Spoilers herein.
All (fiction) films are about other films. Every actor we see on the screen has another life. Every film somewhere contains a story about itself -- often it takes a film archeologist, but sometimes it is registered in a readable, even unavoidable way.
All of the masters and a good many ordinaries play with this notion in one way or another. Some even take it on as a literal challenge: `Sunset Blvd.,' `Wayne's World,' `French Lieutenant's Woman,' `Apocalypse Now,' `Draughtsman's Contract,' `Bowfinger,' `8 1/2' quite a few. `The Player' has the advantage of excess which makes it seem unique. It is not, but because the method of making it is as much a part of the parody it is uniquely clever.
Part of the parody is the one and only thing most people see. Dozens of actors play themselves amidst many other actors who play characters. Some of those characters are film types, some not. This shifting of worlds is a simple trick, but it works. Much more subtle (except at the beginning) is how Atlman uses the camera to sometimes be in the film's film world, then in his film world (the character's real world), then in our real world (the same as most of the actors). It starts with that first Wellesian shot which includes a comment on pretentiousness of such shots.
The writer is watched by both use, but also by a writer who eventually gets his film produced. And of course at the end we discover that it is the film we have been watching. The player is the creator of the player at play. I love this stuff, but get offended when it is juvenile hands as is the case in say `8MM,' or even `Cut.' But Altman is different, he is smart and not at all afraid to take chances.
This film marked a change in Tim Robbins. He would go on to produce his own version, `Cradle will Rock,' with many of the same tricks, including the narrative shift and the long tracking shot.
Ted's rating -- 3 of 4: Worth watching.
All (fiction) films are about other films. Every actor we see on the screen has another life. Every film somewhere contains a story about itself -- often it takes a film archeologist, but sometimes it is registered in a readable, even unavoidable way.
All of the masters and a good many ordinaries play with this notion in one way or another. Some even take it on as a literal challenge: `Sunset Blvd.,' `Wayne's World,' `French Lieutenant's Woman,' `Apocalypse Now,' `Draughtsman's Contract,' `Bowfinger,' `8 1/2' quite a few. `The Player' has the advantage of excess which makes it seem unique. It is not, but because the method of making it is as much a part of the parody it is uniquely clever.
Part of the parody is the one and only thing most people see. Dozens of actors play themselves amidst many other actors who play characters. Some of those characters are film types, some not. This shifting of worlds is a simple trick, but it works. Much more subtle (except at the beginning) is how Atlman uses the camera to sometimes be in the film's film world, then in his film world (the character's real world), then in our real world (the same as most of the actors). It starts with that first Wellesian shot which includes a comment on pretentiousness of such shots.
The writer is watched by both use, but also by a writer who eventually gets his film produced. And of course at the end we discover that it is the film we have been watching. The player is the creator of the player at play. I love this stuff, but get offended when it is juvenile hands as is the case in say `8MM,' or even `Cut.' But Altman is different, he is smart and not at all afraid to take chances.
This film marked a change in Tim Robbins. He would go on to produce his own version, `Cradle will Rock,' with many of the same tricks, including the narrative shift and the long tracking shot.
Ted's rating -- 3 of 4: Worth watching.