After Hours

Directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Joseph Minion, After Hours is the story of a man who goes out in New York City where he would have a series of misadventures during the course of an entire night. The film is a look into a man trying to get back home when a planned date with another woman doesn’t go as he hoped it would be as he would meet various strangers during the course of this night. Starring Griffin Dunne, Rosanna Arquette, Linda Fiorentino, John Heard, Verna Bloom, Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong, Teri Garr, and Catherine O’Hara. After Hours is a wild and exhilarating film from Martin Scorsese.

Set in the span of 24 hours, the film follows a computer word processor who meets a woman at a diner and later asks her out late one night and then everything goes into complete chaos due to a series of misunderstandings, mistaken identity, loss of money, and all sorts of fucked-up shit. It’s a film that is a misadventure set in the Soho section of New York City where this man is in a world that is very spontaneous and unpredictable which is foreign to him as he spends much of time working. Upon meeting this woman on a night after work as she notices a book he’s reading, he thinks he gets a chance to break from his monotonous life. The film’s screenplay by Joseph Minion, with contributions by Martin Scorsese, plays into this 24-hour time span where it begins at an office where Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne) is showing a new employee what to do as he copes with the outcome of how the rest of his life would be at work.

In meeting Marcy Franklin (Rosanna Arquette), he feels like this is someone who might want to go out with but things start to go wrong when he rides a cab and loses a $20 bill that he was supposed to be for the cab driver. During his date with Marcy, he learns about some things about her that disturbs him while he also meets Marcy’s sculptor roommate Kiki (Linda Fiorentino) whose paperweight sculptures is something that Paul wants. The night would only get worse when he meets a bartender (John Heard), an oddball waitress (Teri Garr), a woman that is part of a vigilante group, and other assortment of characters where Paul is later accused of burglary and gets himself into these horrible situations.

Martin Scorsese’s direction is definitely stylish in the way he would present the film as it is shot on location in New York City with much of it shot in the Soho section of the city. While there are some wide shots of the locations as well as scenes that play into the suspense and paranoia that Paul would go through for much of the film. Scorsese would utilize some close-ups and medium shots to play into Paul’s interaction with the people he would meet during the course of the film as it is shot on some actual locations as well as a few sets that are created. Scorsese wouldn’t just create this world that is unpredictable which is far removed from the world of clean and spacious apartments and work places that Paul is known as it’s not just the diners and bars he would go to but also a club that is quite arty and chaotic. 

Notably for the fact that some of the characters he meet are either from the world of art or are part of this sub-culture that is Soho. The direction is also stylized for some crazy scenes such as scene in the cab where it’s sped-up to play into the maniacal world that Paul is about to embark. Even as there are elements of repetition that play into the suspense and paranoia that include encounters with a couple of burglars as well as local vigilante group who believe he is a burglar. The element of humor is key to the film as it add to the craziness that Paul endured all because he wanted to go on a date with a person he doesn’t know. Overall, Scorsese creates a thrilling and exciting film about a man’s bad night in Soho.

Cinematographer Michael Ballhaus does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography for the way many of the exteriors at night look and in how some of the interiors are lit while the few daytime shots outside of Soho are presented in a more naturalistic look. Editor Thelma Schoonmaker does amazing work with the editing as it has a lot of style in the usage of dissolves, different frame speeds, jump-cuts, and other stylized moments to play into the humor and manic suspense. Production designer Jeffrey Townsend, with set decorator Leslie Pope and art director Stephen J. Lineweaver, does fantastic work with the look of the art-punk club known as Berlin as well as the loft apartment Kiki and Marcy live as well a diner and a bar that Paul would go into.

Costume designer Rita Ryack does nice work with the costumes as it is mainly straightforward to play into the different sub-cultures of Soho from the art-punk look of Kiki to the more 60s-inspired look of the waitress Julie. Sound editor Skip Lievsay does superb work with the sound in maintaining a lively atmosphere to some of the locations as well as how music sounds in a location. The film’s music by Howard Shore is excellent for its eerie electronic score that play into the suspense and drama while the film’s soundtrack would feature an array of different musical styles at it include some classical pieces from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Sebastian Bach as well as jazz pieces from Cole Porter and the Gershwin brothers plus contemporary music from Joni Mitchell, the Monkees, Peggy Lee, and Bad Brains as well as some classic blues and rock music.

The casting by Mary Colquhoun is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Bronson Pinchot as an employee Paul is trying to teach, Larry Block as the cab driver, Dick Miller as a diner waiter, Rocco Sisto as an odd coffee shop cashier, Clarence Felder as a punk club bouncer, Will Patton as Kiki’s boyfriend Horst, Tommy Chong and Cheech Marin as the two burglars who constantly steal things, and Verna Bloom in a terrific role as a woman at a club named June that Paul meets very late in the film. Catherine O’Hara is superb as a woman named Gail who helps Paul at first until she suspects him as a burglar while Teri Garr is fantastic as Julie as a bar waitress who hates her job while wanting to be an artist due to the drawings she makes. John Heard is excellent as Tom Schorr as a bartender who offers to help Paul out in getting a subway token as he would cope with sudden news that would shape his life.

Linda Fiorentino is brilliant as the oddball sculptor Kiki who dresses in punk clothes as she is also someone who has an abstract view on art. Rosanna Arquette is amazing as Marcy as a woman that Paul meets and goes on a date with as she is someone with some secrets as it relates to her past which disturbs Paul. Finally, there’s Griffin Dunne in an incredible performance as Paul Hackett as a man who works at an office who goes on a date only to endure the craziest night of his life as he deals with all sorts of shit as it’s a very manic and energetic performance from Dunne.

After Hours is a sensational film from Martin Scorsese. Featuring a great cast, a thrilling and offbeat premise, a killer music soundtrack, and stylish visuals, the film is definitely a wild yet fun film that explore what happens when a date night goes horribly wrong. In the end, After Hours is a phenomenal film from Martin Scorsese.

Martin Scorsese Films: (Who’s That Knocking on My Door?) – (Street Scenes) – Boxcar Bertha – (Mean Streets) – Italianamerican – Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore - Taxi Driver - New York, New York – American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince - (The Last Waltz) – Raging Bull - The King of Comedy - The Color of Money - The Last Temptation of Christ - New York Stories-Life Lessons - Goodfellas – Cape Fear - The Age of Innocence (1993 film) - (A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies) – (Casino) – (Kundun) – (My Voyage to Italy) – Bringing Out the Dead - (The Blues-Feel Like Going Home) – Gangs of New York - (The Aviator) – No Direction Home – The Departed - Shine a Light - Shutter Island - (A Letter to Elia) – (Public Speaking) - George Harrison: Living in the Material World - Hugo - The Wolf of Wall Street - (The Fifty Year Argument) – Silence (2016 film) – (The Irishman (2018 film)) - Killers of the Flower Moon - (An Afternoon with SCTV)

© thevoid99 2017

Young Frankenstein

Based on the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Young Frankenstein is about the grandson of Dr. Frankenstein who decides to create the same experiment his grandfather did with some hilarious results. Directed by Mel Brooks and screenplay by Brooks and Gene Wilder, the film is a spoof of sorts of the monster movies where it plays up into the myth and legends of the Frankenstein monster while being filled with a lot of absurd innuendos. Starring Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Teri Garr, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, Cloris Leachman, Marty Feldman, and Gene Hackman. Young Frankenstein is a stylish and hilarious film from Mel Brooks.

Set in the 20th Century, the film is the simple story of a scientist, who is the grandson of Victor von Frankenstein, as he inherited a house in Transylvania where he ends up recreating the same experiment that his grandfather did many years ago. It’s a film that plays up the story of Frankenstein but in a somewhat modern setting where Dr. Frankenstein’s grandson Frederick (Gene Wilder) is trying to deny his family heritage by having his surname be pronounced as “Fron-ken-steen”. The film’s screenplay doesn’t just spoof Mary Shelley’s novel in some ways but also add some absurdity into the film as it relates to the people Frederick Frankenstein meets such as a descendant of Frankenstein’s assistant Igor whose grandson (Marty Feldman) shares the same name but is pronounced “Eye-gore”. It also has these elements that play into the modern world though the people of Transylvania aren’t happy about Frankenstein’s grandson in their hometown as well as the idea that he might do the same experiment that terrorized the town so many years ago.

