warns about the
dangers of demagogues like Clarence by showing how he whips a large crowd into
a blind frenzy showing how they are swept up by his fiery rhetoric. Carey shows
how this can be dangerous as his followers riot, destroying property in his
name with the camera lingering on a mob of people trashing and turning over a
car. He has affairs with multiple women, including a 14-year-old girl. This
kind of behavior and these kinds of tactics anticipate T.V. evangelists that
became popular in the 1980s and in recent years people with little to no
political experience or knowledge getting into office based mostly on their
cult of personality and ability to appeal to people’s basest instincts.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTweUyC_mo4NzsErrkPTw73Vx9cNV5E0q9DwVEaXXDfFSVjCym-e2Ts4Pusr1gCK4uaUAggKWPU62hWTpbvAefJcCO3eB44QaAjDn2qRs7qSSZ4S2ymolrbGB7S1FQEbrGZRMqWds8mQE1TktfnVp4Bj7dHtSiX_osS5gUENomcWhlg3es2Q_4FU1EBw=s720" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="720" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTweUyC_mo4NzsErrkPTw73Vx9cNV5E0q9DwVEaXXDfFSVjCym-e2Ts4Pusr1gCK4uaUAggKWPU62hWTpbvAefJcCO3eB44QaAjDn2qRs7qSSZ4S2ymolrbGB7S1FQEbrGZRMqWds8mQE1TktfnVp4Bj7dHtSiX_osS5gUENomcWhlg3es2Q_4FU1EBw=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">What is
so incredibly inspiring about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The World’s
Greatest Sinner</i> is how Carey commits 100% to the wonderfully insane
narrative. Imagine if Brad Garrett and Nicolas Cage had a baby and you get
Carey. He has the former’s hulking frame with the latter’s bedroom eyes and
fearlessness as an actor, not afraid to look ridiculous all in the name of art.
The film is shot and edited roughly, almost haphazardly in a non-traditional
way with awkward transitions and shifts in tone that is also part of its charm.
Carey is not only flaunting Hollywood conventions he is throwing out the rule
book as he makes all kinds of odd choices throughout the film, like when Clarence’s
boss takes him to his office to reprimand him and it plays over a cacophony of
noises so that we can’t hear the dialogue. The screenplay, at times, is truly inspired
with such blatantly provocative lines, such as “The biggest liar of mankind is
Christ!” This is truly an auteur film – Carey’s magnum opus, a weird and wild
film he was somehow able to be unleashed on the world seemingly through sheer
force of Carey’s will.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">SOURCES<br /></span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">McAbee,
Sam. “Carey: Saint of the Underground.” <u>Cashiers du Cinemart</u>. #12. 2001.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Murphy,
Mike. “Timothy Carey.” <u>Psychotronic</u>. #6. 1990.</span></div><p></p>
J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11823190634186509982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-20634475561640771812021-10-22T08:10:00.000-04:002021-10-22T08:10:00.965-04:00Halloween II<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiw3YhlZ9ytgILWBZRT92wxJ7CQNX4SUxnv58XEe3_erVnPbmIhbFGxf1h5ijwAj__pqzVWOGt-3OeNLBxr9aPQ4QSN7nY3xjYaNlvpd9DpsDjDYWRhCFhGBN8TqhdaD7ZdH7saPS4nWAr6Lj8-AYFAixufJ3wEAkzMBEs7LxGT8EhRLwecAhNxinCX6Q=s1934" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1088" data-original-width="1934" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiw3YhlZ9ytgILWBZRT92wxJ7CQNX4SUxnv58XEe3_erVnPbmIhbFGxf1h5ijwAj__pqzVWOGt-3OeNLBxr9aPQ4QSN7nY3xjYaNlvpd9DpsDjDYWRhCFhGBN8TqhdaD7ZdH7saPS4nWAr6Lj8-AYFAixufJ3wEAkzMBEs7LxGT8EhRLwecAhNxinCX6Q=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Rob
Zombie’s remake of John Carpenter’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Halloween</i>
in 2007 was a financial success prompting the studio to greenlight the
inevitable sequel. Enough time had passed after the making of that movie that
he had forgotten what a difficult experience it and was willing to go again but
this time he would no longer be constrained with having to remake another
person’s movie thus allowing him to follow his creative bliss, making a
follow-up that was more brutal and refreshingly stranger than the previous
movie. The result was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Halloween II</i>
(2009).<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">After a
brief flashback to Michael as a child, recounting a dream he had to his mother
(Sheri Moon Zombie), we are brought back to the present with a bloody and
battered Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton) walking down the middle of the
road in a shell-shocked daze after having just fought off and killed Michael
Myers (Tyler Mane). Sheriff Brackett (Brad Dourif) catches up to and tries to
calm her down. Slam cut to a close-up of her screaming face as she’s wheeled
along a hospital corridor on a gurney.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Back at
the site of the climactic showdown, an unconscious Dr. Sam Loomis (Malcolm
McDowell) is also sent off in an ambulance while Michael’s body is carried away
as well but when the two inept coroners driving the truck crash into a cow
(?!), Michael rises and disappears into the night. At the same moment, Laurie
rises from her hospital bed to see her friend Annie (Danielle Harris), another
survivor from the encounter with Michael, and Zombie makes a point of lingering
on these two young women, their bodies damaged by what happened to them, but
those wounds will eventually heal. It is the psychological damage that Zombie
is interested in exploring with this movie.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiz1KJNhJ5cxBtfckHmAEBIMcg_31QPT2SWxUTm8BThp_WZfj9Sm-f29PHd8kC7tV8uB5bKrFjSE2b82ZFFR02yn_nkdDS7AJKi_QrCzxc5IOGNl0ec82RszaCBlDaezLw3Lq2epTKeQFr916WSG_B5SKWUwO4uvwdrf7p2hHokd3vZSWOdinBt0Ssgxw=s1600" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiz1KJNhJ5cxBtfckHmAEBIMcg_31QPT2SWxUTm8BThp_WZfj9Sm-f29PHd8kC7tV8uB5bKrFjSE2b82ZFFR02yn_nkdDS7AJKi_QrCzxc5IOGNl0ec82RszaCBlDaezLw3Lq2epTKeQFr916WSG_B5SKWUwO4uvwdrf7p2hHokd3vZSWOdinBt0Ssgxw=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></div><br /><o:p><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">He does
pay tribute to the original <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Halloween II</i>
(1981) in the first 20 minutes or so as Michael stalks Laurie through the
corridors of the hospital and manages to avoid the obvious error or having a
nearly empty building for the two to engage in a prolonged cat-and-mouse game
that always rang false by having her quickly escape out into the pouring rain,
but oh wait, it was a nightmare and a year has passed since the events depicted
in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Halloween</i>. It feels like Zombie’s
fuck you to the original sequel as if to say don’t we all wish that movie was a
nightmare we could forget?<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Laurie
takes pills for pain, anxiety, you name it, still traumatized and living with
Brackett and his daughter Annie. It’s a well-played scene as we see these
people trying to get on with their lives as best they can considering what
they’ve been through. Laurie, especially, is lost in the world. Her parents are
dead and Michael’s body was never found, which leaves her frustratingly without
closure.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Meanwhile,
Loomis has bounced back as a flashy television personality, cashing in on what
happened a year ago and Zombie re-introduces his character via a super slick
tracking show that would make Michael Mann proud, combined with a very Aaron
Sorkin-esque walk-and-talk sequence. He’s become a petulant primadonna, which
Malcolm McDowell has fun playing to the hilt. The “good” doctor happily cashes
in on the fascination with Michael Myers but when someone brings up the
possibility of the killer still being alive he loses it and we see the cracks
in the façade. He is not above doing an interview in front of the now-abandoned
Strode house as he tells his long-suffering assistant, “Bad taste is the petrol
that drives the American Dream.”<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXGZVQqRlefDTU7Ei9r5vHUxxmwIFWPNZcJniCCOJHtDdFc8D3RwJumjJk-1PQ5NWV4RKj4ACRYPU2eVCiDXmvFKwTtiqWuyGgzIMPy91V2UpdjMdFi-o7AN6bXbnJ5ZR5yli0QJeFHqhcA9fAdKIu9i1pjdSXbslZzRcjScn-JjbNg53qOeygqFxtig=s1600" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXGZVQqRlefDTU7Ei9r5vHUxxmwIFWPNZcJniCCOJHtDdFc8D3RwJumjJk-1PQ5NWV4RKj4ACRYPU2eVCiDXmvFKwTtiqWuyGgzIMPy91V2UpdjMdFi-o7AN6bXbnJ5ZR5yli0QJeFHqhcA9fAdKIu9i1pjdSXbslZzRcjScn-JjbNg53qOeygqFxtig=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></div><br /><o:p><br /></o:p></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Halloween II</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> is a more visually interesting movie
when we finally see what Michael has been up to all this time, living in an
abandoned barn out in the middle of nowhere, killing and eating animals to
survive, and having visions of his mother. Initially, it is of her dressed all
in white next to a white horse but soon they become more involved. His mother
was the only good thing in Michael’s life and once she was gone so were the
last vestiges of being human. These visions are beautifully surreal sequences,
bizarre tableaus that anticipate what he would delve into to a greater degree
with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Lords of Salem</i> (2012), which
eschewed gore and violence for atmospheric dread.<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The movie
has the requisite kills that fans have come to expect from the franchise but
here it feels as if Zombie is getting them out of the way as he’s more
interested in tracking the shattered lives of the main characters than goosing
the body count for cheap thrills. We get considerate character beats, such as
Sheriff Brackett extolling the virtues of Lee Marvin in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cat Ballou</i> (1965) to Laurie and his daughter who have no idea what
he’s talking about. They provide brief moments of levity in an otherwise
extremely grim movie.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">A child
of the 1970s, Zombie populates his movie with a bevy of character actors who
were stars during that time and so we have Dr. Johnny Fever himself, Howard
Hessman as the owner of a cool independent record store that Laurie works in
and Margot Kidder as Laurie’s therapist. Despite working for a studio, Zombie
still manages to find room for his troupe of favorite actors, such as Richard
Brake, Jeff Daniel Phillips and Daniel Roebuck, many of whom get the honor of
being brutally dispatched by Michael.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVwCIznkv-R-msvhLTh38xw1RJVQLfwC9SU63WwupMFF1yTde1HDgDQS3yOkyMimk37h1Pt9nJmvRI--nHDRVdiK5dJ-FOx1AoXlVq4vvdb7snESmMyrn1mOBXQGw4Qxtqy-Iy0q7sPAQonGzZmq5bjijPqHY9cFhDZqo4zxkdWc428Gv0kKVQRRIAxg=s300" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVwCIznkv-R-msvhLTh38xw1RJVQLfwC9SU63WwupMFF1yTde1HDgDQS3yOkyMimk37h1Pt9nJmvRI--nHDRVdiK5dJ-FOx1AoXlVq4vvdb7snESmMyrn1mOBXQGw4Qxtqy-Iy0q7sPAQonGzZmq5bjijPqHY9cFhDZqo4zxkdWc428Gv0kKVQRRIAxg=w400-h224" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This
being a Rob Zombie movie and his perchance for all things white trash, he
trades in the suburbs of Haddonfield, that we normally associate with the
Halloween franchise, for his preferred locales – indie record stores, deserted
barns and sleazy strip clubs. He employs a desaturated color palette for this
grim movie, saving key moments for splashes of color, such as the
aforementioned strip club and the Halloween party Laurie attends – both awash
in garish reds.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">With
Loomis’ endless press interviews and book signing gigs, Zombie is showing how
infamous crime cases are commodified and exploited by people like Loomis
without caring about the damage that has been done and continues with this
careless exploitation. It brings out kooky fans and grief-stricken parents of
kids killed by Michael that want to vent their anguish and anger on the doctor
who has nothing but contempt and indifference for his audience. Laurie
continues to unravel, permanently scarred both physically and psychologically
by Michael and Loomis’ book only reopens these old wounds.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">With both
of his <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Halloween</i> movies, Zombie is
not interested in making a gimmicky <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Scream</i>
meta slasher movie or an over-the-top kill-happy <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Friday the 13<sup>th</sup></i> movie but instead grounding the
franchise mythos in something approximating realism by showing the toll
Michael’s bloody rampage takes on Laurie and those close to her. It’s not funny
but sad, leaving one drained by the end of the movie, much like Laurie.
