An Unmarried Woman

An Unmarried Woman, directed by Paul Mazursky, was a change of pace for our 70’s film class. More of a “chick flick” of sorts, it was an enjoyable film. Being a man, it gave me a bit of insight into a woman’s world and how Erica, played by Jill Clayburg, deals with being on her own after divorcing her husband of 16 years.

This was a relevant movie for the 70’s because women’s liberation was also really coming to the forefront in the world and this was a movie about a woman getting out there and achieving her independence.

One of the strongest moments of the film for me was when she is riding home in the cab with her “date.” She all but lets him know she is not in a place where she is looking to get involved with a man right now. When he attempts to kiss her, her reaction brought chills down my spine and you could feel that she was just so emotionally distraught. That guy picked he wrong woman to make a pass at.

Which brings me to another point. I thought it was interesting that she used the term “pass.” These days I would refer to it more as hitting on a woman and had not heard the term to make a “pass” at someone it quite a long time.

I liked the end of the film where Erica was torn if she should go with Saul, played by Alan Bates, or if she should stay behind and concentrate on her own life. The fact that she stayed behind was the right choice because it really gave credibility to her as a independent woman and what she represented to the times.

Dog Day Afternoon

This was the first time I had seen Dog Day Afternoon (directed by Sidney Lumet.) I thought it was interesting that the title of the film in no way gave me any inclination to what the film was about or it’s content and meaning, in my opinion. But I enjoyed it.

Al Pacino’s portrayal of Sonny was outstanding. I really thought it interesting that only halfway through the movie do we learn that Sonny is gay, or bi-sexual. Once I learned that, I could hear it a little more in his voice. I liked Sonny’s character and the way he dealt with the police. The way he used the crowd outside to keep the police at bay was smart. It was also relevant to the times as he brings the crowd to a chant of “Attica! Attica!”

The 70’s were also a relevant time for homosexuality as it was when the subject started to come to the forefront and out of obscurity where it had been before. It really had more meaning too after hearing Jeff Kliment’s presentation about his tribulations as a gay man during his younger years. I thought it interesting that when he was living in Chicago, before moving to San Francisco, that homosexuality was still very much not in the public eye. And also that he found he was able to connect to the outside world of others like him when he found a bookshop that was geared towards homosexuality.

Saturday Night Fever

Here’s a movie that I know I’ve seen before as a kid, but have not seen in such a long time that it was practically a brand new movie for me. I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy it because typically I’m not a fan of dance movies. But this isn’t a typical dance movie and I did enjoy it.

Saturday Night Fever, directed by John Badham, is a coming of age movie about a Brooklyn youth named Tony Manero (played by John Travolta.) His days consist of working at the paint shop, hanging out with friends and dancing at 2001 Odyssey and he is fine with that–until he meets Stephanie (played by Karen Lynn Gorney.) He is attracted to her dancing ability and wants to know her better, but she is searching for something more from life and she’s not sure if he’s part of the picture.

This is particularly important because all his friends and the girls around him around Tony look up to him and want his approval, like Annette (played by Donna Pescow) and Bobby C. (played by Barry Miller). Annette wants so badly to get close to Tony in any way she can–through sex or dancing–but he doesn’t want to get too close because she thinks she is trying to get serious with him. Then there is Bobby C., who looks up to Tony and his friends, but is more reserved than the rest. Bobby gets this girl pregnant and he doesn’t know what to do. He looks to Tony for his guidance, but Tony pretty much blows him off as well. The only person who Tony wants is Stephanie and she keeps him at arm’s length, which frustrates Tony.

Through the movie Tony becomes more disillusioned with his station and life. He realizes he is in a head nowhere job at the paint store and his friends are headed nowhere. Finally the breaking point comes after the dance contest. After watching the other Hispanic couple on the dance floor, he thinks that they were better than he and Stephanie. He loses it, even though Stephanie and he won, because he always thought he was he best dancer. And if he wasn’t the best, there was nothing left for him. Then the death of Bobby seals the deal and he goes to Stephanie and let’s her know that he’s ready to move on in life and wants her friendship to help see it through.

Shaft

Shaft was my first Blaxploitation movie. I found it interesting hearing about the times and how these movies were some of the moneymakers for the studios, while traditional films were not holding up in the theaters.

In the opening, we see Shaft, played by Richard Roundtree, walking the streets and he seems to be at one with his environment. Unlike Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver, Shaft is at home with where he is. Also like Taxi Driver, the city is a character in itself. It is filled with creatures of the night that give the movie color and life.