The screenplay is also filled with a lot of gags as it relates to Dr. Frankenstein’s old housekeeper Frau Buchler (Cloris Leachman) where horses get antsy whenever her surname is spoken. A lot of the gags in the film doesn’t just play into some of the offbeat humor of the film but also in moments that involve the creature (Peter Boyle) who was supposed to have the brain of a deceased yet revered historian but circumstances led to all sorts of trouble. Even as the creature would do things that are also offbeat in its own way that includes a spoof of sorts about the creature meeting a young girl just like the original 1931 film by James Whale.

Mel Brooks’ direction definitely owes a lot to the early horror films and monster movies of the 1930s while it also bears elements of modern-day filmmaking. Shot in soundstages, the film definitely plays up to that air of classic Hollywood where it isn’t afraid to be artificial but also have fun with it. Many of Brooks’ compositions are quite simple in terms of its framing and the way he creates these lively and often improvised moments in the comedy. Notably in a short but hilarious sequence where the monster meets a blind hermit (Gene Hackman) as it is a whole lot of fun to watch while Brooks uses some wide and medium shots to capture the whole sequence. There are also these moments that is a homage to the 1931 James Whale film such as the machine that is used to create the monster as it’s the actual machine that was used from the original by its original designer Kenneth Strickfaden. Brooks’ approach to some of the intimacy in the film as well as the non-comical moments have him use some close-ups while providing subtle bits of humor without deterring too much from the story. Overall, Brooks creates a very witty and entertaining film about Dr. Frankenstein’s grandson carrying the legacy he tried to run away from.

Cinematographer Gerald Hirschfeld does brilliant work with the film‘s black-and-white photography as it has this very atmospheric look in the photography with Hirschfeld providing some unique lighting and moods for many of the interior/exterior scenes in the film. Editor John C. Howard does excellent work with the film‘s very stylized editing with its usage of transition wipes, iris outs, dissolves, and other stylish cutting techniques to not just play with the humor but also pay tribute to the editing style of the past. Production designer Dale Hennesy and set decorator Robert de Vestel do amazing work with the look of Dr. Frankenstein‘s home as well as the town and the lab that features the original props from the original 1931 film.

Costume designer Dorothy Jeakins does nice work with the costumes as it is a mixture of the period clothes of the past with some of the modern suits that Frankenstein wears. Makeup creator William Tuttle does fantastic work with the look of the creature as well as the look of the blind hermit. Sound editor Don Hall does terrific work with the sound from the way the thunderstorms and lightning sound to the way some of the machines sound like. The film’s music by John Morris is wonderful as its orchestral score play into some of the humor and light-dramatic moments as well as an inspired and hilarious usage of the standard Puttin’ on the Ritz.

The casting by Jane Feinberg and Mike Fenton do incredible work with the casting as it include some notable small roles from Richard Haydn as an executor of Dr. Frankenstein’s estate, Rolfe Sedan in a dual role as a train conductor in America and in Europe, Danny Goldman as a medical student who is interested in Frankenstein’s heritage, and Gene Hackman in a superb cameo as the blind hermit Harold as it’s a very funny brief role from Hackman who does a lot with the few minutes he’s in. Kenneth Mars is fantastic as Inspector Kemp as this one-eyed police inspector with a prosthetic right arm who is suspicious about Frankenstein where he keeps an eye on him while also being very funny. Cloris Leachman is brilliant as Frau Buchler as Dr. Frankenstein’s housekeeper who has a secret about Frankenstein’s grandfather as she would play a role in the monster’s freedom.

Madeline Kahn is excellent as Frankenstein’s fiancée Elizabeth as this socialite who wants to remain pure as Kahn is just delightful to watch while her scene in meeting the monster is just a riot. Marty Feldman is phenomenal as Igor as Frankenstein’s humpback assistant who is also the grandson of the original Igor as he says some very funny things as well as create a moment that would inspire one of the greatest rock songs ever made. Teri Garr is amazing as Inga as Frankenstein’s assistant who would also have her funny moments but also be someone who can calm Frankenstein where she would eventually become his love interest. Peter Boyle is great as the monster as this large man with an abnormal brain where Boyle doesn’t get to say much but his physical presence and awkward comedic timing makes him a joy to watch as he nearly steals the film from everyone. Finally, there’s Gene Wilder in a sensational performance as Frederick Frankenstein as this man of science who is reluctant to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps where his desire for recognition in the field has him crazed where Wilder is full of energy and bravado in what is one of his defining performances.

Young Frankenstein is a spectacular film from Mel Brooks that features great performances from Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Teri Garr, Marty Feldman, and Madeline Kahn. Along with a superb supporting cast, visual homage to the 1931 James Whale film, gorgeous visuals, and some hilarious moments. It’s a film that isn’t just one of the most inventive comedies ever made but it’s also a film that manages to be entertaining through and through. In the end, Young Frankenstein is a tremendous film from Mel Brooks.

Mel Brooks Films: The Producers - (Twelve Chairs) - Blazing Saddles - (Silent Movie) - High Anxiety - (History of the World, Part 1) - Spaceballs - (Life Stinks) - Robin Hood: Men in Tights - (Dracula: Dead and Loving It)

© thevoid99 2016

Dick (1999 film)

Directed by Andrew Fleming and written by Fleming and Sheryl Longin, Dick is the story of two teenage girls who meet Richard Nixon as they become secret youth advisors only to reveal his secrets to Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein as the mysterious Deep Throat. A fictional take on the Watergate scandal that led to Nixon’s resignation, the film is a comedic story about the ideas of who Deep Throat in the form of two sweet-natured but dim-witted girls. Starring Kirsten Dunst, Michelle Williams, Ana Gasteyer, Will Ferrell, Bruce McCullough, Jim Breuer, Saul Rubinek, Teri Garr, Dave Foley, Harry Shearer, and Dan Hedaya as Richard Nixon. Dick is a truly hilarious and entertaining film from Andrew Fleming.

The film is a fictional take on the Watergate scandal that destroyed the political career of President Richard Nixon who would resign in disgrace in August of 1974 after some revelations over what happened at the Watergate Hotel two years earlier by people in his administration. All of it revolves around two teenage girls where one of them was living in the Watergate hotel as they were mailing a letter to win a contest to meet Bobby Sherman where they run into G. Gordon Liddy (Harry Shearer) and led to the arrest of several men connected to the Nixon administration. Upon meeting Nixon during a school field trip by befriending his dog Checkers, they become secret youth advisors where they would influence Nixon to connect with the American public until they learn who he really is where they would reveal their information to Bob Woodward (Will Ferrell) and Carl Bernstein (Bruce McCullough).

The film’s screenplay definitely focuses on the antics of Betsy Jobs (Kirsten Dunst) and Arlene Lorenzo (Michelle Williams) as they’re just a couple of American teenage girls who love everything that was around in the 1970s. Yet, their encounter with Nixon is one of many accidents that occur as they would be involved in some of Nixon’s great achievements during his second term while be responsible for things such as the 18 ½ minute gap that was missing from one of the tapes Nixon recorded. Many of the people that are involved with the Watergate story are portrayed for laughs such as Nixon’s attorney John Dean (Jim Breuer) as a very innocent man who feels guilty while G. Gordon Liddy is seen as a buffoon. Woodward and Bernstein are also portrayed for laughs with Bernstein as this smallish ladies man while Woodward is seen as the desperate straight man. Even some of the dialogue maintains the sense of humor such as a scene where Arlene asks Betsy about the meaning of Deep Throat which Betsy whispers into Arlene’s ear as it shows how innocent they are.

Andrew Fleming’s direction is quite straightforward in terms of the world that is the 1970s in Washington D.C. as it plays into the lives of these two young girls. Some of which involves antics that are quite funny as it plays to how dim-witted the girls are at times yet they mean well. Even as it includes a very hilarious subplot where Arlene falls for Nixon as she would be the cause that would have Nixon erase 18 ½ minutes from tapes he had recorded. There’s also some dramatic liberties that Fleming takes advantage in order to keep things funny such as the Nixon-Leonid Brezhnev peace accord. Much of the compositions are simple in order to create something that feels naturalistic as well as in scenes to re-create important moments in history. Especially in the idea that a couple of young girls would be the one that would be the one to take Nixon down. Overall, Fleming creates a very witty and fun film about two girls taking down Richard Nixon.

