Criterion Club
- Thread starter Dash
- Start date
Seconded
Dash
Member
Loved this! It reminded me a lot of Breaking Bad, if Walt had started out more terrible. Vince Gilligan, if he didn't draw the influences directly, certainly drew some parallels unknowingly.Criterion Club! We are starting a new feature in this thread featuring a film of the week. Think of it like Book Club but more pretentious. I'll be picking this week, but I am more than happy to start some sort of rotation.
Presenting CCFOW #1:
Billy Wilder's Ace in the Hole
From Criterion: "Billy Wilder’s ACE IN THE HOLE is one of the most scathing indictments of American culture ever produced by a Hollywood filmmaker. Kirk Douglas gives the fiercest performance of his career as Chuck Tatum, an amoral newspaper reporter who washes up in dead-end Albuquerque, happens upon the scoop of a lifetime, and will do anything to keep getting the lurid headlines. Wilder’s follow-up to SUNSET BOULEVARD is an even darker vision, a no-holds-barred exposé of the American media’s appetite for sensation that has gotten only more relevant with time."
This one came from a suggestion by my uncle. As a journalist, I'm particularly interested in the, uh, current political relevance of it all. My uncle says it's "Kirk at his finest."
I know there's some controversy in regards to Kirk Douglas' personal life, particularly when it comes to Natalie Wood, and I think that is more than fair to discuss as part of this week's film. But, frankly, I don't know much about that and will likely not take part in those conversations.
I am really excited to see this one, and I hope you'll all enjoy it!
(If you want to pick next week's film, just volunteer! Let's try to pick a new movie every Sunday to be talked about through the week.)
Douglas walked the line between terrible and sympathetic for much of the film. He had the semblance of a backbone for about half of it. I was struck by the humanity he showed even in his depravity.
I was also struck by how long the film kept away from the so-called Ace in the Hole. And as @chris_d_cole mentioned, that ending shot! Great film.
Ponman2003
Well-Known Member
First off, Kirk Douglas is clearly Matt the radar technician. Am I right?
On a more serious note, I thoroughly enjoyed the irony of Kirk's "One man's different. You wanna know all about him. That's human interest." when he himself is the 'one man' representation of avarice, fame, w/e. I found myself empathizing his yearn for success and almost wanted everything to turn out ok. On the other hand, I was sickened by the crowd's desire for spectacle. :/
Also,
On a more serious note, I thoroughly enjoyed the irony of Kirk's "One man's different. You wanna know all about him. That's human interest." when he himself is the 'one man' representation of avarice, fame, w/e. I found myself empathizing his yearn for success and almost wanted everything to turn out ok. On the other hand, I was sickened by the crowd's desire for spectacle. :/
Also,
what are y'alls thoughts on Kirk's death? It's borderline suicide in my opinion. He has plenty of time to find a doctor for what looks to be a tame stomach wound. Does he just think he can never get back to his place of power after this failure so he might as well end it? I don't buy that. He himself says it just takes one great story and New York will beg him to come back, even after 11-12 firings for similar issues. When he called New York and ratted himself out for murder, is he desperately looking for one last piece of copy to punch a ticket back home? I don't think so. I think he accepted death the moment he drove to the priest. I really think he felt regret for how far he pushed this one, and can't live with it.
Regardless, it doesn't exonerate his character, but at least one of the movie's monsters had a turning point. Unlike the masses, searching for spectacle, just moving on to the next one. And the greedy, unloving wife searching for another to quickly take her in.
Regardless, it doesn't exonerate his character, but at least one of the movie's monsters had a turning point. Unlike the masses, searching for spectacle, just moving on to the next one. And the greedy, unloving wife searching for another to quickly take her in.
Last edited:
chris_d_cole
Member
my reading is similar
while it’s impossible to redeem his character, I think his death was sort of a self-determined penance for him murdering Leo. the theatrics after the stabbing are still fully in character. dude’s petty AF and just like Leo was able to mentally prolong his death much longer than expected, I think Chuck was able to hold on just long enough to make a scene in his former place of employment.
another answer is that Chuck couldn’t have survived because of the Hayes Code. in an interview in the extras on the CC, one of the writers, Walter Newman, said that they couldn’t keep him alive even if they wanted to because he far surpassed whatever limit for tolerable immoral behavior under the code. so him dying at the end of the film was a forgone conclusion.
another answer is that Chuck couldn’t have survived because of the Hayes Code. in an interview in the extras on the CC, one of the writers, Walter Newman, said that they couldn’t keep him alive even if they wanted to because he far surpassed whatever limit for tolerable immoral behavior under the code. so him dying at the end of the film was a forgone conclusion.
Dash
Member
Without spoiling for those who still haven't seen it, I agree with both your readings.
As I said in my previous post, he showed flashes of humanity even in his depravity. I think his last line was telling. "You can have me for nothing." He knew what he was doing. He knew he was going to die. He needed to pay penance somehow, either for himself or for God or for Leo. He knew he had become a monster and couldn't live with that.
RE: Shirtless Kirk... Was it in his contract somewhere that he needed to be shirtless in every movie? I've only seen a handful of his films, but there's a scene of him without a shirt on at least once in all that I can remember haha.
Ponman2003
Well-Known Member
It does work here though imo. When he started slapping around the cops, I was like woah! How is he getting away with that!? But then you see him all jacked up. It makes sense.
Sonicpharmacist
Well-Known Member
Thirded
Dash
Member
Been burning through the Collection lately.
