So we've made it through the 20th century and as we celebrate the new millennium; I continue my look back of Oscar-nominated films this time of the noughties. We start with a celebration of the films of one actor who received three acting nods during the decade as well as starring in four Oscar nominated movies.
The actor in question is Russell Crowe who we first met in L.A. Confidential in which he played the rough and ready Bud White. Although Crowe's physical presence was well-utilised during Curtis Hanson's film he also shone during the quieter scenes. Crowe's role in Michael Mann's The Insider couldn't be more different as he donned glasses and had his hair greyed in order to play the perfectly ordinary scientist Jeffrey Wigand. What made Wigand different was the fact he decided to blow the whistle on his former employees; tobacco company Brown and Williamson and reveal that they perjured themselves when they denied that nicotine was addictive. The Insider follows Lowell Bergman, a producer for '60 Minutes', who tried to convince Wigand to appear on the show before turning his attention to his bosses at CBS who refused to air his interview in full. Although it scrutinises the media somewhat, Eric Roth's screenplay almost turns The Insider into a thriller as Wigand's life is threatened in attempt to get him not to talk. Despite their obvious flaws, I was rooting for the film's two major characters throughout as Wigand wrestled with his personal life and struggled to continue after his wife left him. Meanwhile, Bergman's fight for media integrity was an honourable one and it was clear that he was incredibly protective of his source.
Crowe's performance is incredible throughout the film and he makes the rather meek Wigand into a likeable lead character. Crowe brings out the character's small intricacies as he balances Wigand's rather nervous energy with his occasional angry outbursts. After having watched several of his films from the past decades, I felt that Al Pacino gives one of his best turns as the passionate Bergman. The character was different from the gangsters and robbers that Pacino played in the past and I found him captivating throughout. In the supporting role of '60 Minutes' host Mike Wallace, Christopher Plummer shone and I think he deserved a Supporting Actor nod. Away from the acting, I felt that The Insider was a perfect example of how films can use the visual image to tell a story. From Dante Spinotti's grainy cinematography to its tense score everything about The Insider is superb. Although I'd watched the film before, not much of it had stayed in the memory but upon this second viewing I found it to be an extraordinary piece of work. This time The Insider will definitely stay in my memory and I feel that it would've made a great Best Picture winner at the 2000 ceremony. That being said The Insider failed to win any of the seven Oscars it was nominated for and I think this is a great shame. I believe that Crowe was particularly overlooked as his performance was maybe too subtle for the academy to honour him at the time.
Thankfully, one year later, Crowe would win the Best Actor award for playing a character who was anything other than subtle. That film was Gladiator and would see Crowe hacking off the heads of men, women and tigers alike in order to avenge his murdered wife and child. I have several vivid memories of watching, or not watching Gladiator, as I was originally intending to see it on release only for my bus to the cinema to be held up and the usher not let me into watch the movie. I then initially saw it on a school coach trip back from Belgium, before finally buying it on DVD and viewing it in the comfort of my own living room. I'm honestly not surprised that Gladiator won the Best Picture Oscar as Ridley Scott's film harks back to an old-fashioned sort of film-making albeit one made with a 21st century budget. Scott's relaunch of the sword and sandals epic would mean that we would have Gladiator wannabes for years to come but this was certainly a visual treat. The film's final third, depicting the Roman Coliseum was a particularly stunning piece of cinema with the Maltese locations acting as an authentic backdrop. Meanwhile the period costumes were incredibly designed and the score, although a little embellished at times, helped create a certain atmosphere. John Mathieson's cinematography helped capture every facial expression, every battle and every movement with pinpoint precision. For the majority of the film I couldn't take my eye off the screen and that's a testament to Mathieson's work as well as Scott's overall vision.
If Gladiator has one weakness then it's in its screenplay as I found a lot of the scenes were overly expositional. Indeed, there are scenes in which characters simply list their traits to one another which is witnessed just before Commodus murders his father. In fact I'm surprised the screenplay even received an Oscar nomination as the film really thrived in the moments where there was no dialogue at all. That's mainly due to the fact that Crowe has such an expressive face that can tell a lot more stories than what's written on the page. Plenty of the scenes in Gladiator see Maximus reacting to the situation he finds himself in with actions not words and this allows Crowe to play to his strengths. The scenes that focus on his expression as he meets with enemies both on the battlefield and the arena are some of Gladiator's strongest. Crowe's Maximus is every inch the hero and luckily Joaquin Phoenix portrays Commodus as the oily, cowardly villain that he's meant to be. Phoenix was Oscar-nominated for his turn in this film which would be his first massive role and I found him to play the role to perfection. Connie Nielsen also deserves some praise for her role as Commodus' sister/love interest Lucilla; a strong female who doesn't quite know where her heart lies. As a fan of classic British cinema; Scott has loaded the supporting cast with some famous faces including Derek Jacobi, Richard Harris and Oliver Reed. Gladiator would actually be Reed's last film role, he died during filming, and I felt it would be a wonderful tribute to the man if he were at least nominated for his role as gladiator trainer Proximo. On reflection Gladiator deserves the five Oscars it won however it missed out on both the art direction and cinematography awards which I felt was a mistake. Ultimately Ridley Scott has made an old-fashioned epic with a modern twist and has cast a wonderfully expressive actor in the lead role.
