Brian De Palma

[Ashqueroso]

He's violent, dirty-minded, bearded and also one of the most underestimated directors of our time, whose cameras may be running and moving around the set for ten or twelve minutes long, creating striking and dizzy camera-movements, and so I'd like to know your opinion about him and his films. For me, I think that a work of art like Dressed to Kill should be declared as WORLD HERITAGE or something like that. I love De Palma. Do you?

[Bartwald]

You can always count on me, Ashqueroso! Love De Palma most of all directors that ever walked the earth - in fact, the feeling is so strong I still didn't start a "What's your favourite Brian De Palma film?" thread here 'cause I couldn't for the hell of it decide which eight movies to choose for the poll!

From the options you gave us in your poll, I chose "Master Of Suspense" as the one that mirrors my feelings towards his filmmaking best: I simply think he's better than Hitchcock. A shock, huh? But I truly do and there's no reason arguing with me about this particular thing: most of Brian's movies keep me on the very edge of the seat and put me in a trance like no others!

[Heineken Skywalker]

This poll would've been easier if you'd just given us a list of his films to vote on. As it is, I don't think I can vote. I know who he is, but I don't feel he's the "master" of anything. He's made some really good movies, and some that I thought were absolute crap. Maybe, I just don't "get" him sometimes and what it is he's trying to convey with some of those films. What's the message De Palma?? What are you trying to tell us?? Are you a genius or a lunatic who got a hold of a camera and a Director's Guild card??

Hmm. I can almost imagine Bartwald falling out of his chair right about now. ;D

[Bartwald]

Heineken said:

Hmm. I can almost imagine Bartwald falling out of his chair right about now. ;D

Huh! Not only did I fall out of my chair but I also had a painful case of deja vu of our first ever internet meeting! Man, we'll never agree about this thing, there's just no way... ;D

And now: Dario Argento Vs. Brian Take 265:

Italian filmmaker Dario Argento has long been bugged by elements of Brian De Palma's films which he claims have been lifted from his own. The most specific was a shot at the end of De Palma's Raising Cain that Argento claimed De Palma lifted from Argento's Tenebrae. It wasn't so much that the shot originated, in Argento's view, from Argento's cinema, but that he could not get De Palma to admit to it. When he would run into De Palma, Argento would try to get the director to admit that he got the shot from his film, but De Palma would consistently deny it. While a number of critics also noticed De Palma's "homage" to Tenebrae, it is important to note Raising Cain's nods to (and jokes upon) films such as Psycho, Peeping Tom and The Silence Of The Lambs, among others. This is standard fare for a De Palma film, as De Palma has never shied away from commenting upon or extending the work of his contemporaries and elders. De Palma used the "Tenebrae shot" again in Mission To Mars and Femme Fatale, utilizing a technique that is effective in startling an audience.

(from De Palma a la Mod)

I've just seen Tenebrae recently and it's all true: Brian did steal this shot of a "killer is right behind you and the audience will see him when you lower your head". But so what, eh? Raising Cain will always kick Tenebrae's ass without much problem. Though that's probably just MY opinion.

[Bartwald]

Let's keep up with the news on Brian:

Paul Walker (The Fast and the Furious) tells Cinema Confidential that he is doing everything he can to take over the role that Mark Wahlberg left vacant when he dropped out of The Black Dahlia. "Brian De Palma’s got a movie he’s gonna do called The Black Dahlia, said Walker. "De Palma’s my favorite. And I heard that one of the cast members, someone that’s attached dropped out. I want to do that movie! De Palma’s the man." When asked if he has seen all of De Palma's films, Walker replied, "Every one. And Jeff Byrd is my agent at ICM. Jeff Byrd represents De Palma. So I’m like, 'yo, Byrd, make this happen.'"

Paul Walker, huh? You'll laugh, most probably, but I like the guy and wish him well. What bothers me is that this Josh Hartnett is also attached to the project.

Oh, and did you know that apart from doing The Untouchables prequel some guys are also going to shoot a prequel to Carlito's Way? Yup, it's old news, actually. De Palma's got nothing to do with either of these, however.

(info from De Palma a la Mod)

[Bartwald]

Colin Firth is another guy who wants to work with De Palma - and bad! I'm glad, I'm glad - don't get fooled by his thankless role in the two Bridget Jones movies, Firth is a good actor!

The November 26th issue of Entertainment Weekly features an interview article with Colin Firth in which he talks about Toyer. The article appears to be the source of all those little-blurb articles that have been circulating over the past few days about how Firth would be interested in playing James Bond, and how he is attracted to darker roles, instead of the offers he's been getting for "lots of bumbling romantic-comedy figures." He finds his work on the Bridget Jones series forgetable, and says, "I'm attracted to dark stuff, and I'm in that mode right now." The EW article states that "The one project tempting him is Brian De Palma's thriller Toyer, about a womanizer who also happens to be a lobotomizer." Firth told the magazine, "It's about as dark as it gets. I met with [De Palma] and we both said, Let's do it when we are both ready."

(from De Palma a la Mod)

* * *

And here goes a teaser poster for The Black Dahlia:



Give me this movie NOW!

[LivingDeadGirl]

Anxious to see this movie too. When is it supposed to come out?

[42ndstreetfreak]

His best 3 films are all non-horror:

"Carlito's Way", "Scarface"and "The Untouchables" .


Other films of his worth a watch are "Blow Out", "Body Double" and "Carrie" (though I HATE the last 3rd of carrie as it was overly cruel...but that's not DePalma's fault), "Sisters" and "The Fury".

[LivingDeadGirl]

42ndStreetFreak said:

His best 3 films are all non-horror:

"Carlito's Way", "Scarface"and "The Untouchables" .

you are 100% correct.

[Bartwald]

livingdeadgirl said:

you are 100% correct.

Well, I think 42nd is 66,6% correct (look, the devil's percentage!): I agree about Carlito's Way and Scarface belonging to a bunch of his best films, but I always felt a bit disappointed with The Untouchables; what I love so much about the movies directed by De Palma is that they put me in some kind of a trance, I surrender totally to their rhythm - and in The Untouchables I thought the 'rhythm of De Palma' was often interrupted by a 'rhythm of a common movie'.

Carrie, on the other hand, I love with no end! And Sisters is the only (well, if you count The Wedding Party there's two of'em) De Palma film I haven't seen - just can't get it anywhere here.

[Fenril]

Seeing the Dario Argento thread brought back in the Horror section inspired me to seek out old threads about specific directors elsewhere on the board.
So this one... ehh, to be perfectly honest, the thing I have with de Palma is: he makes great pastiches. And that is all; and that's great, because his movies are (usually) tremendously entertaining. For me, Quentin Tarantino is the exact same way: he makes entertaining pastiches. And neither director is at all original but again: they are both tremendously entertaining, and that counts for a lot.

Now, then his movies that I've seen so far, I guess I'd rank them thus, from most to least favorite.

1. Carrie.

2. Body Double.

3. The fury.

4. Obsession

5. Phantom of the paradise.

6. Dressed to kill.

7. Scarface.

8. Sisters.

9. Blow out.

10. Femme Fatale.

11. The untouchables.

12. Raising Cain.

13. The black Dahlia.

Now, I know that I saw both "Mission: Impossible" and "Mission to Mars" in the theaters, but.... I can't remember anything about either, which I guess doesn't speak well of them.

Overall I guess I prefer his thriller / horror stuff.