Characters live with trauma and try to carry on with their lives but Michael
won’t let them. People are killed in horrible, painful ways and those that
survive are haunted, their lives shattered beyond repair.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3hek0-pdAgD6Iefp24ZNVIMyuH71a5MeluL8OSCO788VUqfCez68mxHDCbOXyEWVi6uaF69Gdf_2fly7XOTjxt8-o06lUpHStEQAShQK6PSsb7zPg0iqM9nxiVi2sw2Bbj1RIhcTUi7J23_Jku-Jb4dq0Zk8xByF4RZpO5gqa8uOXiLfVaWFO6BiiSA=s1600" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="863" data-original-width="1600" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3hek0-pdAgD6Iefp24ZNVIMyuH71a5MeluL8OSCO788VUqfCez68mxHDCbOXyEWVi6uaF69Gdf_2fly7XOTjxt8-o06lUpHStEQAShQK6PSsb7zPg0iqM9nxiVi2sw2Bbj1RIhcTUi7J23_Jku-Jb4dq0Zk8xByF4RZpO5gqa8uOXiLfVaWFO6BiiSA=w400-h216" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11823190634186509982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-55636783918661521012021-09-26T09:43:00.001-04:002021-09-26T09:43:34.638-04:00The Steel Helmet<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga5AnCqmZVpDtKs8k5jmdaDdJPsxmYjcZvZdUlD-3KCXSKfE36oVHwkMkOMl7JBn_4_OKTaInMg69LUKZLQDjnOlby4T6KCxaOVPFpg1od6kYDDGQwI88uLLGyjswJT9pgBvdyemDfn7iU/s1050/MV5BZmI0NGM2OGMtYWY2OS00NDE0LThlZjUtOGQ3YzYxNDkwN2YwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUyNDk2ODc%2540._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="769" data-original-width="1050" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga5AnCqmZVpDtKs8k5jmdaDdJPsxmYjcZvZdUlD-3KCXSKfE36oVHwkMkOMl7JBn_4_OKTaInMg69LUKZLQDjnOlby4T6KCxaOVPFpg1od6kYDDGQwI88uLLGyjswJT9pgBvdyemDfn7iU/w400-h293/MV5BZmI0NGM2OGMtYWY2OS00NDE0LThlZjUtOGQ3YzYxNDkwN2YwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUyNDk2ODc%2540._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“The only way to bring the real experience of
war to a movie audience is by firing a machine gun above their heads during the
screening.” – Samuel Fuller<br /></span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Hopefully,
most of us will never have to experience what it is like to fight in a war. It
is a horrifying; dehumanizing experience and the best cinema can do is
approximate it. If the filmmaker has seen combat, such as Oliver Stone, it can
give the film an authenticity that it might not have otherwise. This is the case
with Samuel Fuller, who served as an American infantryman in World War II, and
applied his experiences into several of his films, most notably <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Steel Helmet</i> (1951) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Big Red One</i> (1980), however the
former was his first war film and had the distinction of being the first one
made about the Korean War while it was still ongoing. It was unflinchingly
honest in depicting the war and drew criticism from some as “anti-American,”
but was widely praised by most critics. It was also a financial success, paving
the way for a Hollywood studio contract for Fuller.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
filmmaker kicks things off with his trademark provocative opening scene
involving a shot of the titular helmet to reveal the man attached to it:
Sergeant Zack (Gene Evans). Fuller pulls back to reveal that he’s the only
survivor of a platoon whose bodies lie strewn around him, hands tied behind
their back, including his own. He crawls towards a knife lying on the ground
but someone gets to it first – a young Korean boy (William Chun). He takes the
knife and after a tense moment frees Zack. It turns out that the boy is South
Korean, smart, friendly and even speaks soldier lingo surprisingly well. Zack
is a gruff curmudgeon that, initially, doesn’t want the kid tagging along but
the child wears him down by making a convincing argument for his worth. The
infantryman begrudgingly allows him to travel with him, nicknaming him Short
Round.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Fuller
immediately establishes the constant peril Zack and Short Round are in when
they spot two people worshipping at a makeshift temple that turns out to be
enemy soldiers in disguise. Even when fatally wounded, one of them tries to
stab Zack only for him to kill them without hesitation. Eventually, they
encounter a medic by the name of Thompson (James Edwards), also the lone
survivor of a massacred platoon and together they meet up with a squad of
soldiers tasked with establishing an observation post at a nearby Buddhist
temple. The rest of the film chronicles their attempt to defend it against
overwhelming odds.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijrebxkKwUeapujSCYQW3QG3Ipg3gITi2Kp961DgvWB6zv-lc0-8dq28R-OXqynifzDOpQzZTA7lFNxNxAitJIH4fURmr7-uSE0WV2fIAVCZYsLj3deLyJqW1dGPmRL5UDDdE4LDWCdXb9/s1200/the-steel-helmet-three.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1200" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijrebxkKwUeapujSCYQW3QG3Ipg3gITi2Kp961DgvWB6zv-lc0-8dq28R-OXqynifzDOpQzZTA7lFNxNxAitJIH4fURmr7-uSE0WV2fIAVCZYsLj3deLyJqW1dGPmRL5UDDdE4LDWCdXb9/w400-h250/the-steel-helmet-three.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><o:p><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
screenplay, penned by Fuller, is chock full of his trademark, pulpy,
hard-boiled dialogue with such memorable prose such as, “You got nothin’
outside but rice paddies crawlin’ with Commies just waitin’ to slap you between
two big hunks of rye bread and wash you down with fish eggs and vodka.” It’s
exactly the kind of dialogue you’d expect these grizzled soldiers to say to one
another.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The film
is beautiful shot by Ernest Miller as evident in a moody, atmospheric scene
where Zack and the squad of soldiers try to kill two enemy snipers in a
fog-enshrouded forest that is also a masterclass in tension as Fuller uses no
music, just the sound of gunfire and we see how Zack and another soldier come
up with a clever idea to flush out the enemy. This is also evident in the
film’s incredible climactic battle scene as wave after wave North Korean
soldiers attack the temple the squad is holed up in. It is never confusing what
is happening and really manages to capture the heat of battle in an effective
way.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Gene Evans
is perfectly cast as the perpetually scowling Sgt. Zack with a cigar always
clenched between his teeth like a live-action Howling Commandos-era Nick Fury.
Zack doesn’t seem to like anyone and only gives someone grudging respect when
they’ve earned it. This role was early in his career and Evans acts very
natural in front of the camera, disappearing effortlessly into the role. He
also does an excellent job of bringing Fuller’s colorful, purple prose vividly
to life. The actor understands that Zack’s only goal is to stay alive by any
means necessary. He’s not interested in making friends, in case they die, hence
his gruff exterior. Obviously, Fuller was impressed with Evans work in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Steel Helmet</i> as he went on to cast
him several of his other films, most notably, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Park Row</i> (1952).<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-6m-ZFPtsbC8zwh3AcRFDpEd-QQbvrGxv7ZLMqHEDNfwKmtjvpeB4FmZuPX58pO8F-aeQbOdaByai1lpSdq-dmtJyE_FmkE80mZu4uTVEDzv2C3leuuNWLAemEd154WVB3Xnb0eBNd3tH/s873/steel.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="873" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-6m-ZFPtsbC8zwh3AcRFDpEd-QQbvrGxv7ZLMqHEDNfwKmtjvpeB4FmZuPX58pO8F-aeQbOdaByai1lpSdq-dmtJyE_FmkE80mZu4uTVEDzv2C3leuuNWLAemEd154WVB3Xnb0eBNd3tH/w400-h297/steel.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">One of
the more interesting aspects of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Steel
Helmet</i> is the notions of race and racism. Initially, Zack sees every Korean
as a “gook” until he meets Short Round who quickly corrects him by proudly
proclaiming, “I am no gook. I am Korean.” He’s fresh-faced kid sidekick but
much more than that as he frees Zack, can recognize the kind of rifle he has,
and the ammo required for it. He also helps Zack navigate the territory without
a map. In turn, Zack allows him to tag along, instructing him to take a helmet
for protection, a rifle, and boots for his feet. Fuller refuses to present the
North Koreans as a faceless enemy. This is evident in a scene where a captured
major (Harold Fong) is attended to by Thompson and tries to get under his skin
by asking him why he serves a country that treats African Americans so poorly.
He tries out the same tactic with the Japanese American soldier in the squad
(Richard Loo) but it doesn’t work on either of them, whose sense of duty trumps
any conflicted feelings they may have for how they are treated back home.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
inspiration for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Steel Helmet</i> came
from newspaper headlines of the day reporting on the ongoing Korean War. Fuller
felt that it was only “natural for me to come up with a tale set in the ongoing
conflict, utilizing my own firsthand experience from World War II.” He wanted
to debunk the clichés that riddled so many war films in the past. “The
confusion and brutality of war, not phony heroism, need to be depicted,” he
said.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Fuller
wanted to make it his way and approached independent producer Robert Lippert
who greenlit it after the filmmaker pitched him the story. One of the major
Hollywood studios found out Fuller was putting it together and offered to
produce it but under the condition that John Wayne play Zack. Fuller balked at
this, realizing that if he cast Wayne, he’d be making “a simplistic morality
tale,” and wanted his film to look real with the soldiered being “human and
deeply flawed.”<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-EP8LoBJMoGjy_VBc60iS7eTyC-jtOJS1PcYbRLr6T5bpNwOs7r4bFt82CqnyFjXxovhgWg7NtPLAqsQiqBMq1LxIdYbCynGOU8iUPHTBg6MNrbqasZ9wMPMHagDb1Y0f5dtcDVJTr4KU/s1280/MV5BYjIyYjM4NmQtYTRmNS00ZTAxLTlkN2YtNjY0ODJkYjMyMGRlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUyNDk2ODc%2540._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1280" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-EP8LoBJMoGjy_VBc60iS7eTyC-jtOJS1PcYbRLr6T5bpNwOs7r4bFt82CqnyFjXxovhgWg7NtPLAqsQiqBMq1LxIdYbCynGOU8iUPHTBg6MNrbqasZ9wMPMHagDb1Y0f5dtcDVJTr4KU/w400-h250/MV5BYjIyYjM4NmQtYTRmNS00ZTAxLTlkN2YtNjY0ODJkYjMyMGRlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUyNDk2ODc%2540._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Fuller
worked with a low budget and a tight shooting schedule of only ten days! He had
started rehearsals and was only days away from the start of principal
photography without an actor to play Zack. One day, Gene Evans and his agent
showed up at the production office. Even though he had never been cast in a
major role in a movie he told Fuller about serving as an engineer in WWII.
Without warning, Fuller tossed an M1 rifle at the actor who caught it and
displayed his familiarity with the weapon. Fuller knew he had found his man.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Lippert
met Evans and after consulting with Fuller approved his casting but days later
associate producer William Burke tried to fire Evans, telling him they were
going with a more famous actor instead. When Fuller found out he was furious
and went to Lippert. He found out that actor Larry Parks was going to testify
at the McCarthy hearings and in danger of being blacklisted. The producers
figured they could the well-known actor for a cheap price and use the free
publicity he was getting from the hearings. Fuller told Lippert that he and
Evans were quitting and immediately walked out. That night, Lippert and Fuller
talked things over and the next morning he and Evans were on the set filming.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Capitalizing
on the relevancy of the subject matter, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Steel Helmet</i> was a commercial success. One critic called Fuller a
pro-Communist and anti-American. Another said the film was secretly funded by
the Russians and Fuller should be interrogated by the Pentagon.</span> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The New York Times</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">’ Bosley Crowther wrote, "For an obviously
low-budget picture that was shot in a phenomenally short time, Samuel Fuller's
metallic <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Steel Helmet</i> has some
surprisingly good points." Variety magazine wrote, "<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Steel Helmet</i> pinpoints the Korean
fighting in a grim, hardhitting tale that is excellently told.”<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBcjqhmlKLf1plHzqWst4KGXj_DyjMRbqb8ID0J0r-ambvGU6o3fkCNQ81dnvxIhfN_WtpK3l8JoZbDTH_c1d6Hbnqk_Y2thRptMjx_GD3WZIsnHZWjIZBHZ6epP6LpQghnCUqiZOIJ7k4/s870/Steel+Helmet.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="870" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBcjqhmlKLf1plHzqWst4KGXj_DyjMRbqb8ID0J0r-ambvGU6o3fkCNQ81dnvxIhfN_WtpK3l8JoZbDTH_c1d6Hbnqk_Y2thRptMjx_GD3WZIsnHZWjIZBHZ6epP6LpQghnCUqiZOIJ7k4/s320/Steel+Helmet.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Another
striking aspect of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Steel Helmet</i>,
and arguably much of Fuller’s body of work, is the lack of sentimentality. He’s
not afraid to kill off the most beloved character of the film and in doing so
reveals Zack’s humanity, that he tries to keep buried, in a rare, poignant
moment of self-reflection. Evans handles this moment masterfully through facial
expressions before snapping back to his hardened G.I. At the end of the film,
exhausted but alive Zack continues on. What other choice does he have? Fuller
ends the film with the title card, “There is no end to this story.” A powerful
anti-war statement as Fuller acknowledges what few others do – there is no end
to violent conflict. There will always be a war somewhere and that is the sad
reality of our existence.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">SOURCES<br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Fuller,
Samuel. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Third Face</i>. Alfred A.
Knopf. 2002.</span></div>
J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11823190634186509982noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-29855450541894664892021-08-28T09:09:00.002-04:002021-08-28T09:09:26.786-04:00Lassiter<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9gpSupp_WTaW7YkTKcLf54TK99coTIfV_b3-OT_7qSu6hoVeiLGrl0Q1_fa5nTutDLlzg8SBhqLQAdn-THmRTpbE9sSpRwqfwf3ig7KmMQuAQce5fFWjAuY1BnVAzwr5_MVrycOjW9H2I/s836/MV5BYzk1ODFjZDctNjMzYS00NjdhLWE2YzktZDkxOTNmYTQzNzgzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUyNDk2ODc%2540._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="836" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9gpSupp_WTaW7YkTKcLf54TK99coTIfV_b3-OT_7qSu6hoVeiLGrl0Q1_fa5nTutDLlzg8SBhqLQAdn-THmRTpbE9sSpRwqfwf3ig7KmMQuAQce5fFWjAuY1BnVAzwr5_MVrycOjW9H2I/w400-h220/MV5BYzk1ODFjZDctNjMzYS00NjdhLWE2YzktZDkxOTNmYTQzNzgzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUyNDk2ODc%2540._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Tom
Selleck has had one of the more intriguing what if film careers. If he had been
able to get out of his contract for the television show <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Magnum, P.I.</i> and done <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Raiders
of the Lost Ark</i> (1981) who knows how his career would’ve turned out?
