In this very special, sort-of-bonus episode of They Shot Pictures, I am joined by my friend Barry (aka wigwam) to pay homage to filmmaker Tony Scott. I confess to my lack of exposure to his films growing up and Barry in turn (kind of) confesses to having Top Gun posters on his wall! We discuss in-depth the films Revenge, The Fan and The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3.
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re: Domino
Domino begins where a movie like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid ends. The spirit of that last frozen frame, the one that turned two gunfighters into legends, is painted into every shot of Domino. It’s not a true story retold with a few flourishes for added impact, it’s a fully rendered piece of modern mythology. This is a process that usually takes 200 years of romanticism, sloppy record keeping, and decaying memories, but somehow Scott and company have found a way to speed up the steeping process.
Oh, the purists may wail and say there’s no substitute for organic fantasy, but that’s just what purist do. You on the other hand, can recognize that there’s just as much craftsmanship in a cup of instant coffee as any other. Maybe more! There’s room for both in this world.
Whatever artistic motivations Scott may have had as a director, he didn’t treat his audience as guinea pigs. So while I agree that perhaps there was some “experimentation” going on here, it’s in the shadow of that primary principle. This sets him apart from the art house crowd, who reject such notions (to their everlasting bitterness).
Anyways, I’ll stop ranting. It was a good episode. I enjoyed the discussion very much! Even if I didn’t always agree of relate to it.