Next time we conclude our Russell Crowe quadruple-bill with two more Oscar-nominated offerings from the Kiwi powerhouse.
Showing posts with label Al Pacino. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Al Pacino. Show all posts
Thursday, 8 January 2015
Wednesday, 23 July 2014
Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Days 355-356: Al and The Academy
We last checked in on Al Pacino back on Day 232 of the challenge as we saw him pick up his third of five Best Actor nominations for Dog Day Afternoon. Whilst Pacino was considered one of the biggest stars of the 1970s, the eighties presented somewhat of a creative slump for him. After garnering a fourth Best Actor nod, for the 1979 film ...And Justice For All, Pacino starred in a number of notable Box Office failures. The one exception to this rule occurred in 1983 when Pacino portrayed the iconic Tony Montana in Scarface, a role that was cruelly overlooked by Oscar. But Pacino's career would turn around in the 1990s with three more Oscar nominations as well as a reprisal of one of his most famous roles.
That role was of course Michael Corleone who was one of a number of familiar faces returning for the third and final instalment in The Godfather franchise. Pacino had previously been nominated for playing Michael in the prior two Godfather movies even though he was only given a Supporting Actor nod for his role in the original movie. Ever since I revisited the first two films I've had a problem with Brando winning Best Actor as Michael is really the leading character in the first film. Pacino is on screen longer than Brando and The Godfather is really about Michael's journey from military man to head of the family. Of the three Godfather films I have to admit that I've never watched this final instalment due to the fact that it's been panned critically. In fact the film only exists due to Francis Ford Coppola's financial problems after his previous film, One from the Heart, failed to draw an audience. Taking up Paramount's long standing desire to create a final film, Coppola created what he claimed to be an epilogue to The Godfather franchise and he originally wanted to call it The Death of Michael Corleone. There are definitely a lot of problems with The Godfather Part III but Pacino's performance isn't one of them as he perfectly portrays an ageing Michael. Now with greying hair and at one point suffering a diabetic stroke, Michael attempts to get out of the criminal enterprise once and for all until another murder pulls him back in. The film also concerns itself with introducing Michael's natural successor, Sonny's illegitimate son Vincent, who has made a lot of enemies prior to appearing on screen. Vincent soon starts a romance with Michael's daughter Mary a relationship that is soon quashed by Michael who believes that their pairing will ultimately end badly. The climax of the film occurs in Sicily as the family arrives to watch Michael's son Anthony take part in an opera. It's here at the opera that some of the Corleone's enemies are murdered and Michael suffers a particularly big loss.
Part of the problem with The Godfather Part III is its overly wordy script as I felt there were too many scenes featuring a lot of men talking in rooms. This started at an event to honour Michael's new role as the Commander of the Order of Saint Sebastian due to his charity work. Whilst the planning and the plotting worked in the first two Godfather films here it felt forced and I mentally switched off during a lot of these scenes. It was only when the family arrived in Sicily that I felt the film really got going especially in the scenes in which Michael and Kay reminisced about their past together. Pacino's chemistry with Diane Keaton was a great as ever with the latter conveying a tinge of regret in Kay's eyes before Michael inevitably started scheming again. The closing scenes at the opera were beautifully done as Coppola and his editing team deftly switched between the performers on stage and the murders that were happening at the same time. One of the most famous problems with the film was the casting of Coppola's daughter Sofia as Mary Corelone. Although viewed as pure nepotism on Coppola's part, the role of Mary was initially given to Winona Ryder before she dropped out at the last minute. I didn't have a problem with Sofia's performance in the early stages of the film but it was only during her romance with Andy Garcia's Vincent that the cracks began to show. The issue was that Sofia and Garcia had little chemistry so it was hard to care about their Romeo and Juliet love story which was one of the movie's major subplots. Similarly, as Sofia had done little to make me care about the character, I really didn't care that much when she was gunned down in the film's final moments. Garcia himself gave a decent turn as Vincent and was given a Best Supporting Actor nod as a character who was attempting to emulate Michael. The Godfather Part III did suffer from a lack of interesting characters as Fredo was murdered at the end of the second film whilst Tom Hagen was similarly absent due to Robert Duvall's refusal to be paid a lot less money than Pacino was getting. The ultimate result of these decisions meant that The Godfather Part III was a patchy film that sullied the memory of its predecessors. Though Pacino gave a memorable turn and the film got going during its final third, this was an unnecessary addition to what was a perfect franchise and it was evident that Coppola had returned to the Corleone family purely for monetary gain.