Instead, he ended up doing a string of entertaining but mostly forgettable fare
such as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">High Road to China</i> (1983), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lassiter</i> (1984), and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Runaway</i> (1984) that all underperformed
at the box office to one degree or another as people were by and large content
to watch him every week on T.V. It wasn’t until the smash hit of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Three Men and a Baby</i> (1990) that he had
a significant financial success. Of all the movies he did in the early to
mid-1980s, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lassiter</i> is the most
interesting effort.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Set in
1939 London, Selleck plays a high-end jewel thief by the name of Nick Lassiter.
The movie begins with the man plying his trade, expertly breaking into a luxurious
mansion and stealing expensive jewelry. He almost gets away with it until the
lady of the house catches him on the way out. Instead of calling out to her
husband, whom she has been bickering with since they arrived home, she lets
Lassiter go but not before he helps her get undressed for her bath and the
surprising female nudity signals that this won’t be family-friendly PG fare but
naughty R-rated fun.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">When he’s
not robing the rich, he’s hobnobbing with them at a swanky nightclub with his
beautiful wife Sarah (Jane Seymour) where they exchange unfortunately bland
repartee, which is a damn shame as Selleck and Jane Seymour have lovely chemistry
together. The next day, Lassiter is picked up by Inspector Becker (Bob Hoskins)
and framed for a crime he didn’t commit but is given a chance to go free if he
works with FBI agent Peter Breeze (Joe Regalbuto), helping steal $10 million
worth of unset diamonds from the German embassy, slowing down their espionage
efforts in South America.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyItDrmTlMWPd86eiBbz-RuqQ_w2z_oCpcyBez4oIx2HjQTxxv6mDrbEXaPs2DZeb_ryrugqewydBUc9-lEN7qq_opRbFFJruV5Q5lCClmC5cH0PxZVIv5LP_iJlvRik_vqLQkqs1gG9ey/s768/MV5BYjVmZTFkYTUtZTUyZS00ZGU2LTgxMzItM2FhZjdiYWI3M2UwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMzkyOTg1MzE%2540._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="768" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyItDrmTlMWPd86eiBbz-RuqQ_w2z_oCpcyBez4oIx2HjQTxxv6mDrbEXaPs2DZeb_ryrugqewydBUc9-lEN7qq_opRbFFJruV5Q5lCClmC5cH0PxZVIv5LP_iJlvRik_vqLQkqs1gG9ey/w400-h223/MV5BYjVmZTFkYTUtZTUyZS00ZGU2LTgxMzItM2FhZjdiYWI3M2UwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMzkyOTg1MzE%2540._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">To do so,
Lassiter must get close to the courier, Kari Von Fursten (Lauren Hutton) and
her Gestapo bodyguard Max Hofer (Warren Clarke). Breeze describes her as
“pretty wild” and we quickly get an idea of just how wild when we see her kill
one of her sexual conquests while they’re in bed together, evidently a perverse
turn-on for her. Lauren Hutton looks like she’s having fun playing a woman with
“unusual appetites,” as one character puts it, and she goes on to describe
Shanghai as interesting for its diversions such as “women with animals, drugs,
little boys, pleasure and pain.” She certainly looks the part of an elegant
Nazi with some weird kinks.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Tom
Selleck does an excellent job playing a suave jewel thief who is comfortable
bantering playfully with a Nazi femme fatale in posh casinos as he is watching
down ‘n’ dirty underground boxing matches. He’s also not afraid to get his
hands dirty as evident in a scene where he and Max have it out in a bloody
brawl at Lassiter’s apartment. This role allows Selleck to show off his leading
man chops, demonstrating his capacity for romance with Seymour, action, his
athletic prowess with the cat burglar sequence, and even a light comic touch in
an amusing scene where he communicates with a Nazi guard only through facial
expressions and gestures while wearing a frilly woman’s housecoat, trying not
to wake Kari sleeping in the next room.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">
Jane Seymour is well cast as Selleck’s foil. Sarah enjoys their lifestyle but
is not crazy about his current gig and doesn’t understand why they can’t just
take off to Rome or parts elsewhere. He tells her, “Someone else dealt the
cards, Sarah. I’m just playing them out,” to which she replies, “Well, you’re
holding a losing hand now, Nick.” She is a strong-willed person that loves her
husband but won’t have her life sent in a direction she doesn’t like and
Seymour does a fine job conveying her character’s strength.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOjlXfAyZ3IgNloHKGmODigTsIg_2DIruO9lvrOAtFj0ROnJSxoXS_E0eMQxaegAWe2KG6LLNN6Aw1DiBRwQts8u18qBH4hCxGqlpp4pWeW-4f-abF5O8WCj4OKB2mvUSVrlpQuHt6H30y/s1920/tZYuNeObIdCgQwCb6fYk5C1GfL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOjlXfAyZ3IgNloHKGmODigTsIg_2DIruO9lvrOAtFj0ROnJSxoXS_E0eMQxaegAWe2KG6LLNN6Aw1DiBRwQts8u18qBH4hCxGqlpp4pWeW-4f-abF5O8WCj4OKB2mvUSVrlpQuHt6H30y/w400-h225/tZYuNeObIdCgQwCb6fYk5C1GfL.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">
The always reliable Ed Lauter is cast refreshingly against type as Smoke, a
prolific car thief and Lassiter’s best friend. Known mostly for playing cops
and authority figures, he must’ve jumped at the opportunity to sink his teeth
into a character on the opposite side of the law. He has an excellent scene
with Selleck where Smoke and Lassiter reminisce about the good ol’ days when
they bootlegged liquor during Prohibition.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bob
Hoskins plays Inspector Becker with his customary gusto. He’s a hard man that
knows which pressure points to press with Lassiter but also keeps his personal
life separate from his professional one when we see how he reacts to Lassiter
paying a house call.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Lassiter</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> features workman-like direction from veteran
T.V. director Robert Young (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bitter
Harvest</i>) that could’ve been done with a little more pizzazz, a rather
pedestrian script by David Taylor (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hanky
Panky</i>), and an unmemorable score by Ken Thorne (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Superman II</i>) that is low-key to the point of being non-existent,
which prevents the movie from being something truly special. Instead, it is
just pleasantly entertaining – certainly nothing wrong with that. What saves it
from being forgettable is the cast who all play their roles admirably.<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ea9D5jTn10O7FscJZlJpgRhKsmVyJBwNGSPm1rzqhuUpof3JZMXSOAqYLag9WRrKw2Sui74w6ti0jaXw-UTh8FyhKYBAoEpBDsK1nuBtGwL-O7a3s7_R6KJXrAaqGmcYe26RG-AYGi2L/s834/lassiter-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="457" data-original-width="834" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ea9D5jTn10O7FscJZlJpgRhKsmVyJBwNGSPm1rzqhuUpof3JZMXSOAqYLag9WRrKw2Sui74w6ti0jaXw-UTh8FyhKYBAoEpBDsK1nuBtGwL-O7a3s7_R6KJXrAaqGmcYe26RG-AYGi2L/w400-h219/lassiter-2.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Comparing
the diverging career paths that Harrison Ford and Tom Selleck respective
careers took it isn’t hard to see why the former had a thriving career full of
iconic roles in diverse films while the latter returned to T.V. with renewed
success. It’s not just that Ford was the better actor but he also had a better
instinct for movie roles. Part of it is being in the right place at the right
time and part of it is knowing what works best for your talents and I think
Selleck eventually realized that T.V. is where he belonged and the proof is in
a show such a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blue Bloods</i>, which he
has starred in for 12 seasons and counting. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lassiter</i>,
in some respects, typifies his film career – entertaining and full of promise
but just falling short of excellence.</span></div>
J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11823190634186509982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-60397794409766183672021-07-16T10:51:00.002-04:002021-07-16T10:51:26.594-04:00Air America<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGkGmoPMFHY5Z7hvu6wW-wV9I5_AGsIoFKTPa2kmjRWyy_IOCYaUGYF-INWtt23kOXbDJ93ZR9wVyQ3TB2_-tx_Eu-jixeuiIf9pJgxDM6Q5HHwql8DFWXMqAMhrmjkVwNrFLb387_kUbK/s800/6a00e54ee7b64288330133f2f90988970b-800wi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="347" data-original-width="800" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGkGmoPMFHY5Z7hvu6wW-wV9I5_AGsIoFKTPa2kmjRWyy_IOCYaUGYF-INWtt23kOXbDJ93ZR9wVyQ3TB2_-tx_Eu-jixeuiIf9pJgxDM6Q5HHwql8DFWXMqAMhrmjkVwNrFLb387_kUbK/w400-h174/6a00e54ee7b64288330133f2f90988970b-800wi.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">There are
so many ways a film can go wrong. They can be bungled upon their release,
either by poor timing or by a misguided marketing campaign. They can be ruined
in post-production by the studio taking it away from the filmmaker and hacking
it to pieces. They can be undone during principal photography via circumstances
beyond the filmmaker’s control or because they have too much control. Some
films can be unmade before they’re even made. This is what happened to </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Air America</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (1990). What started as a
hard-hitting look at the secretly CIA-run airline that brought in weapons and
supplies to anti-communist forces in Indochina during the Vietnam War and was
to star Sean Connery and Kevin Costner and directed by Richard Rush, eventually
became a feel-good buddy comedy starring Mel Gibson and Robert Downey, Jr. that
was more </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Good Morning, Vietnam</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (1987)
than </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Platoon</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (1986), only wackier.
Where did it all go wrong?</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Like with
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Good Morning, Vietnam</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Air America</i> starts off presenting a
misfit group of servicemen, this time pilots, flying secret missions in Laos,
often aiding and abetting local General Vang Pao (Burt Kwouk) and his lucrative
opium drug trade. Billy Covington (Downey) is the audience surrogate, a
maverick civilian pilot who's having trouble holding down a regular gig
stateside and is convinced by a recruiter that Air America is his only option
left.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
opening sequence of the movie sets the serio-comic tone and demonstrates the
wildly mismatched sides at war with each other as we see a large cargo plane
get shot down by a peasant with a rifle from extremely long range. It’s an
absurd image that is soon offset by a shot of the plane wreckage and the dead
pilot lying on the tarmac. The movie then swings back to comedy when CIA agent
Rob Diehl (David Marshall Grant) asks veteran pilot Gene Ryack (Gibson) if the
man is dead to which he deadpans, “Well, Rob, if he’s not dead, he’s very, very
calm.” It is this painfully unfunny dialogue so early on that does not bode
well for the rest of the movie.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Fortunately,
the movie improves considerably when Billy arrives in country and is introduced
to his fellow pilots. He quickly finds out that, as he puts it, "I was
always the weirdest guy in the room. Here I'm not in the running." We meet
the most interesting part of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Air America</i>:
the wonderful supporting cast, populated by genre vets like Art LaFleur (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Blob</i>), Ned Eisenberg (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Burning</i>), David Bowe (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">U.H.F.</i>), and the great Tim Thomerson (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Trancers</i>) who all look like they're
having a blast playing oddball pilots and all-around degenerates. It is LaFleur
that steps up and sells “crazy” dialogue such as, “I’m coming from the dark
side of the moon and I’m going back there, too, soon,” because of the way he
carries himself in the scene that convincingly puts Billy on edge. It’s a shame
that it doesn’t go on longer so that we can meet the rest of these burn-outs.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNt0Q_jSbACrJvE17gY47AsPcvKGebce8gapr2aAOYrueI2fHbu2nfMpGc9MccW7LkuDdzcgd8J8BEQwTi5Yw3_9GZ8r5pzxUmvmXUPi0HeXGAbpF86r28RlTP8pRT7lfGuskfyhYpJsYb/s854/art-lafleur-2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="854" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNt0Q_jSbACrJvE17gY47AsPcvKGebce8gapr2aAOYrueI2fHbu2nfMpGc9MccW7LkuDdzcgd8J8BEQwTi5Yw3_9GZ8r5pzxUmvmXUPi0HeXGAbpF86r28RlTP8pRT7lfGuskfyhYpJsYb/w400-h225/art-lafleur-2015.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Instead,
the first half of the movie is all set-up, establishing these rag-tag pilots
and their eccentric way of doing things, their flying missions (which seems to
involve a lot of crashing), and how Major Donald Lemond (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Scrubs</i>' Ken Jenkins) and his second-in-command Rob are in cahoots
with General Pang while a cavalcade of 1960s hits (except for an atrocious
cover of The Doors' "Love Me Two Times" by Aerosmith) plays endlessly
on the soundtrack.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Air America</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> is at its best when we see these guys
carousing and cutting loose, which sadly, isn't often. We must make due with
little bits of business like seeing Babo (Thomerson) as the third wheel on
Billy’s orientation flight, or a scene that shows their off-hours antics,
drinking and playing mini-golf. Once again, LaFleur takes center stage as Jack
gets in Billy’s face and ends up shooting another pilot’s ball in mid-putt. The
two almost get into it and we get a glimpse of how cracked these guys are and
that they’ve been at this for way too long. Of all the character actors the
filmmakers cast as the pilots they must’ve really been impressed with LaFleur
and what he was doing daily as he gets most of the screen-time of any of them
including a memorable mission Jack flies with Billy where they are shot down
during a supply run. There are some decent intense exchanges between the two
men as they realize that they’re also transporting a whackload of the General’s
opium and must fend for themselves when he arrives to rescue his merchandise
and not them. These scenes are so entertaining and fun to watch that it makes
you want to see a movie that focuses just on these guys with Billy and Gene as
supporting characters instead.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Rob and
the Major provide a rare glimpse of the darker movie that could have been when
he tells Billy over drinks, “A secret war is the way to go. No reporters, no
T.V. You black out the war like a pro football game.” His superior appears and
clears things up just in case what he was saying wasn’t obvious enough, that
they treat what they do as a business and a war with no difference between
them.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6tBsC6p2sk4rGL2aW2BMCUfQZNPVhMOG28P7O4J3FkRlQSjfqkRfUUYBAO5qo7Udrs7e3oEwkdzJ56ZOLknkeIZKUX1BuIoB5Z5qvSp6DBs5J7EY22fIaBXzKV9Q5f67sk8HoWlCAVWBb/s800/6a00e54ee7b64288330133f2f90865970b-800wi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="800" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6tBsC6p2sk4rGL2aW2BMCUfQZNPVhMOG28P7O4J3FkRlQSjfqkRfUUYBAO5qo7Udrs7e3oEwkdzJ56ZOLknkeIZKUX1BuIoB5Z5qvSp6DBs5J7EY22fIaBXzKV9Q5f67sk8HoWlCAVWBb/w400-h171/6a00e54ee7b64288330133f2f90865970b-800wi.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It must
be said that Downey and Gibson have some nice moments together and it’s not the
kooky pilot shtick but a down moment where Gene tells Billy what’s he all about
as he tells him, “We’re all a bunch of trouble junkies. We’ve been mainlining danger
and adrenaline for so long nothing else gets us off. It’s kind of sick.” He
lays all his cards on the table and tells his young friend how things are in a
refreshingly honest and direct way that is well-acted by Gibson. This scene
also plants the seeds for Gene’s eventual redemption as Billy’s youthful rebel
begins to remind him of when he was that age.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">For
years, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Air America</i> was a passion
project for filmmaker Richard Rush who was set to make it for Carolco Pictures
in 1985 on a $15 million budget based on the book of the same name by
Christopher Robbins. His vision had a main character who was a Vietnamese spy
that had infiltrated Air America. He had put a lot of work into the screenplay
and considered it his finest, even better than the one he wrote for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Stunt Man</i> (1980), which he held in
high regard. Rush was interested in casting Sean Connery and the actor came
over to the house twice a week for an hour or two reading the script together.
