Post by klep on Dec 16, 2019 7:58:19 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 12/16: Dick Tracy
PULP ADVENTURE WEEK!
Dick Tracy was something of a passion project for Warren Beatty, a fan of the comic. Brought on to star in an earlier iteration of the film, he would eventually end up buying the rights himself and putting on the director's, producer's, and writer's hats as well (though he would be denied a credit by the WGA). He even agreed to forgo some of his compensation if there were budget overruns. His appreciation for the material shines through in the finished product though, which was nominated for a number of Academy Awards and won Best Art Direction, Best Makeup, and Best Original Song (for Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)).
And those Oscars are very well-deserved. The world of Dick Tracy is lovingly rendered in a style reminiscent of comic strips of the day - all art deco and expressionistic with deep, dramatic shadows. Aided by legendary cinematographer Vittorio Storaro Beatty would go even further and restrict the color palette to the same shade of seven colors, strongly evoking the limited color palette of comics while also creating an unforgettably distinct setting.
But of course the film's pulp heart is more than the skin-deep solid coloring of Tracy's jacket or the gangsters' equally colorful mugs and nicknames. Pulp, hardboiled fiction, and noir freely intermixed, and the tropes they all share are on full display here. Beyond Tracy being a classic detective of the genre, the film has a great in-too-deep kind of tragic plot, a femme fatale trying to tempt the detective away from the good girl he knows he should stay with, and great hardboiled dialog. There's even a gregarious Irish police chief, a corrupt DA, and a frameup! And of course there's elements from the comics, with prosthetics bringing life to villains like Flattop (William Forsythe) and Pruneface (R.G. Armstrong) and of course the ubiquitous radio watches.
Beatty does a great job bringing Dick Tracy to life. He's at just the right age and degree of rugged handsomeness to embody the square-jawed pulp detective, and his love for the source material helps him to give sincerity to the role. Madonna also excels as femme fatale Breathless Mahoney, alluring as hell whether trying to seduce Tracy with a series of double entendres or singing the songs Stephen Sondheim wrote for the film. And of course there's Al Pacino as Big Boy Caprice, loving every moment of his Oscar-nominated performance. He's chewing the scenery when he's not chewing walnuts, haranguing his minions and quoting dead philosophers with abandon.
With such great core performances and attention to detail, it's no surprising that not only was the film a success at the Oscars but also a box office hit - becoming the 9th biggest earner of that year. To Beatty's credit, he made the film he wanted to make and it paid off. To this day he still occasionally talks about wanting to do a sequel, but each passing day makes it increasingly unlikely. "Gritty" reality and CGI has replaced the campier, practical production of films like Dick Tracy. Like the pulp comics that came before it, we may not see its like again.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 12/23: The Shop Around the Corner
HOLIDAY WEEK!
Our pick for Holiday Week is the Ernst Lubitsch film The Shop Around the Corner, starring Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Stewart. What better way could there be to enter the season than abask in the warm glow of the famed Lubitsch touch? Join us next week for our discussion of The Shop Around the Corner, available on the Criterion Channel and for rent in the usual places.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 12/17: Brick
The podcast crew next delves into Rian Johnson mysteries starting with his debut feature Brick. Come join us Wednesday for our discussion of this film, available on Netflix and for rent in the usual places.
PULP ADVENTURE WEEK!
Dick Tracy was something of a passion project for Warren Beatty, a fan of the comic. Brought on to star in an earlier iteration of the film, he would eventually end up buying the rights himself and putting on the director's, producer's, and writer's hats as well (though he would be denied a credit by the WGA). He even agreed to forgo some of his compensation if there were budget overruns. His appreciation for the material shines through in the finished product though, which was nominated for a number of Academy Awards and won Best Art Direction, Best Makeup, and Best Original Song (for Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)).
And those Oscars are very well-deserved. The world of Dick Tracy is lovingly rendered in a style reminiscent of comic strips of the day - all art deco and expressionistic with deep, dramatic shadows. Aided by legendary cinematographer Vittorio Storaro Beatty would go even further and restrict the color palette to the same shade of seven colors, strongly evoking the limited color palette of comics while also creating an unforgettably distinct setting.
But of course the film's pulp heart is more than the skin-deep solid coloring of Tracy's jacket or the gangsters' equally colorful mugs and nicknames. Pulp, hardboiled fiction, and noir freely intermixed, and the tropes they all share are on full display here. Beyond Tracy being a classic detective of the genre, the film has a great in-too-deep kind of tragic plot, a femme fatale trying to tempt the detective away from the good girl he knows he should stay with, and great hardboiled dialog. There's even a gregarious Irish police chief, a corrupt DA, and a frameup! And of course there's elements from the comics, with prosthetics bringing life to villains like Flattop (William Forsythe) and Pruneface (R.G. Armstrong) and of course the ubiquitous radio watches.
Beatty does a great job bringing Dick Tracy to life. He's at just the right age and degree of rugged handsomeness to embody the square-jawed pulp detective, and his love for the source material helps him to give sincerity to the role. Madonna also excels as femme fatale Breathless Mahoney, alluring as hell whether trying to seduce Tracy with a series of double entendres or singing the songs Stephen Sondheim wrote for the film. And of course there's Al Pacino as Big Boy Caprice, loving every moment of his Oscar-nominated performance. He's chewing the scenery when he's not chewing walnuts, haranguing his minions and quoting dead philosophers with abandon.
With such great core performances and attention to detail, it's no surprising that not only was the film a success at the Oscars but also a box office hit - becoming the 9th biggest earner of that year. To Beatty's credit, he made the film he wanted to make and it paid off. To this day he still occasionally talks about wanting to do a sequel, but each passing day makes it increasingly unlikely. "Gritty" reality and CGI has replaced the campier, practical production of films like Dick Tracy. Like the pulp comics that came before it, we may not see its like again.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 12/23: The Shop Around the Corner
HOLIDAY WEEK!
Our pick for Holiday Week is the Ernst Lubitsch film The Shop Around the Corner, starring Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Stewart. What better way could there be to enter the season than abask in the warm glow of the famed Lubitsch touch? Join us next week for our discussion of The Shop Around the Corner, available on the Criterion Channel and for rent in the usual places.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 12/17: Brick
The podcast crew next delves into Rian Johnson mysteries starting with his debut feature Brick. Come join us Wednesday for our discussion of this film, available on Netflix and for rent in the usual places.