Dressed to Kill & a Whole Lot You Didn't Ask For

So after my lengthy ass kissing of Mr. De Palma last night, I figured it was only right that we actually focus in on one of his films. Initially I was going to talk about the last film I saw, which would be Sisters. But I decided instead to talk about Dressed to Kill, which is, to date, his only film I’ve seen in a cinema. I feel that, particularly with a visual director like De Palma, seeing it in a cinema helps add so much to the experience. It also helps if it’s part of a double bill with Hitchcock’s Frenzy. God that was a great night, thanks again to Mr. Edgar Wright for hosting his season at the New Beverly Cinema. Anywhoo, I’ve wasted enough of your time with the intro, so let’s dive into it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxG57Uf7iMU

If I were in some ridiculous situation where I had a person who could only watch one De Palma film for the rest of his life, and I had to choose it, certainly, there’s be a lot to consider. Obviously, one of them would have to be Carrie, another would have to be Blowout. I mean, those are just great, great films. But I think in the end, it would have to be Dressed to Kill.

Why?

Well I mean, I don’t think there is a better example of all the De Palma storytelling techniques and visual flair than there is here. With this, we have the beautiful, long uninterrupted takes. We have the great scenes of tension which have absolutely no dialogue. We have Pino Donaggio’s hypnotic score. We have De Palma working in his element of the Thriller/Horror/Nearly trashy flick, and we have some of the most amazing split screen work ever. I mean that, this isn’t some fan boy exaggeration, Dressed To Kill has some of the best split screen work in the history of cinema.

De Palma is often accused of putting story second to the technique, and while sometimes this may be true, that would not be the case here. What we get is this sort of Psycho/Vertigo fusion, but to simply call it that would be a disservice. The flick is it’s own thing entirely.

One thing you will notice in these little things I write is that I will usually spend very little to no time at all talking about the actual plot of the movie. I mean, you can get that anywhere, and I don’t want to accidentally spoil anything for you. The purpose of these bits is not so much to review the film, but to discuss them in a general manner. So you can read these and take them as a recommendation, or watch them and come back and maybe notice something new. Also, see how I totally stopped talking about the movie to do this blurb? Don’t expect much structure here either.

Anyway, aside from my obvious love of the technique of the story, why else is this the ultimate De Palma flick in my opinion? Well, one thing I’ve started paying more and more attention to in certain movies, is the hypnotic approach director’s take to present the material. Certainly we still see it today from filmmakers like Darren Aaronofsky, but it has to be said that the visual nature of cinema has taken a back seat to story. Now don’t take this the wrong way, I’m not saying story is bad or anything, but I mean, is it too much to ask that we get filmmakers who know what the fuck they’re doing behind the camera? It’s like Ridley Scott says, “…for God’s sake, I’m not producing a Radio 4 Play… I’m making a movie that people are going to look at.” I’m starting to realize why Independent Cinema can’t win Best Picture, cause, and I’m speaking on a very big generalization here, but while they excel at story and character, technique and visuals seem to completely disappear. Instead we get the same damn over the shoulder shot, again and again.

Sorry, I’ve completely swayed from the point once again. What I’m saying is, this film, Dressed To Kill, has the great story and characters, and infuses it with absolutely beautiful, hypnotic sequences. Not to mention some of the greatest moments of intensity I’ve seen in a while. Without spoiling anything for you, I will say, that a shot with nothing but empty shoes has never been so damn scary.

So there we have some quick thoughts on Dressed to Kill, as the site stays around longer there will be fewer distracting asides, and perhaps more focus on the actual topics. For now though, consider all the extra stuff special features. If anybody has any thoughts please post in the comments and we can further discuss the flick.

