Cinema Blog

The other day I was thinking about the subjects that hold my interest. I was a bit surprised to find that there wasn’t a whole hell of a lot to choose from. My interests basically fall into three categories: Movies (including television that utilizes the cinematic structure - i.e. HBO’s Deadwood and The Sopranos, as well as the Peter Falk classic Columbo), music (specifically pre-80’s Blues and Soul), and Literature (Dostoyevsky thru Bukowski). This proved an intersting realization. I’ve always known that these were my interests, but sitting down and thinking about it in detail, I started to question the role that these three play in limiting the involvement of all other “activities” available to me. Ultimately, my realization was that there was little else that I care about. So therein lies the dilemma . . . how to make these interests a more productive part of my everyday life? The answer came simply – Do exactly what I am doing right now. Begin writing about the interests that I have a passion for. In the next few weeks I will put down my thoughts concerning the aforementioned three. There will be no rhyme or reason to any of it. There will be no hidden agenda. No, these writings will simply be products of interest finding an outlet. So now that I have established the foundation (simply that these are the topics that will be discussed – without parameters or rules) I will proceed with an examination of my interests. If you believe this to be a narcissistic, simple-minded endeavor . . . well, what can I tell you!?!? Go to hell!

Three years ago the American Cinametheque held a retrospective of 70’s and 80’s action director Walter Hill. I describe him as such, as this is the period of his career (as well as the type of films he made) for which he is best known. Creating a series of hard-edged, male-oriented, dramas utilizing action as a means of entertainment, Hill would influence countless filmmakers that would later expand on his examinations of male culture. Directing The Warriors, The Long Riders, and 48 Hours, as well as scripting Sam Peckinpah’s The Getaway and Ridley Scott’s Alien, Hill’s films showcase an intense and powerful filmmaker whose work reflects a male sense of isolation and responsibility. As good as the previously mentioned films are (and as much as they set-up this male-themed aesthetic) the film that established this pattern was his directorial debut, 1975’s Hard Times. Starring Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Strother Martin, and Jill Ireland, Hard Times in no way attempts to be anything more than what it is – a straight-forward depiction of Depression-era New Orleans and the people and efforts needed to survive those years. Hill’s film makes no attempt to “examine” the struggle of the “down-and-out.” Setting the film in the 30’s, the 50’s, the 60’s, or the 70’s is of little concern to Hill. The period puts the audience in a nostalgic mood, however the story itself is concerned with the drifter and his place in history. The story is as modern or as aged as we choose to place it. The drifter exists today as he has throughout this nation’s history. He is a constant presence. Hill chooses to focus on his struggle because it is the one closest to our own fears. Homeless, without family, friends, or money, Hill’s protagonist is a man with nothing to lose and everything to gain.

The story has been told countless times before. (Then again, show me a story that hasn’t.) The uniqueness in Hill’s version is its honesty. While watching Hard Times, you never get the sense that Hill is “painting by numbers.” The story is as real as is possible, filming forty years after the fact. The whole film mirrors the Depression-era photographs of Dorothea Lange, not so much in subject matter (Dust Bowl farmers vs. New Orleans gamblers), but rather in the expressions of each character. There is a sense of desperation in the film that seems very real. Nowhere is this more noticeable than in the performance of Charles Bronson. It has been said numerous times before that Bronson was probably the least expressive actor of all time. Many would question whether or not to even call him an actor. I believe this is a mistake. The problem with Bronson lies more with the films that he chose to make. With the exception of Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West and the first Death Wish (dir. Michael Winner), Bronson was never required to display emotion. In the case of Once Upon a Time in the West, Bronson’s emotionless gaze was in itself an image that burned itself into the memories of all who saw it. The fact is that Bronson, throughout his career, was fully aware of what he brought to the screen. He rarely deviated from what was expected because he knew what his fans wanted from him. They wanted to see him fire without question, and in the case of Hard Times, to knock the hell out of the poor bastard that chose to go toe to toe with him. He was a star who appealed to men and women alike for many of the same reasons - He was a hard-hitting, tough sunuvabitch who saw little point in talking his way through a situation. In fact the tag line for Hard Times reads “New Orleans. 1933. In those days, words didn’t say much.” Jesus Christ they didn’t have to.

The film follows the traditional screenplay pattern only in the loosest description. There is a meeting of the two leads. There’s a conflict wherein one lead finds himself in a difficult position, and finally the resolution where the other is forced to save his friend. It’s a basic story, made interesting by the skill of the storytelling, the force of the acting, and the intensity of the fight scenes. It must be said that Bronson’s fights with both Robert Tessier (in the cage) and Nick Dimitri (in the oyster warehouse) are skillful feats of editing and choreography. They stand up to any fight scenes put on film before or since. To think that Bronson was 54 years old and could realistically portray this character is an astonishing feat. For the 93 minutes you watch this film there is never a moment when you doubt that he can dispense the beatings that are depicted.

Do whatever is necessary to see this film (in widescreen, if possible), and marvel at a time when movies were allowed to depict difficult times without lightening the mood. “Back then words didn’t say much.” They didn’t have to.