They got along quite well and when Rush was fired from the project, Connery
immediately quit.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Rush scouted
locations in Southeast Asia and began casting for his film. His first choice
for Connery’s co-star was Bill Murray but after extended talks he was briefly
replaced by Jim Belushi before Kevin Costner showed interest in the project.
Rush claims the actor was very interested but he took too long to decide and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Good Morning, Vietnam</i> came out and stole
their thunder (and the box office). It didn’t help that his asking price had
increased and Carolco did not want to pony up the rumored $15 million for both
actors. In September 1987, independent film producer Dan Melnick sold his
production company to Carolco and took over <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Air
America</i>. It was at this point that the project changed from a gritty expose
that Rush has envisioned into a studio blockbuster that Melnick envisioned. He
fired Rush and the two leads quickly departed as well. Melnick remembers, “They
hadn’t been able to get a good script on it. It couldn’t attract stars. It was
just lumbering along.” Rush asked for his script back and Melnick refused,
giving the filmmaker back $1 million of his $1.5 million pay-or-play deal. Rush
said he felt like the “victim of a hostile takeover.”</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijC0GsYPdaYyBL3b58LIAYjSTZNbRayEOvktWv-caNf-P_Lh-hsE8htlnU_lQlJKD3Fy_vi4Bh0FoWMbo0E3BW_qGAKZkJsViQCPGFpLFY17K7JvfDqqW8vgFVGuCCHa1qPr4AvUMsyUKE/s1280/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijC0GsYPdaYyBL3b58LIAYjSTZNbRayEOvktWv-caNf-P_Lh-hsE8htlnU_lQlJKD3Fy_vi4Bh0FoWMbo0E3BW_qGAKZkJsViQCPGFpLFY17K7JvfDqqW8vgFVGuCCHa1qPr4AvUMsyUKE/w400-h225/maxresdefault.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Melnick
hired screenwriter John Eskow and director Bob Rafelson to take over and they
all went to Malaysia and Thailand to scout locations. Malaysia was ruled out,
deemed “a repressive society” by Melnick and the team opted for Thailand. When
they returned from their trip, a Writer’s Guild strike delayed rewrites on the
project. The budget and scope of the movie increased and this necessitated an
international movie star. They couldn’t get anyone to commit unless a script
was available. Some aspects of Rush’s script survived, such as the dropping of
counterfeit money over Laos to destroy the economy and the dropping of
oversized condoms as a form of psychological warfare.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">To
further complicate matters, shooting in Thailand had to take place during the
country’s dry season, approximately October through April. Melnick and Rafelson
went off to Africa to make <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mountains of
the Moon</i> (1990) while Eskow returned to work on the script as the strike
had ended. Rafelson never came back and he was replaced by Roger Spittiswoode (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Under Fire</i>). For the role of Gene,
Melnick had originally wanted a veteran actor like Sean Connery or Paul Newman
with Mel Gibson eyed to play Billy. Thanks to the success of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lethal Weapon</i> (1987), Gibson was hot at
the box office and used his clout to play Gene. A few adjustments to the script
were made and Robert Downey, Jr. was cast as Billy.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">By several
accounts, the production was a challenging one with 15 cameras, three units and
49 separate locations used during the 14 weeks of principal photography in
rough conditions on location in Northern Thailand where 200 toilets were
installed. At one point, 20 members of the crew were stricken with an unknown
flu. The production rented 26 airplanes and helicopters from the Thai military
and in one month encountered four serious in-flight emergencies that, in one
case, almost resulted in casualties.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
original version was going to be made by Rush and starring Connery and Murray. Can
you imagine what that would've been like? Alas, their version was probably too
dark and too critical of United States foreign policy to be unleashed on an
unsuspecting mainstream moviegoing audience. Once Gibson and Downey, Jr. came
on board as the leads, it softened all the edges and you get what was finally
released: an easygoing, feature-length sitcom that washes over you.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYLFF1sKLpssmaVHrhjWZYPH3wWP_bkPledKBT0oBE5LzCKLz1OCXZqDY1XyBBDwpFFj_mZfd3vWy9iLq-ziwnxawy2ai4YXY5ogXks4m4wg_fCxxhRIa_x99uMRHXhc6mrgeMYbWtFwy_/s1920/MV5BODA5YzFjOTEtZjEwNy00ODUxLWIzYWEtYTI1YjQ0MTk5NGFlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyOTc5MDI5NjE%2540._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="816" data-original-width="1920" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYLFF1sKLpssmaVHrhjWZYPH3wWP_bkPledKBT0oBE5LzCKLz1OCXZqDY1XyBBDwpFFj_mZfd3vWy9iLq-ziwnxawy2ai4YXY5ogXks4m4wg_fCxxhRIa_x99uMRHXhc6mrgeMYbWtFwy_/w400-h170/MV5BODA5YzFjOTEtZjEwNy00ODUxLWIzYWEtYTI1YjQ0MTk5NGFlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyOTc5MDI5NjE%2540._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Almost.
The last third of the movie tries to stick to the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Good Morning, Vietnam</i> playbook by having Gibson's cynical pilot
develop a conscience with the help of Downey and show what the General's drug
trade is doing to the local population. Gibson and Downey even get stranded in
the dense jungle and must make it back to base just like Robin Williams does in
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Good Morning, Vietnam</i>! Also, Rob and
the Major are antagonists to our heroes much as Bruno Kirby and J.T. Walsh’s
characters were in Barry Levinson’s film. You know in a movie like this nothing
really bad is going to happen to Gene or Billy and they get to literally fly
off into the sunset while a tacked-on epilogue tries to temper things by
explaining that the two corrupt U.S. government officials managed to emerge
from Laos unscathed, protected from on high to go on being evil S.O.B.s. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Air America</i> isn’t an example of a good
movie inside of a bad one, trying to get out, but rather a good idea that was
tinkered with and a mediocre movie was the end result.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><br /><br /></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">SOURCES<br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Clarkson,
Wensley. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mel Gibson: Man on a Mission</i>.
2015</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Anson,
Robert Sam. “Fly the Friendly Skies.” <u>Premiere</u>. September 1990.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Rowlands,
Paul. “An Interview with Richard Rush.” <u>Money into Light</u>. November 2017.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Wilson,
John M. “The Fine Art of Making the Deal.” <u>Los Angeles Times</u>. May 27,
1990.</span></div><p></p>
J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11823190634186509982noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-44742845539340316052021-06-11T10:55:00.000-04:002021-06-11T10:55:12.091-04:00Satan's Triangle<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3zUEJdKP-fmnMXbisvTQZuZtv4WaAJqPSgSrsdVXZIxXSOYNWMCY-KSrDfNgFl8RJF-qQ8ZcW6Y7Iq7ftMQy8yPvPb7qtKYZ0Ixe2M87Flv8PtCssP1iKPFz0QEpcDTq2F7_GuqbH6_Xy/s526/satans-triangle-1975-tv-horror-movie-mast-death.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="526" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3zUEJdKP-fmnMXbisvTQZuZtv4WaAJqPSgSrsdVXZIxXSOYNWMCY-KSrDfNgFl8RJF-qQ8ZcW6Y7Iq7ftMQy8yPvPb7qtKYZ0Ixe2M87Flv8PtCssP1iKPFz0QEpcDTq2F7_GuqbH6_Xy/w400-h266/satans-triangle-1975-tv-horror-movie-mast-death.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">People
have been fascinated with the enigma that is the Bermuda Triangle for decades.
It is a region marked by the Florida coast and the islands of Bermuda and the
Bahamas, a “danger zone that seems to swallow ships and planes,” as a vintage
episode of the </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In Search Of…</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
television show from the 1970s aptly described it. It is an area of 60,000
square miles where many planes and ships have mysteriously vanished over the
years. Science has tried to explain the phenomenon but compelling anecdotal
information endures and continues interest in it.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It has
been fertile ground for genre movies and T.V., from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Airport ’77</i> (1977) to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Triangle </i>(2005) mini-series. One of the more interesting and unsettling
efforts is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Satan’s Triangle</i>, a 1975
made-for-T.V. movie starring Kim Novak and Doug McClure and produced by famed
entertainer Danny Thomas’ production company. Originally nothing more than a
movie-of-the-week, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Satan’s Triangle</i>
has developed a small cult following over the years of people who have fond
memories of seeing it in the ‘70s.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
United States Coast Guard receives a distress call from a schooner caught in a
terrible storm at sea right in the center of the Bermuda Triangle. Lt. Haig
(McClure) and Lt. Comdr. Pagnolini (Michael Conrad) investigate in a rescue
helicopter. The two men briefly discuss the Bermuda Triangle with the former
being a skeptic and the latter believing that the Devil plays a role. They come
across the ship and find a man hanging upside down from the main mast and
another man slumped on the forward hatch. The sails are shredded and it looks
abandoned.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIicHpaT8CA52h03Bn8EY2OLUZ-ZevmgveJFqmY_-HJX3HUsVmqEVWaF0hCcm99PU7IEO-2QQNHmDxxqfG0q32QC0KC0_X_h0DzpqHfwLrZH9JxMLIrKWHpbn33hxGDcHB5I43zradfEN6/s1200/hWprul499BfKwj7ykWbTOnZpCyQ-1200-1200-675-675-crop-000000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIicHpaT8CA52h03Bn8EY2OLUZ-ZevmgveJFqmY_-HJX3HUsVmqEVWaF0hCcm99PU7IEO-2QQNHmDxxqfG0q32QC0KC0_X_h0DzpqHfwLrZH9JxMLIrKWHpbn33hxGDcHB5I43zradfEN6/w400-h225/hWprul499BfKwj7ykWbTOnZpCyQ-1200-1200-675-675-crop-000000.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><o:p><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">They try
to radio the base but all they get is static. Haig decides to go down to the
vessel and investigate. Once aboard, he confirms both men are dead and the one
hanging ominously from the mast is priest (Alejandro Rey)! The suspenseful tone
is quite effective here as the spooky atmospheric music by Johnny Pate and the
wind whistling around the ship set a creepy vibe.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Initially,
Haig doesn’t find anyone, which only ratchets up the tension including the
incredible choppy sea that rocks the boat. When he ventures aft he finds
another man, his body hanging in mid-air! He also finds a woman named Eva
(Novak) in shock. Haig brings her on deck and they try to get back on the
helicopter but the wire on the rescue basket snaps sending them tumbling into
the sea. The chopper begins to inexplicably have technical difficulties forcing
it to leave. Haig and Eva return to the boat. While waiting for help to return,
she recounts the strange happenings on the boat that led to its current state.
At this point <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Satan’s Triangle</i> has
sucked us in with this intriguing premise and engaging mystery. How did these
men die and only Eva survive?<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Even in
the twilight of her career, Kim Novak casts an alluring presence and her sexy,
husky voice warning Haig, “We’re going to die on this boat, you know,” doesn’t
sound like the worst thing in the world. After all, who wouldn’t want to be
stuck out at sea alone with her? Novak does her best to convey the dread of the
situation as Eva stares off into space with a haunted look whenever she
recounts what happened to all on board before Haig and his partner showed up.