The same year as The Godfather Part III was nominated for Best Picture, Pacino was given a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his role in gangster spoof Dick Tracy. Two years later Pacino finally won the Oscar that had alluded him for the past twenty years. If you include his Supporting Actor nod for Glengarry Glen Ross the same year, Pacino's winning turn in Scent of a Woman was his eighth Oscar nomination overall. In the film Pacino plays the drunken blind Army Lieutenant Frank Slade who changes his outlook on life after spending Thanksgiving weekend with a young companion. The companion in question is Charlie Simms, a scholarship student at a prestigious boarding school who agrees to be Slade's carer in order to earn more money. Scent of a Woman is Charlie's story as much as it is Frank's as we witness his moral dilemma of either shopping out some of his fellow students for performing a prank or taking up the headmaster's offer of a scholarship place at Harvard. Frank's first appearance in the film takes place about twenty minutes in as he's initially portrayed as quite an unlikeable man who has little time for anyone. This portrayal of the character continues into the next segment of the film as Frank cons Charlie into taking him to New York where they spend a memorable couple of days. Screenwriter Bo Goldman only really makes us sympathise with Frank when we see him spend time with his family and learn how he was blinded in the first place. This scene is soon followed by Scent of Woman's most iconic moment as Frank meets a young lady at a hotel and persuades her to tango with him. I found this tango scene to be perfectly shot with both Pacino and his female co-star Gabrielle Amwar succeeding in enticing the audience. We then continue to sympathise with Frank as he attempts to take his own life and its only due to a last minute arrival by Charlie that he changes his mind. I was perfectly conflicted about the film's rather predictable final scenes in which Charlie is threatened with expulsion after he refuses to give up the names of the pupils responsible for the prank. The disciplinary committee are forced to change their minds after Frank gives an impassioned speech on Charlie's behalf in which he berates the headmaster for casting the poor youngster as a scapegoat. Whilst this speech was well-delivered by Pacino I don't think it really deserved the standing ovation it was given by the school's pupils. This scene led in turn to Scent of a Woman having a rather cheesy ending which felt out of place after what had come before it.
Part of me feels that Pacino's Best Actor win for Scent of a Woman was the Academy's way of honouring his past achievements. His performance as Frank Slade certainly didn't top the turns he gave in either of The Godfather film or in Dog Day Afternoon. It certainly took me a while to warm to Frank and I think that Pacino's performance was a little too big for me to really take him seriously as a character. It was only after the aforementioned tango scene that Pacino captured the essence of the character and in turn Frank's attempted suicide was rather emotional. The Academy's trend of honouring an actor for his entire body of work really started with Henry Fonda in the early 1980s who won an Oscar for his turn in On Golden Pond which wasn't his best performance by a long shot. I do feel that Chris O'Donnell definitely made Charlie the most sympathetic character of the two as he was the one who the audience could identify with a lot more. O'Donnell conveyed Charlie's journey perfectly and as the journey progressed his on-screen chemistry with Pacino improved. As Scent of a Woman was primarily a two-hander there was very little room for any other cast members to make an impression. The exception to this rule comes from a young Philip Seymour Hoffman who is utterly detestable as Charlie's wimpy classmate who hides behind his lawyer father in attempt to avoid taking any responsibility for witnessing the prank. One of my main problems with Scent of a Woman was its length as it was a film that had no business running for two and half hours. Every scene felt over-stretched and I think that if each had a couple of minutes shaved off it Scent of a Woman would be better paced. I do ultimately think that Scent of a Woman is only memorable for being the film that Pacino won his sole Oscar for and if that wasn't the case the film wouldn't be as well-remembered as it. Overall I found the film to be a rather unremarkable road trip movie that contained a patchy performance from Pacino and a message that was presented in a heavy-handed manner by director Martin Brest.
To date Pacino hasn't been nominated for another Oscar but he will return once more on the challenge in his last appearance in a Best Picture movie.
Next time we come to the end of the 1990s as we invite a friend over for dinner.
That role was of course Michael Corleone who was one of a number of familiar faces returning for the third and final instalment in The Godfather franchise. Pacino had previously been nominated for playing Michael in the prior two Godfather movies even though he was only given a Supporting Actor nod for his role in the original movie. Ever since I revisited the first two films I've had a problem with Brando winning Best Actor as Michael is really the leading character in the first film. Pacino is on screen longer than Brando and The Godfather is really about Michael's journey from military man to head of the family. Of the three Godfather films I have to admit that I've never watched this final instalment due to the fact that it's been panned critically. In fact the film only exists due to Francis Ford Coppola's financial problems after his previous film, One from the Heart, failed to draw an audience. Taking up Paramount's long standing desire to create a final film, Coppola created what he claimed to be an epilogue to The Godfather franchise and he originally wanted to call it The Death of Michael Corleone. There are definitely a lot of problems with The Godfather Part III but Pacino's performance isn't one of them as he perfectly portrays an ageing Michael. Now with greying hair and at one point suffering a diabetic stroke, Michael attempts to get out of the criminal enterprise once and for all until another murder pulls him back in. The film also concerns itself with introducing Michael's natural successor, Sonny's illegitimate son Vincent, who has made a lot of enemies prior to appearing on screen. Vincent soon starts a romance with Michael's daughter Mary a relationship that is soon quashed by Michael who believes that their pairing will ultimately end badly. The climax of the film occurs in Sicily as the family arrives to watch Michael's son Anthony take part in an opera. It's here at the opera that some of the Corleone's enemies are murdered and Michael suffers a particularly big loss.