Hero Worship: Brian De Palma

This originally started as a discussion about Brian De Palma's Sisters, with a brief bit about the director himself in the beginning, but then I started talking about him and basically didn't stop. So what we have here instead is a ridiculously long piece of me kissing Brian De Palma's ass. I had considered editing this thing down and adding my bit about Sisters, but then that would go against the whole reason I started this blog, which was for me to have an outlet to discuss films in a completely free manner. Since I am talking to no one in particular(most likely no one at all), I can speak very freely about my true opinions towards movies and movie makers, without having to pretend I like/dislike a certain film/director for the sake of not getting into a pointless argument.

So here we go:

I have a confession. When I first started watching films by Brian De Palma, I didn’t really care for them, which led to not caring too much for the man himself. This was a few years ago. Flash forward to today and not only do I absolutely love him, I find him to be one of the most unique and talented directors, pretty much ever. What happened?

Well I put the blame on two different factors. First was the buildup and anticipation for his films which put me at a point where I had to be disappointed. For a fan of the crime and gangster genre, you would not believe the amount of times I’m asked if I’ve seen Scarface. (Answer: About 6) And the same can be said for The Untouchables as well. So when I finally saw them I found that neither particularly wowed me. I mean, you ask random people on the street what the great crime films are, and those two titles will come up about as often The Godfather and Goodfellas. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I dug the films at the time, but found something lacking. More on that later.

The other issue which led to my distaste for De Palma early on was the simple fact that I WAS NOT WATCHING DE PALMA MOVIES! I mean, sure, Scarface and The Untouchables are De Palma movies, but not, you know, truly. De Palma is a man known for working in a pulp thriller/horror genre, and here I was watching crime epics. I’ve been told that his films fit into two basic categories, his Horror/Thrillers, often inspired by The Master of Suspense himself. Or his studio hired output. While nowadays I don’t see any dip in quality between the films, one has to admit it just seems like De Palma is more at home when working in his genre of choice. Although of course he gives nothing less than a hundred percent for any film he works on. You can practically feel the intense care put into every scene of his movies.

So anyway, at some point I rewound on De Palma and started again. This was sparked by a screening of Carrie, which is nowadays one of my favorite movies, and something I find truly scary. That was when I started on my (sort of) research of him and found out about his films and style. His love for Hitchcock and visual storytelling, and discovered that I had become enamored with his work. Long hypnotic tracking shots and masterful use of split screen were among the things that drew me to him like a bulimic person to a toilet.

It is my belief that in every single De Palma film, there is something beautiful and amazing, which makes the flick worth your time, even if the story itself isn’t particularly stellar. Take for example the opening to Snake Eyes. People may dislike the story being told, and as a result the movie itself, but damn if that opening isn’t impressive as hell. Even masterful tracking shots like the restaurant entrance from Goodfellas has to bow down to the beauty presented on screen here. The same can be said about The Bonfire of the Vanities, Mission: Impossible, and even Mission to Mars. And you know what? The heist sequence in Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Eleven was great, the one in De Palma’s Femme Fatale is better. And these are just his films that aren’t universally hailed as absolutely mind bendingly amazing.

As much as critics like to hold on to this thought that De Palma splits critics down the middle, you have to admit that when he’s on, he’s more unstoppable than that train in Unstoppable. Carrie, Sisters, Dressed to Kill, Carlito’s Way, Body Double, Scarface, The Untouchables, The Fury, Obsession… these are movies that any director would kill for. And then consider the magnificence on display in these movies, the “figure 8” shot in Carrie, the final sequence in Dressed to Kill and Carlito’s Way, the entirety of Body Double. Let’s see, how should I put this? This… this is the good shit.

De Palma has often been accused of being little more than a Hitchcock clone, but when I look at his films, I see the pure amount of joy that a movie can bring. I see a director who cares about the visual aspect of the film as much as the commercial or storytelling aspects. And you know what, as De Palma himself has said, Hitchcock is the best there is in the Thriller genre, if you want to be successful, then you’re gonna borrow from the master, and that’s exactly what he does. His friends, Spielberg, Scorsese, Lucas and Coppola consider him the master, and simply put, Brian De Palma is the balls.

[I realized reading this again that while I said "more on that later" several paragraphs up, I did not in fact go back to it. Maybe next time]