A movie made DURING the war that did not reference its existence.
1944. No reference to what is going on "over there". Didn't see any one in uniform either?
"It's the system, Lara. People will be different after the Revolution."
The film's story takes place in 1938 (as stated by Neff when he begins dictating the memorandum to Keyes).
The novella was published in 1935. I suspect Wilder and Chandler deliberately retained the prewar period specifically to avoid the necessity of any complicating references to events concurrent with the film's release.
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Similar to Mildred Pierce I think? The only reference to WWII was the remark about nylons being banded for the duration.
Otherwise i didn't see a single uniform or mention of a battle and that one was out in 1945?
"It's the system, Lara. People will be different after the Revolution."
Mildred Pierce wasn't released until Oct of '45, but it's an interesting comparison to bring up: another Cain depression-era story adapted for the screen during the war years.
This is pure speculation: if incidental war references had been included, perhaps they - being no longer topical - were trimmed from the picture prior to its release.
But there were any number of films in contemporary settings that completely omitted any such references, perhaps on the theories that A) audiences needed no reminders of that which involved their lives on a daily basis and B) contemporary stories that took place in an entirely fictional world in which the war had simply never happened carried a certain appeal. 1944's Laura comes to mind.
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I find it refreshing. Good grief, just because war is never mentioned in
a 90 minute movie by the characters, doesn't mean they didn't know a
war is going on. If it isn't necessary to the plot, who cares? There
are plenty of flag-waving-soldiers-on-leave-soldiers-killed-in-action
films saturating 1940s films as it is. As for DI being set in 1938, I
completely ignore that line and see it as 1944. Stanwyck's hair, clothes,
and the style of filmmaking are PURE 1940s.
As for DI being set in 1938, I completely ignore that line and see it as 1944. Stanwyck's hair, clothes, and the style of filmmaking are PURE 1940s.Stylistically, there wasn't as much difference between the late '30s and early-mid '40s as some might imagine or recall. In 1938's Carefree, the padded shoulders are already making appearances in Ginger Rogers' costumes, and she sports a hairstyle remarkably similar to that of Stanwyck's blonde wig (as does the one worn by Norma Shearer in 1939's Idiot's Delight). Stanwyck's hemlines may be just a tad lower than they were being worn during DI's late-'43 production, but that's about it. And I don't read her costumes as intended to be fashionable for either '38 or '43. They're more in the nature of "piss-elegant," reflecting the character's, shall we say, breeding (what they used to call).
But it was also typical of films from the '40-'50s portraying earlier 20th century periods - It's A Wonderful Life, Good News, for example - to hew more to the styles of the day in which they were made, giving only token suggestions of the fashions of their periods. And no woman in any western made at any time ever looked as she really would have in the era depicted.
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I'm fully aware that old films (one of my rare complaints about vintage
Hollywood) made little or no effort to honor the time periods of
films set in earlier eras. Whenever one watches a Western, one can
clearly make out which decade the film was made in. In the 1940s,
women have '40's dos, and in the '60s, they all have the huge, teased
hair. Very lazy filmmaking.
I don't agree about DI, however. The style of the filmmaking alone is
very 1940s. Also, the song that's playing up the street when
MacMurray comes to the house at the end ("Tangerine", is it) came out
in the '40s. Also, 1938 predates "The Philadelphia Story", do that
doesn't make sense.
In the end, it's a minor quibble, but I envision the film set in the
time period was filmed. It just comes across very 1944.
Yes, both "The Philadelphia Story" and "Tangerine" are anachronisms, about which I've written elsewhere on these threads (as well as about the thematic significance of the song itself).
But inasmuch as the film names a very specific time period, I accept it as such, just as I accept Chinatown as taking place in 1937, in spite of its own historical inaccuracies (the incorporation of the San Fernando Valley into the city of Los Angeles more than 20 years earlier, or the fact that L.A.'s Chinatown no longer existed in '37) and my awareness of its having been shot in late '73. It creates a convincing and fully integrated illusion.
Some films are more successful than others at accomplishing this. Bonnie and Clyde and Funny Girl, for example, very convincingly recreate their respective periods, except for the glaring inappropriateness of the cosmetology and coifs of the their leading ladies (back to that again), which are illusion-killers. I find I can more easily overlook the anachronistic references of Double Indemnity or Chinatown and lose myself in the narratives they present without constant visual reminders of inauthenticity, from which neither suffer.