Part of the problem with The Godfather Part III is its overly wordy script as I felt there were too many scenes featuring a lot of men talking in rooms. This started at an event to honour Michael's new role as the Commander of the Order of Saint Sebastian due to his charity work. Whilst the planning and the plotting worked in the first two Godfather films here it felt forced and I mentally switched off during a lot of these scenes. It was only when the family arrived in Sicily that I felt the film really got going especially in the scenes in which Michael and Kay reminisced about their past together. Pacino's chemistry with Diane Keaton was a great as ever with the latter conveying a tinge of regret in Kay's eyes before Michael inevitably started scheming again. The closing scenes at the opera were beautifully done as Coppola and his editing team deftly switched between the performers on stage and the murders that were happening at the same time. One of the most famous problems with the film was the casting of Coppola's daughter Sofia as Mary Corelone. Although viewed as pure nepotism on Coppola's part, the role of Mary was initially given to Winona Ryder before she dropped out at the last minute. I didn't have a problem with Sofia's performance in the early stages of the film but it was only during her romance with Andy Garcia's Vincent that the cracks began to show. The issue was that Sofia and Garcia had little chemistry so it was hard to care about their Romeo and Juliet love story which was one of the movie's major subplots. Similarly, as Sofia had done little to make me care about the character, I really didn't care that much when she was gunned down in the film's final moments. Garcia himself gave a decent turn as Vincent and was given a Best Supporting Actor nod as a character who was attempting to emulate Michael. The Godfather Part III did suffer from a lack of interesting characters as Fredo was murdered at the end of the second film whilst Tom Hagen was similarly absent due to Robert Duvall's refusal to be paid a lot less money than Pacino was getting. The ultimate result of these decisions meant that The Godfather Part III was a patchy film that sullied the memory of its predecessors. Though Pacino gave a memorable turn and the film got going during its final third, this was an unnecessary addition to what was a perfect franchise and it was evident that Coppola had returned to the Corleone family purely for monetary gain.
The same year as The Godfather Part III was nominated for Best Picture, Pacino was given a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his role in gangster spoof Dick Tracy. Two years later Pacino finally won the Oscar that had alluded him for the past twenty years. If you include his Supporting Actor nod for Glengarry Glen Ross the same year, Pacino's winning turn in Scent of a Woman was his eighth Oscar nomination overall. In the film Pacino plays the drunken blind Army Lieutenant Frank Slade who changes his outlook on life after spending Thanksgiving weekend with a young companion. The companion in question is Charlie Simms, a scholarship student at a prestigious boarding school who agrees to be Slade's carer in order to earn more money. Scent of a Woman is Charlie's story as much as it is Frank's as we witness his moral dilemma of either shopping out some of his fellow students for performing a prank or taking up the headmaster's offer of a scholarship place at Harvard. Frank's first appearance in the film takes place about twenty minutes in as he's initially portrayed as quite an unlikeable man who has little time for anyone. This portrayal of the character continues into the next segment of the film as Frank cons Charlie into taking him to New York where they spend a memorable couple of days. Screenwriter Bo Goldman only really makes us sympathise with Frank when we see him spend time with his family and learn how he was blinded in the first place. This scene is soon followed by Scent of Woman's most iconic moment as Frank meets a young lady at a hotel and persuades her to tango with him. I found this tango scene to be perfectly shot with both Pacino and his female co-star Gabrielle Amwar succeeding in enticing the audience. We then continue to sympathise with Frank as he attempts to take his own life and its only due to a last minute arrival by Charlie that he changes his mind. I was perfectly conflicted about the film's rather predictable final scenes in which Charlie is threatened with expulsion after he refuses to give up the names of the pupils responsible for the prank. The disciplinary committee are forced to change their minds after Frank gives an impassioned speech on Charlie's behalf in which he berates the headmaster for casting the poor youngster as a scapegoat. Whilst this speech was well-delivered by Pacino I don't think it really deserved the standing ovation it was given by the school's pupils. This scene led in turn to Scent of a Woman having a rather cheesy ending which felt out of place after what had come before it.
Part of me feels that Pacino's Best Actor win for Scent of a Woman was the Academy's way of honouring his past achievements. His performance as Frank Slade certainly didn't top the turns he gave in either of The Godfather film or in Dog Day Afternoon. It certainly took me a while to warm to Frank and I think that Pacino's performance was a little too big for me to really take him seriously as a character. It was only after the aforementioned tango scene that Pacino captured the essence of the character and in turn Frank's attempted suicide was rather emotional. The Academy's trend of honouring an actor for his entire body of work really started with Henry Fonda in the early 1980s who won an Oscar for his turn in On Golden Pond which wasn't his best performance by a long shot. I do feel that Chris O'Donnell definitely made Charlie the most sympathetic character of the two as he was the one who the audience could identify with a lot more. O'Donnell conveyed Charlie's journey perfectly and as the journey progressed his on-screen chemistry with Pacino improved. As Scent of a Woman was primarily a two-hander there was very little room for any other cast members to make an impression. The exception to this rule comes from a young Philip Seymour Hoffman who is utterly detestable as Charlie's wimpy classmate who hides behind his lawyer father in attempt to avoid taking any responsibility for witnessing the prank. One of my main problems with Scent of a Woman was its length as it was a film that had no business running for two and half hours. Every scene felt over-stretched and I think that if each had a couple of minutes shaved off it Scent of a Woman would be better paced. I do ultimately think that Scent of a Woman is only memorable for being the film that Pacino won his sole Oscar for and if that wasn't the case the film wouldn't be as well-remembered as it. Overall I found the film to be a rather unremarkable road trip movie that contained a patchy performance from Pacino and a message that was presented in a heavy-handed manner by director Martin Brest.
