tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post5413226626595488260..comments2024-03-29T15:45:04.867+05:30Comments on Jabberwock: Notes on Stanley Kubrick's The KillingJabberwockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-80519817719874938072009-01-05T16:02:00.000+05:302009-01-05T16:02:00.000+05:30Coming to think of it, I think the ending in 'The ...Coming to think of it, I think the ending in 'The Killing' is somewhat inspired by a similar ending in the John Huston classic 'The Treasure of Sierra Madre'.<BR/><BR/>Also, the predictable endings (i.e the hero not getting the treasure) in the early heist/treasure hunt movies can be attributed to the Hays Code which precluded a successful heist.shrikanthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03898755392584822638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-55684247297386486092009-01-05T12:33:00.000+05:302009-01-05T12:33:00.000+05:30Isn't that ending typical for heist movies. I don'...Isn't that ending typical for heist movies. I don't recollect a heist movie (or a treasure hunt movie) where the hero gets the gold. But my favourite heist movie is this Delon-Gabin French movie called "Any number can win" which has the finest ending i have seen in a heist movie. Spoiler ahead - <BR/><BR/>Delon dumps the bag with the money in a swimming pool to avoid detection and they are lounging near the pool as the police is around and slowly currency notes starting coming to the surface of the pool one by one. That is indeed heartbreaking.Vamshihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06032189340799517220noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-10321275269049514642009-01-03T08:02:00.000+05:302009-01-03T08:02:00.000+05:30shrikanth:And I thought Johnny's girlfriend Fay wa...<I>shrikanth:And I thought Johnny's girlfriend Fay was quite pretty, in an anti-septic sort of way. Unless you're talking about her colourless personality.</I><BR/><BR/>Yes. She was rather pretty. Though she regards herself to be very commonplace which is why she clings on to Johnny lest she might find no one else.<BR/><BR/>The character played by Elisha Cook Jr was most memorable. Previous commenters have cited the concluding scene as a heartbreaking one. I think the scene in which a badly wounded Elisha staggers into his house and <BR/>questions his wife is hard to beat for sheer melodramatic appeal.<BR/><BR/>Interestingly, Elisha appears to have specialized in playing weak, dominated characters. Have seen him in similar roles in The Maltese Falcon and Shaneshrikanthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03898755392584822638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-87832321884817953482009-01-02T21:40:00.000+05:302009-01-02T21:40:00.000+05:30Falstaff: or this. (You have to turn off the remix...Falstaff: or <A HREF="http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=oj3xGRhXrhQ" REL="nofollow">this</A>. (You have to turn off the remixed soundtrack to fully appreciate the poignance of Quilty's dancing.) <BR/><BR/>Seriously, though, <I>Paths of Glory</I>, agreed, but for some reason the second half of <I>Full Metal Jacket</I> did nothing for me. Can't figure out why.Jabberwockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-74010956225401674652009-01-02T20:42:00.000+05:302009-01-02T20:42:00.000+05:30I'm finding it difficult now to think of Kubrick m...<I>I'm finding it difficult now to think of Kubrick moments that can qualify as heartbreaking.</I><BR/><BR/>Really? You didn't think <A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Becxq0jB0w" REL="nofollow">this</A> was heartbreaking? Or <A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TH09cX_Sd4M" REL="nofollow">this</A>?Falstaffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09791162324919462038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-80768522205101775442009-01-02T20:30:00.000+05:302009-01-02T20:30:00.000+05:30'The Killing' is definitely a great movie. One of ...'The Killing' is definitely a great movie. One of my all time favourites. Thanks for the additional info about Johnny Gaddar :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-82648707421926177382009-01-02T19:46:00.000+05:302009-01-02T19:46:00.000+05:30Alok: by underutilised I meant simply that he was ...Alok: by underutilised I meant simply that he was good enough to have had a more high-profile career and to have starred in at least 3-4 more films of <I>Asphalt Jungle</I>-like stature.<BR/><BR/>Mayank: yes, this film has a quality that later Kubrick films didn't, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe the later films were cooler and more detached.Jabberwockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-34569737771634930722009-01-02T19:40:00.000+05:302009-01-02T19:40:00.000+05:30Characters like the Russian wrestler, the hen-peck...