In the flashback sequences she gets to have fun playing the bored, spoiled
trophy wife who receives massages from one of the crew members while her older,
rich husband Hal (Jim Davis) gets to live out his Ernest Hemingway fantasy by
trying to land a huge marlin.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguvtKw_MZ7ORtuvM6w_ZoTH4bbcyGJk-6m4_cK_fKRavwz7sLGeUshvSNxVurGVy5vtMJaA4GwNIBxMmZ-0MfPa-hbJGl4_OhsUH_OFbb5asGWs5M8T2lBk3L8KuNp6Ium35678Bt4fecH/s720/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="720" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguvtKw_MZ7ORtuvM6w_ZoTH4bbcyGJk-6m4_cK_fKRavwz7sLGeUshvSNxVurGVy5vtMJaA4GwNIBxMmZ-0MfPa-hbJGl4_OhsUH_OFbb5asGWs5M8T2lBk3L8KuNp6Ium35678Bt4fecH/w400-h225/image.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><o:p><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">His macho
fantasy is interrupted by the ominous sight of a priest floating alone at sea
on the wing of plane wreckage. The shot of him adrift at sea is a haunting one
as he doesn’t look quite right. There is an air of malevolence about him as
opposed to say trauma from surviving a plane crash. As soon as he is brought on
board all hell breaks loose starting with a violent storm that engulfs the
schooner and frightens the crew so badly that they abandon ship, leaving Hal,
Eva and the ship’s captain (Ed Lauter) and the first mate (Titos Vandis) with
the priest.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Alejandro
Rey is eerily effective as the priest whose stoicism and dead eyes are an
unsettling combination. Ed Lauter plays another no-nonsense authority figure
that he excelled at throughout his career, playing the ship’s captain who is at
odds with the rich man obsessed with catching an elusive marlin. Doug McClure
is just fine as the male lead who provides a skeptical counterpoint to Eva’s
traumatized believer. Initially, he comes off as something of a ladies man and
has no problem “comforting” her while they wait for help to arrive but the
movie’s dramatic plot twist late on turns his world upside down.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Naturally,
Eva’s account of what happened leans heavily into the supernatural with a crew
member suddenly disappearing without a trace and Hal’s inexplicable corpse
hanging suspended in air as she wrestles with her faith in God in the presence
of the Devil at the heart of the Bermuda Triangle. Haig, the man of reason,
goes through her story and explains the unnatural occurrences in such a way
that he has us convinced, lulling us into a sense of complacency and setting us
up for the movie’s crazy climax that delivers a deliciously chilling twist with
only a look.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Orq5jxsV26JibAeVhkx7UFDI37lSjvoNnNT6JYMeY4ycwUZruwpfaMUEOn-hORTf8xByXsqHVdcnxUj5Ulg-UealxAj6G1pC0V07ittawTTcOpBRsjzNKSCkAQCk2kHC7NUxiQ4tehfr/s275/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Orq5jxsV26JibAeVhkx7UFDI37lSjvoNnNT6JYMeY4ycwUZruwpfaMUEOn-hORTf8xByXsqHVdcnxUj5Ulg-UealxAj6G1pC0V07ittawTTcOpBRsjzNKSCkAQCk2kHC7NUxiQ4tehfr/w400-h266/images.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><o:p><br /></o:p></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Satan’s Triangle</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> is a vintage
made-for-T.V. movie with cheap yet well-delivered jolts as it mixes a
fascination with the supernatural and the jaded cynicism of the decade that
lost its idealism in the 1960s. Ultimately, it delivers the requisite scares in
surprisingly effective fashion and is anchored by an engaging performance from
Novak who showed that she still had it after all those years, delivering a hell
of a gut-punch of an ending.<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">You can
watch <i>Satan’s Triangle</i> for free on <a href="https://youtu.be/9NXc3HfE-wI" target="_blank">Youtube</a>.</span></div><p></p>
J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11823190634186509982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-32238501861907568172021-05-15T11:09:00.002-04:002021-05-15T11:09:35.942-04:00Above the Law<p><i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9aU-lj-fkJL5iU5c5fgXHoht72UoCGRrqaGdaHrf33w0voR1LAr5DmjE-rvh6FV_LbEcg7BIkvtfH5cugnPfoGYrm5wWJaDnpKAuxA-l159xBGBEJtv20n7YjAg7gbSarwmgUZ3ErbQdA/s1280/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9aU-lj-fkJL5iU5c5fgXHoht72UoCGRrqaGdaHrf33w0voR1LAr5DmjE-rvh6FV_LbEcg7BIkvtfH5cugnPfoGYrm5wWJaDnpKAuxA-l159xBGBEJtv20n7YjAg7gbSarwmgUZ3ErbQdA/w400-h225/maxresdefault.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br /></i><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In the Search of the Last Action Heroes</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (2019) is a
documentary that is both a loving tribute to 1980s action cinema and a lament
of the decline of R-rated action movies starring the likes of Arnold
Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and Jean-Claude Van Damme. Remember when
Steven Seagal was a lean, mean fighting machine, kicking ass in mainstream
Hollywood studio movies? He emerged from seemingly nowhere fully formed,
complete with model-starlet wife Kelly Le Brock and a headline-grabbing
backstory that involved teaching martial arts in Japan and being recruited by
the CIA to participate in top secret missions, all thanks to a boost from
legendary power broker cum agent Michael Ovitz who helped engineer his
semi-autobiographical Hollywood debut with <i>Above
the Law</i> (1988).</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">
Back then Seagal was a breath of fresh air in action cinema. He wasn’t a
muscle-bound one-man army like Schwarzenegger and Stallone, but a
normal-looking guy that was a master of the martial art Aikido. There was a
no-nonsense vibe to his persona that cut against the grain of the wisecracking
tough guys that were dominating the box office at the time. All he needed was
the right vehicle to showcase his talents and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Above the Law</i> was that movie, more than doubling its budget at the
box office and launching Seagal’s movie career.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Nico
Toscani (Seagal) is an ex-CIA agent now Chicago police detective whose past
comes back to haunt him when a nasty fellow agent by the name of Kurt Zagon
(Henry Silva), who he encountered during his stint in the Vietnam War, helps a Salvadorian
drug lord peddle his trade on the streets. Of course, Nico is a bit of a loose
cannon, refusing to back down when two FBI agents tell him to leave the drug
lord alone. He’s a straight arrow who loves his family, his neighborhood, and
city, doing everything in his power to rid it of crime. This involves, at one
point, scaring a young cousin straight and helping a local parish priest bring
immigrants into the country. It becomes personal, however, when the
neighborhood church Nico attends is bombed, wounding countless people including
his grandmother and killing the presiding priest.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYNfpaHSEXMk92mlVFSFVUZAFzZo9LOx2MWaKafuLAjgdJr1mMNJWmlRLlBXguY5hMEYYlo8dG9NVmBQdkYDPwNvbjDqZKfCnJ9NOn5lXua3d6C_HXus2NqHqgfTNVHITtxQvipDtujp1/s640/above-the-law-machete.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYNfpaHSEXMk92mlVFSFVUZAFzZo9LOx2MWaKafuLAjgdJr1mMNJWmlRLlBXguY5hMEYYlo8dG9NVmBQdkYDPwNvbjDqZKfCnJ9NOn5lXua3d6C_HXus2NqHqgfTNVHITtxQvipDtujp1/w400-h225/above-the-law-machete.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Roughly 13
minutes in we get to see Seagal do his thing as Nico enters a seedy bar looking
for his young cousin who has gotten mixed up in drugs. Naturally, all the
barflies give him grief and try to start some shit (look for a young Michael
Rooker in a cameo), which he quickly finishes in impressive fashion. What
catches your eye is not just Seagal’s skills but Andrew Davis’ no-nonsense
direction and how he shoots the action, capturing his star in full-body shots
so that we see him actually doing these moves with very little editing unlike
his more recent fare.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Davis
handles the action like a pro, mixing it up so we don’t get an endless series
of scenes of Seagal beating up guys. We see him using his gun and even hanging
onto the roof of a car trying to bust some scumbags. It’s not <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The French Connection</i> (1971) but it is exciting.
There’s also a fantastic foot chase where we see Seagal running and not the
usual Hollywood bullshit but him flat-out sprinting in smoothly choreographed
tracking shots.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">
Seagal acquits himself just fine in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Above
the Law</i> and what he lacks in acting chops he more than makes up for in
intensity and confidence in his abilities. It helps that Davis surrounds him
with the likes of Pam Grier and a bevy of Chicago character actors such as Ron
Dean (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Fugitive</i>), Jack Wallace (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Homicide</i>), and Ralph Foody (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Home Alone</i>) – most of whom appeared in
the director’s previous Chicago-based actioner <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Code of Silence</i> (1985). They provide local color and help give a
real sense of place.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguaT1TRQtmX-1oMWxS42rZO-ZhQt9qPC4b-33Kg1LCbmngtlJOiS7wTUiH5rEBhyj7TDE-HoV4JskdU2wUzJSrLY1ztb8NPprsU6iq3WxDn-qadvwGoragPU5DRYSdll6P0LIyzhmx6ZAC/s640/above-the-law-1988-pam-grier-cop-delores-jacks-jackson-detective-lukich-ron-dean.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="344" data-original-width="640" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguaT1TRQtmX-1oMWxS42rZO-ZhQt9qPC4b-33Kg1LCbmngtlJOiS7wTUiH5rEBhyj7TDE-HoV4JskdU2wUzJSrLY1ztb8NPprsU6iq3WxDn-qadvwGoragPU5DRYSdll6P0LIyzhmx6ZAC/w400-h215/above-the-law-1988-pam-grier-cop-delores-jacks-jackson-detective-lukich-ron-dean.webp" width="400" /></a></div><o:p><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I like
the unconventional casting of Grier as Seagal’s long-suffering partner. Instead
of going for the stereotypical white guy partner, the filmmakers cast a woman
of color and never address it or made a big deal about it. She’s just his partner
and a damn good one at that. In a nice touch, the filmmakers make a point of
showing Nico and his partner doing the day-to-day grunt work, like pounding the
pavement asking locals questions. Unfortunately, a young Sharon Stone doesn’t
fare as well, playing the thankless role of Nico’s wife who has very little to
do except look adoringly at him when he does something good and frightened when
their family is threatened.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br /><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Above the Law</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> sets up CIA drug traffickers as the bad
guys led by the always reliable Henry Silva who bookends the movie as a nasty
piece of work that specializes in torture. With his smooth voice and icy
intensity, he makes for a chilling villain that enjoys his work a little too
much thanks to the actor’s deliciously evil performance. His imposing presence
makes Zagon a formidable antagonist for Seagal.<o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">When he
was a teenager, Steven Seagal moved to Japan in 1968, studied and became an
expert in the martial arts known as Aikido, so much so that he was the only
Westerner to operate his own dojo there. He claimed that several CIA agents
operating in the country became students at his dojo. It has been said that
Seagal was subsequently recruited by the agency but in interviews he refused to
cite specific missions only saying, “You can say that I lived in Asia for a
long time and in Japan I became close to several CIA agents. And you could say
that I became an adviser to several CIA agents in the field and, through my
friends in the CIA, met many powerful people and did special works and special
favors.”</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixwHd6qAtNLjSxFLNe7HlaiaWB_svc4-4hwR_JB3uIt3P9uh4A2AwD8DX_jOUCJEjA29hAj8hOhmT5Qzzx9dlcISJ4bbPThIeiQSH3jgYiTTUrgbcPQNaLuKgz3KdkHtxc5yhJXPvacK0S/s720/MV5BMjI5ODI5YjktOWE3ZS00MzFjLWE4NGYtN2IyMTAwYTkyNzE4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTM2Mzg4MA%2540%2540._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="411" data-original-width="720" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixwHd6qAtNLjSxFLNe7HlaiaWB_svc4-4hwR_JB3uIt3P9uh4A2AwD8DX_jOUCJEjA29hAj8hOhmT5Qzzx9dlcISJ4bbPThIeiQSH3jgYiTTUrgbcPQNaLuKgz3KdkHtxc5yhJXPvacK0S/w400-h228/MV5BMjI5ODI5YjktOWE3ZS00MzFjLWE4NGYtN2IyMTAwYTkyNzE4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTM2Mzg4MA%2540%2540._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It is telling, however, that at the time of filming director Andrew Davis said,
“What we’re really doing here with Steven is making a documentary.”
Furthermore, Seagal said, “The whole motivation behind me doing this film was
my trying to make up for all the things I’ve seen--and done. I’m tired of
seeing us try to destabilize governments, prop up dictators and get involved
with drug smugglers and crooks.” We will probably never know if Seagal worked
for the CIA but it made for good hype that helped garner interest in the movie.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Michael
Ovitz, then head of CAA, one of the most powerful talent agencies in Hollywood,
was a martial arts aficionado that reportedly studied with Seagal at his West
Hollywood based Aikido Ten Shin Dojo. They became friendly and Ovitz felt that
Seagal had the raw materials to become a movie star. Then Warner Brothers
president Terry Semel remembers Ovitz being Seagal’s biggest fan: “He went far
beyond the role of just being Steven’s agent. In fact, with the type of
superstar client list Michael has, you wouldn’t normally see him work so
closely with a first-time actor.”</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ovitz
kept insisting to Semel that Seagal had potential to be a movie star. When it
came to the studio courting Seagal, he claimed that they felt Clint Eastwood
was aging out of the action genre and told the martial artist, “We’d like to
see you take his place. We think you can be the next Eastwood.” They gave him a
several scripts, told him to pick one and they’d make it. Not surprisingly,
Semel’s account differs: “I don’t think it was a matter of anyone replacing
Clint. He’s gone far beyond being just an action star.”</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjikzB6BLDuqOEj4Lp3nmdAQ1F_vqleFCoq-eSU7u1zVpmogjlpSSpWRypjuhyphenhyphen3iWYDmYiJq9sD0qKZLE2xw26kn8PQg7tivjAXpxyGltSPVh9wCcOJz8d5tbCaqbNcugSb-wq4xOfIc-B/s1600/abovethelawtruthserum.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjikzB6BLDuqOEj4Lp3nmdAQ1F_vqleFCoq-eSU7u1zVpmogjlpSSpWRypjuhyphenhyphen3iWYDmYiJq9sD0qKZLE2xw26kn8PQg7tivjAXpxyGltSPVh9wCcOJz8d5tbCaqbNcugSb-wq4xOfIc-B/w400-h225/abovethelawtruthserum.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Before Warner
Brothers greenlit the movie, they wanted to see a demonstration of Seagal’s
martial arts prowess. Needless to say, he didn’t disappoint, putting on quite a
show with his assistants: “The demonstration was quite miraculous. With just a
toss of his hand, Steven would send the other guy flying. I’m no martial-arts
expert, but he had the ability to knock these guys up in the air so
effortlessly--well, it was pretty astounding,” said Semel. It was enough for
the studio to bankroll a $50,000 screen test with Davis shooting several scenes
from the screenplay.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
nine-week shoot was not without incident. Seagal broke his nose in a scene
where Henry Silva accidentally punched him. Seagal went to the hospital, was
treated and came back to work. Afterwards, he didn’t blame Silva: “My biggest
nightmare is having someone like Henry--whose eyes are bad and isn’t trained in
stunts--to be swinging at me. I should have my own people in here, doing the
stunts.” In addition, Seagal was not used to the slow pace of the filmmaking
process with technical delays and having to compromise in action sequences: “Sometimes
I’ll tell Andy (Davis) that a scene isn’t going to work. And sure enough, when
we see the dailies, it doesn’t look right. I just feel that I’m being
shortchanged, that I’m not getting to show enough great martial-arts action.” The
filmmakers were also under the gun to finish before a threatened Director’s
Guild strike, which only added to the pressure.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Not
surprisingly, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Above the Law</i> received
mostly negative reviews with the exception of Roger Ebert who gave it three out
of four stars and said of Seagal, "He does have a strong and particular
screen presence. It is obvious he is doing a lot of his own stunts, and some of
the fight sequences are impressive and apparently unfaked. He isn’t just a
hunk, either." In his review for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
New York Times</i>, Vincent Canby wrote that the movie, "may well rank
among the top three or four goofiest bad movies of 1988. The film...is the
year's first left-wing right-wing-movie. It's an action melodrama that
expresses the sentiments of the lunatic fringe at the political center."