To date Pacino hasn't been nominated for another Oscar but he will return once more on the challenge in his last appearance in a Best Picture movie.
Next time we come to the end of the 1990s as we invite a friend over for dinner.
Friday, 20 September 2013
Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Days 232-233: An I-Lumet-nating Double Bill
If you put a gun to my head and asked me what my favourite film of all time was then the answer would probably be 12 Angry Men. It's one of those films that I could just watch over and over again while it's also incredibly well-made. Shockingly, I've watched very few of director Sidney Lumet's other films and that's one mistake I've been able to correct with the help of this project. This post will look over the two Oscar-nominated films that he directed in the 1970s.
One of the things that makes 12 Angry Men so effective is that it's almost entirely set in the jury room and I felt the same way about Dog Day Afternoon. Though it's not restricted to one setting, Dog Day Afternoon is almost wholly set in and around a bank that is being robbed. The film begins with Sal and Sonny robbing a bank and attempting to commit the crime without being caught. Things soon go awry when they discover that there's hardly any money left in the bank and instead decides to steal a bunch of traveller's cheques. However, as Sonny tries to burn off the bank's register on the cheques, smoke starts to billow from the bank which in turn alerts locals that something's not right at the bank. Soon the pair are discovered and the police descend on the bank and, as they attempt to diffuse the situation, we learn more about our central pair. As Sonny is the man that the police are in constant contact with, he comes out of the bank on several occasions to talk to Detective Moretti, the policeman in charge of handling the hostage situation. Sonny soon becomes a local hero as he is attempting to stand up for the common man. Sonny later becomes a gay icon as we discover he married a man in a secret ceremony and has robbed the bank in order to pay for his wife Leon's sexual reassignment surgery. However, Leon is less than thrilled with this revelation and it seems as if he's been trying to escape Sonny for years. Meanwhile, the more menacing Sal is getting increasingly agitated as he doesn't really care for Sonny's flamboyance and his need to be a friend to all of their hostages. Soon, the stage is set for the final act in which Sonny and Sal attempt to escape, while the police endeavour to stop them.
I found Dog Day Afternoon to be a slow burning story that took its time to develop. It was only after Moretti and his team arrived that I really started to get involved in the film. Lumet and writer Frank Piersen create an intriguing anti-hero in Sonny, a character who we begin to learn more of once the hostage situation is in full swing. Throughout the film our perception of Sonny changes as we learn that, in an odd sort of way, he's trying to do the best for everyone. The character of Sal is more interesting, as we have to make our own minds up about him, and he really isn't as in your face as Sonny is. The pairing of Al Pacino and John Cazale is a great one and their loud and calm double act contrasts their roles in The Godfather films. I found Pacino to be more captivating here than he was in The Godfather films and I found that the character of Sonny really tested him. Meanwhile Chris Sarandon was brilliant in his handful of scenes as Leon, the pre-op transsexual who wanted nothing to do with his new husband. The claustrophobic nature of the over-heated bank added to the tense feel of the film as Sonny started to lose his head. As I'd never seen the film before, I have to admit that the final sequence had me on the edge of my seat. I felt that Dog Day Afternoon perfectly enforced my views that Lumet is an assured director who gets the best out of his actors and utilises his setting to full effect.
If I hadn't thought that already then I would've definitely to come that conclusion after watching Network. Of all of Lumet's films Network definitely did the best at the Oscars and Paddy Chayefsky's script is still widely regarded as one of the best of all time. Though I'd never seen Network before I was aware that it centred around Peter Finch's Howard Beale and the fact that he claimed he was going to commit suicide live on air. What I didn't realise was that the main story was a lot bigger than that and involved the UBS Network's head of programming Diana Christensen and her wish to put Beale back on the air after he becomes one of the biggest talking points in the country. Christensen is portrayed as a woman who puts her career before anything else and can't seem to sustain a relationship with anyone. Even her affair with the married former head of news Max Schumacher doesn't satisfy her and he eventually tries to act as the voice of reason in the film. Meanwhile Beale's power over the masses has no ends and he soon attempts to block a merger between UPS' owner CCA and Saudi Arabians. Obviously the CCA aren't happy about this and attempt to put end to Beale once and for all. But, as Network shows us throughout, people are guided by television and trust it more than they do the people in their own lives.
Coming into Network, I was expecting it to all revolve around Peter Finch as Howard Beale, but I was wrong. Even though Finch rightfully won the Best Actor Oscar, I would've said he was more of a supporting performer while William Holden was the real star of the show. Holden's Schumacher is the wise old sage of the film and he is the only person who doesn't always think about what's best for ratings. Chayefsky's satirical look at the world of television is incredibly witty and the dialogue is written with a sort of beat at the heart of it. Finch is utterly spellbinding as the crazy Beale while Faye Dunaway puts in an Oscar-winning performance as Diana. I found Dunaway to be great here also, playing the strong woman in a man's world she was almost the tragic heroine of the piece as she discovered that she couldn't be anything other than her job. Robert Duvall as the company' money man and Ned Beatty as CCA's chairman both put in great supporting turns with the latter really playing the film's version of the devil incarnate. In fact, the only cast member not to make much of an impression was Beatrice Straight, odd seeing as she won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in the film. Straight does hold the record for appearing on screen for the shortest time. Network continues Lumet's love of filming inside a certain location, with the UPS network buildings housing the majority of the film. Once again these buildings feel quite claustrophobic as they contain rooms full of people talking about meaningless statistics and programme concepts. Overall, I found Network to be a more wholly enjoyable film than Dog Day Afternoon even if it wasn't as intriguing or gripping. Network, and in particular its script, has influenced a whole generation of directors and screenwriters, many of whom have mocked the industry in which they made their name. Though Network is an incredibly influential film, it still holds up today in its own right and I do think people should seek it out if they haven't already seen it.
