Phoenix Film's Ray Hyland takes an in depth look at the paranoid 70s thrillers of Alan J. Pakula.
Alan J. Pakula |
The early 1970s were a perhaps the most
creative in American filmmaking, particularly movies that questioned the
authority that hitherto could not be questioned. Not only were the pictures
asking questions and prodding at long accepted norms. Ageing studio executives
too, their cigars long since extinguished on the back-lots of Hollywood, could
now see their world passing over the horizon into new territory. For a few
years it seemed like things would never be the same again.
Then Jaws came.
Before Spielberg lied about his age and
managed to convince Universal to stump up the cash for his admittedly brilliant
summer blockbuster, the silver age of cinema produced some of the most
gripping, socially conscious films ever made in the US. Three of these films
were made by Alan J. Pakula.
Pakula had arrived in Hollywood in the late
fifties as a cartoonist. He had made a deal with his father that he would try
his luck in the film industry for one or two years. Failure would mean
returning home to help run his dad's print business instead.
Considering how long it took him to
discover the director's chair might suggest it took Pakula a while to get his
big break. On reflection he probably got ahead faster than most.
His production of To Kill A Mockingbird in 1962 was a clever bit of business. The book had sold
exceptionally well worldwide and just needed a steady hand and canny casting to
ensure cinematic success too. Pakula had seen the television work of Robert
Mulligan and had been impressed enough to sign him up as director. Experienced
leading man Gregory Peck would be the name up in lights. It wasn't expected to
fail and it didn't.
To Kill A Mockingbird |
Pakula worked with Mulligan a further three
times in the 60s. But if he ever had the directing itch himself he certainly
hid it well. His only tenuous credit to date was a version of a Chekov play in
college but the experience clearly had left some impression on him.
By 1970 America as we know it had been
born. Whatever came before it was the death of something far more naive and
altogether less guilt ridden. Yes Washington DC has perhaps always been a home
to conspiracy, back stabbing and ill will. But the first time in its history
the citizens who were rebelling against the system saw opportunity where once
there was none.
As colour photography became more than just
a rich man's plaything, monthly and even weekly reports from around the world
displayed the after effects of US foreign policy. The murder of Kennedy in 1963
may have shook the nation but by the end of the decade the loss of innocence
had become the disaffection of authority, both peaceful and violent. Richard
Nixon would oversee the summer of love and race riots in Pennsylvania during
the same month.
The revolution of America was not reserved
for those protestors on Capitol Hill. Filmmakers were quickly adapting to the
changing of seasons. The old guard were dying out; it was time for the
mavericks.
Oddly enough Pakula was one man who seemed
to have a foot in both boats. Mockingbird had been the biggest and best
of his work so far. After that came a few collaborations with the likes of
Steve McQueen and Natalie Wood but nothing had quite grabbed the lightning rod
like 'Atticus' and ol’ 'Boo Radley'. He was seen as a Hollywood producer
however moderately successful but wanted something else. He favoured the East
Coast as a place to live and viewed it as a better canvas to potentially work
on. All he needed now was the right film.
Jane Fonda's future in the film industry
was by no means secure. By 1970 the starlet was more famous for her prowess
with a megaphone and placard. Public appearances seemed solely limited to
protests as she marched arm in arm with the likes of John Kerry and others
railing against the Vietnam War. The Barbarella star had indeed been
scathing of US presence in South East Asia, surprising many with her opinions.
Jane Fonda At An Anti-War Protest |
In
retrospect she was the ideal leading lady for Klute. A film about a
private detective listening in on a prostitute's phone calls as he tries to
discover the cause of a notable executive's death.
The picture is anchored by Donald
Sutherland's stoic eavesdropper and showed that not only could Fonda really act
but that a new era of shadowy sinister filmmaking had found an audience.
The film itself is very ahead of its time.
Jane looks great but it's still impossible to forget she's a Fonda. Her deep
'matter of fact' cadence only serves to make her aggressors appear even uglier.
For the girl who would later describe her childhood as a lost battle to be
heard in her own male orientated universe, this was a triumph. She praised her
director heavily, noting that he worked exceptionally well with women and like
to give her as much freedom as possible in the role.
Klute Film Poster |
Quietly pulling the strings on what was
only his second feature as a director Pakula had seemingly struck upon a
formula that worked.
Hire a star;
maybe a star not exactly at the peak of their powers but certainly not
completely forgotten. Ensure that there is something in the character that the
actor can empathize with. Build the film around them, put them in situations
that are realistic but very frightening. Film it, keep the artistic flourishes
to a minimum and let them shine.
Warren Beatty's reputation as a fussy and
fastidious thespian wasn't easily gained. Beatty was notorious for rejecting
scripts. Even to look at his filmography now you would be hard pressed to find
him work two years straight. Whatever his reason for this, be it money or the
fact that acting seemed to get in the way of his other passions, there was no
doubting the man's talent.