Cinematographer Alex Gruszynski does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography as it‘s very colorful to play into much of the sunny look of Washington D.C. as well as some of the interiors and lighting such as the Watergate break-in. Editor Mia Goldman does terrific work with the editing as it‘s straightforward with some stylish jump-cuts and montages to play into the film‘s humor. Production designer Barbara Dunphy, with set decorator Donald Elmblad and art director Lucinda Zak, does brilliant work with the look of the Oval Office and some parts of the White House as well as Arlene‘s room and her wall that featured Bobby Sherman at one point only to be replaced by Nixon. Costume designer Deborah Everton does fantastic work with the costumes from the youthful clothes that the girls wear that expresses their love of fashion.

Visual effects supervisors Michael Lennick and Ray McMillan do nice work with some of the few visual effects such as backdrops for some scenes set in the White House exteriors. Sound editor Steve D. Williams does superb work with the sound from the way some of the police sirens sound to some of the things that occur inside the White House including the sound of the tape recordings. The film’s music by John Debney is pretty as it‘s mostly low-key which is just orchestral music to play into the suspense and humor while music supervisor Ralph Sall creates an absolutely delightful soundtrack that features music from the Jackson 5, Yes, Grand Funk Railroad, Elton John, ABBA, LaBelle, George McCrae, Harry Nilsson, Bread, Love Unlimited Orchestra, Redbone, David Essex, Carly Simon, and a couple of covers by Michelle Williams and Sixpence None the Richer.

The casting by Pam Dixon is incredible as it features one hell of an ensemble that includes small roles from Ryan Reynolds as a boy Betsy flirts with at Bob Haldeman’s house, Devon Gummersall as Betsy’s stoner brother Larry, French Stewart as a TV interviewer at the beginning of the film, G.D. Spradlin in one of his final performances as Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee, Ana Gasteyer as the President’s secretary Rose Mary Woods, Ted McGinley as Arlene’s mother’s new boyfriend, Karl Pruner and Shannon Lawson as Betsy’s parents, Len Doncheff as Leonid Brezhnev, and Teri Garr as Arlene’s lonely mother. Harry Shearer is terrific as the very threatening but buffoonish G. Gordon Liddy while Dave Foley is excellent as the White House Chief of Staff Bob Haldeman who is depicted as a total asshole. Jim Breuer is fantastic as Nixon’s lawyer John Dean who would feel guilty for working with Nixon while Saul Rubinek is wonderful as Henry Kissinger who often feels left out by Nixon while having a great duet of Hello Dolly with Brezhnev.

Will Ferrell and Bruce McCullough are hilarious in their respective roles as Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein with Ferrell as the straight man who is trying to maintain his serious reputation while McCullough brings a more comical approach to the role of Bernstein in his attempt to be very good-looking. Dan Hedaya is phenomenal as the titular character as he brings a lot of humor to the role of Nixon while being a mean man who kicks his dog and is very prejudice as Hedaya puts a lot of gravitas as Richard Nixon. Finally, there’s Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams in sensational performances in their respective roles as Betsy and Arlene. Dunst is the more ditzy of the two as she has this charm that makes her so delightful to watch while Williams is the more introverted as she falls for Nixon. The two together have great chemistry together in the way they play out each other as well as admit the fact that they are dumb girls.

Dick is a remarkable film from Andrew Fleming that features amazing performances from Kirsten Dunst, Michelle Williams, and Dan Hedaya as Richard Nixon. It’s a film that manages to take a unique premise and make it very enjoyable while it is also oddly compelling for the fact that it does play with American history. Even to the point of subverting some facts and things that really happened and get away with it. In the end, Dick is an incredible film from Andrew Fleming.

© thevoid99 2014

Head (1968 film)

Directed by Bob Rafelson and written by Bob Rafelson and Jack Nicholson, Head is an off-the-wall film where the pop group the Monkees encounter elements of surrealism as they spoof on themselves. A mish-mash of various genres with political overtones of the late 1960s, the film is an antithesis of the TV show the pop group starred in where it doesn’t play into the comical sensibilities that made them popular. Featuring appearances from Annette Funicello, Sonny Liston, Victor Mature, Frank Zappa, Jack Nicholson, and Timothy Carey. Head is a strange yet exhilarating film from Bob Rafelson and the Monkees.

The film is about the Monkees trying to dismantle their teen-pop image in this crazed, psychedelic-inspired film where a lot happens and nothing really makes sense. All of which involve the Monkees in an array of strange sequences where the fourth wall, at times, gets broken as they’re making a film where they often struggle with what they’re doing. The film’s screenplay by Bob Rafelson and Jack Nicholson has this sense of improvisation where it is clear that they’re making things up as they went along. That sense of improvisation has the Monkees play out fantasies of war and parties along with individual moments to showcase what Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork would want. There’s also cameos that get added into the story as some of these people like Frank Zappa appear to guide them but often into strange directions.

Rafelson’s direction starts and ends with this very dizzying sequence of the band jumping off a bridge that would lead to these psychedelic-drenched images with the music of the Monkees playing in the background. Rafelson would create some unique compositions while having the Monkees play out fantasies in war films, Westerns, silent comedy, and a musical along with a live performance of the band to showcase the hysteria they had caused in their hey-day. Though some of these moments are essentially a product of its time as it is set during a turbulent period of the 1960s such as the Vietnam War. Some of the humor in the film that Rafelson presents is either ironic or very dark as it plays into the Monkees struggling with their image as well as their identity and a gigantic Victor Mature. Overall, Rafelson creates a messy yet very enjoyable film about the Monkees going into a strange adventure.

Cinematographer Michel Hugo does excellent work with the film‘s very colorful cinematography with its array of psychedelic lights for some of the parties scenes along with some unique lighting for some scenes inside the box plus some photographic effects in the psychedelic moments. Editor Mike Pozen, with additional work from Monte Hellman, is brilliant for its very stylized approach to rhythms with some fast-cuts, dissolves, dizzying montages, and jump-cuts to play into the film‘s chaotic tone. Art director Sydney Z. Litwack and set decorator Ned Parsons do amazing work with the set pieces such as the box as well as some of the fake sets that plays into the craziness the Monkees encounter. Sound editor James M. Falkinburg does terrific work with the film‘s sound to play into some of the chaos the Monkees encounter as well as the moments that goes on during the filming. The film’s music score by Ken Thorne is mostly comical with its mix of jazz and orchestral pieces while much of the music is made by the Monkees as it features a snarky rendition of their theme song plus original tunes that is written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, Harry Nilsson, and band members Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork.

The film’s cast is fun to watch as it features appearances from boxing champion Sonny Liston, Frank Zappa as a critic, Jack Nicholson and Bob Rafelson as directors, Teri Garr as a character in a western piece, June Fairchild as a woman threatening to jump, Annette Funicello as a love interest for a film Davy is working on, Toni Basil as a dancer in the Daddy’s Song sequence as she’s also the film’s choreographer, Logan Ramsey as a police officer, Timothy Carey as a tall man who antagonizes the Monkees, and Victor Mature as himself who proves to be a great threat to the Monkees. Finally, there’s the Monkees as themselves as Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork bring a lot of off-the-wall humor into their characters as well as deal with the situations they’re in though it sort of pales to the more comical work they did in the TV show.

Head is an excellent film from Bob Rafelson and the Monkees. While it’s a film that is odd and nonsensical at times, it’s also quite funny and refuses to take itself so seriously. While it might be a product of its time, it is still an important film as it would plant the seeds of what is to come from the next decade for American cinema. Fans of the Monkees might be put off by some of the psychedelic aspects and its lack of plot though there is enough music and wit that will entertain them. In the end, Head is an extraordinarily weird yet fun film from Bob Rafelson.

Bob Rafelson Films: (Five Easy Pieces) - The King of Marvin Gardens - (Stay Hungry) - (The Postman Always Stay Twice (1981 film)) - (Black Widow) - (Mountains on the Moon) - (Man Trouble) - (Blood and Wine) - (Poodle Springs) - (No Good Deed)

© thevoid99 2014

Tootsie

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 6/4/08 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Directed by Sydney Pollack and written by Larry Gelbart, Murray Schisgal, and Don McGuire with additional contributions from Barry Levinson, Robert Garland, and Elaine May. Tootsie tells the story of Michael Dorsey, an actor who is brilliant but extremely difficult as he tries to raise money for a play he co-wrote. Realizing that no one will hire him after his friend lost a huge part, he decides to play the part in a TV soap opera by dressing as a woman. During this time, he battles a sexist director while falling for one of his co-stars as well as attracting the attention of men. Starring Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, Charles Durning, George Gaynes, Sydney Pollack, Geena Davis, Doris Belack, and Bill Murray. Tootsie is a brilliant, funny, sweet comedy that shows how a man becomes a better man as a woman.