Next time we take things a bit easier with a lightweight comedy about the afterlife.
One of the things that makes 12 Angry Men so effective is that it's almost entirely set in the jury room and I felt the same way about Dog Day Afternoon. Though it's not restricted to one setting, Dog Day Afternoon is almost wholly set in and around a bank that is being robbed. The film begins with Sal and Sonny robbing a bank and attempting to commit the crime without being caught. Things soon go awry when they discover that there's hardly any money left in the bank and instead decides to steal a bunch of traveller's cheques. However, as Sonny tries to burn off the bank's register on the cheques, smoke starts to billow from the bank which in turn alerts locals that something's not right at the bank. Soon the pair are discovered and the police descend on the bank and, as they attempt to diffuse the situation, we learn more about our central pair. As Sonny is the man that the police are in constant contact with, he comes out of the bank on several occasions to talk to Detective Moretti, the policeman in charge of handling the hostage situation. Sonny soon becomes a local hero as he is attempting to stand up for the common man. Sonny later becomes a gay icon as we discover he married a man in a secret ceremony and has robbed the bank in order to pay for his wife Leon's sexual reassignment surgery. However, Leon is less than thrilled with this revelation and it seems as if he's been trying to escape Sonny for years. Meanwhile, the more menacing Sal is getting increasingly agitated as he doesn't really care for Sonny's flamboyance and his need to be a friend to all of their hostages. Soon, the stage is set for the final act in which Sonny and Sal attempt to escape, while the police endeavour to stop them.
I found Dog Day Afternoon to be a slow burning story that took its time to develop. It was only after Moretti and his team arrived that I really started to get involved in the film. Lumet and writer Frank Piersen create an intriguing anti-hero in Sonny, a character who we begin to learn more of once the hostage situation is in full swing. Throughout the film our perception of Sonny changes as we learn that, in an odd sort of way, he's trying to do the best for everyone. The character of Sal is more interesting, as we have to make our own minds up about him, and he really isn't as in your face as Sonny is. The pairing of Al Pacino and John Cazale is a great one and their loud and calm double act contrasts their roles in The Godfather films. I found Pacino to be more captivating here than he was in The Godfather films and I found that the character of Sonny really tested him. Meanwhile Chris Sarandon was brilliant in his handful of scenes as Leon, the pre-op transsexual who wanted nothing to do with his new husband. The claustrophobic nature of the over-heated bank added to the tense feel of the film as Sonny started to lose his head. As I'd never seen the film before, I have to admit that the final sequence had me on the edge of my seat. I felt that Dog Day Afternoon perfectly enforced my views that Lumet is an assured director who gets the best out of his actors and utilises his setting to full effect.
If I hadn't thought that already then I would've definitely to come that conclusion after watching Network. Of all of Lumet's films Network definitely did the best at the Oscars and Paddy Chayefsky's script is still widely regarded as one of the best of all time. Though I'd never seen Network before I was aware that it centred around Peter Finch's Howard Beale and the fact that he claimed he was going to commit suicide live on air. What I didn't realise was that the main story was a lot bigger than that and involved the UBS Network's head of programming Diana Christensen and her wish to put Beale back on the air after he becomes one of the biggest talking points in the country. Christensen is portrayed as a woman who puts her career before anything else and can't seem to sustain a relationship with anyone. Even her affair with the married former head of news Max Schumacher doesn't satisfy her and he eventually tries to act as the voice of reason in the film. Meanwhile Beale's power over the masses has no ends and he soon attempts to block a merger between UPS' owner CCA and Saudi Arabians. Obviously the CCA aren't happy about this and attempt to put end to Beale once and for all. But, as Network shows us throughout, people are guided by television and trust it more than they do the people in their own lives.
Coming into Network, I was expecting it to all revolve around Peter Finch as Howard Beale, but I was wrong. Even though Finch rightfully won the Best Actor Oscar, I would've said he was more of a supporting performer while William Holden was the real star of the show. Holden's Schumacher is the wise old sage of the film and he is the only person who doesn't always think about what's best for ratings. Chayefsky's satirical look at the world of television is incredibly witty and the dialogue is written with a sort of beat at the heart of it. Finch is utterly spellbinding as the crazy Beale while Faye Dunaway puts in an Oscar-winning performance as Diana. I found Dunaway to be great here also, playing the strong woman in a man's world she was almost the tragic heroine of the piece as she discovered that she couldn't be anything other than her job. Robert Duvall as the company' money man and Ned Beatty as CCA's chairman both put in great supporting turns with the latter really playing the film's version of the devil incarnate. In fact, the only cast member not to make much of an impression was Beatrice Straight, odd seeing as she won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in the film. Straight does hold the record for appearing on screen for the shortest time. Network continues Lumet's love of filming inside a certain location, with the UPS network buildings housing the majority of the film. Once again these buildings feel quite claustrophobic as they contain rooms full of people talking about meaningless statistics and programme concepts. Overall, I found Network to be a more wholly enjoyable film than Dog Day Afternoon even if it wasn't as intriguing or gripping. Network, and in particular its script, has influenced a whole generation of directors and screenwriters, many of whom have mocked the industry in which they made their name. Though Network is an incredibly influential film, it still holds up today in its own right and I do think people should seek it out if they haven't already seen it.
