De Palma. When talking about De Palma people either start with either a) talking about him as a brilliant technician/stylist or b) talk about him being a Hitchcock imitator or c) talk about him the maker of dumbish’ pulp films. I think all three things are somewhat undeniable and I officially have no problem with them. I mean Obsession is a pretty straight Vertigo remake. Dressed to Kill has elements of Psycho but it certainly doesn’t stop there either with Hitchcock or other homages or pilfering. A brilliant sequence in The Untouchables steals from the Odessa Steps sequence in Battleship Potemkin. Scarface is obviously an updated remake of the early Howard Hawks gangster film and De Palma has an entire movie called Femme Fatale. I appreciate De Palma’s visual style and nearly his entire oeuvre. He has three films in the top 500 which is strong this far down the list. His best work was from 1976-1987- his 5 best films during that stretch (he gave us 4 of the top 100 films of the 1980’s). He’s such a great technician that even his bad fims (and he’s made a few) have some bravura sequences.
Best film: Blow Out. The finale is such a grand visual spectacle. It’s good narrative (like The Conversation from Coppola this is taken from Antonioni’s Blow Out) and has all the De Palma elements—and the fireworks slow-motion sequence is De Palma’s zenith.
total archiveable films: 13
top 100 films: 0
top 500 films: 3 (Blow Out, Carrie, Scarface)
top 100 films of the decade: 5 (Blow Out, Carrie, Scarface, The Untouchables, Dressed to Kill)
most overrated: Not a thing for De Palma here- he has three films in the top 1000 on TSPDT (Blow Out, Carrie and Scarface and all three are either rated correctly or underrated).
most underrated: Blow Out- it’s #684 on TSPDT but I’m at #189 so we’re 500 slots off- substantial disconnect here. Mission Impossible, Snake Eyes, and Femme Fatale all have metacritic scores in the 50’s and are in my archives.
gem I want to spotlight: Dressed to Kill– Ebert said “De Palma is not yet an artist of Hitchcock’s stature, but he does earn the right to a comparison.” This film is perfect De Palma. It’s pulpy (almost soap opera-y at times) and part Hitchcock— and 100% technically stunning.
stylistic innovations/traits: Yes, amongst the many, he is the A-1 Hitchcock disciple. This is not easy (De Palma’s to imitate Hitchcock come off much more successfully than Truffaut) and if you’re going to pick an auteur to pattern yourself after – Hitchcock is a good one (he’s #1 on this list). De Palma has some original touches too- he goes to slow-motion (which Hitchcock didn’t) and he basically invented the split-screen shot and the gorgeous split diopter shot. Other shots (the overhead shot from Psycho, the POV shot, the 360 swirling tracking shot from (Vertigo) he used so often he made his own (and when someone like Tarantino talks about them he says he got them from De Palma). He’s such a gifted technician and adored those stunning long rolling tracking shots. He’s not Hitchcock and honestly never really tried to top the great master. He’s a visual master and frankly, gave us some of the better directed sequences (the opening of Carrie, the end of Blow Out) of the 70’s and 80’s. I cherish his oeuvre.
top 10
- Blow Out
- Carrie
- Scarface
- The Untouchables
- Dressed to Kill
- Carlito’s Way
- Mission Impossible
- Sisters
- Femme Fatale
- Casualties of War
By year and grades
| 1973- Sisters | R |
| 1976- Carrie | MS |
| 1976- Obsession | R |
| 1978- The Fury | R |
| 1980- Dressed To Kill | HR |
| 1981- Blow Out | MP |
| 1983- Scarface | MS |
| 1987- Untouchables | HR |
| 1989- Casualties of War | R |
| 1993- Carlito’s Way | R/HR |
| 1996- Mission Impossible | R |
| 1998- Snake Eyes | R |
| 2002- Femme Fatale | R |
*MP is Masterpiece- top 1-3 quality of the year film
MS is Must-see- top 5-6 quality of the year film
HR is Highly Recommend- top 10 quality of the year film
R is Recommend- outside the top 10 of the year quality film but still in the archives
How many archivable films does De Palma have now?
Brian De Palma Study Summary:
Brian De Palma has been a favorite of mine for years, so it was only a matter of time before I got to a full-on study. His films tend to be highly rewatchable, and I was excited to go through his classics but there were also several films in the Study that I had not viewed previously. In total I reviewed 18 De Palma films and covered what I believe to be all of his most highly acclaimed films. While he excels in the thriller/mystery genre, he has shown a willingness to try his hand in new territory with mixed results although even the misses often have admirable ambition
Throughout his career De Palma has been accused of thieving from the great Alfred Hitchcock. I for the most part reject the notion of De Palma as an unworthy Hitchcock wannabe because despite all the thematic similarities and some of the stylistic choices De Palma still has a style that he can call his own. Of course, many greats are inspired by predecessors, but it is much more extreme with De Palma. There is no denying that he is more derivative than almost any other auteur I have covered aside from possibly Quentin Tarantino. But being derivative does not necessarily mean lacking creativity as De Palma and Tarantino both are tremendous directors and screenwriters. In a way it is similar to how the Rolling Stones were accused of copying the music from American blues artists. Of course, that criticism has a racial element to it that is not present in De Palma’s relationship with Hitchcock’s work. However, it is similar conceptually; the Rolling Stones idolized American Blues Artists like Howlin Wolf and BB King but still created their own distinct musical style.
De Palma is a maestro moving the camera with incredible tracking shots, whip pans, and smooth 360-degree pans. It often it seems like De Palma’s camera is floating through the interior of buildings, houses, museums, etc. He has long sequences with little dialogue like the Museum sequence in Dressed to Kill (1980) or the Mall and Beach sequence in Body Double (1984). His films some incredible chase sequences such as the one that lasts nearly 15 minutes at the end of Carlito’s Way (1993)
De Palma loves using split screens to build suspense. Being a Hitchcock acolyte, he follows Hitchcock’s motto that surprise is a bomb going off while suspense is showing the audience the bomb inside the crowded building and making them hold their breath. Sisters (1972) builds suspense in an early murder sequence using split screen. Carrie (1976) uses the split screen to show the cause and effect with Carrie’s Telekinesis
He also loves overhead shots, especially films which revolve around voyeurism and paranoia such as Blow Out (1981). He can also use it to start a film such as The Untouchables (1987) which opens with a tremendous overhead shot of Al Capone charming reporters inside a barbershop. Capone, as played by De Niro, actually has little on screen time but the opening is effective in establishing him as the heavy
De Palma is a great editor as well. The lead up to the pig blood sequence in Carrie (1976) and use of slow motion is incredible. He uses slow motion effectively in many of his most climatic scenes. There is the fantastic train station sequence from The Untouchables (1987). Occasionally it does not work such the end of Fury (1978) but it often results in some incredible moments like Pacino’s character being shot in Scarface (1983) before falling to his death and the aforementioned Prom Sequence in Carrie. Perhaps the best editing sequence is the brutal elevator scene from Dressed to Kill (1980). Speaking of that scene there is certainly plenty of brutal violence, which is another criticism he often faced, and in particular violence toward female characters, though plenty of male characters founded themselves on the wrong end of brutal sequences
Some criticize the acting performances in many of De Palma’s films and often the acting does not seem to be very strong and in some cases almost laughably bad. However, I think the acting is often suitable or consistent with the mood and tone of the film; I think it misses the point when people complain about Al Pacino’s ridiculous accent in Scarface (1983) to give an example. De Palma is not going for a realistic melodrama about the Cuban immigrant experience. The performances in many of De Palma’s films work in largely because De Palma does not take himself too seriously. Yes, there is ridiculous overacting at times, such as half the scenes in Scarface, but they rarely feel out of place with occasional exceptions. Dario Argento is another auteur De Palma has much in common with. They are actually the same age and started their careers relatively at the same time, so it is a bit more difficult to gauge how much, if any, they influenced one another. They both excel at making stylized thrillers/mysteries that often involve a great deal of sex and violence, and in particular violence against women.
Even the weakest films of the study still have some incredible moments such as the rolling tracking shots during Snake Eyes (1998), canted low angle POV shots from Raising Cain (1992), or some of the split diopter shots from Fury (1978)
Blow Out (1981) is his single best work. It has absolutely all of De Palma’s best traits and succeeds at every level with skillful camera movement, editing, framing, split screens, split diopters, etc. There is incredible suspense and clever twists and turns. Travolta gives an inspired performance that is a career best along with Pulp Fiction only here he is in almost every scene
Dressed to Kill (1980), Scarface (1983), and Carrie (1976) are all MPs as well in my book. There are few stretches in any of these films that are uncinematic. The level below you have Carlito’s Way (1993), The Untouchables (1987), Sisters (1972), and Body Double (1984). I am not sure any of the non-MP films have MP potential, maybe Carlito’s Way (1993) but I also think it is unlikely that I would downgrade any of these in the future as De Palma’s films tend to get better over time, which I have found to be the case with most great auteurs
Femme Fatale (2002) is a hidden gem which De Palma made after a couple of attempts at more mainstream works. De Palma brings back the subject matter and stylistics from his best works starting with an incredible 20 min set piece involving a double crossing during a heist that is depicted using split screens, tracking shots, an extended sex scene, and best of all a character watching Double Indemnity (1944) on a hotel bed
Sisters (1972) is the first true De Palma film in terms of the style he is known for. The production quality is not up to par with his best works, but the creativity and stylistics certainly are. I am actually surprised this film does not get more praise although it has somewhat of a cult following. It is a brilliant film with all the classic De Palma traits
Final Ranking and Grades:
# 1 Blow Out (1981) – MP
# 2 Dressed to Kill (1980) – MP
# 3 Scarface (1983) – MP
# 4 Carrie (1976) – MP
# 5 Carlito’s Way (1993) – MS
# 6 The Untouchables (1987) – MS
# 7 Sisters (1972) – MS
# 8 Body Double (1984) – MS/HR
# 9 Femme Fatale (2002) – HR
# 10 Obsession (1976) – HR
# 11 Casualties of War (1989) – HR/R
# 12 Phantom of the Paradise (1974) – R/HR
# 13 Fury (1978) – R
# 14 Mission Impossible (1996) – R
# 15 Passion (2012)
# 16 Snake Eyes (1998) – R
# 17 Raising Cain (1992) – R
# 18 Black Dahlia (2006) – R (Fringe)
@James Trapp – Great work here- I am happy to see Phantom of the Paradise where it is. The TSPDT consensus has it has De Palma’s third (3rd) best film somehow.
@Drake – thanks, fun study. Regarding Phantom of the Paradise, yeah that is quite strange. It has impressive moments for sure but there is no way it should rank any higher than his 8th or 9th best film and I could even see an argument for putting Fury and Mission Impossible ahead of it.
