The Black Dahlia

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 9/17/06 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Based on James Ellroy's novel that is based on the 1947 murder of Elizabeth Short, The Black Dahlia is the story of two detectives who investigate the murder of an aspiring actress as it would take a mental and emotional toll on the two men as well as their relationship for a young woman as a doppelganger seduces one of them. Directed by Brian de Palma and screenplay by Josh Friedman, the film is an exploration into a mysterious murder that occurred in the late 1940s as two men become lost in the mystery of who kill this woman. Starring Josh Hartnett, Aaron Eckhart, Scarlett Johansson, Mia Kirshner, Mike Starr, Patrick Fischler, John Kavanagh, Jemima Rooper, Fiona Shaw, Rachel Miner, Rose McGowan, and Hilary Swank. The Black Dahlia is a stylish but very underwhelming film from Brian de Palma.

After a charity fight to raise the salary of L.A. policeman, local street cop Bucky Bleichert (Josh Hartnett) and Lee Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart) become opponents for the fight publicized by Ellis Loew (Patrick Fischler) as the two later become partners in the Warrants division as Bleichert also befriends Blanchard's girlfriend Kay Lake (Scarlett Johansson). The two become successful in their work while Bleichart and Lake realize they're attracted to each other but keep their feelings intact out of respect for Blanchard. During a case to catch a child rapist where they encounter a shootout, the two find the body of a dead woman cut in half as she's revealed to be Elizabeth Short (Mia Kirshner). With news of the release of a criminal in Bobby DeWitt (Richard Brake) and the graphic nature of Short's death, Blanchard starts to unravel who wants to go after DeWitt but has to work on the Short case with Bleichert who learns a lot about Short and her aspirations to be an actress.

Bleichert's investigation leads him to clues that includes a journey into the underground lesbian bars where he meets a Short doppelganger in socialist Madeline Linscott (Hilary Swank) who later invites him to to a family dinner. Bleichert and Linscott would have an affair as he later retrieves a stag film that featured short and her friend Lorna Mertz (Jemima Rooper) which makes Blanchard more uneasy as he is later taken out of the case while an earlier case to lead to a falling out between him and Bleichert. Kay later reveals some information about Blanchard's state of mind and why he's become uneasy as things eventually get worse where Bleichert learns a deeper connection between Short and the Linscott family as he gets closer to close the case.

While the film has all of the elements of a stylish, 1940s film-noir and crime stories, it also has the style that Brian de Palma is known for when it comes to suspense considering his often ode to Alfred Hitchcock. Unfortunately, despite all of de Palma's efforts to create a fascinating, intriguing mystery. It loses its sense of direction right into the third act. While screenwriter Josh Friedman does create a faithful adaptation the Ellroy novel. What is lost is many of the psychological and character study aspect of Ellroy. Instead, the script loses some insight into the characters, the murder, and most of all, Bleichert's obsession with Short.

The changes from the book to script are unfortunate since it loses some of its suspense and the style of Ellroy's writing which weaves and entrances its audience. While the first two acts are faithful with some stuff along with major subplots and characters not making it into the film adaptation. The third act is crucial yet misses a lot on the psychological aspect of Ellroy's work where a lot of things is lost and the suspense in the book gets crammed up in too many moments. Notably the confrontation between the Linscott and Bleichert where too much goes on where in the book, Bleichert confronts the Sprague family on a series of suspenseful sequences.

The fault is really to Friedman and de Palma for wrapping things up a bit too fast while having some bizarre sequences, notably the DeWitt confrontation which in the book, is set in Tijuana, Mexico but in the film, it's in Los Angeles where it doesn't entirely work. It ends up overwhelming itself where a lot of the drama and action is forced and de Palma seems to have rushed things a bit too quickly. Still, de Palma does create some fascinating work that is reminiscent to his past films like a boxing fight scene between Bleichert and Blanchard. Some scenes are definitely borrowed from 1940s films with soft lenses on some scenes that adds style to the film. The only real falter in de Palma's directing is the ending. It feels totally false and not true to the character of Bleichert where his character in the end is forced to grow up and confront some inner demons. In the film, it wraps up to quickly with no resolve and comes out very lame. Overall, despite some strong moments in the film, de Palma loses sight of everything by the third and final act.

Cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond does some wonderful work in the photography whether its some lovely, soft touches in some emotional sequences between Bleichert and Kay to some of the shading of windows that is true to the noir-style. Zsigmond's work also shines in many of the film's exterior's shot in Los Angeles while the interiors are very intimate with some great long shots from de Palma's directing as the veteran cinematographer does some fascinating work. Production designer Dante Ferretti and art directors Pier-Luigi Basile and Christopher Tandon adds a lot of flair and style to their extravagant presentation of 1940s Los Angeles including the worldly Linscott home and the lesbian bar scenes that all of the interiors were shot in Bulgaria. Costume designer Jenny Beaven also does some great work in the 1940s costume work from the suits and Fedoras that the men wear to the black clothing Kirshner and Swank wear along with the more loose, silvery, grey clothes of Johansson.

Editor Bill Pankow does some nice cutting into the film while adding some great, curtain-like cuts that owes to the old, 1940s film editing style that adds flair to the film while doing great work in not cutting on some great long shots de Palma did. Sound designer Paula Fairfield also does some great work in the sound including an earthquake scene that does add atmosphere along with the sounds of gunshots and things that adds an intensity to the film. Score composer Mark Isham plays to the world of 1940s style of jazz while the orchestral score works in conveying the emotions and intensity of the suspense. The soundtrack also includes an old Cole Porter jazz number performed by k.d. lang in a cameo appearance that is fun in one of the film's lesbian bar scenes.

The film's cast is wonderfully assembled that includes some small appearances from Rose McGowan, Kevin Dunn, Richard Brake, Troy Evans, Ian McNiece as the coroner, William Finley as the Linscott patriarch George Tilden, James Otis as Bucky's demented German father, and Scarface actor Pepe Serna in a cameo as Tomas dos Santos. Rachel Miner is good in the role of Martha Linscott but her character is underwritten since the book has more information on her. Miner isn't the only actress to suffer from the underwritten script as Jemima Rooper's Lorna Mertz is also underwritten since her character has more to hide despite a good performance from Rooper. Patrick Fischler is indeed, Ellis Loew as the publicity-driven D.A. who controls the investigation while trying to make a public thing for himself though the book had more of his plans. John Kavanagh is really good as the slimy, charming Emmett Linscott while noted character actor Mike Starr does some great work as the veteran good cop Russ Millard who unfortunately, is underused since Millard is a great character though Starr doe some great work.

In a performance that can be described as over-the-top, British actress Fiona Shaw gives a performance that goes way overboard as Ramona Linscott as she just goes all out to the point that it becomes unintentionally hilarious. Mia Kirshner delivers one of her best performances in the film's title role as she brings an innocence and sadness to Elizabeth Short as well as a troubling sexiness that is entrancing to watch. Hilary Swank continues to play interesting characters as she brings a lot of vamp in her role as the femme fatale Madeline Linscott. While the book portrayed Madeline as a more psychotic, seductive character, Swank does excellent work in playing sexy with a strange, Irish accent and a presence that is troubling. Though the performance is a bit over-the-top, it's nonetheless entertaining despite the fact it's underwritten. While Scarlett Johansson can transform herself into a true, 1940s starlet with her undeniable beauty. Her character however, suffers the most from the script since it's very underwritten in her connection with DeWitt as well as in her relationship with Bucky. Johansson still manages to be very good as the more guarded, traditional woman who loves the company of two men while often smoking a cigarette and being worrisome to everything around her.

Aaron Eckhart is really the film's best performance as the troubled Lee Blanchard. Eckhart has all of the sensitive tough guy qualities that Kay adores while his character ends up being more troubled with great reasons and a darker past beneath it. Eckhart is Lee Blanchard like the book though the script puts him in strange situations that isn't true to the character though Eckhart manages to do some fine work. Josh Hartnett isn't a great actor and never will be but he does manage to do some of his best work as Bucky Bleichert. While his narration and some of his performances, notably his scenes with the main actors are good. It's inconsistent since he often looks a bit wooden and sometimes, a bit smug including a confrontational scene between him and Johansson. It's not his best work, that goes to The Virgin Suicides, but Hartnett ends up being decent though the script fails to make his character into being far more complex and interesting.

