tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post6962412620018303711..comments2024-03-24T13:26:57.317-07:00Comments on Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule: HAPPY MONDAY ALL-BEEF LINKSDennis Cozzaliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-76998104899226178872008-12-07T13:20:00.000-08:002008-12-07T13:20:00.000-08:00On top of the point-blank execution, I think there...On top of the point-blank execution, I think there's another "gut-punch" moment in "The Sadist" that's overshadowed by that burst of violence, but proves as equally effective in elevating that film far above its expecations.<BR/><BR/>Spoilers Ahead:<BR/><BR/>It's starts when Stiles, one of the teachers, finally grows a pair and gives Tibbs a face-full of gasoline. Up to that point, his character has been kinda of a weasel, but we've been conditioned to think that now, finally, he will save the girl and save the day, thus redeeming himself. Which is why, during the subsequent chase scene, I was counting the shots fired right along with him. And when Tibbs' gun finally clicked empty and Stiles goes on the attack -- and we all look forward to Tibbs finally getting his head kicked in -- we, like Stiles, forgot about the stolen police revolver and watch in stunned silence as Tibbs shoots him, and shoots him before he can even get close! And to make sure there are no last second heroics by a wounded Stiles, Tibbs empties the revolver into him, punctuating that point, before turning his full attention on Doris.<BR/><BR/>Add that "oh crap" moment to the fact that the only reason Doris gets away is dumb luck and dumb luck only, means the audience is left with a nasty atypical and pessimistic resolution that resonates long after the closing credits.<BR/><BR/>Forgive my rambling, but it's a great film. And I think I probably explain my point a whole lot better here: www.badmovieplanet.com/3btheater/s/sadist.htmlW.B. Kelsohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06488705562652550244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-12924069031491851932008-12-03T18:13:00.000-08:002008-12-03T18:13:00.000-08:00Or reading further, it may have just been a legal ...Or reading further, it may have just been a legal issue.<BR/><BR/>I AM sentimental...outside doghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01493419010195823747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-74963344571632332982008-12-03T18:06:00.000-08:002008-12-03T18:06:00.000-08:00A correction:The Independent reporter should have ...A correction:<BR/><BR/>The <I>Independent</I> reporter should have written "Sir Maurice," not "Sir Michael," since he was knighted not under his stage name but as <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Caine" REL="nofollow">"Sir Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, Jr."</A><BR/><BR/>I only point that out because I've always thought it was touching that he honored his father, who worked in a London fish market, in that way.<BR/><BR/>Or maybe I'm just sentimental...outside doghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01493419010195823747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-41749337510662457902008-12-02T19:18:00.000-08:002008-12-02T19:18:00.000-08:00Way to rain on my parade, Stennie. I'm kidding, of...Way to rain on my parade, Stennie. I'm kidding, of course!<BR/><BR/>And you're right-- all the speculation makes for a neat parlour game (note British spelling), but when it's all said and done I still marvel, 40 years later, that someone had the nads to end a breezy caper film like <I>The Italian Job</I> does. And like you, I really wouldn't have it any other way.Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-66814855873326239052008-12-02T11:49:00.000-08:002008-12-02T11:49:00.000-08:00IMDB has had that story about the "lost ending" of...IMDB has had that story about the "lost ending" of The Italian Job in their trivia section for the movie for at least the last year, I think. The last time I saw the movie I read about it.<BR/><BR/>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064505/trivia<BR/><BR/><I>In a BBC documentary to celebrate his 70th birthday in March 2003, Michael Caine revealed his character's "great idea", and the deleted ending of the film [...]</I> I'll leave it out, in case people don't want to be spoiled. Not such a scoop for The Independent, I guess!