Next time we take things a bit easier with a lightweight comedy about the afterlife.
Monday, 5 August 2013
Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Days 217-218: A Double Bill I Couldn't Refuse
Oscar has an uneasy relationship with the film sequel. Though there have been nominations for other entries into a franchise only two films that follow on from a feature have won the Best Picture award. The first of these is Return of the King, the third film in the Lord of the Rings saga, which arguably isn't a sequel because of the fact it comes later in the franchise. In fact the only proper sequel to win the prize is The Godfather Part II, a sequel that some feel is better than the original. In this post I will test that theory by looking at both films which launched many careers while at the same time becoming some people's favourite films of all time.
The first Godfather film introduces us to the Corleone family by way of a family wedding where sister Connie is getting married to Carlo Rizzi. The celebration is also traditionally where Connie's father Vito, known as the godfather, can answer any requests that are asked of him. Vito's youngest son Michael returns from the war to see his family first time and introduces Kay to the clan. Here we meet hot-headed older brother Sonny, dim-witted middle brother Fredo and adopted son and family advisor Tom Hagen. The Godfather is arguably about Michael's evolution from mild-mannered ex-soldier to eventual head of the crime family. Indeed, after Vito is shot and almost attacked in hospital, Michael feels he needs to avenge his father in some way so hits back at the family that attempted to assassinate him. When the hit goes down, Michael is shipped to Sicily while Fredo is despatched to Las Vegas. While in Sicily, Michael falls in love and marries a local girl, eventually finding a shred of happiness before the family catches up with him and his wife is killed by way of a car bomb. Returning to America, a harder Michael becomes Vito's right hand man and is eventually made the family's Don following Sonny's murder. Michael marries Kay and the two have a son together but the marriage is doomed right from the get-go due to Michael's change in attitude. Indeed the first film sees several hits arranged by Michael while he himself attends the Christening of Connie's youngest child.
The second Godfather film also opens with a religious ceremony as Michael's son Anthony has his first communion while the celebrations see a much-changed Connie who has now abandoned her children in favour of a party-girl lifestyle. At the same time Michael is unsure who to trust as he plays both Jewish businessman Hyman Roth and family friend Frank Pentangeli. Both make assassination attempts on Michael's life and he later discovers that Fredo had an involvement in one of them. Michael is later arrested as part of ongoing look into the world of organised crime. Though at first Michael gives a statement damming the trial, he later worries after Pentangeli reappears to give evidence. Luckily, Michael and Tom find a way to bring Pentangeli's brother over to America meaning that Frank changes his statement. As the film reaches its final third Michael gradually finds himself alone as Kay leaves him and Fredo is killed on his orders. The film's end sees Michael sitting alone, having won the battle against Roth and Pentangeli, but lost those that he used to care about. Running parallel to Michael's story in The Godfather Part II is that of Vito's eventual rise to power from poor Sicilian immigrant to respected mob boss. Initially talked into partaking in petty crimes, Vito finds power after he kills off a respected crime lord. During his ascension, Vito is given the power to avenge his father's death and ultimately finds himself as the most feared and respected member of his community.
The parallel stories in The Godfather Part II are both equally engaging and really make the sequel a more impressive film from a storytelling point of view. Indeed, I found it rather brave that the majority of the scenes involving Vito's story are entirely spoken in Italian and I wonder if today's audience would cope with an American film that contained as many subtitled film. Personally I found the first Godfather film to have a better pace to it and a more simple story namely Michael's journey from someone who wasn't his father to someone who took his father's place. This gradual change in the character underlined how good a storyteller director Francis Ford Coppola is and I totally understood the motives of all of the characters. I personally can't say I was as engaged in Michael's story in the second film as it descended into more of a generic crime film. However, I found the set pieces more impressive and the film's final third was laced with plenty of tragedy namely Fredo's death which was beautifully played as was the scene in which Kay revealed that she'd had an abortion.
Both of the films benefit from having an incredibly strong ensemble cast and, as I previously mentioned, a lot of the cast became household names after starring in the films. The films won acting awards for Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro playing the older and younger incarnations of Vito Corleone. I was surprised that Al Pacino didn't also receive a Best Actor nomination for the first film and his place as supporting actor made him rightfully upset. Pacino, James Caan and Robert Duvall formed a great trio in the first film as the calm Michael, hot-heated Sonny and intelligent Tom. The second film benefited from the scenes featuring De Niro but also boasted scene stealing performances from Diane Keaton and John Cazale who both shone as Kay and Fredo. Apart from the performances, The Godfather is best known for Nina Rota's score which was disqualified from the Oscar category as it featured music previously recorded. Oddly the same score went onto win the Oscar for the sequel despite being eerily similar. The first two Godfather films are also heralded as brilliant today due to the intricate art direction and costume design the latter of which gave each character its separate identity.