In the underrated McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Beatty
illicited a performance of great vulnerability and awkwardness. Nowadays
leading men seem hell-bent on talking tough and acting hard. After Bonnie and
Clyde a lot of movie fans seemed quite certain that Beatty was going to take
over the mantle of a Kirk Douglas or Charles Heston. His willingness to go
against the grain always made him all the more fascinating.
The Parallax View is my favourite of the Paranoia Trilogy. It is more
accessible than ATPM and has perhaps greater artistic merit than
both that and Klute.
The brainwashing sequence is very much of
its time but alongside the similarly filmed scene from Kubrick's A ClockworkOrange are quite brilliant mechanisms to get across a point quickly.
Still From The Parallax View |
There are some more excellent sequences in
this film. The initial murder in Seattle, the explosion on the yacht & the
attempted murder at the reservoir. Beatty makes for a brilliant detective too,
though his character is merely a news reporter. There is no grandstanding from
him and yet he is utterly captivating. This film perfectly highlights Pakula's
style as a director. Close ups are used very sparingly. Extreme wide angles and
wonderfully measured shots of creepy art deco buildings are the order of the
day. You the viewer must be concentrating at all times because he isn't going
to spoon feed you.
What does become obvious on viewing these
films again is the places where Pakula drew his inspiration. The ill fated
campaign address toward the end of Parallax is so authentic of these
vast halls where groups of nobodies convene to brainlessly wave blue or red
flags. Likewise the committee hearing at the end with its slow tracking zoom is
perhaps one of the creepiest scenes in film. Its power doesn't diminish after
repeat viewings, just your doe-eyed faith in the justice system. As with
Klute the creepy, clinical soundtrack is provided by Michael Small.
The Parallax View Film Poster |
Time and time again Pakula showed contempt
for American politics in his films as well as mistrust in all large
corporations. Unfortunately at the time some of his work was not given the
credit it should have been. There could be a number of reasons for this.
The films he made were very unsubtle
criticisms of America, its laws and its government. It is difficult to imagine The
Parallax View selling well in Houston against something like Death Wish
or The Longest Yard.
Pakula was by no means a celebrity. A few
years older (and wiser?) than some of his contemporaries; he liked to let his
work do the talking for him. Also when he hired movie stars such as Fonda,
Beatty, Hoffman and Redford he might have been expecting them to be the big
selling point.
They are very grown up films; not
necessarily in their content but rather their themes. There is little
gratuitous violence or sex but again criticising people for how they live won't
always guarantee success. Pakula was keen to warn us all, that people in power
were abusing it right under our noses and we were choosing to ignore it. Perhaps
he was just a little early to the party.
The final part of the Paranoia trilogy is
undoubtedly the most famous. All The President's Men is the tale of Woodword and
Beirnstein and their role in removing the US president from office. Perhaps
because it was based on a true story and it was produced so quickly after the
event (film in 1976, Watergate Scandal in 1972) the film hit home with a lot of
people. No longer was Pakula just feeling around in the dark for conspiracies.
Now he had a real one; and the tapes to prove it.
The production of the film was his biggest
yet. Not only was the entire office floor of the Washington Post re-created to
scale but with Redford acting as unofficial producer, he worked night and day
to get everything just right before the cameras rolled. It is said that he and
Pakula locked themselves away in a hotel room for over a month to rewrite the
script uncredited. The original writer William Goldman received an Academy
award for 'his' adapted screenplay.
Behind The Scenes Still of All The President's Men |
There are some really touching moments that
transcend the story itself. Jason Robards, Jack Warden and Howard Balsalm offer
excellent support to the youthful upstart reporters. It almost feels like a
passing of the torch from one generation of Hollywood greats to the new kids on
the block. Of course Redford had been around about ten years already but you
get the idea.
The film itself has all the staples of a
conspiracy thriller that seem a bit clichéd now. Close up's on typewriters,
focus pulls on office phone calls. But it's important to note that these were
quite revolutionary at the time.
Of course it would be remiss to not mention
the famous crane shot at the library of Congress; An impressive feat that no
doubt would be replicated on a computer nowadays. All accompanied by David
Shire's foreboding score.
The film then finished off the Paranoia
trilogy and maybe finally justified Pakula's vision of America. In his
vision of the world good people live their lives working hard; doing sometimes
dirty work they can stand over and feel they did a professional job without
bringing too much attention to themselves. There is a little bit of him in all
his main leads and yet the funniest thing about Mr. Pakula is that so few people
truly knew him.
At one of the many dinner parties hosted by
himself and his wife Hanna, a guest was reported to have said.
“Alan took me aside tonight and we
talked for about two hours. Thing is he now knows everything about me and I
still know nothing about him!”
And so he was the quiet observer.
By Guest Writer - Ray Hyland
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