<I>Characters like the Russian wrestler, the hen-pecked husband and Johnny's unattractive girlfriend can easily fit into a Douglas Sirk melodrama.</I><BR/><BR/>shrikanth: But the treatment would have been very different in a Sirk, no? And I thought Johnny's girlfriend Fay was quite pretty, in an anti-septic sort of way. Unless you're talking about her colourless personality.<BR/><BR/>a fan apart: no similarities between <I>Johnny Guitar</I> and <I>Johnny Gaddaar</I> otherwise, but I don't think it's coincidence either; Raghavan is very clued in to 1950s cinema, definitely aware of the earlier film and its cult reputation, and his choice of title was probably a playful semi-tribute. (You've seen <A HREF="http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2007/sep/27slde1.htm" REL="nofollow">this</A>, right? I linked to it in the Johnny Gaddaar post.)Jabberwockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-36136026092259461152009-01-02T19:31:00.000+05:302009-01-02T19:31:00.000+05:30Falstaff: you insensitive lad! But come to think o...Falstaff: you insensitive lad! But come to think of it, "heartbreaker" might be an overstatement...I did have a sinking feeling as the film drew to its close though, and Hayden's stoical "Ah, what's the point?" was very effective. <BR/><BR/>I'm finding it difficult now to think of Kubrick moments that can qualify as heartbreaking. Possibly the scene in the rain in <I>A Clockwork Orange</I>, with Alex staggering to the gate of the writer's house and the voiceover "It was Home I came to brothers, not realising where I was and had been before".Jabberwockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-35581931336539423852009-01-02T18:58:00.000+05:302009-01-02T18:58:00.000+05:30Nice.I have to say that unlike all the previous co...Nice.<BR/><BR/>I have to say that unlike all the previous commenters on this post, I didn't find The Killing heartbreaking at all. I personally thought the film was hilarious and chuckled my way through the ending. If I had to pick Kubrick films that were heartbreaking I'd pick Full Metal Jacket. Or Paths of Glory. Or, come to think of it, Clockwork Orange.Falstaffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09791162324919462038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-42648942354566741512009-01-02T12:58:00.000+05:302009-01-02T12:58:00.000+05:30I watched this movie around two months back. This ...I watched this movie around two months back. This film is quite an exception because it doesnt feel like a Kubrick movie. The end is heartbreaking and you feel bad for the crook. The viewer would rather want him to have the money since he pulled of the heist with perfect planning.mayankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17846431002556429479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-39979711925359809562009-01-02T10:15:00.000+05:302009-01-02T10:15:00.000+05:30Agree with Shrikanth above. The story is told in a...Agree with Shrikanth above. The story is told in a very clinical style but it is also heartbreaking, something that is unusual for Kubrick (may be with the exception of Barry Lyndon). Sterling Hayden's character is mostly monotone (like most noir-heroes), may be that's what you mean by saying that he was underutilised, but he has an amazing presence on screen. His role in The Asphalt Jungle is similarly tragic and heartbreaking. And the guy who played the wrestler was a wrestler and a chess player in real life too.Alokhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12947383354732747209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-47748131057728399742009-01-02T10:13:00.000+05:302009-01-02T10:13:00.000+05:30Sterling Hayden connection fascinating. While i re...Sterling Hayden connection fascinating. While i remember thinking that the title seemed very similar to 'Johnny Guitar', i couldn't find any similarities beyond that, so figured it was just a coincidence.a fan aparthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04243109684980740841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-53151524400759854542009-01-02T09:00:00.000+05:302009-01-02T09:00:00.000+05:30'The Killing' is my favourite Kubrick film, among ...'The Killing' is my favourite Kubrick film, among the half-a-dozen I've seen. The most common criticism of Kubrick is that his films lack a heart. The Killing is an exception in this regard. The movie is very successful in describing the compulsions of the various participants. Many of these minor characters are quite memorable unlike the prosaic men who usually populate his films.<BR/><BR/>Characters like the Russian wrestler, the hen-pecked husband and Johnny's unattractive girlfriend can easily fit into a Douglas Sirk melodrama.shrikanthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03898755392584822638noreply@blogger.com