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The Sunday Sublimation
Apr. 8th, 2012 08:19 pmCousin has been watching the cricket, followed by other sport and then the golf today. He is still not feeling good with a protracted cold on the way (I guess).
I have been catching up with the week's newspapers, and then decided to watch a DVD I bought from a charity shop. The Coen Brothers “The Man Who Wasn't There” (2002).
Written and directed by the Coen brothers, "The Man Who Wasn't There" is an entertaining crime drama. The movie is in black-and-white to emphasize its film noir roots and period piece feel, but it ultimately turns out to be a character study of its chain-smoking protagonist, memorably portrayed by Billy Bob Thornton.
.
In 1949 in the northern California town of Santa Rosa, Ed Crane (Thornton) is a barber, working second chair to his brother-in-law. He lives quietly with his wife Doris (Frances McDormand), who keeps the books at Nirdlinger's department store. Ed is unhappy with his lot in life, partly because Doris is having an affair with her boss Big Dave (James Gandolfini), who is married to a Nirdlinger.
One day at the barbershop, Ed trims the hair of a garrulous traveller named Creighton Tolliver, who promises big returns to those investing capital in the up-and-coming business of dry cleaning. Ed blackmails Big Dave to the tune of $10,000 and gives the money to Tolliver, setting off a convoluted chain of events during which three people wind up dead.
As the story unfolds, high-powered defence attorney Freddy Riedenschneider (Tony Shalhoub) defends clients at two trials. Also, Ed becomes involved in an odd relationship with a teenage girl (Scarlett Johansson) who plays piano. There's also a plot thread involving flying saucers.
I loved the Coen brothers' script, with most of the best lines going to Billy Bob Thornton, who, as Ed Crane, narrates the film. For example, Crane reports on defence attorney Freddy Riedenschneider's speech before a jury: "He told them to look not at the facts, but at the meaning of the facts. Then he said the facts had no meaning."
Thornton's performance is outstanding, and I doubt if I'll ever forget the way he looks in the film's many close-ups. The cinematography by Roger Deakins is wonderful, fitting the mood of the story perfectly. I liked the musical score, too, which consists mostly of Beethoven piano sonatas.
Redolent of classic B movies, the film is a joy to watch.
I have been catching up with the week's newspapers, and then decided to watch a DVD I bought from a charity shop. The Coen Brothers “The Man Who Wasn't There” (2002).
Written and directed by the Coen brothers, "The Man Who Wasn't There" is an entertaining crime drama. The movie is in black-and-white to emphasize its film noir roots and period piece feel, but it ultimately turns out to be a character study of its chain-smoking protagonist, memorably portrayed by Billy Bob Thornton.
.
In 1949 in the northern California town of Santa Rosa, Ed Crane (Thornton) is a barber, working second chair to his brother-in-law. He lives quietly with his wife Doris (Frances McDormand), who keeps the books at Nirdlinger's department store. Ed is unhappy with his lot in life, partly because Doris is having an affair with her boss Big Dave (James Gandolfini), who is married to a Nirdlinger.
One day at the barbershop, Ed trims the hair of a garrulous traveller named Creighton Tolliver, who promises big returns to those investing capital in the up-and-coming business of dry cleaning. Ed blackmails Big Dave to the tune of $10,000 and gives the money to Tolliver, setting off a convoluted chain of events during which three people wind up dead.
As the story unfolds, high-powered defence attorney Freddy Riedenschneider (Tony Shalhoub) defends clients at two trials. Also, Ed becomes involved in an odd relationship with a teenage girl (Scarlett Johansson) who plays piano. There's also a plot thread involving flying saucers.
I loved the Coen brothers' script, with most of the best lines going to Billy Bob Thornton, who, as Ed Crane, narrates the film. For example, Crane reports on defence attorney Freddy Riedenschneider's speech before a jury: "He told them to look not at the facts, but at the meaning of the facts. Then he said the facts had no meaning."
Thornton's performance is outstanding, and I doubt if I'll ever forget the way he looks in the film's many close-ups. The cinematography by Roger Deakins is wonderful, fitting the mood of the story perfectly. I liked the musical score, too, which consists mostly of Beethoven piano sonatas.
Redolent of classic B movies, the film is a joy to watch.
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