While it has some moments that keeps it from being a disaster, The Black Dahlia is an over-stylized yet un-engaging film from Brian de Palma. While it has a good cast, great settings, look, and style, fans of the book will indeed be disappointed in what got cut and its psychological aspects of it. Fans of noir films will probably lean to the more successful and brilliant L.A. Confidential by Curtis Hanson that is also a novel by James Ellroy. In the end, while the film is entertaining and has style but lacks a lot of substance. In the end, The Black Dahlia is a very disappointing film-noir suspense film from Brian de Palma.

Brian de Palma Films: (Murder a la Mod) - (Greetings) - (The Wedding Party) - (Dionysus in ‘69) - (Hi, Mom!) - (Get to Know Your Rabbit) - Sisters - Phantom of the Paradise - Obsession - Carrie - The Fury - (Home Movies) - Dressed to Kill - Blow Out - Scarface (1983 film) - Body Double - (Wise Guys) - The Untouchables - Casualties of War - The Bonfire of the Vanities - Raising Cain - Carlito’s Way - Mission: Impossible - Snake Eyes - Mission to Mars - Femme Fatale - (Redacted) - Passion (2012 film) - (Domino (2018 film))

© thevoid99 2013

The Tree of Life

Though he had only had made four films from 1973 to 2005, Terrence Malick remains one of the most influential and revered filmmakers of American cinema. With everyone such as Wong Kar-Wai, Sofia Coppola, Quentin Tarantino, David Gordon Green, and many others cite him as an influential figure in films. He’s also someone that actors would want to work with no matter what the film is about or if they’ll even be in the final cut. Yet, he remains one of the most enigmatic directors in cinema with many wondering about his work process and why he cuts his films to the last minute. Especially for the fact that he doesn’t give any interviews nor does any publicity relating to his projects.

For years since the release of his second film Days of Heaven in 1978, the cult of Malick has grown among film buffs, aspiring filmmakers, and actors. The release of 1998’s The Thin Red Line helped Malick reach a new generation of film buffs as it would lead to a re-discovery of his work including his 1973 debut film Badlands. The release of 2005’s The New World was met with high anticipation among film buffs as some wondered what Malick would do next if was to make another film. In 2007, rumors emerged that Malick was in preparation of a new project and the big surprise was what the project is.

Back in 1978 after the completion of Days of Heaven, Malick was developing a project for Paramount that was entitled Q. A film that was to center around the origins of life on Earth which was to feature dinosaurs as part of a prologue. The project was supposed to be Malick’s follow-up as it reached the pre-production stages. Instead, the project fell apart as Malick would go on a 20-year sabbatical from the world of filmmaking. Following the release of The New World and the enthusiasm Malick has received from his cult following along with fellow filmmakers. Malick went ahead to revive Q into a much more personal project that is entitled The Tree of Life.

Written and directed by Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life tells the story of a young boy growing up in American Midwest in the 1950s as he later becomes a lost soul as an adult in the modern world. The film recalls all of the visual imagery and poetic voice-over narration of all of Malick’s films in the past. Even as it questions the way the world works as the boy in the film is torn by his parents’ dueling ideologies that would lead to the loss of innocence that would haunt him years later as a man. Starring Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain, Fiona Shaw, Irene Bedard, and introducing Hunter McCracken. The Tree of Life is a majestic and exhilarating piece of art from Terrence Malick.

It’s the 1950s as a married couple in Mr. and Mrs. O’Brien (Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain, respectively) live in a quiet, peaceful environment in Waco, Texas. They would gain three sons in Jack (Hunter McCracken), R.L. (Laramie Eppler), and Steve (Tye Sheridan) as Mr. O’Brien runs a nearby plant while creating patents that he hopes would make him rich. During this period of growing up, the boys would learn the ways of life as their mother offers grace and peace while their father reveals that being good isn’t enough as they had to fight to get what they want. For Jack, the dueling ideologies his parents offer would impact his life during the year.