The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Washington Post</i>'s Hal Hinson
wrote, "<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Above the Law</i>, which
offers Steven Seagal to the world as a new urban action hero, is woefully short
on originality, intelligibility and anything resembling taste. But none of this
comes as a surprise. What is surprising is how little invention or energy there
is in the movie's action sequences."</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikgeVN6YLrkMiKgVj1hWndt-OAKJA_zRYLxe10LC6aj0TMCjba0P8L8eiydh7uma5B1qG1g9739VyFypTH7yFhSPm35uO95W0rHhSHw_lOe8V5DvLFjvsjCkC6-k-lZ1-wgu2902v6IiLn/s1024/Image66.7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikgeVN6YLrkMiKgVj1hWndt-OAKJA_zRYLxe10LC6aj0TMCjba0P8L8eiydh7uma5B1qG1g9739VyFypTH7yFhSPm35uO95W0rHhSHw_lOe8V5DvLFjvsjCkC6-k-lZ1-wgu2902v6IiLn/w400-h225/Image66.7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In his
review for the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Los Angeles Times</i>,
Michael Wilmington wrote, "Starting in the semi-realistic framework of the
‘70s cop movies, it veers off into ‘80s action movie cloud-cuckoo land: the
paranoid one-against-a-hundred clichés of the average Schwarzenegger-Stallone
heavy-pectoral snow job." Finally, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chicago
Tribune</i>'s Dave Kehr wrote, "The action sequences are sleek and strong
enough, but the story that chains them together is too ambitious for its own
good. Upstanding liberals both, Davis and Seagal seem distinctly uncomfortable
working in a genre as inherently right-wing as the cop thriller, and they`ve
tried to salve their consciences by introducing some heavily 'progressive'
elements."</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The commercial
success of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Above the Law</i> launched
Seagal into the action movie star pantheon, kicking off a fantastic run of
movies in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. He was paired with solid directors like
Davis and John Flynn (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Out for Justice</i>),
worked with wonderful character actors like Chelcie Ross (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Major League</i>) and William Forsythe (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Raising Arizona</i>), and worked with decent budgets. Seagal, however,
began to believe his own hype and his ego took over. He began making odd
choices in movies, exerting too much control, like starring, producing and
directing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">On Deadly Ground</i> (1994),
and the quality suffered. Hollywood stopped bankrolling his movies and he
became a cautionary tale, a pop culture punchline and downright toxic when
allegations of his sordid personal life eclipsed his professional one.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br /><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Above the Law</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> has a coherent, well-written story
wedged between action sequences that deals with political assassinations,
international drug cartels and drug money-funded wars – ambitious stuff for an
action movie. It’s good to see that the filmmakers cared about such things
instead of it being an afterthought to be stitched on. Davis doesn’t try to
re-invent the cop movie genre and he doesn’t need to – instead, he expertly
fulfills many of its conventions and in entertaining fashion. The movie acts as
a showcase for a talented action star and is a fantastic snapshot of an
emerging movie star with a promising career ahead of him.<o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzF7MqpMcSgCRXn0XwoluD78jUjhgeE6BHhyphenhyphen3JuY90A8t2eBBmc70pl6EcrB8mfa6VRJyCIDEOU-8-_kDonfqv1x-20gOsymuyICM_XqrHgkB0k8peJuZQxWIIHWoCgXMWH3Z1hiUIUMNu/s600/nicoabovelaw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzF7MqpMcSgCRXn0XwoluD78jUjhgeE6BHhyphenhyphen3JuY90A8t2eBBmc70pl6EcrB8mfa6VRJyCIDEOU-8-_kDonfqv1x-20gOsymuyICM_XqrHgkB0k8peJuZQxWIIHWoCgXMWH3Z1hiUIUMNu/w400-h266/nicoabovelaw.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><o:p><br /></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">SOURCES</span></b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Goldstein,
Patrick. “Steven Seagal Gets a Shot at Stardom.” </span><u style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Los Angeles Times</u><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">.
February 14, 1988</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"> </span></div><p></p>
J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11823190634186509982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-40071115535101461112021-04-16T14:55:00.005-04:002021-04-16T14:58:41.282-04:00THE PUBLIC EYE<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaiHeA7xTh4VeiFRFWTgbt-89eLEk1fH1mc1cLvmIWMUvsHtuhnM3to17_ky6bO1tfbAL4EH6XuyN7GUR6vbzdCDKWQ00OvvrA-ktYK-fs0G1QuPaeiy30OlRiQT0mRGAu6-sXciiZnhbB/s600/MV5BMzg5NDdjMTYtYWEzMC00NjVhLWE2MjEtYmZiMWNjNWFmZTc5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjk3NTUyOTc%2540._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="600" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaiHeA7xTh4VeiFRFWTgbt-89eLEk1fH1mc1cLvmIWMUvsHtuhnM3to17_ky6bO1tfbAL4EH6XuyN7GUR6vbzdCDKWQ00OvvrA-ktYK-fs0G1QuPaeiy30OlRiQT0mRGAu6-sXciiZnhbB/w400-h244/MV5BMzg5NDdjMTYtYWEzMC00NjVhLWE2MjEtYmZiMWNjNWFmZTc5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjk3NTUyOTc%2540._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">In 1992
alone, </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><i style="font-size: 12pt;">My Cousin Vinny</i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">, </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">Lethal Weapon 3</i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">, and </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">Home Alone 2: Lost in New York</i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">,
featuring Joe Pesci in some capacity, were all released. Needless to say, it
was a very good year for the actor. One film that was sadly overlooked during
this blitzkrieg of Pesci cinema was </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">The
Public Eye</i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">, a modesty-budgeted homage to classic film noir that also acted
as a tribute to famed </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">New York Daily News</i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">
photographer Arthur “Weegee” Fellig who worked in Manhattan’s Lower East Side
during the 1930s and 1940s capturing the honest and sometimes tragic elements
of life on the streets.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">This is
established over the opening credits with a montage of photographs, some of them
Fellig’s, capturing people from all walks of life – in agony, bored, under
arrest, and so on. We meet Leon “Bernzy” Bernstein (Pesci) taking photos at the
scene of a crime before the police even show up and, more importantly, before
his competition arrives. He will go to any lengths to get a shot – even if it
means impersonating a priest to get a shot of a dead man with a meat cleaver
stuck in his head. Bernzy even has a mobile dark room in the trunk of his car
where he can develop his photos quickly.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">He’s
dedicated, always out there, wandering the streets in his car, listening to the
police band radio, looking for the next photo opportunity. We see a few shots
from his point-of-view and they are in black-and-white, suggesting that
everyone is a potential photo for the man. He’s not married and doesn’t have
time for anybody else as he is devoted to his work. That’s what makes him the
best. It is an empty existence in a way as he is too busy capturing other
people’s lives to have one of his own.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7O51gMhUUyDHU3iqbMTRaHSL3Xy1JUAaJa-c9BX_vCg3FcDubDyT7BCTVC-gwwYNnmGnBlq50-1ALC1Rwa5LtlOSm8DwbA6iwDQt80eS2EGbRXEBAK7hXuRwz10bomG_xHvTaaTSZTOIf/s979/public_eye+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="979" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7O51gMhUUyDHU3iqbMTRaHSL3Xy1JUAaJa-c9BX_vCg3FcDubDyT7BCTVC-gwwYNnmGnBlq50-1ALC1Rwa5LtlOSm8DwbA6iwDQt80eS2EGbRXEBAK7hXuRwz10bomG_xHvTaaTSZTOIf/w400-h216/public_eye+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><o:p><br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Bernzy
hopes one day to have a book of his photos published and even has a meeting
with an esteemed publisher (played with snooty relish by Del Close) who tells
him, “This is, instead, a most admirable picture book about New York,”
dismissing them as “too sensational” and “too vulgar,” which is kind of the
point – they capture the beauty and the ugliness of life.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Like many
film noirs, Bernzy is summoned to the lofty heights of high society by a
beautiful woman – Kay Levitz (Barbara Hershey) who asks him for a favor. She
wants him to check out a man claiming to be her recently deceased husband’s
partner and now co-partner of his nightclub that she inherited. He agrees, of
course, partly because it allows him a foot in rarefied atmosphere and he is
attracted to Kay, a rich, beautiful woman who wouldn’t normally give him the time
of day. He tracks down the mysterious man only to find him dead.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Naturally,
doing a favor for Kay forces Bernzy to break his code of neutrality,
complicating his life as he takes sides for the first time, not just with cops,
but the FBI who lean on him hard, painting him as a Communist sympathizer, and crooks,
entangling him in beef between rival mobsters Frank Farinelli (Richard Foronjy)
and Spoleto (Dominic Chianese).<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqSid1WxtiOUzYd1TgShijmOzCXcy9xLuagNRGpVIFYvLrmFtnV4f3JHRsoQNXtXRk1myAVz1JHAkJ2ZXWoyYct1MC4HRrNCmF6Pci2STZ-6ihIbdIkKSyy05M78vJUIKCKLpWodErC9JZ/s1000/the_public_eye.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="1000" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqSid1WxtiOUzYd1TgShijmOzCXcy9xLuagNRGpVIFYvLrmFtnV4f3JHRsoQNXtXRk1myAVz1JHAkJ2ZXWoyYct1MC4HRrNCmF6Pci2STZ-6ihIbdIkKSyy05M78vJUIKCKLpWodErC9JZ/w400-h243/the_public_eye.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><o:p><br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Around
the time he made <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Public Eye</i>, Joe
Pesci was delivering broad performances in movies like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lethal Weapon 3</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Home
Alone 2</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Public Eye</i> saw him
dial it back and deliver a more nuanced performance as evident in a scene where
Bernzy comforts Kay about not being forthcoming about the dead man’s ties to
the mob. He’s understandably upset but when she’s apologetic and explains that
she picked him because her husband believed in his book of photos, Bernzy
softens and Pesci shows a vulnerable side to his character.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Pesci
also does an excellent job of showing how Bernzy channels his inner pain, his
loneliness into his art, like when Kay snubs him in her club for some high
society type and when she realizes what she’s done chases after him only to
find the shutterbug outside in the rain taking a photo of some rich slob passed
out in an alley.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Barbara
Hershey is an atypical femme fatale. Initially, it seems like she is simply
using Bernzy to further her own goals – wrest control of her late husband’s
nightclub from mobsters – but then we see her defend Bernzy when she’s alone with
her cynical doorman (played to jaded perfection by Jared Harris) and it appears
that she really does have affection for him. She is in cahoots, however, with
Spoleto, a mob boss who controls the west side of Manhattan. Hershey has an
expressive face and she gives Bernzy a look that we see but he doesn’t that
suggests Kay is falling in love with him. She actually looks at his book of
photos in a wonderful moment and not just a quick flip through but studies
them, lingers over each one and is visibly moved.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii7xQRfsi3CV2XUwWofzPCr3pnnfRhB908b7aYQrlV74dfxYXMVH01D3cvXaSvTXboKOZdQ6mc2KmYxgJ4RAZx_cr4fbNkhTt25_myh3rUsExOtOqJ3XAuA_XSqod69SNPRRPK8BS-d9de/s1000/PublicEye_05.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="1000" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii7xQRfsi3CV2XUwWofzPCr3pnnfRhB908b7aYQrlV74dfxYXMVH01D3cvXaSvTXboKOZdQ6mc2KmYxgJ4RAZx_cr4fbNkhTt25_myh3rUsExOtOqJ3XAuA_XSqod69SNPRRPK8BS-d9de/w400-h250/PublicEye_05.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">The film
is populated with a bevy of wonderful character actors that make an immediate
impact with the limited screen time they are given. Richard Foronjy (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Midnight Run</i>) and Dominic Chianese (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Sopranos</i>) play the rival mob bosses
that force Bernzy to take sides. Jerry Adler (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Manhattan Murder Mystery</i>) plays a columnist turned playwright who
is also Bernzy’s closest confidante. Stanley Tucci, however, makes the greatest
impact as Sal, a pivotal figure in the mob war. Initially, his relationship
with Bernzy is an antagonistic one but then he tells the shutterbug about the
beef between the two warring mob families in a powerful scene that Tucci
delivers so well.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Howard
Franklin, who has unfortunately directed far too few films, does a great job
immersing us in 1940s New York City, getting the period details just right,
from the yellow cabs to the vintage watch Bernzy wears to the Art Deco
nightclub Kay owns, but without overwhelming us with it. With the help of David
Cronenberg’s long-time cinematographer Peter Suschitzky, he pays tribute to
classic film noirs but doesn’t lay it on too thick, doing just enough to
capture the vibe of that era. The two men shot the film in very high contrast:
“we wanted a crisp look with an edge” that tried to capture Fellig’s photos and
avoid a “nostalgic feeling,” Franklin said in an interview.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Franklin
first became interested in photographer Arthur “Weegee” Fellig when he saw an
exhibit of tabloid photographs in 1982 at the International Center for
Photography in New York City. Fellig was born in Poland in 1899, the son of
Jewish refugees that emigrated to the United States in 1909, settling in New
York’s Lower East Side. Growing up, he held every lousy job imaginable before
discovering photography in his twenties when he started working as a freelance
news photographer. He got a jump on the competition by obtaining his own police
radio, which allowed him to be the first on a crime scene. According to
Franklin, “When I saw Weegee’s photographs at the ICP, I was really fascinated
and immediately began thinking about his images in terms of a movie.”</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXD8J1tSFnIeNq_fU_Pi2fdKsmgKXoh6-8Tz8hCdIsxDcD5bRvlBkNCbwTZOpVGMOlc8mCHYozq84Vp97wDubTn-XsBRr3f43VyKWO7f93EBLgDz6u2OxM9FS4jm_p1qx7t-q4t8dY66-J/s1280/maxresdefault.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXD8J1tSFnIeNq_fU_Pi2fdKsmgKXoh6-8Tz8hCdIsxDcD5bRvlBkNCbwTZOpVGMOlc8mCHYozq84Vp97wDubTn-XsBRr3f43VyKWO7f93EBLgDz6u2OxM9FS4jm_p1qx7t-q4t8dY66-J/w400-h225/maxresdefault.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">He wrote a screenplay in 1982 about an artist that was autobiographical in
nature and as he got older and worked on it more, “it evolved into a story
about the sacrifices you have to make if you’re serious about your work.” He
tried to sell the script but there was no interest. Several directors and
actors tried to option it with no success and he finally decided to make it
himself. Franklin knew he wanted Joe Pesci to play Bernzy as the character’s
“style of photography is similar to Joe’s style of acting in that both are very
naked – there’s nothing between the viewer and the image.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Pesci
knew nothing about Fellig before agreeing to do the film. He read all the books
he could find about the man and learned how to use the vintage Speed Graphic
camera that was the hallmark of 1940s news photographers. The actor also
studied Fellig’s books of photos and “figured what he would be thinking when he
took the pictures; how he felt. I tried to make myself feel like him and look
like him and take pictures and learn how to do everything.”</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">
Franklin wanted to shoot on location in New York but the film’s $15 million
budget and the union situation there made it impossible. The 13-week shoot
begin in Cincinnati’s “Over-the-Rhine” district which resembled ‘40s New York.