What happens when a brilliant but difficult actor who can't get work when he decides to dress up as a woman to get a role for a TV soap opera? That is essentially the premise of the film as it is a mixture of comedy and romance where it all centers around the character of Michael Dorsey (Dustin Hoffman) who is a very gifted actor but is always difficult as the last job he got was playing a tomato for a commercial. He also helps out other actors where one of his friends in Sandy (Teri Garr) got turned down in an audition to play a role in the daytime soap opera Southwest General where Michael dresses up as a woman to get the part. With only his roommate Jeff Slater (Bill Murray) and his agent George Fields (Sydney Pollack) know the truth, Michael becomes a hit in the show despite having to deal with a sexist TV director (Dabney Coleman) while helping out an aging lead actor (George Gaynes) and falling for one of his co-stars in Julie Nichols (Jessica Lange). Throughout the course of the film, Michael Dorsey not only learns how to be a better man but also find out more about what it means to be a woman.

The film's script is a mix of romance, comedy, and light-hearted drama where it acts as a genre-bender but it is rooted in its comedy genre. What makes this film so brilliant is a funny, witty script that is filled with lot of light-hearted humor and dialogue, improvisation, and characters that audiences can relate to and root for. The script written by Larry Gelbart and Murray Schisgal is truly wonderful in how a brilliant but out-of-work actor is so desperate for work to raise money for his own play. He'll even dress up like a woman to get the role only to fall for a woman while realizing that being a woman makes him a better man in understanding them. The film is also in some strange way, a feminist film as Michael Dorsey makes Dorothy Michaels into a feminist of sorts. Particularly in one scene where she is acting on the TV show to a character playing an abused woman. Michaels' point of view about things makes her into a feminist character who helps women stand up for themselves and such.

While the script works as a part-feminist film with a man playing the feminist, it's still a comedy but also a romantic-comedy in the storyline between Michael/Dorothy and Julie. When Michael is being himself in a scene with Julie, he acts like a jerk but as Dorothy, he acts as her close friend as he gets a sense of understanding in being a woman. This is where Sydney Pollack's direction is at its brilliance in building up the relationship between Michael/Dorothy and Julie while allowing the audience to get to know its supporting characters including Julie's father Les (Charles Durning) who falls for Dorothy. With Pollack's background in television and theater, he explores the world of acting through its different forms. Both TV and theater as the character of Michael uses his skills to play to both mediums. Pollack's presentation of the TV soap format is very realistic in how the director and producer work around everything and how the actors rehearse and read their lines.

The sense of improvisation and looseness is also key to Pollack's direction as he lets the comedy flow naturally while not go way into silly, slapstick humor. Allowing the actors including himself, to say funny lines and be in character while letting the audience feel relaxed and giving them a good time. The result is truly superb as Pollack's direction is truly top-notch and smoothly entertaining.

Cinematographer Owen Roizman does a good job with the film's look with his polished yet colorful camera work to show the style of lighting for TV soaps and such while the shots of the exterior of New York City is wonderful to look at. Editors Fredric and William Steinkamp do an excellent job with the film's pacing and cutting style that is smooth and relaxing to play to the film's unique tone. Production designer Peter S. Larkin and set decorator Thomas C. Tonery do a fantastic job with the looks of the different apartments of Michael and Julie as well as the set designs of the soap opera set they created. Costume designer Ruth Morley and supervisor Bernie Pollack do a fantastic job with the film's costumes. Particularly on the dresses that Dustin Hoffman wears as well as the clothes of the cast for the soap opera.

Sound recordist Phillips Rogers does a fine job with the film's sound including the atmosphere of TV production and such. The film's music by Dave Grusin is bouncy and melodic as it leans towards the sound of soft rock. Yet, Grusin along with noted lyricists Alan & Marilyn Bergman create two memorable songs for the film both sung by Stephen Bishop. The upbeat title song and the love ballad It Might Be You, the latter of which was a hit song that works for the film's light-hearted romantic tone.

The cast assembled by Toni Howard and Lynn Stalmaster is excellent as it features small appearances from the likes of Estelle Getty, Ellen Foley, and Christine Ebersole plus cameo appearances from Andy Warhol and a then-unknown Marg Helgenberger. Memorable small performances from Amy Lawrence as Julie's daughter, Anne Shropshire as Amy's scary nanny, and the late Lynn Thigpen as Carlisle's assistant director. Doris Belack is great as the show's producer Rita Marshall who hires Dorothy on the spot while convinced that the show's success and increased ratings is all due to her. In her film debut, Geena Davis is good as a young actress who first appear in her underwear as she makes Dorothy a bit nervous while being one of the women Ron is having an affair with. George Gaynes is wonderfully funny as an aging actor who is forced to read his line through cue cards and such as Dorothy gives him confidence as he also falls for her. Sydney Pollack is great in his cameo as agent George Fields who has some of the funniest lines as Michael's agent who keeps telling him that no one will work with him.

Dabney Coleman is excellent as the sexist TV director Ron Carlise who likes to sleep around with other women and treat Julie inferior to him as he dukes it out with Dorothy Michaels. Charles Durning is brilliant in his charming role as Julie's father Les who tries to woo Dorothy while showing a softer side as a man longing for love since the death of his wife a long time ago. Teri Garr is great in her role as the insecure Sandy, a struggling actress who has a hard time getting a role only to duped by Michael's own flirtations as she finally gains confidence as an actress. Bill Murray is amazingly funny as Jeff Slater, Michael's laid-back roommate who knows what Michael is doing as Murray has some of the funniest one-liners film with his deadpan delivery that is Murray in classic form. Then there's Jessica Lange in an Oscar-winning performance as Julie Nichols. Lange's understated, graceful performance is a wonderful mix of beauty and depth as a young actress struggling to be a single mom and juggling an unhappy relationship as she gains confidence with help from Dorothy on her life as a woman. Lange, often seen as a pretty face, proves her talents as an actress in which, she wins her first Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

Finally, there's Dustin Hoffman in one of his iconic performances as both Michael Dorsey and Dorothy Michaels. Hoffman's performance as Dorsey is brilliant for someone who is trying to be a total professional and artist who can't catch a break only to understand what women are. Hoffman as Michaels is a character full of charm and attitude as it's a brilliant performance-within-a performance that just knock the walls down. Hoffman is truly amazing from start to finish from the early scene of him acting various characters like an old man to a boy that shows his superb talents as one of cinema' finest actors.

Tootsie is a magnificent film from Sydney Pollack thanks to Dustin Hoffman's incredible leading performance. Along with Jessica Lange's touching supporting performance as well as other memorable performances from Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, Charles Durning, and Bill Murray. The film is definitely one of the finest comedies of the genre as well as engaging for the way an actor whose desperation to find work has him getting a better understanding of what it means to be a man by pretending to be a woman. In the end, Tootsie is a spectacular film from Sydney Pollack.

Sydney Pollock Films: (The Slender Thread) - (The Property is Condemned) - (The Scalphunters) - (Castle Keep) - They Shoot Horses, Don't They? - (Jeremiah Johnson) - (The Way We Were) - (The Yakuza) - (Three Days of the Condor) - (Bobby Deerfield) - (The Electric Horseman) - (Absence of Malice) - (Out of Africa) - (Havana) - (The Firm) - (Sabrina (1995 film)) - (Random Hearts) - (The Interpreter) - (Sketches of Frank Gehry) - (Amazing Grace (2018 film))

© thevoid99 2013

Ghost World

Originally Written and Posted on 8/12/04 w/ Extensive Revisions & Additional Edits.

If life at high school sucked, then it’s really nothing compared to what happens after. Sure, kids go to college after that but what happens when you meet new people and in the process lose the people you cared for back in high school. Comic book writer Daniel Clowes captured the bleakness of post-high school life through the eyes of two teenage girls in his comic series Ghost World. The comic gained a cult popularity that included Crumb filmmaker Terry Zwigoff. Zwigoff and Clowes decided to adapt the comic book series into a film of the same name that captures the bleakness of teenagers and adults in a world, many of them don’t fit in with.

The movie for Ghost World is about two teenage girls, who just graduated from high school, finding themselves starting to drift apart after one of them encounters a lonely, eccentric adult. During their aimless journey, they try to find the strange eccentricities of their dreary suburban home while pondering what to do with their own lives. Leading the cast in Ghost World are Thora Birch as the sullen yet arty Enid and Scarlett Johansson as the prettier yet bored Rebecca. Also starring Brad Renfro, Teri Garr, David Cross, Bob Balaban, Illeana Douglas, Dave Sheridan, Tom McGowan, and Steve Buscemi. Ghost World is a harrowing yet humorous film from Terry Zwigoff and company.