@Drake-Have you seen Phantom of the Paradise recently or archived it?
@Anderson – yes and yes
@Drake – do you still have the same top 5 for De Palma? That is compared to the top 5 shown on this page:
1. Blow Out
2. Carrie
3. Scarface
4. The Untouchables
5. Dressed to Kill
@James Trapp- the top 1000 is more recent- so it would be Blow Out, Carrie, Dressed to Kill, Scarface, Carlito’s Way with The Untouchables just a few spots behind
@Drake – I like seeing Dressed to Kill at # 3
Passion (2012)
Notes:
Starts with zoom out to shot of Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace in front of a computer screen with McAdams as Christine and Rapace as Isabelle. Christine is a rising star in the business world and Isabelle works for her
5:35 Rachel McAdams character panting in bed while wearing a black mask while a woman wearing a white venetian mask lays next to her
6:47 blue and red mise en scene
8:48 red dress stands out in the otherwise blue/white colors of the office
10 min cell phone camera reverse tracking shot
21:01 split diopter
28:51 close up on Isabell’s face following new information, I have noticed this more and more with De Palma’s last couple of films where he uses close-ups on faces after character gets relevant information
31:21 slow zoom out revealing more of Christine’s luxurious house
35:430 split diopter
36:36 camera slowly moves back increasing relative size of meeting room
37:52 “no backstabbing, it is just business” Isabella repeats Christine’s words from earlier in the film right back to her face
39 min Isabelle and Christine start beginning of a feud after Isabelle makes move behind her back
41:23 Facetime chat is used as a sort of spin on De Palma’s go to split screen
43:58 Isabelle stunned following crashing her car inside company garage, shot
46:27 series of whip pans
46:46 surveillance angle shot with Christine as center of attention at company party
51:05 canted surveillance angle shot
52:40 split frame
53:40 overhead shot
56:29 venetian blind shadows throughout office
59:50 left side of screen shifts to split screen with left side showing extreme close up of Isabelle’s eyes
1:01:01 split screen showing Isabelle on left and Christine on right
1:05:01 standout sequence as the split screen builds up leading to shocking violence with great framing and editing to complete this bizarre scene
1:08:33 canted angle and patterned shadows
1:19:01 dissolve bringing memory back to present
1:26:44 character narrating the plot twists
The final 11 minutes have numerous twists revealed and you have some classic De Palma with overhead shots, violence, and an ambiguous ending
Thoughts:
This one was panned by critics but is quite enjoyable to watch, with a plot centering on a feud between an ambitious female business executive played by Rachel McAdams and her ambitious assistant Isabelle played by Swedish actress Noomi Rapace who was great in original Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)
This one was less Hitchcock and more Dario Argento; you have the European setting, murder mystery involving an Investigation and erotic nature. You also have some Polanski with all the changing power dynamics throughout the film. There are no moral characters here, dog eat dog world, with all the characters constantly manipulating each other
My sisters were obsessed with Mean Girls (2004) when we were kids, so I have seen Rachel McAdams playing a villainous role even if that was a comedy. She is great playing smug, arrogant characters
A couple shots with Facetime chat used as a sort of spin on De Palma’s go to split screen
McAdams wears red and pink throughout the 1st half of the film
More canted angle shots and low angle shots starting around the midway point of the film, surveillance plays a role throughout the film
The “wrong man” or in this case “wrong woman on the run” trope present to a degree with multiple false accusations
Verdict: R
The Black Dahlia (2006)
Notes:
Starts with voice over with boxer in his locker room before transitioning to a brawl outside the arena
7:57 nice split diopter
11:29 nice camera push in on Gregg Henry’s character as Hartnett makes eye contact with him
17:50 movie inside the movie as the trio is shown inside movie theatre
19:10 whip pan used as trio attends party
20:30 Chinatown color palette
20:44 split diopter with Hartness character now Detective Dwight “Bucky” Bleichert
24:50 great blocking in this composition followed with a nice split diopter outside of a crime scene
26:14 Welles style low angle shot of police looking over crime scene
31:51 overhead shot inside police station with camera moving to another Welles style low angle shot with nice blocking and four characters evenly spaced across the frame
38:18 reference to Alan Ladd in Blue Dahlia
44:44 shot of LA night life with a movie sign for 1946 film Black Angel, a noir directed by Roy William Neill, the neon lights of the city nightlife in display
48:30 nice camera tilt revealing the Kay standing on top of the steps to the house
1:04:56 black and white movie in the movie with frame in frame
1:06:10 nice use of newspaper to frame shot from Hartnett POV
1:07:10 De Palma’s 360 camera movement during an interrogation scene
1:09:44 cuts out of black and white movie to detectives in film room
1:20:06 nice use of shadow to signify danger, followed shortly by silhouette images and slow motion and some great use of dolly’s during Blanchard’s murder as he falls to his death
1:21:32 Hartnett’s face distorted following strike to his head temporarily knocking him out
1:33:25 Hartness discovering corruption finding piles of cash, this composition with 3 Hartness character as 2 are mirror reflections and Kay also in the frame
1:42:56 nice silhouette image as Hartnett investigates
1:49:10 great split diopter
The ending is confusing for sure, with multiple reveals
Thoughts:
Admittingly this film sounds a lot better on paper than it actually is, it is set in 1940s LA and takes much of its visual style from Chinatown (1974), there are references to various films throughout the movie, and you have the legendary Vilmos Zsigmond does the Cinematography here and it is perhaps the best aspect of the film
It seems like De Palma is going for a sort of Chinatown (1974) which is one of my 10 or so favorite films ever. This is no Chinatown obviously nor is it LA Confidential (1997) which is the other film it seems that it is trying to emulate. Maybe a bit of Mulholland Drive (2001) as well. I respect ambition, but it just does not land for the most part. I think there are some significant issues with the casting, neither Josh Hartnett nor Aaron Eckhart are very credible as boxers although that is early in the film. Hilary Swank is a great actress, but she may not have been ideal for her role here either. I will never complain about Scarlett Johansson being in a film so no issue there. It was difficult to care about any of the characters or their fates, in particular Hartness performance falls flat here
The film uses desaturated colors throughout much of the film but also uses neon and primary colors depicting the night life sequences. There is some nice use of blocking and De Palma in more of his later films starts using these Orson Welles extreme low angle shots. The production is impressive with the recreation of 1940s LA and the clothes, cars, downtown, movie theatres, etc. The interior shots are often really impressive
The narrative is very confusing with multiple reveals at the end. Definitely a weaker De Palma but I would not completely rule out watching again in the future
Verdict: R
@James Trapp-Curious what made you watch this film? Are you done with DePalma now? I think he had a film with Rachel McAdams after this and another one which had a ton of issues. I haven’t seen him in anything else I think but I’m a fan of Eckhart’s work in The Dark Knight.
@Malith – The one you are talking about is a 2012 film called Passion, and yes it stars Rachel McAdams. I am going to watch it as the final film in my De Palma Study.
regarding The Black Dahlia (2006) yeah I normally avoid a film with reviews that bad unless it is something that has a cult following amongst cinephiles or some other compelling reason to watch. As I said above it sounds better on paper than it actually is, it aspires to be a sort of LA Confidential but just does not work. It is a great looking film and that was the main reason I watched, the screen grabs are impressive. I would say it is more of a fringe Recommend.
Femme Fatale (2002)
Notes:
Starts with one of 5 or 6 favorite films of all time, the impeccable film noir Double Indemnity (1944). The camera slowly moves back revealing a beautiful woman, Rebecca Romijn, lying naked on a hotel bed smoking a cigarette. She will go by two names, Laure Ash and Lily Watts, during the film. The film starts in France and is set at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival
6:30 multiple tv screens in frame and great split diopter of man in video surveillance room
7:21 camera floating through control room
7:52 tracking shot through hallways
8:58 surveillance angle shot of Laure dressed in all black
12:10 music sounds like Ennio Morricone score
13 min extended female sex scene taking place in the bathroom complete with overhead shots
16:26 split diopter
17:10 great camera tilt and framing
18:33 green night vision POV
18:52 series of quick cuts as the double cross is officially pulled off, what an opening sequence
19:01 background score cuts out
20 min Laure walks off with the diamonds after successfully double crossing her boss who is played by French actor Eriq Ebouaney
21:15 split screen used during surveillance sequence with photographer named Nicolas (played by Antonio Banderas) taking photographs of Laure
23:21 slow zoom out on left side of the frame, with split screen still shown
26:52 slow motion shot of woman tossed off a building
28:25 canted low angle POV shot
37 min dramatic music during long dialogue free sequence with Laure hiding in the house
41:53 close-up shots of character faces
43:05 split screen of same image of the photographer named Nicolas (played by Antonio Banderas) sitting on balcony of followed by the right side of the frame moving away from the photographer to his target
46:00 dissolve moves story from streets to a field in the middle of nowhere with the boss who was double crossed during the heist
47:24 split diopter with Gregg Henry character inside phone booth and the photographer
49:31 De Palma holds a close-up on the face of the main boss as he contemplates 7 years after the double cross
51:35 slow motion chase down followed by overhead shot
52:43 3 shots in of woman on billboard in succession with camera clicking noise
56:48 the voyeurism is present in a less subtle way as you have a man who is actually a photographer and who works as a paparazzo
1:00:00 overhead shot with hotel floor as ceiling
1:05:46 split diopter with Gregg Henry character
1:07:35 POV shot as Nicolas is entranced by Laure
1:08:18 close-up on hands used to show pickpocket
1:10:37 dissolve is followed by overhead shot and crane shot inside interrogation room
1:11:53 venetian blind shadows inside interrogation room
1:17:48 crane shot overlooking city
1:20:10 Rebecca Romijn’s character going by Lily Watts meets face to face with Nicolas
1:24:01 red lighting inside night club with De Palma going to a series of low angle shots
1:26:36 low angle shot of Nicolas descending stairs into basement of club
1:27:25 split diopter with Nicolas in background of frame and random bar patron watching Lily perform a dance half naked
1:30:32 close-up sex scene with Lily and Nicolas
1:32:32 extreme close-up in this double profile shot of Lily and Nicolas
1:34:33 great use of shallow focus with multiple reveals from various camera angles of same subject
1:36:07 great blocking with this composition followed by slow motion shot of Lily thrown off a bridge
1:36:57 camera lingers on Lily naked underwater followed by a sort of match cut as Lily goes from underwater in river to bathtub
1:39:08 back to Lily in the closet watching a woman put a gun to her head and pull the trigger from much earlier in the film around the 38 min mark
1:40:21 POV shot of crying woman looking at Lily holding a gun standing above her
1:43:54 split screen image similar to one shown earlier with Nicolas on balcony watching outside of café in France
1:46:24 slow motion sequence from earlier in the film only here Veronica does not get run over by a truck
1:49:47 ends with a freeze frame
Thoughts:
Starts with one of 5 or 6 favorite films of all time, the impeccable film noir Double Indemnity (1944). The camera slowly moves back revealing a beautiful woman, Rebecca Romijn, lying naked on a hotel bed smoking a cigarette. Her character later quotes Phyllis Dietrichson “rotten to the heart”
The opening 20 minutes are a really impressive set piece revolving around a heist during the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. De Palma throws everything in here; split screens, split diopter shots, tracking shots, overhead shots, an extended sex sequence, multiple twists, etc. and that is just the first 20 minutes of the film
Mission Impossible had great action sequences complete with double crosses and multiple twists and reveals and while I enjoyed that film this one does the same only with more De Palma flavor. This was written and directed by De Palma and it shows
There are stretches of the film is dialogue free or little dialogue and the score during these sequences at times reminds me of Obsession (1976) and Dressed to Kill (1980)
De Palma brings back many of his best thematic tropes such as voyeurism, doubles, obsession, and while throwing out multiple twists and turns. For De Palma biggest fans I imagine they would appreciate this film which hits on elements of Body Double, Blow Out, Obsession, and Dressed to Kill. So pretty much De Palma’s prime.
