Documenting from his start and first novel, where the photograph on the book jacket was more talked about than the book itself, Truman was unashamedly himself. This was not only brave but dangerous in a time when being gay was illegal. Capote created a character for himself to play throughout his life whenever he was in the spotlight and in private, he tried to live up to his creation.
My full review is over at Filmhounds HERE.
Quoted as having a voice that is ‘undeniably and violently original’ the Coen Brothers have been letting us into their world of numbskulls, vivid dreams and eccentrics with names to match since 1984. Following a trend throughout their filmography, which usually involves a crime that goes horribly wrong, whether is it dark comedy as with Burn After Reading (2008) or of a more serious nature, such as No Country for Old Men (2007), the common thread that links their films together, along with the various uses of violence, are the genre twisted stories that the Coens create.
The Coens’ first feature film, Blood Simple, is tale of lust, revenge and miscommunication. Almost a B Movie with its simmering tale set in the heart of Texas. Painted as a treacherous place from the start, in the opening quote from the Private Investigator, the location already makes creates a sense of unease, readying for something ‘big’ to happen. Abby is having an affair with Ray, a bartender who works for her husband, Marty. Already suspicious of their affair, he hires Visser, a private detective, to follow them. Once the affair is confirmed with photographs, he hires Visser to kill both Ray and Abby.
Blood Simple illustrates the difficulty and dirty dealings of murder, proving that it is anything but simple. Even the genres in which the film would usually fall (thriller/crime drama) don’t apply as easily as just slapping a label on the cover. Part film noir, part horror and, also in part, black comedy, the Coens play with the identity of the film without losing sight of plot or falling into genric parody. Instead, they balance the hybrid modes to create a story that’s simple and yet complex. Playing with story elements, borrowing from film noir, such as Double Indemnity and The Postman Always Rings Twice, Blood Simple twists these typical stories through the characters and the decisions they are driven to make, going ‘blood simple’.
The Coens’ use genre to create a story that is both familiar and unexpected at the same time. They said that they ‘didn’t want to make a Venetian blind kind of [detective] movie’ yet they are obviously influenced by film noir, which features this type of lighting. There is of course a detective, tracking down the lovers, solving a case, the cuckolded, suspicious rich husband and a thick atmosphere of doubt and lust in the air. The lighting, setting and tone of the story all to ‘typical detective story’, yet the players don’t fall into place. The detective, usually the ‘good guy’ wearing a white hat, isn’t what he seems. He follows the generic rules until he double crosses Marty over something petty: money. He’s killer, but only after he makes a mistake. The responsibility of ‘good guy’ falls squarely on Ray’s shoulders but, in theory, he isn’t one either: he has an affair with his boss’ wife, asks for money, then buries a man alive, but does so only after thinking Abby has killed Marty, which is his mistake. There is no femme fatale role in the story, either – Abby is just too clueless to take the initiative. Still, there is the question of her loyalty when Marty puts doubt in Ray’s mind, but Abby is oblivious, right up until the end when she says, “I’m not afraid of you, Marty,” and Visser answers back, “Well, ma’am, if I see him, I’ll sure give him the message.” It could be argued that Abby is the femme fatale of the piece, but only by default, as her own flaw is in being unable to communicate – all the men around her can but tend to die. The Coens’ favourite devices – a crime gone wrong, miscommunication and the age-old lust for violence – determine the fates of everyone in the story. This is because, at the start of the story, no one wants to kill but, by the end, they have all either killed someone or intended to.
In detective stories and most film noir, characters don’t go through an uplifting story arc. Instead, they come to the realization of their circumstance, or conclusion. But, in Blood Simple, the characters keep making mistakes, which is what drives the plot and each other’s actions forwards. Each character wants something and their selfish need is their ultimate their downfall.
Marty, driven my jealousy and anger, wants revenge on his cheating wife, going so far as to hire someone to kill her and her lover. Not wanting blood on his hands, he can’t do it himself, suggesting he is not ‘man enough’. His mistake is in trusting his wife in the first place and, again, in trusting Visser. Abby breaks his finger while beating him up, later noted by someone who refers to it as his ‘pussy finger’, further emasculating him. Marty is the desperate man who resists being made to look a fool but, as the only character to be murdered twice, is the joke of the film.
Ray is not the hero in this story. He doesn’t even manage to defend the woman he supposedly wants to be with – it is Abby who beats up Marty and kills Visser. Ray’s mistake is in thinking that Abby killed Marty and he doesn’t even think to ask her. Ray’s judgment is in question throughout, especially as it’s not entirely clear whether he loves Abby. He says, ‘I told you. I liked you,’ but love isn’t mentioned unless someone is scared. He questions Abby after he buries Marty and doubt starts to seep in, when she repeats what Marty says she’d say. But, as neither Abby nor Ray factor in Visser, he ends up dead, showing how unassertive he is.
Visser is the established detective, complete with voiceover and late night surveillance but he isn’t stereotypical. He seems like he’s going to be the voice of reason, like Tommy Lee Jones’ Sherriff Ed Tom Bell in No Country for Old Men, at the film’s outset but, by the time his story ends, he’s cackling into a pool of his own blood. His mistake is minor, leaving the cigarette lighter behind, but it’s one that has repercussions: foiling his plans and, ultimately, causing his death.
The Coen Brothers’ first feature is an introduction to their universe of violence mixed with comedy, crime and unique character names. Their ability to twist genres round their talented little fingers is the cornerstone of what makes their films stand out. Taking their influences, honouring them whilst still claiming them as their own, is what makes Blood Simple a stand out film.