<BR/><BR/>I'm happier with the ending the way it is, though. That's one of my favorite film endings of all time.stenniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13111069282758531776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-499849451564171692008-12-01T14:53:00.000-08:002008-12-01T14:53:00.000-08:00When Tibbs puts the gun to the teacher's head, and...When Tibbs puts the gun to the teacher's head, and the camera cuts to a close-up of the back of the victim's head, I thought, "Well, this is 1963. Surely they're going to cut away before he pulls the trigger." But they didn't, which left me expecting a lot more gore than I actually saw, and I was so certain it was coming that even now I wonder how much there was. I don't think there was any, really, but I'm not sure. Now, that also has a lot to do with the movies that have come after <B>The Sadist</B> that have employed the same shot, but it's also an aspect of the shot itself.<BR/><BR/>And <B>TCM</B> is still pretty rough -- there's that meathook, after all -- but it's still surprising how far Hooper <I>doesn't</I> go, not just in the meathook scene, but in the one scene where a chainsaw is actually used as a murder weapon. And Hooper didn't even have any doors to kick down in that regard, as the H. G. Lewis's of the world had already kicked it down, at least for the kind of low-budget exploitation cinema Hooper was dealing with.<BR/><BR/>Also, <B>Wolf Creek</B> really isn't a bad movie. I think you should check it out. The main thing that struck me about it was its patience. I think the horror element of the story might be limited to the last half.<BR/><BR/>It's funny how when you recommend a movie to someone and that person doesn't like it, the person who followed your recommendation often feels, whether or not they deserve to, as though they're in an intellectually superior position to the person who recommended the film. "This movie is bad," they think (sometimes), "and that person liked it. Therefore, I am smarter and have better taste than him." Which is a silly, arrogant, narrow way to think, but because I <I>have</I>, I'm embarrassed to say, thought that way myself, I invariably get twitchy about recommending movies myself, especially comedies. I don't want anyone to think less of me, you see.<BR/><BR/>All of which is to say, I know what you mean. But you and I disagree as often as we agree, and I know you've never made me feel bad for holding a certain opinion, and I hope I've never done that to you. And besides, we definitely agree on <B>The Sadist</B>.bill r.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17748572205731857892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-79964773242539558432008-12-01T13:55:00.000-08:002008-12-01T13:55:00.000-08:00Bill, I particularly liked your parallels with Jam...Bill, I particularly liked your parallels with James Dean/Charlie Starkweather and the Arch Hall, Jr. character, and it gave me a chill when you mentioned the significance of the the fact that the victims were teachers-- for reasons both germane to the comparison and for other, more personal ones too. <BR/><BR/>I also wanted to extend my excerpt to include your extension of the movie's influence up to Tobe Hooper's <I>Texas Chain Saw Massacre</I> and the more recent <I>Wolf Creek</I>, but if I had, well, I might just as well have reprinted the whole piece! It is very interesting how <I>TCM</I> has such a reputation as a gore machine when the reality is that it is as dependent on the power of suggestion and context as anything else-- one reason why the movie is so effective; your comparison to the power <I>The Sadist</I> holds over an audience is really apt. (I haven't seen <I>Wolf Creek</I>, nor do I feel any great urge to, based on what I've heard.)<BR/><BR/>And I know just how you feel. I'm always nervous whenever I see a movie that has been recommended by a friend. Fears of your own reactions being watered down or otherwise altered by your knowledge of what the person already feels about it are sometimes difficult to pin down and deal with. And it's the same when the shoes are reversed-- I was quite relieved to discover that you agreed there was something there in <I>The Sadist</I> worth thinking about. Not that I would have changed my opinion; I'm just too sated with turkey to gear up for a big argument! ;)Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-605211645632328972008-12-01T13:37:00.000-08:002008-12-01T13:37:00.000-08:00Thanks a lot for the link, Dennis. Any time I sit...Thanks a lot for the link, Dennis. Any time I sit down to watch a film that has been enthusiasticall recommended by a friend, as you did with <B>The Sadist</B>, I worry about the guilt I will feel if I don't like it. Fortunately, I needn't have worried in this case. What an interesting, unexpected film that is, and the influence it has apparently had on genre filmmakers who came after has been immense.bill r.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17748572205731857892noreply@blogger.com