Just as with a stage illusionist who makes it look like he's transformed a bunch of flowers into a living rabbit, or actors in a play performing before a room of hundreds, I can accept the illusion for what it purports to be - in spite of knowing better - if it's done convincingly enough, and with integrity. For my money, DI does this successfully.
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But I totally BUY "Chinatown" and "Bonnie and Clyde" as the 1930s. I do
not for DI. I'm just not convinced, and prefer to enjoy the story as
1943/44.
It's also fairly obvious that the ONLY reason ANY song is playing in that
final scene at the house is because the loud music helped to drown out
the gunshots Walter and Phyllis fire.
I'm just not convinced, and prefer to enjoy the story asAnd that's fine; we're simply comparing the subjective ways in which each of us relates to the film.
1943/44.
It's also fairly obvious that the ONLY reason ANY song is playing in thatYes, that's the only reason in the plot, but it isn't just any song that's playing; whether chosen by Wilder, Rozsa or by committee, a conscious decision was made to use that song, the lyrics of which would have been familiar to many among its audiences, and which display a thematic connection to the scene in which the tune is heard.
final scene at the house is because the loud music helped to drown out
the gunshots Walter and Phyllis fire.
The dialogue establishes how Phyllis has used Walter and intends to use Nino (W: "That's the way you operate, isn't it, baby?" - P: "Suppose it is.") and that she's been out for only herself from the beginning ("No, I never loved you, Walter, not you or anybody else. I'm rotten to the heart. I used you, just as you said.").
Tangerine
She is all they claim
Yes, she has them all on the run
But her heart belongs to just one
Her heart belongs to Tangerine
The doubtful nature of her last-minute change of heart ("That's all you ever meant to me...until a minute ago, when I couldn't fire that second shot. I never thought that could happen to me.") is reflected in those lyrics as well:
Tangerine
She is all they say
Yes, she's got the guys in a whirl
But she's only fooling one girl
She's only fooling Tangerine!
Of the hundreds of songs for which Paramount had usage clearance, it can be neither accident nor coincidence that this was the one selected, and represents an example of the thousands of decisions affecting details that, although they might escape many viewers, contribute to the artistic integrity of any good film, which, in this case, I'd guess overrode any concerns about chronological accuracy.
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Well, my point was WHY they used music, not the song they chose. However,
it would've made more sense to then audiences to pick a pre-1938 song.
But filmmakers, as I wrote, ignored those kinds of things then.
BTW, the reason I'm posting so much this week on this film is because I
finally broke down and bought a Blu Ray player Saturday (I'm slow to
technology). I went to Barnes and Noble to pick out a true classic that
I've always loved and went with DI. The difference in clarity between
this and the DVD is astonishing! There is so much more detail in the
faces and even Stanwyck's wig! Very pleased with the transfer.
Next up will be the Blu Ray of another film noir fave of mine - "The
Postman Always Rings Twice." Absolutely love this film, too, and the
fact that it's also James Cain is the added treat.
Well, my point was WHY they used music, not the song they chose.Yeah, I getcha. It's just that I'm fascinated by the many tiny details, which may often go by unnoticed, that contribute to both the texture and integrity of a film, affecting virtually everything that's seen and heard, and the creative thought behind them.
BTW, the reason I'm posting so much this week on this film is because IThat's arguably a smart way to be. What was cutting edge and expensive not so many years ago can now be had at very affordable double-digit prices. I've got that DI Blu-ray and agree it's a knockout.
finally broke down and bought a Blu Ray player Saturday (I'm slow to
technology).
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I also want to upgrade my DVD copy of "Laura" to Blu Ray, which I've
read looks absolutely gorgeous.
Speaking of noting details, I was reminded of that famous goof in DI:
Macmurray comes home, tossing his hat on the chair. He takes the call
from Phyllis, then goes to answer the door - the hat is not there.
Even the classics have these little mistakes.
"the fact that L.A.'s Chinatown no longer existed in '37"
Yes, it did still exist, but it had moved.
It may be more accurate to say "dispersed" rather than "moved."
The original Chinatown district that arose in the late 19th century from North Alameda to the east - in which Jake would have worked - was completely razed and cleared in preparation for the construction of Union Station by the end of '35, save for a couple remaining buildings on the west side of Alameda.
The development of what was known as "New Chinatown," a planned commercial district (and something of a tourist trap) centered on North Broadway to the west (where the Chinatown finale was actually shot), wasn't completed until 1938, and it took some time for more organic business/residential settlement to coalesce around it.
It's fair to say that in late '37, Los Angeles was basically in a period "between Chinatowns."
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