For more #noirvember & #NeoNoir follow @little_sister_filmnoir
Originally written for Cinema Rediscovered in 2017 – also made as a Zine
The 1991 version of the film was dramatic but felt dated, compared to the 1962 original, as if it were just an imitation. Danielle Bowden, the teenager is not doing well as school and is forced to take summer classes, which is how she meets Cady as he pretends to be her drama teacher and he manages to convince her to suck his finger in a seductive manner. Leigh Bowden, Sam’s wife, works from home, she is a ‘modern woman’. The two lead male roles felt strange to me. Nick Nolte played Sam Bowden, who I found extremely uncharismatic. Jessica Lange and Juliette Lewis are the ones that carry this film for the Bowden family. Robert De Niro as Max Cady was terrifying but it wasn’t the tattoos or the greasy hair or the way he spoke, it was his ability to flip from seemingly charming guy to raging maniac. He is repulsive, which is what the character is meant to be and De Niro really does throw himself into the role. Unfortunately, Nolte, beside De Niro just feels miscast.
Cape Fear, both films, boast an impressive cast and director yet it’s quite difficult to compare the two films as they are almost identical in how the story plays out. The differences are obviously the ending and the change of character of Lori Davis and Diane Taylor. The former was a colleague, who has a crush on Bowden and after being rejected by him, meets Cady in a bar. She is then violently raped and beaten and left too afraid to testify. The change from the 1962 film, where Diane is a woman, not connected to other characters Cady picks up at a bar. Cady threatens Bowden when he attacks his friend, showing this is what he’ll do to his wife and daughter. Both women are used as plot device to show what Cady is capable of and shaming these women for having sex with someone they hardly know. An age-old device.
For more #noirvember & #NeoNoir follow @little_sister_filmnoir
SNAPSHOT POST
"I don't care about the
money. I'm pulling back the curtain. I want to meet the wizard." -
Nicholas
David Fincher's 1997 thriller literally teeters on the edge of sanity when his
protagonist becomes involved in an elaborate game gifted to him by his brother.
Discovering what is and isn't part of the game is left up to the audience even
right to the very last moment. There is at points detours to what we think is
the narrative and just feel like challenges to overcome. There are moments of
dread and very little pleasure. We witness a man who on top of the mountain, be
it lonely, and fall slowly to rock bottom. We see him over come struggled he
may never have thought he would go through and then through it all, question
his own reality. Is this real or part of, the game?
For more #noirvember & #NeoNoir follow @little_sister_filmnoir
Rams is a comedy with equal part heart-breaking and heart-warming moments all centred around sheep, rams and the farmers that raise them is unexpectedly entertaining and, in some moments, rather thrilling.
Full review is over at Filmhounds and can be read HERE.
If you'd also like to read my post about the original Rams, you can go HERE - its short but sweet.
Last year, right at the start of the first Lockdown I had the idea to start making zines. Not the film ones I make from time to time but real pen and paper and photocopy zines. I managed to put together a few pages but, in all honesty, it wasn't my best work. I salvaged the best pages and will be adding them to something I'm putting together for my 10-year anniversary of this blog. One page that I kept was a rant, a train of thought, relevant for the time, about owning DVDs and Blu rays. Apologies for the scattered handwriting. This reveals how crazy my handwriting is.
Despite streaming services being the go-to for most people, including myself, to watch films, TV, music and the odd audiobook, physical media is being kept alive by the collectors. The ‘old’ media that entertained us when we were young is always looked upon fondly now and resurrected for a nostalgia trip. As we’ve all been kept inside away from everything, these nostalgia trips are happening quite frequently. I’d love to go through the boxes still at my parents that I know contain cassette tapes, videos and there’s even a shoe box with the last of my CD collection I couldn’t get rid of. I used to be the proud owner of a large audiobook collection, mostly children’s and young adult books, quite a few Jaqueline Wilson tapes and a few Jane Austen tapes, as well as a few odd ones that I never heard of anywhere else, The Weirdstone of Brisingamen anyone? With only a few videos surviving, half of which are recorded, I had tried to convert this collection to DVDs but some I couldn’t find. Without these boxes of nostalgia to pour over, I’ve looked to collection that I moved with.
It’s been said that the Millennials are the ones keeping physical media alive, having grown up in an age without everything at our fingertips or having the ease of streaming services for anything you could dream of. But I also think there has been a resurgence of the ‘special/limited edition’ that has caught the eye of those who collect. Distributors like Arrow and the Criterion collection are going strong with these releases, bringing cult classics into the new era and those long-forgotten gems out of the dark for new audiences to discover. Other labels such as Indicator, Vintage Classics and 101 Films focusing different genres, also offering extra features and physical extras too. Bringing out new releases to celebrate an anniversary or even just a ‘first time’ release is an opportunity. These are all for the collectors, of which I thought there were few but after a search on Instagram with the right hashtags, I find that I am most definitely not alone or at least it’s not just film writers and Film Twitter out there. The appeal of physical media is not a niche thing as I had thought.
My scribbles from last year were in frustrated response to digital copies being deleted as and when companies wish rendering bought digital copies useless. For anyone who loves to own the real thing, there will always be DVD/Blu ray and now 4K releases. Vinyl made its way back from being 50p in a charity shop to back on the shelves, cassette tapes are also having a mini comeback. CDs might not have the same appeal, but, you never know.