Obviously watched Ace in the Hole and loved it.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch - Such a strange film but I enjoyed it. I have always felt skeptical of John Cameron Mitchell's success for some reason, but I get it now.
The 400 Blows - Freakin' loved this. So sad, but so good. I grew up with loving parents, but I think we all felt at some point that our parents or other authority figures were not understanding us. This film obviously takes that to the extreme, though it was the true story of Truffaut. So affecting.
Paths of Glory - Not my favorite Kubrick, but even Kubrick's least Kubrick-ian film is still a tour de force. Definitely makes you think about the military industrial complex.
Picnic at Hanging Rock - Disturbing, and pretty good. Not as in love with it as @Sonicpharmacist, @gouis or @ayayrawn, but I definitely see its influences on Ari Aster movies like Hereditary and (I'd imagine) Midsommar. LOVED the sound design (super influential on Twin Peaks).
Currently finishing the double feature of Picnic/Virgin Suicides.
Obviously watched Ace in the Hole and loved it.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch - Such a strange film but I enjoyed it. I have always felt skeptical of John Cameron Mitchell's success for some reason, but I get it now.
The 400 Blows - Freakin' loved this. So sad, but so good. I grew up with loving parents, but I think we all felt at some point that our parents or other authority figures were not understanding us. This film obviously takes that to the extreme, though it was the true story of Truffaut. So affecting.
Paths of Glory - Not my favorite Kubrick, but even Kubrick's least Kubrick-ian film is still a tour de force. Definitely makes you think about the military industrial complex.
Picnic at Hanging Rock - Disturbing, and pretty good. Not as in love with it as @Sonicpharmacist, @gouis or @ayayrawn, but I definitely see its influences on Ari Aster movies like Hereditary and (I'd imagine) Midsommar. LOVED the sound design (super influential on Twin Peaks).
Currently finishing the double feature of Picnic/Virgin Suicides.
Sonicpharmacist
Well-Known Member
I really want to, but I have yet to watch Ace in the Hole, nor have I seen Hedwig, 400 Blows, or Paths of Glory. I found Picnic at Hanging Rock just lovely,...the scenery, camera work, acting were all stellar. With it’s deliberate pacing, I can see why it may not be everybody’s cup of tea though. I just recently revisited The Virgin Suicides, which confirmed my original thought, which is that the film has always been overrated. I like it, but that’s about it.
Ponman2003
Well-Known Member
I agree it's one of his weaker overall products, but it's distinctly immersive. I was in that god forsaken trench. I was a member of the firing squad.
Dash
Member
Absolutely. And those interrogation scenes!
Dash
Member
Really liked Virgin Suicides. It's bleak as can be, but I enjoyed it. Soundtrack was obviously a big part of that. Glad I watched it when I felt good about life, though. That would be a tough one to watch if you were feeling depressed in any way.
I can see why Criterion paired this and Picnic at Hanging Rock together. I know Coppola has said she was influenced by that film, too.
I can see why Criterion paired this and Picnic at Hanging Rock together. I know Coppola has said she was influenced by that film, too.
whoisbeck
Active Member
Wow. Ace In The Hole turned into something I did not expect.
I didn’t see his death coming. Obviously once the stabbing happened, I knew it was coming, but the stabbing caught me off guard. I don’t think he did anything selfless, however. I think he even brought the priest for his own sanctification. He closed his eyes during the whole thing, almost as if he was accepting what the priest was saying for himself. The act of bringing the priest seemed like his own penance.
I found it ironic that despite all of this, he died make one last sarcastic remark, one last proclamation of how great he is, now he is a thousand dollar a piece man. I really got the vibe that maybe he didn’t change that much after all. The death to me wasn’t redemptive, it was a tragedy.
I found it ironic that despite all of this, he died make one last sarcastic remark, one last proclamation of how great he is, now he is a thousand dollar a piece man. I really got the vibe that maybe he didn’t change that much after all. The death to me wasn’t redemptive, it was a tragedy.
BattleFlag
Well-Known Member
Those tracking shots through the trenches and stretching through no man's land are absolutely stunning and haunting.
Dirtbag Auntie
Well-Known Member
Watched Smithereens and Mulholland Drive today. I can’t wait to dive into more movies.
Dash
Member
Yo, @chris_d_cole!
chris_d_cole
Member
Alright... Let’s get weird.
Pick number two for the Needles and Grooves Criterion Club is...
Donkey Skin
Directed by Jacques Demy • 1970 • France
This may be one of the most delightful wtf movies I’ve ever seen. It’s a fairy tale told in a way only Jacques Demy can tell it. The Criterion Channel describes it as “a topsy-turvy riches-to-rags fable... Donkey Skin creates a tactile fantasy world that's perched on the border between the earnest and the satiric.” I’m hesitant to post a full synopsis because I want people to go into this as blind as possible. It’s weird and wonderful and when I watched it for the first time last year, I had the fun exercise of trying to explain to my wife what this movie was when she walked in on me watching it.
Donkey Skin is definitely not for everyone, but if you want to check out some more Demy, I would recommend both The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (a stone cold classic) and The Young Girls of Rochefort (a worthy tribute and subversion of the Hollywood musical) as more accessible entry points. But for those willing to dive in deep, there’s Donkey Skin!
Enjoy!
Last edited:
Dash
Member
I love Umbrellas of Cherbourg, so really looking forward to this one!
Bennnnn
Well-Known Member
Totally interested based on the cover art, brief synopsis, and title alone. I've seen Umbrellas and like it, but I'm all in for weird.
Still haven't watched last week's film. I'm very behind, but it'll happen soon.