Rebecca Romijn is gorgeous, but her acting skills are rather limited though it does not do too much damage as many of her best sequences do not involve much dialogue. She is passable in most of the sequences, she just cannot really hit another level. Antonio Banderas is the more difficult performance to evaluate. He is fine in the role; I cannot really give a strong opinion one way or the other here. Even though he has only a total of maybe 10 minutes of screen time I did like Eriq Ebouaney as the big boss who is double crossed
The nightclub scene around 85-minute mark has some great use of red lighting, not quite Mean Streets but still visually appealing. That sequence is probably Rebecca Romijn’s best moments. There is some nice blocking and split diopter shots as well
I am still unsure if I like the ending or not but in a way, it barely matters
Verdict: HR
Snake Eyes (1998)
Notes:
Thoughts:
I watched this one late and did not take notes. If was good enough to add the list but not enough to make me go back and watch again with notes.
The conspiracy angle De Palma has used before, revealing Gary Sinise as the “bad guy” so to speak early on was the way to go. The friendship between Sinise and Cage is the heart of the film, it is inevitable that they are going to face off and this is the real suspense of the film
This has a lot of Hitchcock traits as expected
The split screen sequence is great
The overhead tracking shot through the hotel rooms is pretty spectacular stuff
Really the entire set piece is impressive, centering the film around a high-profile boxing match works
Nic Cage is in the “so bad its funny” category with this film. I admit to not being his biggest fan and I had a lot of issues with several of his scenes but he is solid in the final stretch
Verdict: R
Mission Impossible (1996)
Notes:
Starts in Kiev in a room with camera slowly moving toward tv screen
3:17 great music and nice rapid-fire montage of opening credits
6:45 Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt, a young agent part of the fictitious Impossible Missions Force, which is similar to the CIA. The team is working a case to locate a rogue agent attempting to steal a list of Non-Official Cover list, which are agents who technically do not have official status with the governments in which they work for
10:45 overhead shot inside fancy hotel
12:13 whip pans going from agent to agent
16:08 nice low angle shot
28:07 green and blue mise en scene
29:01 low canted angle close up shot of Tom Cruise’s face as his paranoia increases
30 min Golitsyn revealed as fake rogue agent used to identify a mole
31:50 absurd sequence with slow motion shots of Ethan escaping after water shatters surrounding glass
32:28 great high angle shot and revolving camera movement of Ethan ascending a spiral staircase
42:01 POV sequence as Ethan enters vehicle thinking he is going to meet Max
43:25 nice blocking in this composition including a silhouetted character in the foreground adding to the mysterious nature of this scene
57:23 men in suits standing in dimly lit control room
58:28 split diopter with Cruise and Jean Reno character Franz Krieger
1:01:53 inverted image of Krieger lowering himself into the room
1:02:36 homage to 2001 A Space Odyssey
1:04:36 great overhead shot showing layers of surveillance
1:10:35 slow motion knife falling seems like another homage to 2001
1:16:12 significant reveal
1:28:02 Ethan seems apprehensive toward Claire
1:31:40 crucial sequence taking place on a train is classic spy movie staple
1:34:20 venetian blind shadow over Jim who is then revealed to be Ethan wearing a disguise1:39:37 chase sequence with helicopter flying over train, apparently it took a while for Cruise to find a way to pull off this stunt
Thoughts:
This is a bit of a switch-up for De Palma. The film goes beyond typical De Palma and into John Woo territory with the stunts and general absurdity of the plot. Funny enough John Woo would direct the sequel which I have not seen yet
The film is set around the Impossible Missions Force, which is similar to the CIA. The team is working a case to locate a rogue agent attempting to steal a list of Non-Official Cover list, which are agents who technically do not have official status with the governments in which they work for. The actual list is essentially a “MacGuffin”
De Palma continuing his trend of low angle shots, in particular canted low angle shots
A shot around 62 min in that pays homage to 2001 A Space Odyssey
Cruise is excellent as always; he does what he does best playing the confident young hotshot
Danny Elfman does the score, and it works well matching the film’s tone which is a bit lighter and more adventurous than some of De Palma’s darker works
Verdict: R
Carlito’s Way (1993)
Notes:
Starts with slow motion, black and white shot of Carlito being shot during the opening credits which are in blue lettering with the camera rolling; all this with a voice over from Al Pacino’s Carlito
5:01 “Escape to Paradise” sign in vivid colors which effectively juxtaposes with the black and white, the silhouette image on the left side of the sign resembles Gail
5:30 the start of the initial timeline consists of an obnoxious and borderline delusion giving a rambling speech in court following Carlito being released from prison after brilliant legal work from his lawyer/friend Davy Kleinfeld (Sean Penn) who exploited legal loopholes
9:55 voiceover from Carlito inside club with Kleinfeld
10:13 split diopter in night club with Carlito and Kleinfeld talking shop while the two ladies shown on the dance floor
11:17 nice use of pan moving past same two ladies who are mildly annoyed by Carlito and Kleinfeld ignoring them
18 min Carlito is reluctantly talked into accompanying his eager but over his head nephew to a drug deal
21:08 camera slowly moves in on Carlito’s face showing he is apprehensive about being here
23:29 camera moving in on Carlito followed by slow POV shot
24:04 Sunglasses used to frame image of the approaching danger while Carlito is showing off trick shot, his instincts are sharp still lead
26:32 camera pans over dead body of Carlito’s nephew
27:50 slow zoom out with Carlito inside Kleinfeld’s office
32:10 Carlito “playing Bogard” inside club
34 min introduced to Benny Blanco from the Bronx played by John Leguizamo
36:02 split diopter with Carlito focusing on a blonde woman on the dance floor who reminds him of Gail
40:08 Carlito reconnects with Gail
50:42 overhead shot of Carlito inside office in night club placing money into safe
51:51 split frame with Carlito outside office of Viggo Mortensen character who is in wheelchair
1:03:53 nice camera movements tracking Kleinfeld with a young woman, Stephanie, moving dance floor
1:05:35 Carlito rejects request to “send Stephanie” to Benny Blanco
1:08:25 great canted angle shot tracking Carlito and his crew moving Benny up the stairs of the club
1:09:03 close-up two-shot of Benny and Carlito in profile staring each other down, red tinted frame
1:16:02 Klein asks Carlito to help him break mob boss out of prison using his boat, Carlito reluctantly agrees to help him feeling he owes him
1:18:16 narrow frame in frame with Carlito and Gail speaking with her apartment door partially opened
1:24:10 camera floating through club, vibrant neon pink and blue lighting inside
1:25:50 whip pan followed by camera moving in on a drunk and high Kleinfeld who starts insulting man dancing with Gail even though Carlito does not mind. Kleinfeld shown again to have inferiority complex
1:33:00 Carlito admitting to blind loyalty to Kleinfeld
1:34:19 canted angle shot of a coked-up Kleinfeld getting on his boat
1:37:21 low angle shot of Kleinfeld double crossing of mob boss Tony as Kleinfeld beats him to death with blunt instrument while taunting the mob boss with his own words from earlier
1:39:00 camera moves in on silhouette image of Carlito realizing the line Kleinfeld crossed
1:41:03 great match cut with Carlito from boat to inside the night club
1:45:28 rapid and swift camera movements as Carlito is surrounded by the police and people from the prosecutor’s office
1:56:56 Kleinfeld’s death scene is well done with the slow motion and realization that Carlito removed bullets and we see Carlito toss them into a public trash can
1:58:53 audio cuts out and we hear Carlito’s internal thoughts as camera moves 360 degrees in a low angle shot inside the club
1:59:55 camera zooms subtlety on Carlito’s face who tries to hide his internal panic
2:04:25 start of chase sequence, don’t love the score here it is a little off tonally, belongs more in an adventure film
2:08:00 start of incredible tracking shot through Grand Central Station
2:11:06 wide angle shot with this excellent composition as all the relevant characters are shown in the frame as Carlito hides from the Italian mobsters inside Grand Central Station
2:13:16 incredible shootout sequence
2:14:08 wide angle shot of Carlito sprinting from Italians
2:14:54 Benny Blanco from the Bronx shoots Carlito
2:17:07 POV from a dying Carlito followed by a camera roll and slowly everything fades out for Carlito’s death and then shot with Paradise Poster from earlier
Thoughts:
This is a great pairing with Scarface as you have the De Palma/Pacino team up with similar subject matter but also crucial differences. Carlito is not as iconic as Tony Montana, but he is a more complex character and more tragic. The film is largely about Carlito trying to escape his past life but failing due to a combination of exterior forces and blind loyalty to Kleinfeld. All his hopes ultimately are crushed by the end of the film
Amazing opening sequence with the black and white with blue lettering and camera tilted as Carlito bleeds out on the subway, this ends up being a bookend actually. Color is used effectively starting with the opening and ending both using the vibrant colors of the Paradise poster and juxtaposing with the colorless surroundings as Carlito is dying. The sequence in the clubs contain bright color, often primary colors whereas dark blues are used in many of the night sequences. There is some use of red signifying danger in the sequence about 20 min when Carlito’s nephew is murdered
Great suspense throughout pool hall sequence starting around 20 min mark, great shot of danger approaching framed on sunglasses of associate of the man who murders Carlito’s nephew, a Hitchcock call back to Strangers on a Train (1951)
The chase sequence in the final 15 minutes is incredible complete with wide angle shots inside Grand Central, masterfully framed shots such as a series of canted shots on the escalator and editing similar to the train sequence in The Untouchables (1987)
Numerous low angle shots and canted angles especially as Kleinfeld’s drug use increases.
