Comments on: Films About Making Films http://thecinemaguy.com/films-about-making-films/ Film Reviews, Articles, Video Clips, and Lists Thu, 09 Sep 2010 10:32:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: The Cinema Guy http://thecinemaguy.com/films-about-making-films/#comment-1625 The Cinema Guy Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:46:20 +0000 http://thecinemaguy.com/?p=3169#comment-1625 Mr. Olsen, Thank you for the wonderful post. As I noted in the first paragraph of the post, leaving off Barton Fink was more a matter of it not being a film about the actual filming process, which is what the list was mainly about. There are literally hundreds of films about the moviemaking process, but the list presented was an attempt to focus on films that commented on the act of production (or lack thereof) as opoosed to pre-production/developement/post production. Barton Fink also happens to be a personal favorite of mine as well, and I believe it might now stand as the brothers Coen's most underrated work. Thank you for listing some of the many allusions to American cinema and literature contained in the film. The Coens somehow manage to pay homage to genre films of many types, as well as actual history, while inventing new genre melds and playing footloose and fancy free with period costuming, geography, etc. to suit their needs. What results more often than not is a kind of Coen netherworld, a place you can't find anywhere else but in that particular film. The Cinema Guy Mr. Olsen,

Thank you for the wonderful post. As I noted in the first paragraph of the post, leaving off Barton Fink was more a matter of it not being a film about the actual filming process, which is what the list was mainly about. There are literally hundreds of films about the moviemaking process, but the list presented was an attempt to focus on films that commented on the act of production (or lack thereof) as opoosed to pre-production/developement/post production. Barton Fink also happens to be a personal favorite of mine as well, and I believe it might now stand as the brothers Coen’s most underrated work. Thank you for listing some of the many allusions to American cinema and literature contained in the film. The Coens somehow manage to pay homage to genre films of many types, as well as actual history, while inventing new genre melds and playing footloose and fancy free with period costuming, geography, etc. to suit their needs. What results more often than not is a kind of Coen netherworld, a place you can’t find anywhere else but in that particular film.

The Cinema Guy

]]> By: Robert E. Olsen http://thecinemaguy.com/films-about-making-films/#comment-1624 Robert E. Olsen Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:43:31 +0000 http://thecinemaguy.com/?p=3169#comment-1624 This is a good list, and it includes several films I have never seen. Thanks for it and your observations as well. Among other films not listed here there is "Barton Fink." The Coens are truly equal-opportunity cynics. In their brilliant riff on the movie business, they lampoon serious writing and studio dreck, and the people responsible for both, with the same artful abandon. Employing a story line that, by the last half of the movie, is itself a Hollywood period piece, circa 1941, they pile irony atop irony, torque twist around twist. The result is always entertaining, if frequently cerebral, and laugh-out-loud funny. I enjoyed counting the many MacGuffins that alluded to other MacGuffins of the period. See that box? It functions here just like the word "Rosebud" in "Citizen Kane" (1941) or the statuette in "The Maltese Falcon" (1941). See that inebriated Southern writer, here the author of "Nebuchadnezzar," working, when he is capable of working, as a Hollywood hack? He's just like Nobel Prize winner William Faulkner, the author of "Absolom, Absolom!" (1936), who in fact intermittently wrote screenplays -- "To Have and Have Not" (1944) and "The Big Sleep" (1946) -- for Warner Brothers in the 1940's. See Charlie Meadows (John Goodman), at the end of the film, grip the bars of Barton Fink's (John Turturro) flophouse bed? The scene alludes, ironically, to the end of "The Maltese Falcon," where Brigid O'Shaughnessy (Mary Astor), being hauled off to jail, is framed behind the bars of an old-time elevator door. See that over-the-top studio boss in a military uniform from wardrobe, here appropriately named Lipnick? Of course, he's a take-off on Jack Warner, whose studio produced the staunchly pro-war "Sergeant York" (1941). "Barton Fink" took a half dozen executive producers to find the money to make a movie about making a movie about big men in tights, and it's a great film. This is a good list, and it includes several films I have never seen. Thanks for it and your observations as well. Among other films not listed here there is “Barton Fink.” The Coens are truly equal-opportunity cynics. In their brilliant riff on the movie business, they lampoon serious writing and studio dreck, and the people responsible for both, with the same artful abandon. Employing a story line that, by the last half of the movie, is itself a Hollywood period piece, circa 1941, they pile irony atop irony, torque twist around twist. The result is always entertaining, if frequently cerebral, and laugh-out-loud funny. I enjoyed counting the many MacGuffins that alluded to other MacGuffins of the period. See that box? It functions here just like the word “Rosebud” in “Citizen Kane” (1941) or the statuette in “The Maltese Falcon” (1941). See that inebriated Southern writer, here the author of “Nebuchadnezzar,” working, when he is capable of working, as a Hollywood hack? He’s just like Nobel Prize winner William Faulkner, the author of “Absolom, Absolom!” (1936), who in fact intermittently wrote screenplays — “To Have and Have Not” (1944) and “The Big Sleep” (1946) — for Warner Brothers in the 1940’s. See Charlie Meadows (John Goodman), at the end of the film, grip the bars of Barton Fink’s (John Turturro) flophouse bed? The scene alludes, ironically, to the end of “The Maltese Falcon,” where Brigid O’Shaughnessy (Mary Astor), being hauled off to jail, is framed behind the bars of an old-time elevator door. See that over-the-top studio boss in a military uniform from wardrobe, here appropriately named Lipnick? Of course, he’s a take-off on Jack Warner, whose studio produced the staunchly pro-war “Sergeant York” (1941). “Barton Fink” took a half dozen executive producers to find the money to make a movie about making a movie about big men in tights, and it’s a great film.

