This is for those who have seen the movie and given it the high hat.
"For a sheeny he's got a lot of good qualities." I'm watching the film AGAIN now and this gem just popped up. Any piece of dialog would make my quote book. This ain't no review. It's a response. First, seeing this as a gangster movie is like seeing Blade Runner as a sci-fi flick. Second, seeing this as film noir, with Tom as the typical anti-hero shows that we have to classify every film by the terms we are comfortable with. Finally, Tom is one of the most complex characters I've seen in film. Why? Because he's real. It reminds me a bit of the American Splendor comics and film where Pekar don't have to give a happy ending, a sad ending, clear symbolism, a strong message. Just a story even if it does not "fit" into what we expect from books, films, magazines, etc. Tom is one of my favorite characters and I still don't understand him and neither do you. This along with everything people have commented on (dialog, editing, characters, etc.) make the film in my opinion one of THE greatest films period. What makes Godfather better? Brando's tired speeches? This is a flick you can watch over and over and I stand by those who respect the genius of this film. So take ya flunkie and dangle and again- this paragraph is for those who give the high hat to Tom, the most conflicted and realistic personage in any film I've seen. Will you watch Tom with amazement or try to analyze his motivation based on film stereotypes? Let's get stinko.
"For a sheeny he's got a lot of good qualities." I'm watching the film AGAIN now and this gem just popped up. Any piece of dialog would make my quote book. This ain't no review. It's a response. First, seeing this as a gangster movie is like seeing Blade Runner as a sci-fi flick. Second, seeing this as film noir, with Tom as the typical anti-hero shows that we have to classify every film by the terms we are comfortable with. Finally, Tom is one of the most complex characters I've seen in film. Why? Because he's real. It reminds me a bit of the American Splendor comics and film where Pekar don't have to give a happy ending, a sad ending, clear symbolism, a strong message. Just a story even if it does not "fit" into what we expect from books, films, magazines, etc. Tom is one of my favorite characters and I still don't understand him and neither do you. This along with everything people have commented on (dialog, editing, characters, etc.) make the film in my opinion one of THE greatest films period. What makes Godfather better? Brando's tired speeches? This is a flick you can watch over and over and I stand by those who respect the genius of this film. So take ya flunkie and dangle and again- this paragraph is for those who give the high hat to Tom, the most conflicted and realistic personage in any film I've seen. Will you watch Tom with amazement or try to analyze his motivation based on film stereotypes? Let's get stinko.