There is great camera movement with some whip pans, but also slow zooms used to access Carlito’s mindset in certain sequences when Pacino is not doing voiceover narration. This works great with Carlito’s internal thoughts, this is an intelligent character who is constantly thinking ahead like a great chess player. I love his line about not seeing the angles
Sean Penn’s Dave Kleinfeld his great, here is what I said in a pervious posting and stand by it 100 percent:
“I think Penn’s Dave Kleinfeld is underrated as a Villain; I am not saying that Penn’s performance is underrated as I think it gets its proper due. But Kleinfeld the character is severely overlooked in discussions on great Villains. I think this is partially because he’s an unconventional Villain given that he gradually becomes the film’s Villain. Carlito (Pacino) on the other hand is the opposite as he comes across as obnoxious and borderline delusional in that opening court scene while Kleinfeld is calm, cool, and collected. Kleinfeld’s character slowly descends into madness almost like Bogart’s character in Treasure of the Sierra Madre. The difference is Bogart’s Fred C Dobbs is primarily driven by greed while Kleinfeld is driven by greed as well but more so by his inferiority complex which again is an unusual trait of a great movie Villain.”
One complaint is the sequence involving Carlito breaking into Gail’s apartment, the song used, and the general tone of the scene just does not work and is inconsistent with everything else in the film. The score was not terrible but not up to the usual standard of most of De Palma’s films. All things considered this is a fairly minor issue. This is a fantastic film
Verdict: MS
@James Trapp-I think this is Pacino’s best performance since the 1970’s. This is the perfect balancing of his loud verbal style he adopted somewhere in the late 70’s or 80’s and his more internal style(which are his best work). Carlito is very calculating but has this fake loud exterior to somehow survive this mess he is in. I love Pacino. But the more I think about his performances in his 80’s and since it’s all basically the same role. The man who never lacks for words and who don’t care one bit about what others think. He plays this character in all of this(Scarface, The Godfather Part 3, Dick Tracy, Scent of a Woman, Heat, The Insider, The Irishman). Carlito’s Way is the difference. Carlito is very economical with his words.
@Malith – Yeah, I like how that opening court scene makes you think Carlito is just an obnoxious loudmouth but then the rest of the film Pacino and De Palma downshift the character showing his intelligence with the internal dialogue. The opposite is done with Penn’s character
@James Trapp-I didn’t follow Penn’s character that closely in my first viewing but he is an excellent sparring partner/sidekick turned villain for Pacino. Penelope Ann Miller was excellent too. I think she worked with Brando, De Niro and Pacino in good films in like a 4 year time span and then pretty much disappeared.
@Malith – yeah I am not really familiar with her, I did not love some of the decisions De Palma made regarding a couple of her scenes but that had nothing to do with her performance which I agree was impressive. It is one of my favorite Pacino performances. In fact the only ones I would definitely put above it would be GF1, GF2, and Dog Day Afternoon. I really think it could be argued as high as his 4th best performance. Certainly there are others you could put above it like The Irishman and Scarface but I think # 4 would be the high end estimate
Ann Miller is co stars with De Niro in Awakenings and Brando in The Freshman 2-3 years prior to Carlito’s Way. Pacino’s top 3 is best of the best. I think other performances are a bit behind. But in a way Pacino is his own worst enemy because I think his greatest ability is the internal, calculating performances in his 70’s not the stubborn, loud mouth he adapted few years later. But this later parts probably got him more roles, so he sticked to that.
But still he had an opportunity reprise that early type of role in Godfather Part 3 but this time he made Michael suited to his later style persona. I have no idea how someone can think watching Godfather Part 3 that Pacino can pull off his performances in Godfather 1 and 2. It’s just impossible to see.
Serpico, The Panic in Needle Park and Scarecrow would be in the conversation for me as well with Carlito’s Way for his 4th best (and definitely some way ahead of Irishman)
@LeRoi-Yeah. I think the problem with The Irishman is it is too much of a supporting role and we never really get inside the mind of the Jimmy Hoffa character. But it is a great performance anyway. Having said that I thought more of his performance in Dick Tracy than The Irishman. It’s more or less his Irishman character taken to the extreme and that is not a bad thing. There is even a scene completely taken from Dick Tracy in The Irishman where Pacino goes down stairs in front of a court while journalists are trying to question him.
I haven’t seen Panic in Needle Park or Scarecrow but The Insider has to be up there for his 4th best. The Serpico is a decent suggestion too but my only concern is the level of the film.
Raising Cain (1992 film)
Notes:
Starts with John Lithgow as a child psychologist Dr. Carter Nix who we later discover has 5 separate personalities / Cain / Dr. Nix Sr. / Josh / Margo
5 min Carter tries and fails to convince friend to have her children participate in a study
7 min into the film is an impressive sequence involving some suspense created from strong editing and slow motion as Carter drugs woman and her children as 2 joggers pass the car
7:59 cut to John Lithgow as an alternate personality
10:06 canted angle well showing the 2nd John Lithgow personality
17:57 Hitchcock like sequence from Notorious as we get a canted low angle shot from the POV of a drugged Carter looking up at one of the alternate personalities
27 min Steven Bauer as Jack Dante makes his appearance as a man seeing Carter’s wife, a series of dissolves showing intense affair is revealed as a dream
35:50 some nice 360 camera movement in dream sequence
46 min disturbing sequence ending with overhead shot of vehicle submerging in water which is a call back to Psycho (1960)
51:54 great split diopter with Carter working with sketch artist inside police station
52:36 5 characters in 5 depths of field
55:38 reverse tracking shot out of police station
56:25 canted angle tracking shot downstairs
1:00:10 overhead shot followed by triple edit of a dead woman in trunk of car of Jack Dante
1:03:20 great split diopter with Carter’s wife and one of his alternate personalities
1:07:09 sequence where Carter’s psychology is explained resembling the end of Psycho (1969) and De Palma’s own Dressed to Kill (1980)
1:11:56 split diopter used during Carter’s interview with the Doctor
1:16:04 Pino Donaggio’s score is excellent here1:18:08 excellent use of slow but controlled camera movement throughout this sequence1:25:16 excellent use of slow motion and some great editing during the film’s climatic moment
Thoughts
De Palma working again with John Lithgow but this time a starring role. In fact, he gets 5 starring roles for the price of 1 playing a character with multiple personalities and while not one of his best films I found it still had some strong moments
Canted angles used frequently, some nice POV shots. A couple of great overhead shots as well including one where the Bauer character Jack Dante is framed and arrested
Overall, De Palma uses a number of his go to stylistic traits as well as subject matter he has explored in previous films though they are less impressive here
The best Hitchcock moment is a scene at 17:57 that resembles the scene from Notorious (1946) where Ingrid Bergman’s character is drugged by tea. Like that sequence, in this film we get a canted low angle shot from the POV of a drugged Carter looking up at one of the alternate personalities
Verdict: R
Casualties of War (1989)
Notes:
Starts with Michael J Fox as Private First Class Max Eriksson riding on a subway
1:31 sound effects play as camera moves in on a young Asian woman
2:16 nice dissolve edit moving film from subway to jungle in Vietnam, the color palette changes drastically to a dark blue tint
6:35 silhouette images of soldiers sneaking up on their target
8:18 some fast pans effective in capturing chaos of situation
10:16 canted angle further emphasizing disorienting nature
16:12 characters in multiple depths of field in this tracking shot of landscape
17:38 excellent split diopter shot with Eriksson and Viet Cong family
18:14 Sean Penn’s character is framed diagonally from POV of dying soldier shot by Viet Cong
22:45 great split diopter with Penn’s character shaving and the other soldiers drinking beers on the left side of the frame
26:10 overhead shot of soldiers drinking beers and complaining about their lack of social life
27:32 low angle shot of Penn’s character who is the unofficial leader of this group of soldiers
29:29 great tracking shot with audio effects like the ones heard in the opening of the film in the subway
30:25 low angle shot of Penn’s Sergeant Tony Meserve and other soldier standing over female Vietnamese woman leading to sexual assault
33:13 beautiful wide angle shot with this orange/red painterly image of soldiers across the frame
40:00 split diopter with soldiers and Vietnam woman
49:15 Eriksson shown isolated in shot reverse shot with the 4 other soldiers in the frame demonstrating the peer pressure they are putting on Eriksson who refuses to take part in sexual assault
54:17 great dissolve edit matched with eerie score
55:38 close-up on Eriksson’s face taking up entire right side of the frame with dark blue right side during a rainstorm
57:25 binocular frame POV from a high angle
1:07:07 great camera movement and high angle shot as soldiers take position near the top
1:10:10 suspense with fast cutting builds up to Meserve ordering his subordinates to murder the Vietnamese girl they are having raping
1:11:18 frame in frames using guns target during shootout
1:11:22 split diopter with Eriksson on right side of frame while Vietnamese girl is stabbed to death by Corporal Thomas E. Clark
1:16:55 whip pans upon Eriksson waking up in the infirmary in a state of confusion
1:21:00 Ving Rhames is always great to listen to, great acting here
1:28:01 canted low angle shot of Eriksson informing a superior
1:31:14 POV tracking shot
1:32:52 canted angle following Eriksson surviving an assassination attempt
1:35:16 another impressive tracking POV shot
1:35:48 frame in frame in bar
1:39:00 there is 360-degree camera movement while Eriksson is questioned by 2 men as a sort of preparation to him testifying against his fellow soldiers
1:43:10 montage of testimony
Thoughts:
This is quite a switch up for De Palma in terms of subject matter, this is one of the most disturbing films I have ever seen. The film functions as a morality play as Eriksson must choose between blind loyalty to his fellow soldiers and doing the morally correct action which in this case is stopping the horrific sexual abuse that is perpetrated by his superiors
What makes it particularly disturbing beyond the horrific sexual violence portrayed on the screen, is the way male peer pressure works. Eriksson displays incredible integrity and a profound moral compass but for other characters like the one played by a young John Leguizamo, they are not able to fully stand up to their superiors. The Leguizamo character actually seems like a decent person yet is in a horrific situation in which he is unable to do what Eriksson does even though it is clear that he does not want to go along with it
This is my 2nd viewing, the 1st was a few years ago, it was more impressive than I remembered in terms of the cinematic elements. There are a few POV tracking shots including one where a grenade is placed in Eriksson’s tent. You see the character’s hands placing the grenade down in a shot that looks like the opening from Blow Out. De Palma uses canted angles to frame a few scenes throughout the film, in particular during scenes following violence or other situations where De Palma is able to create a disorientating mood. The split diopter shots are effective, in particular the one at 1:11:22 with Eriksson on right side of frame while Vietnamese girl is stabbed to death by Corporal Thomas E. Clark. There are a number of whip pans including one after Eriksson wakes up in infirmary
I only had seen Michael J Fox in Back to the Future films, which are great. This is the first drama I have seen him in and I was quite impressed. Some similarities to Charlie Sheen’s character in Platoon (1986)
Verdict: HR/R
Blow Out (1981 film)
Notes:
Starts with a shaky camera POV shot from villain’s perspective à la Halloween (1978)