Following the death of a boy (Tyler Thomas), Jack’s view of the world changes as he would harbor his father’s view of the world as he intrigued by a young girl from his school and a woman who lives around his neighborhood. Angered by his father’s strict ways and at his mother’s refusal to stand up to him, he begins to defy his parents while becoming more confused by God himself. Following a big change for the family, tragedy happens as it would impact the O’Briens immensely. Even as Jack (Sean Penn) in his adult life feels lost in the modern world trying to find answers.

The years when a child grows up to understand the world from what he knew then and what he would know later on is a crucial period in that person’s life. Yet, it would also be the moment where a child not just loses his innocence but also begins to question about the wonders of the world. What Terrence Malick creates is something much broader than just a boy’s loss of innocence but also in how tragedy impacts a boy’s life into his journey as a man lost in a world he couldn’t relate to. Even as he tries to wrestle between his mother’s sense of grace and mercy and his father’s idea of fierce will.

The film doesn’t actually begin with this narrative about the O’Briens but opens with a couple of quotes from the Book of Job (Ch. 38-4 & 7). The story of Job would also appear in a scene where the O’Briens attend church as it reminds audience about God’s will where he gives and then takes. This leads to a brief montage of images relating to death and the tragedy the O’Briens would eventually face throughout the film. Then it leads to a marvelous sequence of images including outer space, volcanoes, and dinosaurs that revolves around Earth’s evolution. Many will question what does these scene have to do with the main narrative. Well, it doesn’t have to do anything with the main narrative but anyone that goes to the Book of Job quote will think it’s all part of something much bigger.

The main narrative of the O’Briens’ family life and Jack’s evolution in his age of 11 definitely has something audiences can relate to. In many ways, the film is a coming of age story but also a film about innocence lost that is taken to a grander scale. While a lot of the ideas about a man reflecting on his childhood has a premise that is similar to Andrei Tarkovsky’s 1975 film The Mirror. The difference between this and Tarkovsky’s film is that Malick brings in more questions and has tighter structure to his story along with a more central focus on its characters. Notably Mr. and Mrs. O’Brien and Jack as they each have voice-overs questioning their existence and the ways of the world.

Malick’s script, or lack thereof, does allow the audience to get to know the family. While R.L. and Steve don’t get much coverage, their observance into the behavior of the film would impact young Jack as he is torn between his parents’ dueling ideology. In turn, Malick lets the audience see the young Jack be confused and frustrated with this new outlook on life as he vents his anger on God and his parents. Mr. and Mrs. O’Brien both represent different sides as Mr. O’Brien is a stern disciplinarian trying to prepare his sons for a harsh world with Mrs. O’Brien as this gentle, angelic woman who lets them wander. Both are flawed and aware of it as they would duke it out once in a while. Yet, they’re human and what is expected in parents as it is clear that kids would become their parents in some form as they struggle to find some acceptance right in the end.

Malick’s direction definitely has him taking this simple story of a family in 1950s Texas into a much larger scale. While Malick maintains an intimacy and a free-flowing style of direction by allowing the camera to follow the family. Taking use of various shooting styles whether its hand-held, tracking shots, steadicams, and crane shots to capture this simple world of a family’s house and following a young boy’s growth away from childhood. Malick brings a naturalistic yet impressionist view of this family’s life as it’s shot largely on location in Smithville, Texas with other towns and cities in that state. The potency of Malick’s direction is mystifying in his scenes of the modern world where the shots of skyscrapers from above or on ground help exemplify the adult Jack’s sense of alienation.

While some of the scenes in the film’s main narrative features shots inspired by Andrei Tarkovsky including a scene where Mrs. O’Brien levitates that is a reference to The Mirror. Many of the film’s scenes involving the creation of Earth and its landscapes including wavering light that appears throughout the film will get some viewers to think of Stanley Kubrick. There is a Kubrickian element to many of the creation scenes as its mixture of computer visual effects, old-school visual effects, and naturalistic camera work that is partially supervised by Douglas Trumbull, the man who did some of the visual effects work for 2001: A Space Odyssey. These scenes of Earth’s creation along with these marvelous images of nature are truly some of the greatest sequences ever made as Malick takes it to new heights.