Enid and Rebecca are at their graduation as they watch a handicapped speaker (Rini Bell) talk about life after high school though both Enid Rebecca believe there is no future. Reluctantly attending a graduation party while Enid is forced to return to school to pass art to gain a diploma. After high school, Enid and Rebecca walk through the town’s dreariness where they encounter two old strange people Enid convinced are Satanists and an old man (Charles J. Peterson) sitting at an unused bus stop. Enid then finds an ad for a guy looking for a girl as she and Rebecca call the number and pretend to be some blonde. They bring their friend/gas station patron named Josh (Brad Renfro) to a diner to see the guy revealed to be a man named Seymour (Steve Buscemi) who arrives as he waits for the woman but finds out he’s been duped.

Enid and Rebecca follow Seymour as they learn he’s some strange, eccentric guy who collects old vinyl blues records. Enid meanwhile is having problems at home as her dad (Bob Balaban) is thinking of dating his ex-girlfriend Maxine (Teri Garr) whom she despies. Rebecca however, decides to move ahead with plans for her own apartment with Enid by getting a job. Enid takes a summer class with a quirky art teacher named Roberta (Illeana Douglas) while reluctantly taking a job search as she and Rebecca meet Seymour and his friend Joe (Tom McGowan). After getting a blues record that Enid likes, she starts to befriend Seymour who invites her to a party. Rebecca reluctantly attends where she gets verbally harassed by a partygoer (David Cross).

Enid hangs out with Seymour as they find a shared disdain towards the world as he's more interested in obscure blues and such while her friendship with Rebecca deteriorates over Enid's fascination with Seymour and Rebecca becoming more social. When Seymour finally meets a woman named Dana (Stacey Travis), Enid becomes unhappy over the things around her life as well as her deteriorating friendship with Rebecca and Seymour.

While the film’s offbeat quirky humor mixed in with restrained drama brings an eccentric quality to the film, it’s one of the reasons why the film stands out from many of the indie and teen films of the time. With Daniel Clowes’ story and realist humor, the film’s title is really about the disintegration of Americana through the world of corporate America and the urge to conform. Terry Zwigoff brings in a vast, wonderful direction that is tightly constructed with wonderful cinematography from Affonso Beato. Helping with Zwigoff’s complex direction is a melancholic film score from composer David Kitay whose piano composition really gives the film movement and serves as another character. With production designer Edward T. McAvoy, the film’s look really brings that bleakness of post-20th Century America where the world and some of its individuals ends up conforming. Another great moment is the film’s artwork, notably from Sophie Crumb (daughter of Robert Crumb) who does the drawing for Enid’s book. While Ghost World might seem to be an off-the-wall comedy, it’s also a wonderful character study film, notably between Birch’s Enid and Johansson’s Rebecca.

The film’s supporting players really stand out from its cameo appearances from Ileana Douglas, David Cross, and Teri Garr to the hilarious performance from Dave Sheridan. Brad Renfro is also excellent in the role of Josh, who might seem as a clueless tormented figure who is used as a joke for Enid and Rebecca when really, he plays a secret crush that they don’t want to admit. Bob Balaban is excellent as Enid’s father for his straight performance to Birch’s offbeat performance while bringing a compassionate performance, even in scenes where he just doesn’t understand his daughter. With other smaller roles from Stacey Travis, Charles J. Peterson, Brian George, and Tom McGowan, the film has an overall stellar cast.

Of the film’s supporting performances, the best easily goes to Scarlett Johansson as the cynical, realist Rebecca who serves as a perfect foil to the downbeat Enid. With her quick-sarcasm and intellectual remarks, Johansson stands out among the entire cast with her restrained, mature performance. Especially since she came out of two amazing performances previously with 1996’s Manny & Lo and 1998’s The Horse Whisperer. With those two performances, Johansson comes to fruition with maturity by playing an 18-year old when at the time of making the film she was only 15. In the development of Rebecca throughout the film, we see Johansson not trying to make Rebecca conform to society but bringing a realism and maturity to the point that Enid couldn’t understand since she’s too much of a rebel while Rebecca just gave up on rebelling and moving forward.

Steve Buscemi is also brilliant in his performance as Seymour with his frustrated, oddball look while being a charming, romantic fellow. This was the closest thing to having Buscemi being a romantic lead but he has an off-the-wall humor that is so intriguing that it is remarkable, as he doesn’t mind being the butt of jokes. Plus, we see he’s the kind of guy that couldn’t fit in because of his hobbies or anything. Buscemi brought a depth and frustration that is loveable while he manages to carry great chemistry with Birch throughout the entire film while having a few intense, dramatic scenes with Johansson.

Thora Birch is the film’s most remarkable performance with her sympathetic, anti-establishment performance as Enid. Coming off a post-child stardom role in American Beauty, Birch brings a cynicism and attitude to Enid who is trying to find herself in the world. Birch also brings humor in her scenes where she and Johansson torment people quietly but as the film wears on, she realizes that she’s one of them and brings sadness to a role where she’s just lost. Especially in the film’s ending where things get really bizarre and nothing in the beginning of the film is the same anymore. Enid is a character that everyone could relate to, especially since not everyone wants a shoddy job or to conform to any kinds of stereotype. It’s overall Birch’s best performance to date.

The 2002 Region DVD release from MGM/United Artists presents the film in a 16:9 widescreen format brings a lot of brilliance to the film, especially in its look. With its English, French, and Spanish subtitles and 5.1 Surround Sound, the film’s features doesn't have much. Aside from a theatrical trailer of the film plus for its soundtrack, The Princess Bride, and a special edition of The Terminator. The special features also include four deleted and alternate scenes, which really don’t add much to the film. Two of them features hilarious moments between Brian George and Dave Sheridan while one involves Buscemi talking about a record and Ileana Douglas talking about an art thing she did. The best thing about the special features is the music video for Jaan Pehechaan Ho from the film Gumnaam in the 1960s and a making of feature with interviews from Zwigoff, Clowes, Birch, Johansson, Buscemi, and Brad Renfro where they all talk about the film and the comic book.

***Additional Content Written and Posted from 9/29/17-10/1/17***

The 2017 Region 1/Region A DVD/Blu-Ray from the Criterion Collection presents the film in a newly-restored 4K digital transfer that is supervised by its filmmaker Terry Zwigoff in its original 1:85:1 theatrical aspect ratio with 5.1 Surround Sound on DVD (5.1 Surround DTS-HD Master Audio for the Blu-Ray). Among the features retained from 2002 DVD from MGM are the film’s theatrical trailer, the excerpt from Gumnaam, and the film’s deleted scenes with additional scenes that were also cut that include an extended scene of Enid and Rebecca talking to the waiter Weird Al and a scene of Enid meeting Josh as they would have sex which becomes awkward. The Gumnaam excerpt would feature a commentary track from a Bollywood expert Roshini Dubey who talks about the film and its placement in Bollywood as well as why it was featured in Zwigoff’s film as a way to play into Enid’s outsider persona.

The feature-length audio commentary track from director Terry Zwigoff, co-writer Daniel Clowes, and producer Lianne Haflon have the trio talk about aspects of the production as well as some of the visual look of the film courtesy of cinematographer Affonso Beato, production designer Edward T. McAvoy, and costume designer Mary Zophres. Zwigoff reveals the anxiety he had in directing the film as it was his first time doing a narrative film as he turned to Francis Ford Coppola for help in directing actors as he learned from Coppola that it’s something that can’t be taught as Coppola admits to not knowing how to direct actors. Fortunately, Zwigoff was able to get through thanks in part to the ensemble he worked with as he, Clowes, and Haflon had a lot of praise toward the actors including Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson, and Steve Buscemi as well as those who did the smaller roles. They also discuss some of the artwork as well as other things in the film as it’s a very enjoyable and engaging commentary track.

The 42-minute featurette entitled Art as Dialogue feature new interviews with actresses Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson, and Illeana Douglas as they all talk about the film, their characters, and working with Zwigoff. Birch discusses her approach to the Enid character after having read the graphic novel and other works of Clowes as she originally was considered for the role of Rebecca when Christina Ricci was considered for the role of Enid. Fortunately, Birch was able to convince Zwigoff and Clowes that she was right for Enid while Johansson talked about her own experiences in the film as she was only 15 years old when she made it yet had experienced a lot in her life. Especially as she and Birch both had their own similar experiences as child actors transitioning into adult roles where they both shared their own experiences in dealing with that transition.