3:45 classic De Palma with fake out as it is revealed that the film’s opening is actually a horror film within the film with Travolta playing a sound specialist
7:38 De Palma splits the screen using a news segment on the right and Travolta’s character Jack Terry working in his home which doubles as a studio
10:30 Jack out at night recording sounds
11:44 split diopter with Travolta’s Jack and an owl right after an owl noise is heard
12:03 zooms and quick cuts used in connecting the audio and visuals during the accident or “blow out” sequence resulting in a car going off a bridge into the water
14:11 cut to overhead shot
16:11 Jack meets Nancy Allen character named Sally
18:53 split diopter shot with Jack in foreground and governor’s aid in background following accident
19:31 man killed in car accident was a governor and possibly the next president
23:27 pan over recording equipment as back and forth between present and flash back of night
25:19 match cut with pencil and recording device
25:39 Travolta’ face superimposed over the left side of the screen with flashback to the tire blow out
26:06 red, white, and blue mise en scene
26:30 shot of Philadelphia at night
27:35 hole in the tire with the tire being replaced by a man whose face is out of focus
28:20 red, white, and blue in mise en scene
36:41 slow fade out from train line to Jack and Sally in foreground
42:24 out of focus neon lighting in background outside car
42:55 dim lighting used inside car during flashback story Jack tells story about his days working for unit against police corruption
46:00 camera moves in and over shoulder of John Lithgow character inside Mall, dissolves and zooms used to move in photo of Sally held by Lithgow with photo superimposed over frame next to escalator
46:39 beautiful shot using neon green/blue lighting outside Clams Restaurant at night
47:10 split frame with dead fish and a prostitute being stalked on the other side
49:06 great sequence with low angle shot and dark red lighting as Lithgow’s character brutally murders a prostitute followed by camera moving and segueing into a shot of Sally walking through streets at night
56 min Jack arguing with police who does not want to hear about a possible police conspiracy
1:00:03 Lithgow going rogue
1:02:36 an incredible 360 shot inside of Jack Terry’s home apartment/studio with all the spin
1:03:56 spectacular overhead shot of Jack’s apartment/studio
1:16:25 overhead shot with red lighting followed by zoom out after Sally knocks out Manny with a bottle
1:18:06 constant moving camera as Lithgow stalks Jack
1:18:48 zoom out from Jack’s apartment with brilliant camera movement showing recording device in basement of the apartment building
1:19:40 split screen with Jack and Sally on opposite sides of frame
1:24:24 split diopter with Lithgow on bench inside train station
1:26:30 frame in frame with Lithgow in pay phone booth
1:31:05 high angle shot resembling surveillance angles
1:34:26 out of focus shot with orange lighting resembling danger
1:36:35 ariel shot tracking Travolta driving through 4th of July parade
1:38:45 fireworks over city while Sally is being attacked by Lithgow as Jack makes way over
1:39:26 score from the crash or “blow out” earlier in the film is used
1:40:23 Liberty Bell set piece
1:41:31 Jack fights off Lithgow in slow motion with American flag in background of frame and flashing lights from fireworks
1:42:43 incredibly low angle shot with fireworks in background as Jack holds Sally who tragically dies from her injuries segueing into a shot of a saddened Jack
1:44:10 camera moving through Jack’s dark studio as he listens to sounds of Sally screaming which segues into Jack’s boss complimenting the scream as a depressed Jack looks on
Thoughts:
De Palma may be at the peak of his filmmaking powers here, displaying technical brilliance along with an engaging if ridiculous narrative, and masterful suspense and rewatchability
De Palma might be the King of using fake outs, this starts with a slasher movie within the movie using a complex tracking shot with a Halloween (1978) style POV of a demented killer who is stalking a group of partying college girls. Furthermore, De Palma uses the false scream as a plot point via bookend
De Palma frequently uses high angle and overhead shots throughout the film, some of them even resemble surveillance camera angles, infusing the film with a degree of paranoia that only increases over time
Some great use of split diopter including perhaps my favorite, the one with Jack and the owl during the “blow out “sequence over the bridge. And the title sequence of the “blow out” is technical brilliance. De Palma was able to accomplish in this film is incorporate the technical camera work and techniques into the film’s narrative and crucial plot points. Travolta’s character even recreates the title sequence by pairing the stills with audio. Around the 25 min there is a splendid, superimposed image of Travolta over the left side of the screen and a close up on the tire being shot out as Jack is having flashbacks of the tire being blown out
Around 62 min there is an incredible 360 shot inside of Jack Terry’s home apartment/studio with all the spin, followed by a spectacular overhead shot of Jack’s apartment/studio heightening the paranoia. The 360 camera movement captures the overwhelming nature of the situation in which Jack has little to no control over
De Palma’s craftsmanship is impeccable. The film is meta in various ways. This is a film with a protagonist who works as a sound engineer for low budget slasher films, but what stands out is how much of the film we see Travolta’s Jack Terry working at his job whether inside his apartment/studio or out at night recording sounds, this is a film about the filmmaking process. De Palma, who is a brilliant technician must have loved creating this film which uses audio samples that are repeated throughout the film such as Nancy Allen’s “oh god please” while she is underwater calling for help. The “blowout” effect is heard numerous times as Jack Terry plays back his recording numerous times
The flashback story starting around 42 min gives the film a classic noir staple; the protagonist with a tragic past although unlike many noirs you would not suspect it as leading up to that sequence Travolta’s Jack Terry does not showing any signs of a tragic past and seems quite upbeat. You also have noir like lighting in some of the outdoor night scenes
I have said performances are not always that important in De Palma’s films relative to many other filmmakers. However, I think Travolta gives a really compelling performance here as his character Jack Terry possesses Travolta’s nature easy going likability but he is also an intelligent character who is clearly an alter ego for De Palma and when getting to know the Nancy Allen character who was De Palma’s real life wife at the time tells her “I was the kind of kid who fixed radios, made my own stereos, won all the science fairs, you know the type” De Palma even sets and films Blow Out in his hometown of Philadelphia
The dedication to red, white, and blue becomes more noticeable with every additional viewing, and of course the film is set around the 4th of July. The firework shot at the end is spectacular
Amazing that Blow Up (1966) which I think is a MP level film inspired two other films in The Conversation (1974) and Blow Out (1981) that are also MP. Not only that but I think they improved each time, not sure if there is anything else quite like this. While I think the 1922 Nosferatu is better than the 1979 version, I view both films as MP. I am excited for Robert Eggers version
Pino Donaggio, De Palma’s go to composer, does the music here and it is excellent
Lithgow provides some solid comedic relief here with a political operative who goes rogue. Like other De Palma films the tone is consistent and never goes too extreme. Even his darkest subject matter never quite hits Hitchcock level, despite the many similarities between De Palma and his idol
Verdict: MP
@James Trapp – Particularly well done on this one!
@Drake – thanks, I really wanted to do that one justice, I am more impressed with each additional viewing
The Untouchables (1987)
Notes:
Starts with overhead shot of Al Capone (Robert De Niro) in a barber shop and text on the right side of the screen3:18 slow camera dolly in on Capone who is charming the surrounding reporters while barber is giving him a shave4:30 barber cuts Capone slightly, resulting in brief tension6:28 violence foreshadowed with shot of suitcase which ends up blowing up bar after bar owner refuses to buy his alcohol from the mob contact
7 min the domestic bliss of Elliot Ness captured with glowing shot of his wife in the kitchen
17:43 Sean Connery as Officer Jim Malone meets Elliot Ness
20:11 camera tilt up in luxurious hotel
21:11 close-up on Capone smoking cigar in bed at luxury hotel
24:08 muted colors so far with little use of primary colors
26:05 slow pan from wife and daughter to Elliot Ness who clearly can’t fully separate his work and family life
28:28 split diopter with Ness and Malone in the Church
29:57 another split diopter with Ness and Malone
32:48 great 1st meeting between Andy Garcia’s young agent and Malone who insults him only for Garcia’s character to insult him back
33:13 nice blocking in this shot with characters in various depths of field
34:24 the 4 agents walking through the streets with shotguns, the spontaneous nature of this sequence and that it is set to upbeat score, as they make arrests creates a somewhat comical scene
36:39 360 camera movements as the crew eats dinner
37:12 freeze frame of the “untouchables” getting photograph of them after meal
37:52 shift to a high angle shot before shifting to a low angle shot of De Niro’s Capone walking around a table talking about the value of teamwork via baseball analogy
39:26 brutal violence via baseball bat although the direct result not shown
39:34 camera rises over table following brutal baseball bat death, set to menacing score
42 min great scene where Ness rejects an attempt to pay him off
43:52 close up on face of unsubtle villain
47:46 sweeping shot of open lands of American/Canadian Border
48:01 Canadian Mounty Police and the Untouchables Crew team up in sting operation
50:55 binocular POV shot
53:38 up tempo score feels like action/adventure film
1:00:54 Malone in background behind blood splattered window
1:04:44 eerie score foreshadowing danger
1:07:02 blood written taunt
1:08:58 low angle shot of Capone surrounded by his posse on the stairs
1:14:07 dim lit hazy room with a pool table
1:16:36 red and blue lighting in the frame
1:17:13 split screen used for the first time this film
1:17:58 low angle shot used to increase Capone’s stature and power
1:18:51 close-up on number written inside matches “1634 Racine”
1:189:26 excellent pan across exterior of building including shot peeking into apartment where Malone is pouring a heavy whiskey glass
1:20:51 excellent POV from villain entering Malone’s apartment with shaky camera used
1:22:34 split diopter shot with Capone at an Opera
1:26:35 Garcia’s character and Ness enter train station with a long shot capturing them in a frame within a frame
1:27:46 high angle shot of baby in a carriage and the young mother
1:32:27 slows motion violence begins
1:35:32 close-up two-shot with Capone’s hired thug slowly falling to his death
1:39:17 nice extreme low angle shot outside the courtroom
1:40:28 “1634 Racine”
1:46:18 low angle shot and camera movement following Ness throwing Capone’s thug off the top of the building as revenge
1:52:44 camera push in on photo of the “untouchables” from early in the film
Thoughts:
De Palma with another classic
This film is about as much fun as you can get, De Palma uses characters who are fairly “black and white” so to speak in terms of the “good guys” and “bad guys”. It is very different than Scarface (1983) as there is little swearing, no nudity, and a much different tone even though there are still violent scenes. The film’s lighter tone compared to other gangster films is a nice switch up
Starts with a great God’s eye view shot of Capone in the barber shop charming a room of reporters asking him about prohibition
There are many great set pieces including the crew walking across the streets of Chicago with shoguns in the middle of the day, the Sting Operation on the Canadian/United States border, and of course the incredible train station sequence
The great Ennio Morricone delivers a masterful score that is playful at times like something out of an adventure film but also mournful in the film’s tragic sequences
I like all the performances, but Connery is my favorite playing a “good cop in a bad town” who speaks bluntly and tows the line in providing some humor without over doing it. In fact, that is a theme of this film which approaches “camp” in several sequences, but I think it does not go overboard though some may disagree with that assessment. Costner is a perfect choice for the law-abiding straight man. De Niro’s performance works for me, as he certainly is magnetic but has much less screen time than a first time viewer might expect
