Post by klep on Nov 27, 2017 7:49:18 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 11/27: Bound
FOURTH WEEK OF NOIRVEMBER: MODERN NOIR!
As noir has been further and further explored in more recent decades, filmmakers have continued to find more and more ways to interrogate its tropes and its context. In Bound, the then-unknown Wachowski sisters burst on to the scene by looking at its genre politics in a clever way - by flipping the gender of the protagonist.
The classic noir protagonist can be a number of things - a crook, a vagrant, a cop, a detective, or some other career man. But he's always a he, and in a society and genre with certain expectations of masculinity that does certain things to the narrative. A man is "supposed" to act in certain ways, and other characters base their assumptions of the protagonist in that gender structure. Changing the protagonist's gender changes how the narrative works around them.
The rest of the setup is the same as it normally would be. The femme fatale is still femme. There's some money. There's serious risk to life and limb. There's trust issues. The works.
The first time things deviate from the standard script is when Caesar (Joey Pantoliano) walks in on Corky (Gina Gershon) and Violet (Jennifer Tilly) for the first time. He's initially incensed at the thought Violet is cheating on him, but when he realizes Corky is a woman, all suspicion disappears and he becomes friendly. For almost the entire film the women manage to avoid suspicion because it would never occur to the mobsters that they would be capable of crossing them. The plan still goes awry - as it always does in a noir - but only because of the overwhelming machismo of the men. Johnnie (Christopher Meloni) and Caesar just can't let a thing lie; they each need to be the alpha and it brings tragic consequences.
Even after Caesar learns the score, he underestimates the women's intelligence and determination. Even as Violet rescues him (and herself) from his own stupidity multiple times he still things he's on top of the situation. It's not until Violet shoots him in the chest that he realizes how badly he had her read. And because the mob thinks it far more likely that Caesar ran than that Violet and Corky scammed them, the women get to ride off into the sunset together.
The Wachowskis stage the action brilliantly, placing Corky and Violet/Caesar in adjoining apartments with paper-thin walls. It creates incredible drama and tension as Corky can always hear what's going on next door, and the Wachowskis' interest in architecture serves them well in the brilliant overhead shots that move from apartment to apartment. Bound was only the Wachowskis' first feature, but with the talent and originality on display in it, it's no surprise they were entrusted with a big budget for The Matrix and forever enshrine themselves in cinema's canon.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 12/4: Paris Is Burning
THANKSGIVING WEEK!
This year we're particularly thankful for Paris Is Burning, a documentary which explored the ball culture in New York City in the 1980s, a community heavily populated by people of color and LGBT individuals. It provided many people in America with an invaluable example of representation on-screen and a validation & celebration of their identities. Paris Is Burning is available on Netflix Instant and on YouTube.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 11/28: State and Main
This week's podcast pairs Martin McDonagh's new Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri with the work of another gifted wordsmith David Mamet in State and Main. We'll have a thread for discussing the older film on Wednesday. State and Main is available for purchase on Amazon Video.
FOURTH WEEK OF NOIRVEMBER: MODERN NOIR!
As noir has been further and further explored in more recent decades, filmmakers have continued to find more and more ways to interrogate its tropes and its context. In Bound, the then-unknown Wachowski sisters burst on to the scene by looking at its genre politics in a clever way - by flipping the gender of the protagonist.
The classic noir protagonist can be a number of things - a crook, a vagrant, a cop, a detective, or some other career man. But he's always a he, and in a society and genre with certain expectations of masculinity that does certain things to the narrative. A man is "supposed" to act in certain ways, and other characters base their assumptions of the protagonist in that gender structure. Changing the protagonist's gender changes how the narrative works around them.
The rest of the setup is the same as it normally would be. The femme fatale is still femme. There's some money. There's serious risk to life and limb. There's trust issues. The works.
The first time things deviate from the standard script is when Caesar (Joey Pantoliano) walks in on Corky (Gina Gershon) and Violet (Jennifer Tilly) for the first time. He's initially incensed at the thought Violet is cheating on him, but when he realizes Corky is a woman, all suspicion disappears and he becomes friendly. For almost the entire film the women manage to avoid suspicion because it would never occur to the mobsters that they would be capable of crossing them. The plan still goes awry - as it always does in a noir - but only because of the overwhelming machismo of the men. Johnnie (Christopher Meloni) and Caesar just can't let a thing lie; they each need to be the alpha and it brings tragic consequences.
Even after Caesar learns the score, he underestimates the women's intelligence and determination. Even as Violet rescues him (and herself) from his own stupidity multiple times he still things he's on top of the situation. It's not until Violet shoots him in the chest that he realizes how badly he had her read. And because the mob thinks it far more likely that Caesar ran than that Violet and Corky scammed them, the women get to ride off into the sunset together.
The Wachowskis stage the action brilliantly, placing Corky and Violet/Caesar in adjoining apartments with paper-thin walls. It creates incredible drama and tension as Corky can always hear what's going on next door, and the Wachowskis' interest in architecture serves them well in the brilliant overhead shots that move from apartment to apartment. Bound was only the Wachowskis' first feature, but with the talent and originality on display in it, it's no surprise they were entrusted with a big budget for The Matrix and forever enshrine themselves in cinema's canon.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 12/4: Paris Is Burning
THANKSGIVING WEEK!
This year we're particularly thankful for Paris Is Burning, a documentary which explored the ball culture in New York City in the 1980s, a community heavily populated by people of color and LGBT individuals. It provided many people in America with an invaluable example of representation on-screen and a validation & celebration of their identities. Paris Is Burning is available on Netflix Instant and on YouTube.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 11/28: State and Main
This week's podcast pairs Martin McDonagh's new Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri with the work of another gifted wordsmith David Mamet in State and Main. We'll have a thread for discussing the older film on Wednesday. State and Main is available for purchase on Amazon Video.