The production then moved to Chicago for a few weeks before landing in Los
Angeles to complete filming where they shot on a soundstage at Santa Clarita
Studios.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><i>The
Public Eye</i> received decidedly mixed reviews. Roger Ebert gave the film four out
of four stars and wrote, "Writer-director Howard Franklin is subtle and
touching in the way he modulates the key passages between Pesci and Hershey.
There is a lot that goes unsaid between them." In his review for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The New York Times</i>, Vincent Canby wrote,
"<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Public Eye</i> never quite
takes off, either as romantic melodrama or as a consideration of one very
eccentric man's means of self-expression. The facts are there, but they never
add up to much. The psychology is rudimentary." The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Washington Post</i>'s Desson Howe wrote, "Despite the usual
quippy, perky performance from Pesci, as well as cinematographer Peter
Suschitzky's moodily delineated images, the movie is superficial and
unengaging. It's as if <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Life</i> magazine
decided to make an oldtime gangster movie."<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizCTQ6A8H2T6hxSPsMJWC6ICCZANc-m2jq9iJ-jQHBbvxXBwvV2OdCFpjsJDdU0QPO1GQx2cfIf6B_Hi5WWZ1JiQtDaVRWSoBoinMVmiooSf742K_44Zg0qlX6Y7uokPkodFenWDHIdLUn/s1280/public-eye-bernsie-at-work.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1280" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizCTQ6A8H2T6hxSPsMJWC6ICCZANc-m2jq9iJ-jQHBbvxXBwvV2OdCFpjsJDdU0QPO1GQx2cfIf6B_Hi5WWZ1JiQtDaVRWSoBoinMVmiooSf742K_44Zg0qlX6Y7uokPkodFenWDHIdLUn/w400-h250/public-eye-bernsie-at-work.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">In his
review for the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Los Angeles Times</i>,
Peter Rainer wrote, "And since the film’s production design is so arranged
and studio-ish, with carefully placed shadows and spotlights, we seem to be
wrenched into an anti-world every time we shift from Weegee’s
caught-in-the-moment dramas to this movie’s studied blandness." <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Entertainment Weekly</i>'s Owen Gleiberman
gave the film a "C-" rating and wrote, "Attempting to breathe
life into this hopelessly naive vision of a sad-sack artist-saint, Pesci is
forced to rein in just about everything that makes him likable: his manic
energy, the leering delight he takes in his own shamelessness." Finally,
in his review for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Newsweek</i>, David
Ansen wrote, "Using all this artifice to illuminate the gritty world of a
lonely shutterbug is an odd choice. Yet the tale's mournful B-movie
romanticism-and Pesci's introspective, crablike performance-gets under your
skin. In its moody, daffy way, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Public
Eye</i> gives off an authentic reek of artistic compulsion."</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">The Public Eye</span></i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> develops a fascinating
character arc for Bernzy. For most of his career he chose not to take sides as
it was good for business but finally he is faced with a dilemma that affects
not only himself but people he cares about and this motivates him to take a
side. He is tired of simply being an observer and is ready to get his hands
dirty.<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Having
Robert Zemeckis as an executive producer I’m sure helped greatly in getting
this film made but I wonder if Pesci used some of the juice from his Academy
Award-winning turn in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Goodfellas</i>
(1990) and his box office clout from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lethal
Weapon 2</i> (1989) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Home Alone</i>
(1990) to help push this through the system. If so, I’m glad he did as this is
the kind of off-kilter, personal passion project that is so excellently done.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhivymmkZWJrhyphenhyphengZVYPjDS21HL6grJUxlmJB0XVjHBnnYmNvAbSSPQT_yKAvINnDO7UFaDCIRKJmu9zETi26XL3K0pEA2jf5O2vUGuTAdYziItKLAB4AoZj9k7AZhjA3qwpWuami05ZPCIE/s1920/l_8cd14b26-1f5e-4829-b131-1a66d235bdfb.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhivymmkZWJrhyphenhyphengZVYPjDS21HL6grJUxlmJB0XVjHBnnYmNvAbSSPQT_yKAvINnDO7UFaDCIRKJmu9zETi26XL3K0pEA2jf5O2vUGuTAdYziItKLAB4AoZj9k7AZhjA3qwpWuami05ZPCIE/w400-h225/l_8cd14b26-1f5e-4829-b131-1a66d235bdfb.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">SOURCES<br /></span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Ebert,
Roger. “Joe Pesci Moves Up from the Ranks of Supporting Players in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Public Eye</i>.” <u>Rogerebert.com</u>.
October 11, 1992.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">McKenna,
Kristine. “Weegee’s Tabloid World: The very busy Joe Pesci finds a role he
can’t refuse.” <u>Los Angeles Times</u>. December 8, 1991.</span></span></div>
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J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11823190634186509982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-52818362388731494632021-03-30T18:09:00.008-04:002021-06-20T23:19:31.764-04:00Zack Snyder's Justice League<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuliAjryW8Cwi6lh3XbpdM2AktyI2cqKw3G3jKTFI-5gpw0MpM8zMYb5Rma9MwSpvdXZsiBx1bgiGFN5hKaUlc087AmWqW2kEU8cra7WGTad1q7JiKkRY_cgg9v6dAmSc2GNSqtTtyc-3B/s1499/MV5BODE5MTI5OTU3M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNTU2NDAxNDM%2540._V1_SY1000_CR0014991000_AL_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1499" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuliAjryW8Cwi6lh3XbpdM2AktyI2cqKw3G3jKTFI-5gpw0MpM8zMYb5Rma9MwSpvdXZsiBx1bgiGFN5hKaUlc087AmWqW2kEU8cra7WGTad1q7JiKkRY_cgg9v6dAmSc2GNSqtTtyc-3B/w400-h268/MV5BODE5MTI5OTU3M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNTU2NDAxNDM%2540._V1_SY1000_CR0014991000_AL_.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />When Zack
Snyder was hired to launch the DC Extended Universe with <i style="font-size: 12pt;">Man of Steel</i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> (2013), his mandate was clear: to create a
fully-realized world that would eventually be populated by a roster of
superheroes starting with their most famous, Superman (Henry Cavill). The
filmmaker would provide the stylistic template for other directors to follow
and with </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">Batman v Superman: Dawn of
Justice</i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> (2016), he introduced Batman (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Gal
Gadot) (along with brief cameos by the Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg) into the
DCEU and one could sense he was building to something even bigger, not just a
larger threat for our heroes to face but a bigger response.</span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Justice League</span></i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> (2017) would see
Batman recruit the Flash (Ezra Miller), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), Aquaman (Jason
Momoa), and Wonder Woman to stop an alien threat of unimaginable danger.
Anticipation was high for the movie and then towards the end of production
Snyder was confronted with terrible tragedy that forced him off the project.