De Palma demonstrates power dynamics using low and high angle shots of characters throughout the film
There is some great use of slow motion during the train station scene and some great use of POV such as the sequence leading up to Malone’s death when the 1st thug draws Malone out to be killed by a 2nd hired thug of Capone
Verdict: MS
@James Trapp – You are clipping right along – really enjoying these – thank you for sharing
Body Double (1984)
Notes:
Starts with classic De Palma fake out. Jake (Craig Wasson) is an actor playing in a Vampire film when he freezes up inside the coffin during rehearsal due to claustrophobia
5:38 sequence cuts between POV shots from Jake’s perspective and medium close ups on Jake ending with Jake walking in on his wife cheating on him
12:07 slow zoom on Sam Bouchard as he watches Jake in an acting class, he befriends Jake a couple minutes later and they go to a bar
16:21 close up shot on Jake’s face as he recounts walking in on his cheating wife
18:12 state of the art Hollywood house Sam gives to Jake for housesitting
20:29 voyeurism as Jake watches a beautiful woman who is a neighbor named Gloria who happens to perform an erotic dance with curtains open every night at the same time
21:28 shot of Jake with high powered camera is cut to shot of Gloria captured with binocular POV frame
25:55 binocular frame showing mysterious man beating up Gloria
31:40 nice use of camera pan to indicate danger in associating mysterious man with Gloria, who Jake is becoming obsessed with
33:22 a couple of nice split diopter shots with Jake and Gloria both on pay phones
34:08 slow zoom out showing Jake following Gloria up escalator at a mall
35:12 high angle shot with mysterious man in center of the frame
36:53 Jake voyeurism noticed by store clerk as Gloria is trying clothing store
39:54 two-shot of Jake and mysterious woman neck up inside elevator
40:26 score thumping when the claustrophobic Jake watches people enter the elevator
43:16 great shot of 4-story apartment building/hotel above a beach, long shot with Jake and Gloria in parts of the frame
45:50 nice background foreground work with this high angle shot showing Jake’s voyeurism/stalking behavior
47:50 shaky camera used effectively in chase sequence
48:27 POV shot as camera zooms in and out with tilted angle shots of mysterious man escaping Jake upon running through a tunnel with bright white light at the end
53:02 360 camera moving during unexpected erotic sequence on the beach
56:05 Gloria shown being stalked by the mysterious Indian through Jake’s POV telescope
1:00:36 intense scene with Gloria shown close up being assaulted by Indian
1:02:21 close up on the drill the Indian is about to use to kill Gloria, this sequence is intercut with Jake’s futile attempts to call for help and save Gloria
1:04:10 the least subtle sexual innuendo I have ever seen
1:11:19 static camera with Jake spinning around in rotating bed while watching an expose on the life and career of a pornographic actress played by Melanie Griffith
1:14:24 Melanie Griffith character performing exact same dance as Gloria
1:17:00 camera floating through the night club with British Band, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, song “Relax” playing in background
1:19:08 split diopter of Jake and Melanie Griffith character, Holly
1:21:24 match cut as Jake dance with Holly, and visualizes Gloria
1:32:21 camera push in on Sam watching with binoculars to cut to POV shot from Sam into apartment
1:35:00 retelling of film’s plot using flashbacks
1:36:21 Jake realizing he is a pawn being used by Sam
1:39:23 dark blue lighting in night scene, camera slowly floating over Sam digging grave with a knocked out but still alive Holly
1:40:23 shaky camera as Jake tries to save Holly
1:42:55 Sam revealed by be Indian
Ends with Jake getting role as Vampire back
Thoughts:
De Palma starts with one of his fake out openings that turns out to be a movie within the movie, here a low budget vampire horror film
The mostly silent mall sequence is brilliant use of camera movement and editing as well as suspense. There are a couple of sequences like this, brilliant “pure cinema”. These cat and mouse sequences are examples of the film’s brilliant technical camera work
There are subtle camera movements throughout the film, the camera is rarely static at any point in the film
De Palma uses close up shots on Jake’s face throughout the film, usually in sequences where he freezes or feels powerless, this fits in well with the film as Jake is essentially a pawn being used for a nefarious purpose
Even by De Palma standards the premise and plot are absurdly far-fetched, not that this bothers me, if anything I love the ridiculous nature of the film
The drill might be the least subtle use of sexual innuendo that I have ever seen which is fitting for a director like De Palma
Admittingly Wasson is a bit dull for a leading man even if he is supposed to be “an everyman” type character. On the other hand, this makes him into the perfect pawn, we can more easily get behind this guy who is being manipulated by the film’s villain. The theme of obsession is present as is voyeurism
The “relax” song playing during the club sequence epitomizes the 1980s
The apartment/hotel near the beach is great in a cat and mouse sequence which involves a constant changing of perspectives and relationships between the 3 main characters in the sequence
Verdict: HR/MS
I did not skip Blow Out (1981). My old computer screen broke so I need to bring it somewhere to get my previous files that were on it. I had Blow Out (1981) review on it and will post it when I have access.
Scarface (1983)
Notes:
Starts with dramatic music and text indicating an influx of Cuban immigrants to the United States followed by footage of Fidel Castro speaking to a crowd
3:40 Al Pacino as Tony Montana being interviewed by immigration officials
7:40 shot of Tony and his close friend Manny (Steven Bauer) inside crowded bus
11:12 overhead shot capturing the chaos of a rebellion at Freedom Town in North Miami
13:05 overhead shot of Emilio Rebenga’s death following Tony stabbing him
13:42 gorgeous shot of purple and pink colored billboard for Little Havana night club
16:00 Omar Suarez introduced and Tony shows difference between him and Manny
19:15 camera gliding over hotel
20:38 nice tracking shot of Tony walking from car to hotel room on 2nd floor
22:38 Tony shot isolated in frame
22:42 split diopter showing Tony’s friend and Hector the Toad
24:54 crane shot from hotel to car and then back to hotel
26:11 shot of blood splattered over hotel walls following chainsaw
27:32 bullets flying during famous hotel shootout
28:48 great editing as Tony shots Hector the Toad to death at point blank range
29:29 beautiful painterly image of orange/purple skyline
30:20 inside of Frank’s mansion, Robert Loggio is excellent in this
33:18 camera moves in on Tony as he is mesmerized upon seeing Frank’s wife Elvira (Michelle Pfeiffer) as she descends in the elevator from the 2nd floor to the 1st
35 min inside of night club with purple/pink lights and disco music
36:00 two-shot of Frank and Tony at the club
40 min there is some unintentional comedy in the dance sequences
43:01 “the world chico and everything in it”
43:21 jump ahead 3 months, camera floating over beach showing Tony and Manny
49:50 Dolly Zoom as Elvira does coke in the car
50:51 purple/red skyline visible as Tony pulls up to his mother’s house
59:06 ariel shot over estate of Sosa, a drug Lord, in Bolivia
1:00:30 overhead shot of Sosa, Suarez, and Tony at lunch with “the Skull” in background
1:02:50 slow zooms back and forth between Sosa and Shadow (Mark Margolis) to Tony and Suarez rising the tension
1:05:40 binocular framed shot of Omar killed and hung from helicopter
1:12:29 expressive use of orange in background foreshadowing violence
1:19:18 Tony and corrupt police officer Mel at club talking business, I love Tony’s demeanor throughout this sequence
1:23:57 intense buzzing sounds mute out everything around Tony as he becomes fixated on his sister Gina with a guy at the club
1:31:02 club sequence building suspense showing guns on the 2 hitmen
1:34:25 Tony, Manny, and Chi Chi confront Frank and Mel with expressive orange coloring in background throughout sequence
1:39:27 use of low angles during sequence showing power imbalance here
1:41:09 “you want a job Ernie?” “Hey man you got a job!”
1:42:27 Great use of splitting frame horizontally as Tony literally takes Frank’s trophy wife with him after killing Frank
1:43:50 “push it to the limit” montage showing Tony moving into his new mansion, getting married, and money machines, and of course the Tiger
1:47:06 zoom out from multiple video cameras
1:50:39 décor inside Tony’s mansion is refined with black and gold mise en scene, Manny still wearing Florida tropical shirts
1:52:00 zoom out from tv revealed to be Tony in his insanely huge bathtub
1:52:39 triangle composition with characters in 3 depths of field, Elvira doing coke in the foreground
1:57:27 reference to Brando in Burn (1969) as Tony in room with cash machines
1:58:52 crane shot to the clock and back to Tony as clock is revealed to be camera recording and the men in the room undercover cops
2:04:20 nice pan over room of Sosa and his associates
2:05:52 pattern with shots of character on TV to a slow zoom in on the characters ending with Sosa
2:07:17 slow zoom out on Tony at restaurant with Manny and Elvira
2:08:58 Tony wallowing in his misery leading to the famous “say hello to the bad guy” scene
2:17:30 POV with Tony seeing family and showing a semblance of morals
2:20:00 another great suspense sequence ending with Tony shooting Shadow in the head, Budweiser cans visible in foreground throughout the scene
2:21:51 beautiful interiors of Tony’s mansion
2:22:53 Tony doing ridiculous amounts of coke
2:26:56 one of the most shocking sequences as Tony opens the door seeing Manny in a robe followed by Gina in a robe at the top of the stairs, this is followed by intense music as the dialogue audio is cut, this is followed by close up on Tony’s eyes followed by cutaway to a devastated Gina who runs to comfort a dying Manny, slow motion is used during this
2:30:43 Sosa’s men shown in security video while an oblivious Tony is looking away
2:34:41 high angle shot of Sosa’s army approaching the mansion
2:36:40 Gina approaches Tony with a gun in a dream like sequence with shot reverse shot
2:40:16 “the world is yours” great use in mise-en-scene
2:40:43 “say hello to my little friend”
The final shootout is deservingly quoted “say hello to my little friend” and ends in the only way a film like this could end; a crazy shootout resulting in Tony’s dramatic death. I love the use of the crane shot over the “World Is Yours” Sign to end the film
Thoughts:
Scarface is simply one of the best “rise and fall” films as this remake of Howard Hawks excellent 1932 film uses the same basic story but ramps up everything. Oliver Stone as the screenwriter is a perfect fit with De Palma’s stylized direction and Pacino’s over the top performance; what a tremendous trio
It’s a plot that on paper sounds like a bunch of cliches but De Palma tells it with operatic ambition. A few points:
Perhaps Scarface is not the 1st film that pops in your mind when you think of mise-en-scene, but I love the many of interior shots of Tony’s mansion, the mise-en-scene, color design, and symmetry is incredible. There are some beautiful, painterly shots of Miami with purple/red/orange. The interiors of the club scenes and lighting uses pink/purple palette. The 2.35 aspect ratio works well for this story, which again I will say is operatic in its nature showing the incredible rise and inevitable downfall. There are no really small moments where we learn little details about Tony Montana’s personality or any attempts to make him sympathetic. Even his wife points out that all he does is talk about money
The” push it to the limit” montage is a perfect bridge from the 1st half to the 2nd although the “rise” section is actually quite a bit longer as this is about 1 hour, and 45 minutes and the “fall” section is about an hour. Still the montage works perfectly in showing the fruits of Tony’s labor
The camera movement really impressed me with this most recent viewing, the camera moving from the hotel to the car and back to the hotel during the brutal shootout with the Columbians at the Sun Ray Hotel. The final crane shot is another example of De Palma showing off his Hitchcock skills
The cultural impact is undeniable, Scarface video games, reference in rap music and hip-hop culture, some of the most quotable lines. This does not really factor into my rating, but it is worth mentioning.