Douglas discusses the approach of her character as well as her friendship with Steve Buscemi as they both came from the world of New York City art during the 1980s which was the inspiration for Douglas’ idea for Roberta. All three women also talk about the film’s impact culturally and socially where they’re all baffled into how young women try to dress up like Enid and want to be like her which they all admit is odd. Johansson does talk about how her fans often bring up the film as it’s a favorite of theirs as she knows a friend’s daughter who just discovered it. All three women also talk about the film’s ending and what they believed happened to Enid and Rebecca in the end as it’s one of the finest pieces on the DVD.

The DVD/Blu-Ray also feature two booklets as one is a reprinted excerpt of Clowes’ original comic as well as material from 2008 special edition reissue of the graphic novel into the fate of the two characters including their own reaction towards the film. The second booklet feature two essays about the film as the first essay entitled Séance in Wowsville is from film critic/author Howard Hampton who talks about the film and how it relates to not just Zwigoff’s other films but also how it managed to make an impression on those who saw it the first time around. Especially in how Enid and Rebecca react to the world around them where the latter reluctantly has to take part in that world in order to do what everyone else is doing forcing Enid to find companionship in Seymour. Hampton also talk about other aspects of the film including the casting as well as many of the things that has attracted the audience due to their disdain of this growing culture of conformity.

The second essay is from director Terry Zwigoff that was written as liner notes for the film’s music soundtrack in its 2001 release. Zwigoff talks about what he wanted to use in terms of the bad music that Enid and Rebecca despised as he couldn’t secure the usage of the pop music of the early 2000s like Britney Spears or ‘Nsync forcing him to find other things. He also talks about some of the other music in the soundtrack as the music that Seymour likes is the music that Zwigoff has while talking about how he discovered the music of Skip James while critiquing the music of Cream and Bjork as inferior. It’s a fun read as it play into Zwigoff’s love for music as well as wanting introduce audiences to these obscure blues gems.

***End of DVD Tidbits***

Ghost World is truly a tremendous coming-of-age film that chronicles the changing times from the viewpoints of two teenage girls and an oddball loner. With a great cast led by Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson, and Steve Buscemi, this film is truly mesmerizing for its themes of alienation conformity that is captured with wonderful humor by Terry Zwigoff. In the end, Ghost World is a stunning yet hypnotic film from Terry Zwigoff and company.

Terry Zwigoff Films: Louie Bluie - Crumb - Bad Santa - Art School Confidential - The Auteurs #53: Terry Zwigoff

Related: Ghost World (graphic novel) - Ghost World OST - Ghost World (screenplay book) - Ghost World 10th Anniversary Essay

© thevoid99 2011

One from the Heart

In the 1970s, there was no director that had garnered much acclaim or accolades better than Francis Ford Coppola. While he had released four films in the 1970s with The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, The Conversation, and Apocalypse Now. He was also among the era of the New Hollywood movement of such auteur-driven directors like Peter Bogdanovich and Martin Scorsese. While Coppola was also a screenwriter and producer who also helped the careers of George Lucas and Carroll Ballard. Though the 1970s was a triumph for Coppola, he was about to enter a decade in which he faced failure, money woes, and other personal troubles.

For years, Coppola hoped to go independent and form his own studio where he can be the head and release his own films. While Zoetrope Studios started out as an independent studio that would allow first-time filmmakers a chance to create their own films. It was also a place where Coppola would be allowed to help develop projects for friends and himself. It would also be a place where he would create the kind of films he made without the interference of a major studio. For his next project, Coppola decided to make a film that would be an experiment of sorts as he tried out creating a film with new electronic cinema gadgets at the time in the early 80s. While it was supposed to be a small, romantic-musical set in Las Vegas. The film that would be called One from the Heart would become the film that would hurt Francis Ford Coppola’s career for several years.

Originally a $2 million budget, the film was to be shot inside a soundstage at the Zoetrope Studios to create an artificial version of Las Vegas. With help from cinematographer Vittorio Storaro and production designer Dean Tavoularis, the re-creation of Las Vegas along with other sets proved to be daunting. Even as Coppola wanted to experiment with new cameras as if he‘s watching the film via video feed and could have it edited around the same time like with TV. The production ballooned into a $26 million production towards its early 1982 release. When news broke about its budget and the production, it was clear that Coppola was about to enter into deep trouble.

Two years earlier, Michael Cimino released Heaven’s Gate which was a revisionist historical western set in the Johnson County Wars of the late 1800s. The film was Cimino’s follow-up to his 1978 Oscar-winning film The Deer Hunter as expectations ran high. Instead, the $40 million-budgeted film became a huge disaster that would help bankrupt United Artists as well as bring an end to era of New Hollywood and its auteur-driven directors. For Coppola, the production and release of One from the Heart made him nervous as he released it through a small, limited release in early 1982. The film was a massive flop as it would only pull more than $600,000 box office gross in less than a week. After that, Coppola decided to pull the film from theaters as he would spend the rest of the 1980s and part of the 1990s to make films to pay off his debts.

Though Coppola would eventually recover from the money he lost in making One from the Heart as well as reviving Zoetrope into American Zoetrope. Many people hadn’t seen One from the Heart but over the years, it was being praised by a small group of people that had seen it with interest raised over the film. In 2001, Coppola released an extended version of Apocalypse Now entitled Apocalypse Now Redux to great acclaim as he decided to revisit the film that gave him a lot of trouble. With help from Storaro and American Zoetrope executive Kim Aubry, Coppola decided it was time to revisit his great failure as he made a few changes in the editing as he gives his great 1982 failure a chance to be seen.

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola and screenplay by Coppola and Armyan Bernstein that is based on Bernstein’s story. One from the Heart is the story of a couple whose five-year relationship is starting to crumble. Living on the edge of Las Vegas on the 4th of July, the two would explore different worlds as the woman falls for a suave waiter while the man is amazed by a German circus performer. A throwback to the musicals and romantic films of the 1940s and 1950s with lavish production, it’s a film where Coppola blends that style of lavish production in tune with the colorful world of the 1980s. Starring Frederic Forrest, Teri Garr, Raul Julia, Nastassja Kinski, Lainie Kazan, and Harry Dean Stanton. One from the Heart is a dazzling, entertaining romantic-musical from Francis Ford Coppola.

It’s the 4th of July weekend approaching in Las Vegas as Hank (Frederic Forrest) and Frannie (Teri Garr) are to celebrate their five-year anniversary as a couple. Hank is a mechanic who works with his friend Moe (Harry Dean Stanton) while Frannie is a window dresser who works at a travel agency with her friend Maggie (Lainie Kazan). Yet, Hank and Frannie are having troubles due to Hank’s inability to do anything new while Frannie wants to be more adventurous. An argument leads to Frannie walking out as she leaves Hank to live with Maggie. Hank turns to Moe about the break-up with Frannie turning to Maggie. Both friends suggest that it’s time to move on and do something new.

One day at work, a waiter/pianist named Ray (Raul Julia) sees Frannie decorating as they talk for a while which would lead to a date later in the evening. Hank and Moe walk around the city where Hank comes across an exotic circus performer named Leila (Nastassja Kinski). With Hank and Frannie both going on different dates around the city of Las Vegas, lots of fun ensue for the both of them. With Frannie dancing with Ray in clubs and in the city, Hank takes Leila to his junkyard as both couples enjoy themselves. Hank however, realizes his love for Frannie as he decides to win her back.

The film’s plot and story is a simple one. A guy and gal approach their five-year anniversary, split up and meet their ideal partners until the guy realizes he is still in love with his gal. That’s pretty much what the film is about yet, it’s partially told through the film’s music. Coppola and co-screenwriter Armyan Bernstein do create a simple structure to the story as where the first act is about the split, the second act is Hank and Frannie meeting their ideal partners, and the third act is Hank wanting to get Frannie back. Again, that is the story in a nutshell as it’s one that is predictable and does stray into what is expected in a love story. The problem is that it’s kind of weak since both Hank and Frannie aren’t really that interesting. Then again, maybe that is intentional as when they each meet their new partners. There’s something different about them as they meet these exotic individuals who will fulfill their desire until Hank realizes what he wants.

The screenplay really is just a backdrop for what Coppola really wants is to create a film that is more about the visuals than the story. Since the story is a bit lackluster with its lack of tension and surprises. It allows Coppola to create scenes where it’s just about the moment and the visuals. Coppola’s direction is definitely marvelous to watch for not just re-creating Las Vegas but also having the place be a fantasy of sorts for the characters to be surrounded by.

