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Post by Dramatic Look Gopher on Nov 14, 2020 3:17:07 GMT
Alan J. Pakula's 1974 paranoia thriller The Parallax View will be released by Criterion on Feb 9th.  SPECIAL FEATURES New, restored 4K digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray New introduction by filmmaker Alex Cox Interviews with director Alan J. Pakula from 1974 and 1995 New program on cinematographer Gordon Willis featuring an interview with Willis from 2004 New interview with Jon Boorstin, assistant to Pakula on The Parallax View English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing PLUS: An essay by critic Nathan Heller and a 1974 interview with Pakula |
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Post by bravomailer on Nov 14, 2020 3:29:50 GMT
Thanks for the news. I like the film and paranoia movies in general, but rarely watch features.
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Post by cynthiagreen on Nov 14, 2020 5:57:54 GMT
8/10 - yes - glad to see it get its due - there were a lot ofvery good paranoia/conspiracy theoriy movies around that decade (KLUTE, THE CONVERSATION, THE STEPFORD WIVES, THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR LAST EMBRACE, ALL THE PRESIDENTS MEN etc) and this one always felt a bit overlooked/lost in the shuffle . One of Pakula's best and Beatty's. Lovely work by Hume Cronyn and an under utilise Paula Prentiss. Don't much care for the (new?) artwork.
Here are better posters
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Post by jervistetch on Nov 14, 2020 6:43:42 GMT
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Post by Isapop on Nov 14, 2020 11:43:30 GMT
The paranoia heightened by Michael Small's fine score.
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Post by bravomailer on Nov 14, 2020 15:41:08 GMT
Note how a crowd scene with William Daniels seems to have been modeled after would-be assassin Arthur Bremer.  |
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Post by Dramatic Look Gopher on Mar 8, 2021 18:49:18 GMT
I posted this in Film General, but I thought I'd bring it over here as well:
Just finished watching the Criterion blu-ray of The Parallax View. Amazing transfer, great picture quality. But of course I would expect nothing less from Criterion.
Imagine a world that has this secret organization specializing in assassination, and will also stop at absolutely nothing in covering up what they believe are loose ends. This includes murdering innocent people they suspect might know something, making the deaths look like accidents. It's a cold-hearted, evil, dehumanizing concept that is frightening and remarkably played out here. Director Alan J. Pakula beautifully captures this sense dread, and the result is dark, moody, and mysterious. The dark anamorphic cinematography by Gordon blends in well with this feeling, and also helps give plenty of space for those scenes shot at great distances; this really sets the tone of paranoia and alienation.
Pakula presents this vision of American society in which average everyday people are unaware of what they perceive to be as normalcy is actually something else entirely. The idea is that underneath the facade of cheery flag-waving patriotism and rooting for idealistic political candidates hoping to bring major change, there lurks unknown dark forces who have the power to keep things status quo.
Not everything is spelled out clearly in The Parallex View, as there is some ambiguity. But the idea is to really make you think and draw your own conclusions on certain elements that are open to interpretation.
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Post by jervistetch on Mar 8, 2021 21:52:24 GMT
The new artwork is a bit of a spoiler. |
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