Some of the previous boards mentioned that this Movie is narrarated. What I want to know is that is the narraration too much. As in u feel that the narrarator is telling you the story instead of u watching it. Or does the narrarator only come in for like a minute periodically throughout the film.
If you remember the old tv series The Untouchables, they had a similar style with Walter Winchell doing the narration. I think the technique works in Massacre since the story is not seen through the eyes of a single character.
shareI think the narration is a good touch, giving important information and adding to the documentary-like style. Also, the fact that narration was used effectively on the TV Untouchables gives it a boost. Paul Frees's rich voice is perfect.
sharewilky--
Consider this---Narrator Paul Frees [the voice of Boris Badenov and Cap'n Crunch]tells you where and when the main players were born and died, their ultimate fates. Even the temperature in Chi-Town on Feb 14th, 1929.
Take all that away and you'd be in the dark. THIS movie is THE definitive one on the events. Let us hope that the future never sees some idiotic Ben Affleck remake on this like that Pearl Harbor disaster.
It's not telling us the story but it gives us background information on the characters at some points what they think and will do. The narration contributes to some of the most hilarious parts of the film.
Somebody here has been drinking and I'm sad to say it ain't me - Allan Francis Doyleshare
I wish more historical context movies would use narration as this one does...I now "know" the event.... and not what Oliver Stone or Michael Mooron might want me to think.
shareAnd yet for what ever reason some prints leave out the narration for Adam Heyer
and Reinhold Schwimmer. We watched a very good print on FOX ch last night and the narration was back.
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Yes, I've always wondered about a couple of spots where characters were just wandering silently about the scene, where narration would seem to have been intended.
shareI like the narration, it only is on for a minute or so, as each character becomes part of the bigger story, it gives you some background information on the people, I found it to be very informative, and you get a better idea of who is who, and what role they will play in the massacre.
shareI am sure they tried to make this as accurate as possible, at least for what was known as new facts surface all the time as time goes on. Remember this was released in 1967 and there were (rough estimate) maybe a million Chicago residents still living at the time that remember the events well and also some of the gangster's widows, relatives, girlfriends, etc and even a few old gangsters as well (such as Tony Accardo & Joe Bonanno who got their start with Capone) All & all fascinating history.
shareDone correctly, I think narration adds to the effectiveness of a production, providing it's not overdone. Fred MacMurray's narration in Double Indemnity(1944) is another good example of adequate narration. With the St. Valentines Day Massacre(1967), the movie is told in a semi-documentary fashion as a lot of the historical facts of this movie may not have been known to the general public back in 1967. The music also help produced some of the necessary moodiness for this picture.
shareThe opening credits, the music, the snow falling, etc, makes me feel like it really is going back in time to Chicago in 1929. I think they did a good job with that. Plus as I said in another post---many still alive in 1967 who remembered the events or knew some of those killed during that decade. I'm sure the intro probably sent a few chills down some people's spines when the film first came out.
All & all, Prohibition was a colossal mistake. Thousands of lives were needlessly lost over it and the country lost millions of dollars in tax money since the mobs never report it.
Oh good point on the Double Indemnity narration. It is one of my favorites from that era.
The narration is perfect IMO. The only part I didn't like was Peter Gusenberg's girlfriends narration. It didn't fit the rest of the film.
share