The nature of Tony’s relationship with his sister is one of the most interesting aspects of the film and something I go back and forth on. He acts like an overprotective big brother who wants to shield his younger sister from criminals like himself. But the intensity of his emotions whenever he sees his sister touching another man seems to go beyond the protective older brother and into something more sinister. His reactions in a couple of key scenes would seem to more closely resemble sexual jealousy. De Palma’s camera work is key in these sequences as he uses slow motion several times which made me think of Taxi Driver where Scorsese uses slow motion to highlight Travis Bickle racism. De Palma uses a different technique in a sequence where Tony sees his future wife, Elvira for the first time when she is married to Frank. The way the camera floats in the scene where Tony 1st meets Elvira, she descends from the second floor while Frank laughs his face off cracking jokes, oblivious to Elvira’s presence while the camera moves in on a transfixed Tony. Interesting on the 2 different approaches De Palma takes in this scene vs the use of slow motion with Tony’s sister
Al Pacino is spectacular, I always laugh when people criticize his ridiculous accent or the over-the-top nature of his character, that is the point of this performance. So many great moments from the hotel massacre to his “I am the bad guy” monologue to the final shootout. I think this is a brilliant display of Pacino going all out, he is in total command start to finish
Verdict: MP
Great list! I am a huge De Palma fan.I rewatched Passion not too long ago, and I came to the conclusion that it is probably the most underrated movie I have ever seen, and I now rank it near the top of his filmography. As with some of his other great films, one of its core themes is the manipulative nature of storytelling, but in Passion it is taken to the next level by bringing it to the age of smart phones, the internet and social media. It perfectly examines how technology can be used as a tool for power both in careers and private lives. As an extra layer to the commentary, De Palma purposely misdirects the audience by using established film techniques in uncomventional ways, making us think we are being told something we aren’t actually being told.
My De Palma top 10:
1. Carlito’s Way (Maybe not as thematically bold as some of his others, but essentially a perfect movie technically, and my most rewatched).
2. Scarface (A perfect exercise in excess).
3. Passion
4. Carrie
5. Femme Fatale
6. Blow Out
7. Body Double
8. Mission Impossible
9. Dressed to Kill
10. The Phantom of the Paradise
Also worth watching: The Untouchables, Casualties of War, Sisters, Raising Caine, Snake Eyes.
The Black Dahlia and Obsession don’t quite do it for me, but both have a decent amount of things going for them.
Bonfire of the Vanities, Mission to Mars, Redacted and Hi, Mom do nothing for me.
Haven’t seen the rest.
Dressed to Kill (1980 film)
Notes:
Starts with camera floating through the apartment into the steamy bathroom and past a man shaving to a shot of his wife in the shower and to a close up of her face and then below with music to match the erotic imagery. The woman who is named Kate Miller, is played by Angie Dickinson
4:24 man grabs her from behind and the steam in the bathroom increases until it obscures them completely before a cut to the man and woman having sex in the morning
8:57 close up profile shot of Kate
9:12 split frame showing Kate Miller, who has psychiatrist appointment with Dr. Robert Elliot played by Michael Caine
10:45 split diopter with Kate Miller and Dr. Elliot
11:07 Kate Miller unsatisfied with her sex life
12:24 cut to shot of Kate and Dr. Elliot with mirror used to frame the shot right after Kate asks Dr. Elliot if he finds her attractive and whether he would like to sleep with her
12:41 Kate tracked while walking up steps of Museum (shot in the Philadelphia Museum of Art) though the film is set in NYC
13:23 shot of large painting inside Museum from Kate’s perspective leading to a series of cutaway shots to various paintings
15:45 mysterious stranger in glasses sits next to Kate on bench
16:36 profile shot à la Vertigo
17:17 Kate follows mysterious nature throughout museum floor giving De Palma ability to demonstrate his magnificent camera movement
18:48 close up on the glove Kate intentionally or perhaps subconsciously left behind, followed by Kate walking away from the mysterious man
19:26 flash to Kate shown twice in a single frame
20:50 score becoming more intense with hints of danger
21:24 360 around museum from Kate’s POV indicating that she feels dizzy but in an excited manner, which makes perfect sense given what is about to come next
22:38 Kate in background about to enter cab when a hand with a glove over it is shown in the foreground taking another glove
23:07 sex scene between Kate and Mysterious Man in back of cab, the music and general tone of this scene is similar to the dream sequence to start the film
29:35 back and forth between a close up on Kate’s face and over the shoulder shot
30:45 Kate makes horrible discovery
31:45 Kate shown in POV shot from perspective of stranger who’s been spying on her from distance
34:16 soft focus on Bobbi, the mysterious woman wearing sunglasses and a leather black coat
34 min brutal elevator scene begins
36:20 this is where we see an innocent man or in this case woman on the run scenario being made
38:20 Dr. Elliot listens to disturbing voicemail from Bobbi and followed by close up on missing razor
41:00 split diopter with Dr. Elliot and Kate’s son at police station
42:54 split diopter as Kate’s son Peter eavesdrops on interrogation room where Detective Marino (Dennis Franz) interviews Dr. Elliot following which follows the discovery of her murder
52:06 a series of split diopter shots with Peter’s hand over a stopwatch visible in the right foreground of the frame
56:16 split screen with Dr. Elliot shown in left side and Bobbi in the right making a phone call
57:07 split screen with Dr. Elliot shown in left side and Nancy Allen’s character Liz Blake on right
58:58 split screen with multiple images of the characters with numerous mirrors in the frame
1:03:12 split screen with Bobbi spying on Liz
1:03:48 beautiful shot of Liz running in subway with blue lights
1:17:25 overhead shot of Liz in Dr. Elliot’s office
1:27:17 Liz turns around to see Bobbi standing over her with razor, but she is saved
1:29:13 Psycho (1960) sequence, doctor explains the psychology of Dr. Elliot who is revealed to be Bobbi
1:34:06 tracking shot of nurse walking through hall of mental institution with blue lighting
1:34:50 overhead shot inside patient bedroom followed by Dr. Elliot attacking nurse and slow zoom up to show an audience watching
1:36:31 zoom out of patient room split frame
1:37:12 POV shot of killer using shaky camera à la Halloween (1978)
1:39:53 Liz in steamy shower and Bobbi stalker her
Spectacular editing and split screen in final sequence which builds the suspense to the max as the score intensifies while showing Bobbi’s presence
Ends with Liz waking up from a nightmare and zoom out
Thoughts
One of De Palma’s best films
While this film has high critical standing I think even more highly of it than most
Mirror as trope for duality, the film excels at using this during the brutal elevator scene which is obviously De Palma’s version of Hitchcock’s shower scene from Psycho (1960). It is an incredibly well directed scene complex editing and brilliant compositions using mirrors, POV shots, soft focus, etc.
