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ACF#41 The Untouchables
Let’s talk about The Untouchables, Brian De Palma and David Mamet’s answer to The Godfather! My friend John Presnall and I give you a conversation about the Mafia and America and all the different elements these amazing artists wove together: Democracy, tyranny, Europe, America, Protestants, Catholics, WASPs, Irishmen, Italians, and all sorts of other things brought to life by Sean Connery, Kevin Costner, Andy Garcia, Robert De Niro, and Patricia Clarkson. Listen and share, friends!
Published in Podcasts
A very interesting discussion – hopefully I can do a rewatch soon.
Oh that score though!
Lavish.
I was thinking more like jarring and out of place.
I was thinking of the big band gangster music. But yeah, I know the part you mean.
It’s pretty impressive. I think it’s intended, like some of the scenes, to not hang together with other parts, but to give more persuasive power to each given scene.
Titus,
Movies were supposed to be entertainment. That means great cinematography, acting good enough to carry the show and not just from the lead, story line that pulls us into the action. The Untouchables made it on all counts. I’m not saying is was an historic movie. I am saying that if the current industry could do this well more often then I might actually consider going to movies and paying instead of waiting to see it for free on YouTube.
There were seven or eight other memorable scenes I could have put up. Now that’s a movie worth the price of admission.
Regards,
Jim
Mr. Gawron, if movies are supposed to be entertaining primarily, it is inevitable that the people will decide for themselves what’s entertaining, or think they do–that’s how we ended up where we have. If you think movies today are the greatest ever, that’s all coming together for you. If not, I suggest you revise your opinion, perhaps by listening to my podcasts-
Titus,
Perhaps something missed in translation. My point was that Movies today aren’t even entertaining much less high art. The Untouchables was very entertaining and great fun on many levels. If the industry could be at least this good regularly then they wouldn’t be floundering as they are. Of course, I’d prefer great art but I’d consider actually going to a theater if I could at least get entertaining.
Regards,
Jim
The industry isn’t floundering. People obviously find Disney & Netflix greatly entertaining. Face-to-Screen time isn’t decreasing.
So I pulled it up on Amazon prime and rewatched it.
To your point – I think – and as was mentioned in the podcast, the score for the family scenes was jarringly saccharine.
Great movie though – although I must admit the whole jury switch thing seems contestable on appeal and wouldn’t the judge have to confirm the guilty plea with the defendant?
Titus,
The internet has an ocean of potential viewers compared to those who might brave going to a theater. However, as the product becomes less and less universally acceptable, the numbers of those who actually go to the theater v. the potential is pathetic. Of course, you can generate big numbers even if you are only getting just a tiny fraction of those who could be viewing it on the net worldwide.
This is not a record to be proud of if you have the best actors, scripts, screenwriters, editors, cameramen, & special effects in the world at your disposal and can spend a disgusting amount of money in production & promotion. The target audience is 14-year-olds and they are getting dumber. We can give Darkest Hour extra credit for the public service of educating the young. At school, all they are being taught is Howard Zinn’s history. That isn’t history that’s just cheap Stalinist propaganda cut right out of the Communist Party of America newspaper of 1948.
Of course, once in a while, something of simple quality gets through. A movie just came out, I think that Klavan fellow wrote the screenplay. This is like a tunneling electron. According to the quantum theory once in a while and an incredibly unlikely event happens at the scale of electrons. The result is a tunneling electron.
If only we could increase the probability.
Regards,
Jim
Columbo (er Chris),
Agreed from a factual standpoint. However, for once we aren’t talking about fact legitimately. This is fiction and the narrative does matter a great deal. Although the ending is a bit of a legal fantasy, it really works cinematically. It’s fun and a great ending.
Regards,
Jim
Sir, none of us know what might be done or how; the online audience is massive–but that doesn’t mean people want to go to the theater. If our experience is any guide, people go to the theater for a Star Wars movie, for a Marvel super hero movie, for an animation, or for a live-action version of old Disney cartoons, princesses & all. Disney Corp. owns all this stuff now & it’s making in vast amounts of money.
That is what entertains now. If it cannot be something significantly different, then it is no longer possible to have anyone like De Palma or David Mamet.
As far as we can judge from the internet, two things dominate. First, reruns. Netflix mostly means people watch old shows. Dunno how long Netflix can hold on to the rights to those things, but that’s where the American audience is–stuck watching miserable sitcoms from the last 10-20 years. Secondly, non-art, content, the voice of the people–it’s twitchy (bought by Amazon), youtube (google), & fare like that–that’s what viewers at least in the younger demo do. Supposedly sophisticated Netflix Originals with all the dark mood about the future–a very distant third. It’s not clear that they amount to even a fifth of Netflix views, much less can they be popular elsewhere.
Again, that is what entertains now. We do not know whether you can get Americans back to the theaters–except on Disney’s terms. No more can anyone get Americans back to the anything else–the country is doing ever-more individualism. Past is not even prologue-
China is sustaining the major studios, not the US cinema-going public; hence the decline in emphasis on acting skill, which would have been driven by a prioritization of character development and the crafting of story. For the Chinese market, highly oversimplified storylines and character archetypes requiring no thoughtful fleshing-out by the pretty faces and lithe bodies hired to leap around the green-screens will do just fine — the more politically anodyne the better.
I live in Japan, and as near as I can tell, a very similar wave has been swamping the Japanese film-production world as well. From the standpoints of professional self-regard (pride of craftsmanship), and of desire to advance Japanese cultural development and self-understanding via cinema, this swamping from China isn’t cause for much joy — but it pays the bills.
Danny,
Interesting report. As the theater itself is a foreign thing to Japanese culture one might make an argument that they don’t care. However, the post-war films in Japan were very sensitive and well acted. They had complex themes with complex character relationships. What a shame that they are now as dumbed down as we are.
Regards,
Jim
You have no idea what you’re talking about, either in terms of money or stories. I suggest you watch the epics of Zhang Yimou, John Woo, & Tsui Hark in China–mainland, that is–in the last decade & a half, then come back to me & tell me how it goes. If Hollywood could produce popular movies of that kind, we’d be having a different conversation. As for money, here’s a simple rule to begin with. The studio–or distributor–or whoever owns rights to the movie–keeps about half the box office in America; a third or quarter overseas.
I don’t know what Japanese movies are popular in Japan; I tend to follow directors like Takeshi Kitano & Takashi Miike. I cannot speak to either the industry or the popular taste. If you know some of the most popular titles, I’d be grateful to learn.