Without missing a beat, the studio brought in Joss Whedon to do significant
work and complete it in time for its intended release date. This version
pleased few and was savaged by critics, underperforming at the box office.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">That
should have been it. Rumors, however, persisted among Snyder’s dedicated
fanbase that a cut of his version existed and support for it began to gradually
gather traction over time until the studio finally took notice. They were
launching a new streaming app and not only needed content but a big and splashy
title that would garner a lot attention and, more importantly, subscribers. Negotiations
began with Snyder and he was given enough time and money to complete his
version of </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Justice League</i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"> (2021), a
massive, four-hour epic that concludes his DCEU trilogy.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjio5JvUe_MDHwHG3fIuD2stbYeVW97nm_PCZl-3u8yqqJZLgGjq4ml9mhygsFRB4sGhaJQAkPGb4e2TCHa8KYLUGa2scQPHQR5GS1z-oB4_nK21kc8CGAPJEb5fAy2eBBV-xiHoJz0XTVX/s1200/154897-qiubcmesej-1613318416.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjio5JvUe_MDHwHG3fIuD2stbYeVW97nm_PCZl-3u8yqqJZLgGjq4ml9mhygsFRB4sGhaJQAkPGb4e2TCHa8KYLUGa2scQPHQR5GS1z-oB4_nK21kc8CGAPJEb5fAy2eBBV-xiHoJz0XTVX/w400-h210/154897-qiubcmesej-1613318416.jpeg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">The movie
begins with an ending: Superman’s death that we saw at the climax of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Batman v Superman</i> only now seeing how
the literal aftershocks of his demise are felt all over the world by other
mighty beings such as himself. Fearing that Doomsday, the villain of that
movie, was only the beginning, Bruce Wayne seeks out other powerful titans with
little success, initially. People like Aquaman are content to protect their own
pockets of the world until, that is, a portal appears in Themyscira, and hordes
of aliens led by Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds) appear seeking the Mother Box, an
“indestructible living machine,” as Wonder Woman later puts it, that when
united with two others, can manipulate great power.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">This is
only the tip of the iceberg for if Steppenwolf can unite the Mother Boxes and
summon his master, Darkseid (Ray Porter), this will unleash a destructive power
that universe has never seen. Only when it becomes personal do the heroes feel
compelled to band together and stop this overwhelming threat.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">After the
Frankenstein-like pastiche that was </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Justice
League</i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">, this new version feels and looks much more consistent with Snyder’s
other DCEU movies, in particular, </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Batman
v Superman</i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">. Given the creative freedom he was reportedly given, he really
cuts loose as evident in the sequence were Wonder Woman recounts a story about how
Darkseid and his minions arrived on Earth thousands of years ago to conquer it
only to be repelled by an alliance of Gods, Amazons, Atlanteans, humans, and a
Green Lantern. This allows Snyder to do what he does best – show powerful
beings smiting each other in slow motion only on a much grander scale than he
has ever done before. Imagine the epic battle scenes from Peter Jackson’s </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Lord of the Rings</i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"> films with
Snyder’s own </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">300</i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"> (2007). This battle
is Zack Snyder at his most Zack Snyder-ist with almighty gods having it out with
ancient aliens on a massive scale all to the strains of a vaguely operatic
score.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvWHZiCs-HLVnVuTdqGEqz-f-Q2iJYKlqSbH06-e3HYr6EEn-GZANECXB6FM67yC9QGRwBnDb4LUKPg6fL0YpDVU1LRJRIRTeeouHdrL5vl5GnFpdAZvXHtdk0qzg8mq43qjXz6hNFYdqe/s1200/7d701d364f75d18eafc89b46fe309c2cc5546737.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvWHZiCs-HLVnVuTdqGEqz-f-Q2iJYKlqSbH06-e3HYr6EEn-GZANECXB6FM67yC9QGRwBnDb4LUKPg6fL0YpDVU1LRJRIRTeeouHdrL5vl5GnFpdAZvXHtdk0qzg8mq43qjXz6hNFYdqe/w400-h200/7d701d364f75d18eafc89b46fe309c2cc5546737.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">Snyder
certainly has a knack for staging action set pieces and where his trademark
slow motion/speed up technique is used most effectively is the introduction of
Barry Allen a.k.a. the Flash when he applies for a job only to save a woman
from a deadly car accident that he locked eyes with moments before all to the
strains “Songs of the Siren” (hauntingly covered by Rose Betts) that is
hypnotically and as visually arresting a sequence as anything in the
filmmaker’s canon.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">Of
course, having this kind of creative freedom allows Snyder to indulge in his
some of his more indulgent tendencies that feel a tad out of place in a movie
like this, such as moments of ultraviolence when Wonder Woman takes out a group
of terrorists in a museum in London, England. She doesn’t just dispatch the
baddies, Snyder makes sure we hear them slam hard against walls with a
sickening thud and accompanying blood splatters. Wonder Woman straight up murders
these guys, literally exploding the ringleader at the end and then, without
missing a beat, turning around to a little girl and giving her some
aspirational pearl of wisdom. It’s not like she hasn’t killed people before in
other movies but it is the way they are depicted in </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Justice League</i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">, which is so disturbing.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">Like a
lot of contemporary CGI villains, both Steppenwolf and Darkseid lack
personality and whose motives are the same old tired clichés we’ve seen a
million times before. Marvel broke the mold with Thanos in the </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers</i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"> movies, coming the closest to
almost making us forget he was a completely digital creation. The baddies in </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Justice League</i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"> look exactly like they are
and, as a result, we don’t really feel that tangible threat or sense of danger
as we know these are purely digital beings. That being said, they aren’t really
that important to the story beyond being a catalyst to get the heroes together.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivgr9IlkCyjHwVwAnS8K7H2VFQ4C0-IYy41gCBTXgbHdR76eHfmglriqROq5ghj-EpCyTtY_FywcR8TGX5uyC85NT6GHgHPn6UZLLITRVWKf-hXyWVqLRv6KX0nZxjuuH9EXSn9e0GdMqb/s1000/Aquaman%252C_Cyborg%252C_and_Flash_-_ZSJL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivgr9IlkCyjHwVwAnS8K7H2VFQ4C0-IYy41gCBTXgbHdR76eHfmglriqROq5ghj-EpCyTtY_FywcR8TGX5uyC85NT6GHgHPn6UZLLITRVWKf-hXyWVqLRv6KX0nZxjuuH9EXSn9e0GdMqb/w400-h300/Aquaman%252C_Cyborg%252C_and_Flash_-_ZSJL.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">The most
significant change from the theatrical version is how Snyder’s version acts as a
backdoor origin story for Cyborg, placing him and his relationship with his
father (Joe Morton) at the movie’s emotional core. In Whedon’s version, his
character was relegated to almost an afterthought. In fact, he plays a pivotal
role in the movie’s climactic moment.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">Snyder is
an impressive visual stylist and before </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Justice
League</i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"> his movies often felt hampered by miscasting in pivotal roles and
uneven screenplays with clunky dialogue that sometimes failed to understand
their source material. This obscured his distinctive directorial vision. The
script for </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Justice League</i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">, written by
Chris Terrio, is the first one since James Gunn’s work on the 2004 </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dawn of the Dead</i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"> remake, that matches
Snyder’s visual prowess. With </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Justice
League</i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">, he wanted to make something grandiose and mythic – after all he’s
dealing with both ancient gods and contemporary beings with god-like powers –
and with the help of Terrio’s script he successfully achieved that goal.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">DC didn’t
want to copy the look of Marvel Cinematic Universe movies and hiring Snyder
made sense as he brought an epic, operatic feel to his entries in the DCEU. His
movies are decidedly darker in tone and look, which divided comic book fans,
especially those of Superman who felt that Snyder went too far in reinventing
the character. Where the superheroes of the MCU are relatable to one degree or
another, Snyder’s superheroes are god-like Übermensches wrestling with living
among mortals and having to assume alter egos so that they aren’t persecuted by
a public at large that either doesn’t understand or fears them.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYp6G093ZJHIYFl3x1GBNNkQHWYvEmW-o4-yIXC9yi7UC2F3nkwlRm-W-uVT2X5_9WB_KKQZ9vQlTIZUl-NZ6eGdWQFgtT1s9XVRsG3puSxf0iFGpIkEjn2bs9wupeZyH2ZW2D8AhnYHC/s1024/justice-league-07.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="1024" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYp6G093ZJHIYFl3x1GBNNkQHWYvEmW-o4-yIXC9yi7UC2F3nkwlRm-W-uVT2X5_9WB_KKQZ9vQlTIZUl-NZ6eGdWQFgtT1s9XVRsG3puSxf0iFGpIkEjn2bs9wupeZyH2ZW2D8AhnYHC/w400-h266/justice-league-07.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">The
central thesis of Snyder’s DC movies has focused on the power that superheroes
like Superman wield: how they choose to use it as opposed to how they use it to
help the greatest number of people. In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Justice
League</i>, Batman makes the decision to activate the remaining Mother Box,
attempting to resurrect Superman thereby putting the entire planet at risk as
it will bring Steppenwolf and his army to them. Fortunately, the gamble pays
off but this strategy contains more than a whiff of Objectivism, Ayn Rand’s
philosophical system where the most significant moral purpose of human life is
to pursue happiness over everything else, even if it means disregarding the
needs of others. Batman takes it upon himself to assume that he knows what is
best for everyone and executes that plan consequences be damned.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">If </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Batman v Superman</i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"> posed the question,
should these super-powered being be held accountable for their actions then </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Justice League</i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"> was a resounding no. They
are going to do whatever they think is right whether that aligns with the
greater good or not. It certainly provides a fascinating spin on the superhero
mythos and is one of the many things that makes Snyder’s DC movies stand out
from others in the genre. If </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Justice
League</i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"> is to be his swan song for the studio and for the genre he certainly
has done so in spectacular fashion.</span></p></div>J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11823190634186509982noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-4891896902783998802021-02-19T09:15:00.005-05:002021-02-19T09:18:25.538-05:00Welcome Home, Soldier Boys<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwgXEQZ6PQyiwZRnrtJhKJL3w9mHrDDABSYgCrNYAf_hRjxxAOYY0RVwKFCrQZCAAkVFzUgcxRBS1QlaCouWdlVRmg07HkS8vK2ih8xzFoSf3QVeru3M_QRibe43sGZQw2dX2qdvU40G4Z/s720/L1rIF5K.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwgXEQZ6PQyiwZRnrtJhKJL3w9mHrDDABSYgCrNYAf_hRjxxAOYY0RVwKFCrQZCAAkVFzUgcxRBS1QlaCouWdlVRmg07HkS8vK2ih8xzFoSf3QVeru3M_QRibe43sGZQw2dX2qdvU40G4Z/w400-h300/L1rIF5K.png" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />In the
wake of the Vietnam War, many films were made that examined what happened to
American soldiers returning home, from classy prestigious studio films such as </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">The Deer Hunter</i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> (1978) to B-movie action
fare such as </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">Rolling Thunder</i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> (1977).
Some explored how soldiers tried to re-acclimate to “normal” life back home
while others depicted how their friends and family reacted to their return. A
common theme among these films is how the veteran’s war experiences affected
them, be it emotionally, psychologically or physically. These films were an
attempt for America to come to grips with a highly publicized war that they
lost.</span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Welcome Home, Soldier Boys</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> (1972), directed by
Richard Compton and written by Guerdon Trueblood, is a small B-movie that one
can imagine playing in some small, rural town on the bottom half of a double
bill. It hardly did any business and was barely reviewed, quietly drifting into
cinematic obscurity but remains a fascinating oddity nonetheless.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">Four
soldiers freshly discharged from the United States Army try to re-assimilate
into civilian life after a tour in Vietnam with designs to go to California
where one of them claims to have inherited a chunk of family-owned land that
they can make their own. They’re a tight-knit group as evident in the
short-hand between them and the way they banter back and forth.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQtbWTNQjQJyjYMXL5iR8z8rDAtG1p2cS_UYrJlc5V8lMZsjFKhaUJFiVzPQGPlhK45vMxUyaNkOxH06j0suzSrzE9K2QhwAdaIltPQOS_k0z7cQSn0hVcUGO8nedXLHTLCWCey8uM7Dwb/s681/i001457246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="498" data-original-width="681" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQtbWTNQjQJyjYMXL5iR8z8rDAtG1p2cS_UYrJlc5V8lMZsjFKhaUJFiVzPQGPlhK45vMxUyaNkOxH06j0suzSrzE9K2QhwAdaIltPQOS_k0z7cQSn0hVcUGO8nedXLHTLCWCey8uM7Dwb/w400-h293/i001457246.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"><br />The four
men try to buy a car and are taken advantage of by a salesman. They proceed to
“check out” the vehicle and strip it down, knocking down the price from $6200
to $5500. This scene is crucial in that it not only establishes that these guys
aren’t pushovers but are also savvy enough to deal with someone in a creative
fashion when they feel that they’re being exploited.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">The film
is a road movie that takes a decidedly dark turn early on when the men pick-up
a stranded woman (Jennifer Billingsley) whose car broke down on the side of the
road. The proceed to take turns having sex with her but when she demands $500
to get a car and drive home instead of $100 bus fare, things turn ugly and she is
thrown out of the car while it was going 65 mph. They don’t stop to see if she’s
okay or dead and this scene is an early indicator of what these men are capable
of and where the film is going.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">Apart
from Danny (Joe Don Baker), we are given very little backstory to these men.
What we know about them is strictly from their actions in the present. Danny
returns home to see his folks and realizes that his experiences in the war has
changed him, his parents have stayed the same, assuming he’ll pick up where he
left off before he went overseas. They don’t understand he and his friends want
to make a go of it in California. A somber mood hangs over this entire sequence
and the whole experience leaves Danny and his friends crestfallen, proving the
old saying, you can’t go home again.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU2snVYd3GVyq1kDP2_d3fDdW3Vp5WUzxK6UokqIDVNIy4gFUsSHav16mwotcPbQ6gmHhOzc4W8BZqYh9vCkNjlSL90IcTNmLTCAtZSn97bwYVoC_75lC7WnkWDj0-kxi4KIrqgGndfJUG/s720/sRaCqAx.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU2snVYd3GVyq1kDP2_d3fDdW3Vp5WUzxK6UokqIDVNIy4gFUsSHav16mwotcPbQ6gmHhOzc4W8BZqYh9vCkNjlSL90IcTNmLTCAtZSn97bwYVoC_75lC7WnkWDj0-kxi4KIrqgGndfJUG/w400-h300/sRaCqAx.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"><br />When
their car breaks down somewhere in Texas, they are towed into town and are met
with all kinds of flak from the locals. They are overcharged by a mechanic,
mocked by Korean War vets for not finishing the job in ‘Nam, and thrown in jail
for the night by the Sheriff (Billy “Green” Bush). These incidents only deepen
their feelings of alienation and resentment towards civilians.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">Low on
gas and money, they finally roll into New Mexico and try to get gas in a small
town but it is too early. They end up stealing what they need and for them this
is the last straw. When they are meant with resistance from the locals, the
four men unleash an orgy of violence that would make Sam Peckinpah proud. The
ensuing bloodbath is shocking in its ruthless efficiency.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Welcome Home, Soldier Boys</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> ends on a nihilistic
note that pays homage to the ending of <i>The
Wild Bunch</i> (1969) but while Peckinpah mythologized and had great affection
for his characters, this film doesn’t sentimentalize its protagonists. It doesn’t
make any excuses for the behavior of these men, presenting the things they do
in matter-of-fact fashion. The filmmakers show these men for who they are and
lets us judge them. Unlike <i>Rolling
Thunder</i> or <i>First Blood</i> (1982),
this film isn’t a rousing revenge tale as the protagonists strike back at those
that misunderstand and try to keep them down. This is a massacre, plain and
simple.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYteC6XDQam6fm5d8sSfXnoGKpJ4dfBQUMYu0u6VmXKHrVC-nN_T-8yRINc2SExNlTnTHfFn_uGfntw9UTWxDtCicnc9zhyphenhyphenVYy3MzLrnFUhlEYoqy4RpnnxaeCCZiZ3LyIXkF_ugWvhSb1/s720/MV5BYmI1ZjAxMDMtMDA5Zi00Y2ZlLWIyMmUtNmM2OWU4MzJmODNlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUyNDk2ODc%2540._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYteC6XDQam6fm5d8sSfXnoGKpJ4dfBQUMYu0u6VmXKHrVC-nN_T-8yRINc2SExNlTnTHfFn_uGfntw9UTWxDtCicnc9zhyphenhyphenVYy3MzLrnFUhlEYoqy4RpnnxaeCCZiZ3LyIXkF_ugWvhSb1/w400-h300/MV5BYmI1ZjAxMDMtMDA5Zi00Y2ZlLWIyMmUtNmM2OWU4MzJmODNlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUyNDk2ODc%2540._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"><br />This
deviates from the common coming home from war narrative that asks us to
sympathize with the vets that return damaged in one way or another. Not so much
with these characters who are unrepentant in who they are, escalating slights
against them that doesn’t make them victims but aggressors in a way that is
unsettling. Is the ending meant to evoke the infamous bloody 1968 Mỹ Lai
massacre? Is it suggesting that these guys killed women and children in ‘Nam
and are carrying on where they left off? Who is this film made for? It doesn’t
quite get down ‘n’ dirty enough for the exploitation crowd and isn’t palatable
for mainstream audiences, which may explain why it slipped through the cracks
over the years.</span><p></p><p style="height: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">x</span></p><p style="height: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">x</span></p>J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11823190634186509982noreply@blogger.com0