 |
| Jessica Walter |
Welcome to Alternative to What: a weekly column that tries to find a great alternative to driving to the multiplexes. Based on releases of that week, the selections will either be thematically related or feature recurring cast and crew. The goal is to help you better understand the diversity of cinema and hopefully find you some favorites while saving a few bucks. At worse, this column will save you money. Expect each installment to come out on Fridays, unless specified.
THIS WEEK:
Play Misty for Me (1971)
- Alternative To -
Jersey Boys (2014)
Few performers have had quite as successful a career as that of Clint Eastwood. Starting with Rawhide, he evolved into the iconic dystopian cowboy in Sergio Leone films before transitioning to directorial films that garnered him four Oscar wins and several more nominations. He has two Best Picture winners (Million Dollar Baby and Unforgiven) and even in the latter half of his career, remains an unstoppable force with poignant films like Gran Torino and Invictus. With the release of Jersey Boys, he takes on the smash hit Broadway show as it explores the rise of Franki Valli and The Four Seasons. With middling reviews, the move seems like a strange move for the director. He has never been one to tackle music-based material.
That is if you are to discredit his directorial debut Play Misty For Me in which he plays Dave, a DJ in the city of Carmel, plays jazz music when he finds a caller that gets under his skin. It is Evelyn (Jessica Walter), who has one request: "Play 'Misty' for Me." In a gender-reversal that involves a psychopathic woman trying to kill Dave, things become complicated with the jazz festival and other public events that Dave is attending. It is a tale of a stalker trying to get close to her prey. It is a tale of obsession and plays into the sharp immediacy that Eastwood brought to the game when he became a director.
That is if you are to discredit his directorial debut Play Misty For Me in which he plays Dave, a DJ in the city of Carmel, plays jazz music when he finds a caller that gets under his skin. It is Evelyn (Jessica Walter), who has one request: "Play 'Misty' for Me." In a gender-reversal that involves a psychopathic woman trying to kill Dave, things become complicated with the jazz festival and other public events that Dave is attending. It is a tale of a stalker trying to get close to her prey. It is a tale of obsession and plays into the sharp immediacy that Eastwood brought to the game when he became a director.
The film is not nearly as well known as his later films, or even his second one High Plains Drifter. However, it was a curious film from a man who grew up playing the most ambiguous, violent cowboy in history south of a Sam Peckinpah film. For his debut, he took on a thriller, which given that he had starred in Paint Your Wagon years prior, was a departure. It screamed that he was going to play things differently. For his debut, he mixed quaint violence with jazz in jarring and intriguing ways. Given that he was also once mayor of Carmel, where the film took place, it felt like a highly personal project.
The film is not nearly as graphic as the trailer suggests. It is back before gore really took hold in mainstream American film making. After 16 years in his career, he was finally getting started into his defined period where he would become an icon. While it does seem inappropriate to compare Play Misty for Me to Jersey Boys tonally, it should at least help to show how Eastwood has evolved as a director. From his younger and more cynical view of the world to adapting a hit musical, there is something peculiar about it. While the trailer sells this upbeat, sugar-coated tale, there is also a hint of mobster culture that is reminiscent of Martin Scorsese films. Maybe it has to do with becoming older, but even then, Gran Torino resonated because of its dedication to showing the death of a rougher, less tolerant generation.
At best, this recommendation comes from a place of wanting to show Eastwood's evolution and how he uses music. In his debut, he makes it central to the plot and shows how it creates obsession. Same can be said for his latest, though in a less cynical, genre-laced way. It was an original story full of vigor and while maybe a little raw, recalled his days of working with Leone rather effectively. It may not be his greatest film, but his use of people in the music industry sure has evolved.
If anything, he has gotten better at capturing the common man. His only flaw is in his occasional dive into political culture with the problematic J. Edgar. Even then, considering the success of Invictus or Mystic River, he has made quite an impressive legacy for himself. With exception to a political rally and some questionable roles, Eastwood has more than made up for his faults with a storied career to be envied. Why not see where he started, and maybe wonder what a younger, more aggressive Eastwood would've thought of adapting Jersey Boys. If anything, it would create great comedy.
If anything, he has gotten better at capturing the common man. His only flaw is in his occasional dive into political culture with the problematic J. Edgar. Even then, considering the success of Invictus or Mystic River, he has made quite an impressive legacy for himself. With exception to a political rally and some questionable roles, Eastwood has more than made up for his faults with a storied career to be envied. Why not see where he started, and maybe wonder what a younger, more aggressive Eastwood would've thought of adapting Jersey Boys. If anything, it would create great comedy.
Comments
Post a Comment