While Coppola’s idea to recreate Las Vegas in a soundstage might seem like a crazy idea because of its costs. Still, even the idea of shooting the film on location in Las Vegas would’ve been just as troubling. Still, despite the issues he might’ve had with the money he spent, Coppola was able to create something that isn’t meant to be real but rather an artificial world that the characters live in. Notably scenes where Hank and Moe are having a conversation while in the next set, Frannie and Maggie are talking through dissolves or silhouette sets.

In some ways, even with the film’s full-frame aspect ratio of 1:37:1. Coppola is trying to recreate the old Hollywood musical as there’s some lavish dance numbers choreographed by Kenny Ortega that really stands out. One is this gorgeous dance between Frannie and Ray at a bar that later becomes this exotic, island set of sorts. The other is a bigger dance number with lots of extras and dancers on the street of Vegas. If it was shot on location in Vegas, it would’ve been impossible to create.

Coppola also has his camera go out there with long sequences whether its tracking shots or long shots to create a feeling of the location and where the characters are. Including scenes where both Frannie and Hank are in different directions as they’re near each other unaware of their presence. The camera is always moving to create a feeling about what is going on with the characters and such. Despite the film’s shortcomings with its story and its style-over-substance mentality, Coppola does create what is certainly a spectacular film that is very engaging and entertaining.

Cinematographers Vittorio Storaro and Ronald Victor Garcia do an amazing job with the film’s stylized yet colorful cinematography. Featuring many of the colorful palettes of blue and sepia-yellow that is a trademark of Storaro’s work. The cinematography has a dream-like look where many of the scenes shot on the streets of Las Vegas is filled with dazzling lights as it plays to the world that is Las Vegas. Even as the camera is always going somewhere while scenes such as Frannie and Ray’s dance along with Leila’s circus act in the junkyard are filled with lush colors from Storaro’s photography. The overall cinematography is definitely among one of the film’s technical highlights.

Editors Anne Goursaud, Rudi Fehr, and Randy Roberts do an excellent job with the editing as it plays up to the rhythm of the music. Particularly with some of the dance sequences in the film as it’s also very stylized including the fantasy scenes as they use wipes and jump-cuts to play up the sensation of what the characters are imagining. For the dramatic moments of the film, the editing is leisured with its pace as it plays to what the characters are doing including Hank’s eventual uncertainty.

Production designer Dean Tavoularis, along with set decorators Gary Fettis and Leslie McCarthy-Frankenheimer and art director Angelo P. Graham, does a phenomenal job with the set design and the re-creation of Las Vegas. Tavoularis and his team definitely create what is essentially an artificial world to Las Vegas along with the small suburb and house that Hank and Frannie lives. Even the airport for the film’s penultimate sequence is definitely out of this world. Despite the excessive tone of the art direction, it is definitely some fantastic work by Dean Tavoularis and company that also includes his brother Alex and two future renowned art directors in Dennis Gassner and James J. Murakami.

Costume designer Ruth Morley does a wonderful job with the costume design from the tuxedo that Ray wears to the lively red dress that Frannie wears on her date. Even as the character of Leila has clothes that truly plays to her exotic personality. Sound designer Richard Beggs and sound editor Leslie Shatz do a brilliant job with the film’s sound as it captures the lively world of Las Vegas in the dance scenes. Beggs and Shatz also help create an intimacy to the homes of Hank and Frannie’s along with the other places that they go into as the sound work is another of the film’s technical highlights.

The film’s music by Tom Waits is the real highlight of the film as it plays not just to the cool world of Las Vegas but also the longing of romance the characters go into. An entirely jazzy score with bits of dance, Waits has a score that is hypnotic in its arrangements. With songs and lyrics by Waits, the songs play up to the emotional crux of the film as it’s sung by Waits and Crystal Gayle. Gayle’s voice soars through many of the film’s heartbreaking moments as the overall soundtrack is one of the most overlooked soundtracks in the history of film.

The casting by Jennifer Shull is really good with its large array of extras and understudies that includes Rebecca De Mornay as a young woman in a restaurant along with cameo appearances by Tom Waits as a trumpeter, Allen Garfield as a restaurant owner, and Francis Ford Coppola’s parents Carmine and Italia as a couple in an elevator. Harry Dean Stanton and Lainie Kazan are excellent in their small but memorable supporting roles as Moe and Maggie, respectively. Stanton as a guy who tries to make Hank look modern while Kazan as the woman who tries to help Frannie as Stanton and Kazan stand out as they bring humor to the film.

Nastassja Kinski is great as the exotic Leila. A German circus performer who transfixes Hank with her physicality and stylish accent as Kinski really brings a lot of joy to her character with even the little moments in her performance. The late, great Raul Julia is superb as Ray, a suave musician who charms his way into Frannie’s hearts as he gives her hope and dreams about going to Bora Bora as Julia is just marvelous to watch. Teri Garr is very good as Frannie though her character is a bit whiny at times. Even as Garr does manage to show her sensual side while seemingly having a good time with the dance scenes. Frederic Forrest is also good as Hank, a good guy who is sort of lazy but also has his moments. Though his character is kind of pathetic, Forrest does succeed in making him sympathetic as he and Garr do have some chemistry.

While it’s nowhere near the brilliant work that he did in the 1970s or some of his other films in the 1980s and so on. One from the Heart is still a very good and spectacular romantic musical from Francis Ford Coppola. Fans of Coppola’s work will see this as a departure of sorts while they will be amazed by the film’s technical work that includes Dean Tavoularis’ set design and Vittorio Storaro’s photography. Even as Tom Waits’ score and soundtrack brings a lovely yet mesmerizing quality to the film. While it’s a film that has a very bad history, it’s one of those films that deserves another chance to be seen. In the end despite its flaws and a uninspiring script, One from the Heart is still a solid film from Francis Ford Coppola and company.

Francis Ford Coppola Films: Dementia 13 - (You’re a Big Boy Now) - (Finian’s Rainbow) - (The Rain People) - The Godfather - The Conversation - The Godfather Pt. II - Apocalypse Now/Apocalypse Now Redux - The Outsiders - Rumble Fish - The Cotton Club - (Peggy Sue Got Married) - (Garden of Stone) - (Tucker: The Man & His Dream) - New York Stories - The Godfather Part III - Bram Stoker's Dracula - (Jack) - (The Rainmaker) - (Youth Without Youth) - Tetro - (Twixt)

© thevoid99 2011

The Conversation

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 1/25/05.

In the early 1970s, America was in a crucial spot with rising inflation, the falling out of the Vietnam War and most of all, the Watergate scandal that involved President Richard Nixon. Corruption, burglary, lies, and illegal wiretapping were surrounding the scandal that was around the 1972 Presidential election in which Nixon won. The cover-up and tape conversations from 1971-1973 were heard about that led to Nixon to resign in disgrace in August of 1974. There, a new sense of cynicism arrived to America along with a sense of disillusionment around the American government. Around that same time in 1974, a film about wiretapping and recorded conversations came out that reflected the paranoia and secrecy of American society. Now more than 30 years since its release, it's been hailed as one of the defining films of the 1970s entitled The Conversation.

Written, produced, and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, The Conversation is a part-homage film to Michaelangelo Antonioni's 1966 film Blow-Up and a reflection of the underlying sense of paranoia and morality of wiretapping in early 1970s America. Written around the early 70s as a script right before Watergate, Coppola wanted the film to be a modern suspense thriller with a sense of character study surrounding the film's protagonist Harry Caul. Coppola, who was coming off his success of his 1972 masterpiece The Godfather used the money from that movie to make a low-budget yet minimalist film for The Conversation. Though it wasn't as known as The Godfather movies when it came out in early 1974, the film is still relevant in the mind of American society. Starring Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield, Frederic Forrest, Cindy Williams, Teri Garr, Harrison Ford, and Robert Duvall, The Conversation is a smart, eerie masterpiece that sends chills to its audience.

It's a typical day for a couple walking in a park in the city of San Francisco. What Mark (Frederic Forrest) and Ann (Cindy Williams) doesn’t know is that they're being followed and bugged by a group of surveillance men led by sound expert Harry Caul (Gene Hackman). With his assistant Stan (John Cazale) in the van and another man named Paul (Michael Higgins) walking in the park with two other guys listening far away on buildings, they record every word of the conversation they can find. After the job is done, it's up to Harry and Stan to listen to every word, even through its distortion. For Harry, it's just another job as he is hired privately by a corporate director (Robert Duvall) to follow this couple. After calling the director, he goes back to his apartment where his day often ends in loneliness.