]]> By: The Cinema Guy http://thecinemaguy.com/films-about-making-films/#comment-1535 The Cinema Guy Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:34:57 +0000 http://thecinemaguy.com/?p=3169#comment-1535 I probably identify with the lead character Marc more than I'd like to admit. There's something smacking at nobility in his unadorned desire simply to make a film. The documentary definitely walks a fine line as clearly Marc is an object of ridicule (his alcoholism doesn't exactly help his efforts at credibility), but I'd like to think that at the same time director Chris Smith also has a degree of respect for Marc and his dreams. Like all artists or aspiring artists his desire falls somewhere in the realm of wanting to be heard and I suppose in a way this documentary allowed that to some degree. I probably identify with the lead character Marc more than I’d like to admit. There’s something smacking at nobility in his unadorned desire simply to make a film. The documentary definitely walks a fine line as clearly Marc is an object of ridicule (his alcoholism doesn’t exactly help his efforts at credibility), but I’d like to think that at the same time director Chris Smith also has a degree of respect for Marc and his dreams. Like all artists or aspiring artists his desire falls somewhere in the realm of wanting to be heard and I suppose in a way this documentary allowed that to some degree.

]]> By: travis http://thecinemaguy.com/films-about-making-films/#comment-1531 travis Sun, 16 Aug 2009 12:12:48 +0000 http://thecinemaguy.com/?p=3169#comment-1531 HI C.G., I thought "American Movie" was hilarious. It reminded me of one of Christopher Guest's mockumentary's except it was a real documentary. I haven't seen the film in years but I remember liking the main charachter despite the fact he was a complete disaster.... or maybe the reason I did like him was because he was a complete disaster. I am not quite sure but I admire the fact that he persevered and had some grit and went after what he wanted no matter how pathetic the attempt may have been. Trav HI C.G.,

I thought “American Movie” was hilarious. It reminded me of one of Christopher Guest’s mockumentary’s except it was a real documentary. I haven’t seen the film in years but I remember liking the main charachter despite the fact he was a complete disaster…. or maybe the reason I did like him was because he was a complete disaster. I am not quite sure but I admire the fact that he persevered and had some grit and went after what he wanted no matter how pathetic the attempt may have been.

Trav

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