The overall direction that Malick creates is astounding as he creates a film that is truly one-of-a-kind. It raises many questions about spirituality, humanity, existence, and a whole lot more while not giving any answers. At times, the film meanders which will be frustrating to watch at times. Yet, that is typical of Malick who takes his time with the pacing so that audiences can figure out a time period where things were much simpler and slower. The scenes near the end of the film does raise much broader questions about death and the afterlife as Malick creates something that goes beyond the language of film. What Malick does overall as an auteur is create something in a large scale that challenges its audience but doesn’t overwhelm them with any kind of message. With this films, Malick truly takes his place as one of the greatest artists working today.

Helming the film’s cinematography is Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki who previously worked with Malick on The New World. Chivo’s photography is truly marvelous to watch in the way he creates a naturalistic look to the film as it is exquisite in every frame captured on film. For many of the scenes in Smithville, Chivo creates something that is beautiful but also has a flair of nostalgia while the scenes in the cities are vast in its imagery. With additional photography by Ellen Kuras and Benoit Delhomme for small shots in New York and France, respectively, Chivo’s camera work is truly out of this world as he creates what is certainly his best camera work of his career.

Editors Billy Weber, Hank Corwin, Daniel Rezende, Jay Rabinowitz, and Mark Yoshikawa do a fantastic job with the editing of the film. Weber, a longtime Malick associate, states that when editing a film for Malick, editing everyone else’s films are easy as it’s clear that a lot of work went into the cutting of the film. While the film has the typical pacing approach of all of Malick’s other films, the editing has more flair to its approach. Even in the creation sequence as there’s speedy cuts and half-frame speeds to complement Earth’s evolution while the rest of it is mostly straightforward with elements of style in some parts of the film.

Longtime Malick collaborator in production designer Jack Fisk, along with set decorator Jeanette Scott and art director David Crank, does a phenomenal job with the look of the O‘Briens home as well as the look of 1950s Waco, Texas. Fisk and his team create something that is magical of a simpler time while the home of the O’Briens along with its tree and backyard is presented with great detail of a typical 1950s suburban home. It is truly a joy to look as Fisk and company bring life to the world of 1950s Texas. Costume designer Jacqueline West does an excellent job with the costumes from the suits that the men and boys wear to the dresses that Mrs. O’Brien wears as it has a distinct, 1950s look that truly plays to that era.

Visual effects supervisor Dan Glass and legendary visual effects consultant Douglas Trumbull do a spectacular job with the visual effects sequences made for the Creation sequence. A mixture of old-school 1960s visual effects style along with computer-created visual effects, it is truly beyond description from the look of outer-space and planets that has something that looks like it was made in 3-D without the 3-D effects that is seen in a lot films. Even the dinosaurs has a look that might seem a little sketchy but a closer look allows to see the beauty of it. The overall visual effects work is truly out of this world and really sets a benchmark of what could be done in terms of a film like this.

Sound designers Craig Berkey and Erik Aadahl do an amazing job with the sound work from the naturalistic atmosphere of the scenes in Smithville to the little towns and places nearby. Even with the voice-overs as it brings an ethereal quality to what is happening. For the Creation of Earth sequence, the sound is more forceful and lifelike to describe the way Earth is created as the overall work is masterful.

The film’s music soundtrack that is supervised by Roanna Gillespie is truly another highlight of the film with its array of classical and operatic pieces to the original score from Alexandre Desplat. While Desplat’s score is used sparesly throughout the film with its soft piano peaces and eerie orchestral arrangements. Desplat is able to play up the mixture of joy and anger in the characters and scenes as it features some of his best work as a composer.