Privately away from his work, Harry is a very secretive man who triple-locks his apartment as he learned that his landlord broke in to give him a birthday present and later that night, he visits his girlfriend Amy (Teri Garr) for a night where she keeps asking about his secrets like why he comes in very quietly all the time. Harry doesn't have a normal life as he continues to work and filter through the sounds of the recorded conversation he’s been working on. After calling Stan's work sloppy, Harry does the work himself as he tries to turn the tapes into the director who asks for them. Instead, he meets his assistant Martin Stett (Harrison Ford) who wants the tapes but Harry decides to take them since he wanted to deliver the tapes personally to the director.

With an upcoming convention looming, Harry goes through all the distortions of the conversation where he learns of a plot that involves murder and blackmail. Haunted by a previous job he did in New York City that had a family killed, Harry feels he might happen again yet he can't let his own feelings get involved. Harry continues to work through every word and sound of the conversation as he shows up for the convention. After meeting some colleagues that included Stan, Paul, and an east coast rival in William P. "Bernie" Moran (Allen Garfield) who has been a really successful surveillance man. Harry learns he's being followed by Stett, who sends a message for the tapes to be presented to the director the next day.

A post-convention party at Harry's warehouse is held with a couple of hookers where Meredith (Elizabeth McRae) flirts with Harry as Bernie toasts Harry for his work yet keeps asking about the job he did in New York. Bernie also reveals to be a very innovative bugger who has created a bugging device shaped like a pen as he had recorded some of the conversations Harry had as he destroyed it. After Bernie, Stan, Paul, and a hooker left, Harry tried to listen to his tapes but ends up being seduced by Meredith. Dreaming that he has met Ann where he talks about his childhood illness, he wakes up learning that the tapes are gone. Then he gets a call from Stett that Meredith took them to Stett for the director to hear. Harry goes to meet Stett and the director to hear the tapes as he was given his fee. Learning that a murder might go on, Harry tries to figure out what's going on not only endangering the lives of those involved but also himself.

While comparing The Conversation to The Godfather movies is incomparable in its tone and style, both do have similar internal conflicts for its protagonists. Whereas Marlon Brando's Don Corleone is wanting a better life from his family from the mob, Harry Caul is conflicting with trying to save the life of some people in a plot that he had instigated. While The Godfather and The Godfather Part II are the more popular films, The Conversation is really Francis Ford Coppola’s best work. Bringing a diverse style in his directing were in some scenes, the camera is placed in detach setting while his close-ups and zooming in are very entrancing. It's directing at its masterful while as a screenwriter, Coppola delivers a script filled with surreal moments, especially in the third act and a restrained suspense that makes you build up for what happens. Each suspenseful moment is very unpredictable after watching it for the first time yet you're not sure if anything that you see is real. It's undoubtedly one of the best scripts ever written.

If The Conversation works in its suspenseful writing and directing, it also works in its technical achievements. The film is also a technical spectacle thanks to a wonderful film crew that includes a few of Coppola’s regular collaborators in production designer Dean Tavoularis and editor Walter Murch. The cinematography of Bill Butler (who shot most of the scenes except for the opening park scene which was done by Haskel Wexler) is wonderfully exquisite in some of the film's surreal moments along with its wonderful, dreamy lighting in the night interior scenes at the church and Harry's warehouse during the post-convention party. Dean Tavoularis also shines in the film's visual department with his wonderful detailed look of the scenes in the convention and in Harry's warehouse while getting some of the sound equipment used for the recordings that Harry works on that is very dead-on with the times.

Many of the film's genius, aside from its look and its wonderfully yet manically-paced editing of Richard Chew and Walter Murch, is the sound. The film is a masterpiece in sound thanks to the team of Murch, Art Rochester, Mike Evoe, and Nat Boxer. The sound design not only gives the film an eerie tone but also plays off with its suspense and its manipulation. There's moments where you're thinking you're hearing one thing but through its filters and distortions, you hear a whole lot more as it's a great film of sound. Also working well in the film is the film's score by David Shire that is filled with a smooth, jazz-like suspense and tone that really send chills through the film as it plays off with the sound design as well, even in the soundtrack of jazz cuts by Duke Ellington, Johnny Green, and Dave Brubeck.

The film's small, ensemble cast is excellently well-played with some small but memorable roles from Michael Higgins as one of Harry's bugging pals, Teri Garr as Harry's secretive mistress who keeps asking questions about him, and Elizabeth McRae as the model who flirts with Harry. Allen Garfield is wonderfully humorous in the role of Bernie Moran with his swagger and sneering attitude that is a great antithesis to Harry Caul. Robert Duvall is excellent in his brief role as the director while Harrison Ford brings a dark presence to his role as the director's assistant. Frederic Forest and Cindy Williams are excellent together in their complex roles as the couples of the conversation that is recorded, especially with the film's memorable line that Forest says, "He'd kill us if he had the chance". The late John Cazale delivers a great yet small performance as Harry's assistant who often asks questions about why they're recording and is seems to be the one guy who tries to get Harry out of his shell. It's really one of the more overlooked performances in the film.

The film's central performance that is widely regarded to be the best in the movie belongs to the always great, always versatile Gene Hackman. Hackman gives a very guarded, troubling performance as the secretive, paranoid, and moralistic Harry Caul. Hackman brings a sense of restraint to the role along with an intensity whenever he's driven by paranoia. We see that he's not a great man, he is very protective from himself, the way he treats women, his colleagues, and how acts towards people. Yet, we know that his life wasn't great, he also has a past that troubles him. It's really one of Gene Hackman's finest performances as an actor and he is the reason that he is considered to be one of the greatest American actors on the silver screen.

When The Conversation came out in early 1974, it was hailed by critics as a masterpiece and when it premiered internationally that year at the Cannes Film Festival in France, the film won Coppola his first ever Palme D'or (the second would be Apocalypse Now where he tied with another film in 1979). Despite the acclaim for the film, The Conversation got lost in the shuffle commercially since many film goers were anticipating the second Godfather movie. Still, 30 years since its release, it's been hailed a cinematic classic and is often considered to be Coppola's best film.

The 2000 DVD release which includes a wonderful widescreen presentation along with a remixed audio sound by Walter Murch and those at Zoetrope studios is a must-buy on DVD. The film looks even better on DVD while it includes a few features like the film's original trailer and an eight-minute featurette on the making of The Conversation where Coppola and Gene Hackman give a glimpse into the making of a few scenes. The DVD also include two audio commentary tracks, one from Coppola, and the other from sound wizard Walter Murch. Coppola's commentary on the film reveals some of the film's mystery along with some of his reasons into making the movie while giving his own feelings on why he loved The Conversation than most of his film. Walter Murch's commentary provides some more technical pointers into the film as well as his own insights into the movie. Murch admits that the gadget Harry used to filter the sounds for that infamous line doesn't really exist while he talked about some of the editing strategies he used from Coppola's notes while he was away doing work on The Godfather Part II. Murch doesn't reveal some of the secrets on the film anyway though he did mention a funny story involving him and porno magazines as a young kid.

Now thirty-years later since its release, The Conversation is still hailed as a cinematic classic thanks to Francis Ford Coppola's mind-bending script and eerie direction along with the great technical work of Bill Butler, Walter Murch, Dean Tavoularis, and company. With more recent films influenced by The Conversation that included Brian de Palma's widely underrated film Blow-Out starring John Travolta and Tony Scott's big-budgeted 1998 thriller Enemy of the State with Will Smith and Gene Hackman. The Conversation at repeated viewing remains intriguing along with the great performance from Gene Hackman and the supporting cast that includes Harrison Ford, Allen Garfield and the late John Cazale. While The Godfather movies may be his most well-known and popular work to date, The Conversation is a must-see film for anyone interested in cinema.

Francis Ford Coppola Films: Dementia 13 - (You're a Big Boy Now) - (Finian's Rainbow) - (The Rain People) - The Godfather - The Godfather Pt. II - Apocalypse Now/Apocalypse Now Redux - One from the Heart - The Outsiders - Rumble Fish - The Cotton Club - (Peggy Sue Got Married) - (Garden of Stone) - (Tucker: The Man & His Dreams) - New York Stories - The Godfather Pt. III - Bram Stoker's Dracula - (Jack) - (The Rainmaker) - (Youth Without Youth) - Tetro - (Twixt)

© thevoid99 2011