Shaft is definitely a rebel who plays by his own rules, although he still has a loose connection with the law in Vic Androzzi, played by Charles Cioffi. I really liked the Vic Androzzi character. I like the understanding he has with Shaft and knows that Shaft has to do things by his own rules, but let’s Shaft know there are always still rules.

I feel like this movie has leveled the playing field between blacks and whites. Shaft is able to beat the Italian mob and essentially tell the police where they can stick their rules. In other words, Shaft is able to stick it to the man. But it’s not just Shaft who gives black people power. Bumpy Jonas, played by Moses Gunn, is also a black man to be reckoned with, even though Shaft deals with Bumpy’s men. Bumpy’s character leads us to believe that he has so much money, that he doesn’t care what it takes to get his daughter back from the mob.

Taxi Driver

Here is a movie I’m surprised I hadn’t seen yet. I mean, who doesn’t know the phrase “You talkin’ to me?” But I was looking forward to finally seeing Martin Scorsese’s Taxi driver and it didn’t disappoint.

I think one of the main characters in the film is the city itself. During much of the film, we are shown the perspective of Travis Bickle, played by Robert De Niro, and how he views the city. The people on the street, ladies of the night, pimps, and hoodlums–it makes him feel dirty and all he wants is someone to come and wash it clean. I have felt the same thing many times myself. Sometimes I see the evil in people all over the world and wish that something would come and just clean all the evil and cruelty away.

Travis starts off as a relatively normal person, but eventually the world he lives in drives him to extremes. When he starts buying guns and plotting to kill Senator Charles Palantine, played by Leonard Harris, you’re not 100% sure exactly why because the only interaction between him and the senator seemed to be good and the senator was nothing but attentive to what he had to say. It could be that Travis wanted to save Betsy, played by Cybill Shepherd. Or it could be he starts to see the senator as what’s dirty in the city, or maybe his failure to clean up the city.

I really felt bad though when Travis takes Betsy to the dirty movie on their date. I was surprised when she agreed to meet him for coffee and was happy that she gave him a chance. So for the whole thing to be blown due to a bit of ignorance was disappointing. But I guess it was necessary, as it seemed to be the starting point to his unraveling.

The Big Shave

This was such a surprising short film. I wasn’t sure what the point to Martin Scorsese’s The Big Shave was at first. OK, a guy shaving. He looks normal enough. What’s the…..oh! Oh my lord! I usually have a strong tolerance for gore in movies, but even this made me squirm in my seat a little.

After seeing it, I understood why Scorsese used the alternate title Viet 67. Much like Vietnam, it started off clean and simple and thought you knew what was going on. But then it got bloody and out of hand, it wasn’t so simple anymore. It was a mess and the reasons that seemed so clear before were now blurred.

Also I thought it was a good point to talk about the juxtaposition between what was happening on screen and the music that went along with it. Usually the music to go along with something so brutal would be much more dramatic, but the music in the film was old timey and happy. It just added to the confusion of what was happening on screen.

Jaws

This is the first movie I’ve already seen before. In fact, I’ve seen it several times. Now that I think about it, probably a hundred times with how often it has been run on television. But it’s still very watchable. Why is that?

I think the trio of Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw was some top-notch acting. I found it interesting in the readings from Easy Rider, Raging Bulls, that Richard Dreyfuss had turned down the role of Matt Hooper three times, but then after seeing himself in The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz and thinking how terrible his performance was, that he called and begged Speilberg him for the job. The dynamic between the three, especially when they are on the boat after the shark, is captivating.

Then there’s the music. One of the most classic theme’s in movie history. Duh-dun. Duh-Dun. Once you’ve seen the movie, you’ll never forget what that theme is from. But there’s more to it than that and it really should be no surprise. John Williams is one of the most renowned composers of our time. As I watched the film this time around, I realized that there is a certain musical style to a Speilberg film. Upon doing some research it made more sense. I discovered that John Williams has done the music for all but two of Speilberg’s films (the two movies were Duel and The Color Purple.)

I think one of the things that makes this film is the suspense. They movie slowly unravels and you are a good way through the film before you even see a fin, more or less the whole shark. You are left guessing for a while what this man-eater looks like and how big it is. They also do a good job using the camera to give you a view from the shark’s angle. When the shark is swimming through the water, hunting for the next victim and you see the swimmer’s legs, you just want to jump into the movie and scream for them to swim the hell out of there!

I also liked the irony of the ending. The great shark hunter, Sam Quint, is eaten by the shark and the non-islander, Martin Brody, is the one who ultimately serves the shark his last supper–a compressed air tank.

Speaking of the tank, the film did a great job of foreshadowing by showing the tank in a few scenes, but never really realizing how important the tank would really be.