The rest of the film’s soundtrack features a variety of pieces ranging from church hymns to the works of composers like Gustav Mahler, Arsenjie Jovanovic, Michael Baird, Klaus Wiese, Henryk Gorecki, Francois Couperin, Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and many others. The two pieces that play throughout the film are Bedrich Smetana’s Vltava (The Moldau), in the main narrative, and Zbigniew Preisner’s Lacrimosa 2 for the Creation sequence. The overall film score and soundtrack is truly one of best collection of music ever assembled for a film like this.

The casting by Francine Maisler and Vicky Boone is amazing for the discovery of actors that appear in the film. In small film roles, the cast features appearances from Will Wallace as an associate of Jack‘s work as an architect, Jessica Fuselier as a mystical guide, Irene Bedard as a spiritual messenger, Joanna Going as Jack’s wife, Tyler Thomas as the boy Jack sees drown, Kelly Koone as the local preacher in church, and Fiona Shaw in a small but memorable appearance as Jack’s grandmother. Other notable small roles in the younger versions of Jack are played by Finnegan Williams and Michael Koeth in the respective ages of 2 and 5 along with John Howell as the two-year old R.L. Sean Penn is great in a small but understated performance as the adult Jack who is more confused and haunted by his own life as well as the tragedy he’s dealing with.

Laramie Eppler and Tye Sheridan are excellent in their small but memorable roles as R.L. and Steve, respectively. Eppler and Sheridan bring a joyful yet naturalistic quality to their performance with Eppler as the middle-child with a talent to play guitar and Sheridan as the youngest who is amazed by his brothers. Brad Pitt is superb in the complex role of Mr. O’Brien, a tough man who loves his family but is desperate to succeed so he can give them a great life. Yet, Pitt displays a man who tries to show his boys the harsh idea of the world as he makes Mr. O’Brien into a flawed man who has good intentions but knows that he can be wrong as well.

Jessica Chastain is brilliant in the angelic role of Mrs. O’Brien. Displaying grace and radiance into a character that is so pure but also human for the way she deals with grief. It’s a real breakthrough performance for the actress as she brings a quality that is unlike anything out there in film as it’s a truly engaging yet ethereal performance from the young actress. Finally, there’s Hunter McCracken in an outstanding performance as the young Jack. McCracken displays a performance that is very realistic and complex about an 11-year old boy coming-of-age where he begins to asks big questions and ponder about the world and his parents. It’s really a performance that is up to par with other break-out performances in Malick’s previous films such as Sissy Spacek’s Holly in Badlands, Linda Manz’s Linda in Days of Heaven, Jim Caviezel’s Private Witt in The Thin Red Line, and Q’orianka Kilcher’s Pocahontas in The New World. It is truly an amazing debut for the young actor.

To say a film like The Tree of Life is a masterpiece or a one-of-a-kind film kind of understates the power it has. It is much more than that as the experience of watching a film like this in a cinema is beyond anything to describe. It’s not a film for everyone which isn’t surprising with all of Terrence Malick’s films. Yet, it does have something that audiences will reach back to in their own lives and recall their own childhood. It’s a film that also allows anyone who is religious or anti-religious to question about God and his will whether they believe it or not. A religious audience might be baffled by its complexity and lack of message that is often prevalent in Christian-based films.

The Tree of Life is truly a film that will polarize people and even at first viewing, it is difficult to comprehend and understand. Yet, it has images and themes that are truly inescapable and allows that person to understand maybe themselves or the world itself. There aren’t many pictures like this and probably never will be in many years as Terrence Malick created something that goes beyond the idea of what cinema and art is and can be. The Tree of Life is without a doubt, a film like nothing else that has come before or since then. While it may not be as good as Malick’s other films like Days of Heaven or The Thin Red Line in terms of conventional storytelling. It is a testament that Malick is currently among the greats in either film or art. The Tree of Life is definitely a beautiful yet mesmerizing film from Terrence Malick.

Terrence Malick Films: Badlands - Days of Heaven - The Thin Red Line - The New World - To the Wonder - Knight of Cups - Voyage of Time: The IMAX Experience - (Voyage of Time: Life's Journey) - Song to Song - A Hidden Life - (The Way of the Wind)

© thevoid99 2011