Post by klep on Jan 18, 2016 7:55:29 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 11/18: Miller's Crossing
It's about ethics.
As Tasha Robinson once wrote in an article at The Dissolve, the Coen brothers' films tend to have a very strict morality to them. Characters are expected to live by strict moral codes, and when they violate those codes they are usually brutally punished. In the world of Miller's Crossing that's a difficult standard to live up to. Set in a nameless, prohibition-era, mob-run city, Tom Reagan (Gabriel Byrne) is a lieutenant stuck in the middle of a gang war forced to find his way through it. He has a gambling problem, and is frequently beset by men seeking to exploit his debt to get him to change his loyalties.
But Tom sticks to his guns, delicately working to ensure his boss makes it through the conflict ok. And while he suffers much for his trouble, he is able to get out of his debt and keep his skin. Such is the reward of a Coens protagonist who holds to his morality: he gets to live.
Miller's Crossing is a relatively early Coens film, but their voice is already firmly established. In just the first scene, we see the kind of humor characteristic of their films as boss Johnny Caspar (Jon Polito) ironically monologues about the woeful morality of a bookie selling the word on fights Caspar has fixed. It's a smart moment, but they're also careful to give a more broad note to the humor by having Caspar get more and more incensed until you're not sure if he's going to get to the end of his speech before he drops dead of a heart attack.
Of course the film looks great as well. It has excellent period detail, and there's a beautiful contrast between the browns of the city and the lush green of the forest where Tom faces his most challenging moments. And yet despite Miller's Crossing being of a level of quality that most filmmakers would envy, the Coens were just getting started.
Casting is an oft-underappriciated aspect of flimmaking, and in this movie the Coens show what an impact it can have. Every character - not just the stars - is so well-cast that you have an immediate sense of who they are just from the way they look and hold themselves. What's your favorite bit of casting in this film? How do you see the Coens' morality play expressing itself in the characters that aren't our star?
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 1/25: The Man Who Fell To Earth
Avaliable on Amazon Instant Video (though not free for Prime members), this Nicholas Roeg film gave David Bowie his first real starring role in a feature film. He's alluring and yet distant as an alien visitor to Earth trying to find his way home, but falling prey to the vices of mankind. It's the least we can do to pay tribute to the Starman. We'll also turn a day over this week to discuss Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf in conjunction with the Next Picture Show podcast.
It's about ethics.
As Tasha Robinson once wrote in an article at The Dissolve, the Coen brothers' films tend to have a very strict morality to them. Characters are expected to live by strict moral codes, and when they violate those codes they are usually brutally punished. In the world of Miller's Crossing that's a difficult standard to live up to. Set in a nameless, prohibition-era, mob-run city, Tom Reagan (Gabriel Byrne) is a lieutenant stuck in the middle of a gang war forced to find his way through it. He has a gambling problem, and is frequently beset by men seeking to exploit his debt to get him to change his loyalties.
But Tom sticks to his guns, delicately working to ensure his boss makes it through the conflict ok. And while he suffers much for his trouble, he is able to get out of his debt and keep his skin. Such is the reward of a Coens protagonist who holds to his morality: he gets to live.
Miller's Crossing is a relatively early Coens film, but their voice is already firmly established. In just the first scene, we see the kind of humor characteristic of their films as boss Johnny Caspar (Jon Polito) ironically monologues about the woeful morality of a bookie selling the word on fights Caspar has fixed. It's a smart moment, but they're also careful to give a more broad note to the humor by having Caspar get more and more incensed until you're not sure if he's going to get to the end of his speech before he drops dead of a heart attack.
Of course the film looks great as well. It has excellent period detail, and there's a beautiful contrast between the browns of the city and the lush green of the forest where Tom faces his most challenging moments. And yet despite Miller's Crossing being of a level of quality that most filmmakers would envy, the Coens were just getting started.
Casting is an oft-underappriciated aspect of flimmaking, and in this movie the Coens show what an impact it can have. Every character - not just the stars - is so well-cast that you have an immediate sense of who they are just from the way they look and hold themselves. What's your favorite bit of casting in this film? How do you see the Coens' morality play expressing itself in the characters that aren't our star?
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 1/25: The Man Who Fell To Earth
Avaliable on Amazon Instant Video (though not free for Prime members), this Nicholas Roeg film gave David Bowie his first real starring role in a feature film. He's alluring and yet distant as an alien visitor to Earth trying to find his way home, but falling prey to the vices of mankind. It's the least we can do to pay tribute to the Starman. We'll also turn a day over this week to discuss Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf in conjunction with the Next Picture Show podcast.