The Museum set piece would make De Palma’s idol proud as it is what Hitchcock would call
pure cinema” as it is almost entirely silent as it puts you in Kate’s POV much of the time. There is a pattern in which De Palma captures Kate in medium shot followed by a shot of an object from her POV including paintings or people in the museum; and everything she is seeing has meaning whether it is a man being playfully sexual with his girlfriend or a couple with a young child, she is contemplating having an affair throughout the sequence
The camera is active right from the opening tracking shot into the bathroom showing Angie Dickenson’s character Kate Miller showering and touching herself in an erotic manner. The silent or at least be dialogue free sequence includes Kate following of the handsome and mysterious stranger in glasses giving De Palma the ability to demonstrate his magnificent camera movement as does the dream escape sequence toward the end when the nurse is attacked by Bobbi
The split diopter shots and split screen shots are both used frequently. They are used both for narrative purposes but also thematic ones too. The film revolves around a person with a split personality that is male and female and whenever the male side becomes interested or aroused by the presence of an attractive female, the female personality attempts to destroy it; this is a twist on Norman Bates and “Mother” in Psycho. I also really love the use of split diopter in the stopwatch sequence and with Peter eavesdropping on the conversation at the police station with the detective interviewing Dr. Elliot
The chase sequence through the subway shows Bobbi following Liz, it is an impressive sequence. It is also a sort of “wrong man on the run” only here “wrong woman on the run”. The blue lighting in the subway makes for gorgeous shot
I love the overhead shot at the mental institute near the end which serves as a great fake out ending, De Palma actually has several of those here. He really loves fake out openings and endings
I don’t think much of Nancy Allen as an actress although I thought she was effective in Carrie. Here I will say that Liz and Peter’s relationship is actually a little endearing and thank God they do not end up having some type of affair. The performances are never that essential in De Palma’s films though I think Michael Caine and Angie Dickenson are both great
Verdict: MP
a few additional thoughts on Dressed to Kill:
This film rewards additional viewings as there are many details easy to miss the first time around. For example, right after exiting the museum and before getting in the cab with the mysterious man, a hand of an unknown person grabs her glove in the foreground of the frame, if you blink you will miss it. There is a pattern with Michael Caine’s Dr. Elliot character as he looks into a mirror every time his character talks about or is asked about sex such as when Kate asks if he finds her attractive and asks if he would want to sleep with her
Pino Donaggio’s score is especially crucial given that the film’s standout sequence, the magnificent museum set piece lasts about 12 minutes and has no dialogue. And the following 12 or 13 minutes sequence including the aftermath of the sexual encounter and the elevator murder are dialogue free so in total it is about 25 minutes with no dialogue. The score hits all the right notes from the dreamlike erotic thriller opening to the chase sequences marked by a combination of danger and adventure
De Palma’s split screens and split diopter shots allow dialogue heavy sequences, like the police interview where Peter is eavesdropping, to be cinematic. There are no substantial stretches of the film that are uncinematic. I love De Palma using the bookend after multiple fake out endings
Fury (1978 film)
Notes:
Starts with Kirk Douglas character named Peter swim racing his good natured teenage son named Robin on a beach in Israel in front of John Cassavetes character named Ben
4:24 active camera movement 360 degrees as Peter, a government agent working in Israel, talks about leaving his work to move to Chicago with Robin who is revealed to be physic
5:50 presumed terrorist attacks begin, many zooms used and quick cuts and camera movements during attack sequence that is revealed to have been orchestrated by Ben and Peter shoots Ben upon learning about his betrayal and goes on the run
9:00 the story moves to Chicago a year later
A girl named Gillian Bellaver is played by Amy Irving and is revealed to also be psychic
18:05 montage used during psychic experiment results in Gillian seeing flashes to violent images, with a toy train moving across the foreground the entire time
21:50 Gillian accidently makes her friend bleed by telekinesis
23 min Peter continues being on the run from Ben and US government
30 nice chase sequence
39:23 overhead shot of van parking in empty parking lot at night before a slow zoom out to an ariel shot of the city followed by night changing to the daytime and a slow zoom in on the van
42:50 Charles Durning makes his first appearance as Doctor Jim McKeever who is in charge of the Paragon Institute, a research facility that studies physics
50 min sequence using zoom ins along with slow motion and quick cuts back and forth to a flashback of Robin prevented from leaving the Institute
51:12 overhead shot over Doctor McKeever and others working at the Institute having a meeting, the camera is held for over a minute during this meeting
52:34 four depths of field with Gillian in foreground
57:58 split diopter with Paragon nurse Hester listening in on private conservation
1:03:35 great sequence with Gillian seeing images that includes Robin being forced to watch video of the beach shooting from the opening scene of the film
1:06:21 overhead shot and slow zoom in
1:07:07 split diopter with three depths of field including ben in foreground
1:07:50 overhead shot inside mall and zoom out of escalators
1:12:44 Robin shown in a flashback that inside same room Gillian is standing, another split diopter
1:21:11 back and forth shots of camera moving toward subject; Robins eyes and rollercoasting ride
1:26:07 slow motion sequence as Hester “chases” an escaping Gillian
1:29:39 Peter saves Gillian following her escape from the Institute
1:36:28 characters in three depths of field in this shot which was been used several times
1:37:58 low angle shot of Robin from waist up with half his face covered by shadow
1:38:20 back and forth shots of Robin and Gillian with some extreme close ups used
1:43:23 Robin becomes paranoid and telekinetically kills his doctor Susan
1:44:57 great overhead shot outside of the mansion
1:47:28 reunion of Peter and Robin who is suspended in the air inside the mansion
1:49:15 Robin deep blue eyes transfer to Gillian’s before his death leading to Peter’s death via suicide
Ends with Gillian getting brutal revenge on Ben with similarities to Carrie
Thoughts
De Palma 2nd straight film about physic powers. This is the first time I had watched this film and for the most part I enjoyed this, but it is certainly not in the same class as Carrie which is no insult
I loved seeing Kirk Douglas back in action. He is one of my favorite actors and this is a great role for him. Cassavetes is a solid villain, I still need to do a director study for him in the future. The chase sequences with Kirk Douglas have an element of Hitchcock wrong man on the run trope. Amy Irving does solid work. I also love seeing Charles Durning
63 min mark contains great scene resembling sequence from Sisters (1972). Here Gillian has flash back to Robin being forced to watch a video of the beach scene at the beginning of the film
I think this film works better by removing a few unnecessary sequences, I also did not love all the use of slow motion. De Palma is certainly a master at using slow motion, but it does not always work here several times including the final sequence of Gillian getting revenge on Ben
The split diopter shots work for the most part, in particular characters listening in on other people’s conversations
Overhead shots are amongst De Palma’s strongest, he uses throughout the film
The camera is active at times including the opening 9 minutes
Verdict: R
Carrie (1976 film)
Notes:
Starts with overhead shot of high school gym class volleyball game, Carrie is played by Sissy Spacek and despite her age actually does look like a teenager (at least more than most High School movies with older actors). Nancy Allen as the mean girl bully character, Chris
The soft focus used in the locker room where several of the girls have their shirts off (this probably would be harder to do today even though the actresses were obviously all 18 or older)
6:55 three depths of field with Carrie in foreground and principal and gym teacher in midground and background, also nice use of frame in frames
8:10 close up on Carries face and pan down to cigarettes sparking slightly as if energy transferred from Carrie to object as principal repeatedly calls her Cassie
9:00
11:00 Carrie White’s mother is revealed to be a religious fanatic
12:38 split frame inside house with painting of “The Last Supper” on the wall
14:23 low angle shot of Mrs. White from Carrie POV followed by Mrs. White abusively hitting Carrie after learning that Carrie had her period in the locker room following gym
14:58 “Eve was weak”
16:07 overhead shot of Carrie locked in narrow closet
16:52 excellent framing and use of background/foreground in this two-shot
17:49 Carrie breaking mirror
20:21 a series of split diopter shots with Tommy Ross, the popular athlete, in the foreground and Carrie White in the background
27:34 split diopter showing pack of girls and Miss Collins during detention
29:54 tracking shot under bleachers
30:01 John Travolta as Billy in car with Nancy Allen’s Chris
43:47 tracking shot
45:05 slow zoom out from last supper painting revealing Carrie and her insane mother Margaret White eating dinner by candlelight during thunderstorm
55:03 high angle shot over shoulder of Carrie towering over her mother demonstrating change in power dynamic from the earlier low angle shot where Margaret White was in the dominant position
56:47 high angle shot of prom dance room, detailed mise en scene
1:00:12 Carrie actually seems like a normal high school girl since she is actually treated like a human being for once, heartbreaking
1:03:41 the camera so active throughout the prom sequence, camera 360 speeding up creating dizzy sensation with neon lights in background
1:10:03 overhead shot showing the Bucket of Pig Blood, followed by spotlight moving over Carrie and Tommy Ross
1:11:44 slow motion ramps up tension
1:12:16 another overhead shot showing the bucket of pig blood Carrie is unaware of
1:16:03 pig blood spills all over Carrie, still in slow motion and with sound cut out before she starts
1:16:44 Carries hears her mother’s voice echoing over and over “they’re all going to laugh at you while the prom crowd starts spinning with Carries POV
1:17:23 split screen followed by a sonic boom of pure cinema
1:18:06 red lighting is haunting, as characters try to flee the dance room of the prom
1:19:42 Carrie walking through fire is haunting imagery
1:20:56 a rapid zoom in to an extreme close up on Carrie’s face lasting less than a second; this is followed by a cut to Chris and Billy get killed in a car crash caused by Carrie’s
1:27:18 Margaret White’s background revealed
1:29:00 low angle POV shot of Carrie looking up at her mother holding a knife that resembled “mother” in Psycho (1960)
1:29:37 Carrie defends herself from her mother’s attempt to kill her as she flips the tables
1:30:55 slow zoom out on Margaret White crucified on the cross
1:36:00 ends with another zoom out to a high angle shot following Sue waking up from a nightmare
Thoughts
Given how much I loved horror films as a kid and teenager, I am surprised that I never watched this film until just a few years ago. After my first viewing I was blown away by the final 15-20 minutes but thought the rest of the film was nothing special; I was very wrong about this. That final stretch is incredible, but the rest of the film is great as well
I try to praise without over doing it with bold proclamations right after a viewing, but this really has to be one of the best directed horror films ever. There are a couple of relatively short stretches that are uncinematic following some nice split diopter shots around 21 min mark and going to about the 45 min mark. But almost everything outside of that feels like nonstop cinematic style. The pig blood sequence and build up is classic Hitchcock suspense, showing the audience crucial information that the protagonist is unaware of. Only Hitchcock did not use slow motion, or at least I am not aware of it if he ever did. The patience De Palma uses in building up the climatic destruction is incredible; he uses slow motion as noted but also cuts out the voices of the crowd watching Carries on stage after she is covered in the pig blood so that all Carrie can hear is her mother’s voice echoing “they’re all going to laugh at you” over and over.
Sissey Spacek is great here, it is a really impressive performance that is more layered than it initially appears. She actually acts like a pretty normal teenager during the beginning of the Prom sequence as she for a brief and heartbreakingly short amount of time is treated like an actual human being. They do not hurt the films that much, but I really do not like Nancy Allen’s performances in Blow Out (it is the only thing I don’t like about that film) and Dressed to Kill but I actually think she is quite effective here playing the schools “mean girl” who has a serious mean streak that goes even beyond her other mean classmates
Margaret White is an interesting villain, I found her a bit too cartoonish the first time I watched but I liked her character much better on this rewatch
The sound effect that is heart when Carrie uses her telekinesis power is set up early in the film. There is a pattern established, there is a close up on Carrie’s face when agitated followed by a quick cut to an object moving
De Palma’s signature shot is used effectively here, often used to place Carrie and her authorities figures in the frame together as well as a shot with Miss Collins and the pack of girls at detention. Almost all the split diopter shots have Carrie and an authority figure except for one with Tommy Ross
The use of split screens is excellent in the climatic moments of the Prom sequence as it shortens the time between Carrie’s physical movements and the violent outcome of her telekinesis power. As noted above this entire sequence is incredible in the build up
De Palma’s camera is extremely active including the use of zoom outs. A couple of times he shoots The Last Supper painting with a close up or medium close up and then zooms out
Verdict: MP
@Drake – I am a ways to go but am wondering if there are any De Palma films post Femme Fatale (2002) that you think are worth watching. In particular The Black Dahlia (2006) and Passion (2012) both have negative to mediocre reviews but both have much higher Metacritic scores than Rotten Tomatoe scores which is unusual, Black Dahlia has 49 MC and 32 RT and Passion has 54 MC and 34 RT
@James Trapp – the short answer is “yes”- I mean it all depends on your bandwidth and what else you’ve seen (I’d never tell anyone who hasn’t seen like The Conformist as an example that they have to see Black Dahlia) – but my rule is to see all you can from auteurs on the level of De Palma. And you almost have to throw out the metacritic scores with De Palma.
@Drake – I am planning on watching both, yeah I agree about ignoring the critic scores for those films, just found it interesting that the MC were so much higher than RT, it is unusual.