Overall it's hard to say if The Godfather Part 2 bests The Godfather in terms of quality. The sequel definitely has the great prequel element however the modern day story is a bit more lacklustre. The first film is better paced but doesn't have as intriguing a plot as the evolution of Vito Corleone. Overall I would say both films were more than deserving of the Best Picture award but, if pushed, I would say that the original just outweighs the sequel but feel free to correct me.
A little bit of a change of pace in the next post as we turn our attention to a quirky romantic comedy.
The first Godfather film introduces us to the Corleone family by way of a family wedding where sister Connie is getting married to Carlo Rizzi. The celebration is also traditionally where Connie's father Vito, known as the godfather, can answer any requests that are asked of him. Vito's youngest son Michael returns from the war to see his family first time and introduces Kay to the clan. Here we meet hot-headed older brother Sonny, dim-witted middle brother Fredo and adopted son and family advisor Tom Hagen. The Godfather is arguably about Michael's evolution from mild-mannered ex-soldier to eventual head of the crime family. Indeed, after Vito is shot and almost attacked in hospital, Michael feels he needs to avenge his father in some way so hits back at the family that attempted to assassinate him. When the hit goes down, Michael is shipped to Sicily while Fredo is despatched to Las Vegas. While in Sicily, Michael falls in love and marries a local girl, eventually finding a shred of happiness before the family catches up with him and his wife is killed by way of a car bomb. Returning to America, a harder Michael becomes Vito's right hand man and is eventually made the family's Don following Sonny's murder. Michael marries Kay and the two have a son together but the marriage is doomed right from the get-go due to Michael's change in attitude. Indeed the first film sees several hits arranged by Michael while he himself attends the Christening of Connie's youngest child.
The second Godfather film also opens with a religious ceremony as Michael's son Anthony has his first communion while the celebrations see a much-changed Connie who has now abandoned her children in favour of a party-girl lifestyle. At the same time Michael is unsure who to trust as he plays both Jewish businessman Hyman Roth and family friend Frank Pentangeli. Both make assassination attempts on Michael's life and he later discovers that Fredo had an involvement in one of them. Michael is later arrested as part of ongoing look into the world of organised crime. Though at first Michael gives a statement damming the trial, he later worries after Pentangeli reappears to give evidence. Luckily, Michael and Tom find a way to bring Pentangeli's brother over to America meaning that Frank changes his statement. As the film reaches its final third Michael gradually finds himself alone as Kay leaves him and Fredo is killed on his orders. The film's end sees Michael sitting alone, having won the battle against Roth and Pentangeli, but lost those that he used to care about. Running parallel to Michael's story in The Godfather Part II is that of Vito's eventual rise to power from poor Sicilian immigrant to respected mob boss. Initially talked into partaking in petty crimes, Vito finds power after he kills off a respected crime lord. During his ascension, Vito is given the power to avenge his father's death and ultimately finds himself as the most feared and respected member of his community.
The parallel stories in The Godfather Part II are both equally engaging and really make the sequel a more impressive film from a storytelling point of view. Indeed, I found it rather brave that the majority of the scenes involving Vito's story are entirely spoken in Italian and I wonder if today's audience would cope with an American film that contained as many subtitled film. Personally I found the first Godfather film to have a better pace to it and a more simple story namely Michael's journey from someone who wasn't his father to someone who took his father's place. This gradual change in the character underlined how good a storyteller director Francis Ford Coppola is and I totally understood the motives of all of the characters. I personally can't say I was as engaged in Michael's story in the second film as it descended into more of a generic crime film. However, I found the set pieces more impressive and the film's final third was laced with plenty of tragedy namely Fredo's death which was beautifully played as was the scene in which Kay revealed that she'd had an abortion.
Both of the films benefit from having an incredibly strong ensemble cast and, as I previously mentioned, a lot of the cast became household names after starring in the films. The films won acting awards for Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro playing the older and younger incarnations of Vito Corleone. I was surprised that Al Pacino didn't also receive a Best Actor nomination for the first film and his place as supporting actor made him rightfully upset. Pacino, James Caan and Robert Duvall formed a great trio in the first film as the calm Michael, hot-heated Sonny and intelligent Tom. The second film benefited from the scenes featuring De Niro but also boasted scene stealing performances from Diane Keaton and John Cazale who both shone as Kay and Fredo. Apart from the performances, The Godfather is best known for Nina Rota's score which was disqualified from the Oscar category as it featured music previously recorded. Oddly the same score went onto win the Oscar for the sequel despite being eerily similar. The first two Godfather films are also heralded as brilliant today due to the intricate art direction and costume design the latter of which gave each character its separate identity.
Overall it's hard to say if The Godfather Part 2 bests The Godfather in terms of quality. The sequel definitely has the great prequel element however the modern day story is a bit more lacklustre. The first film is better paced but doesn't have as intriguing a plot as the evolution of Vito Corleone. Overall I would say both films were more than deserving of the Best Picture award but, if pushed, I would say that the original just outweighs the sequel but feel free to correct me.
A little bit of a change of pace in the next post as we turn our attention to a quirky romantic comedy.
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