MovieChat Forums > The Spook Who Sat by the Door (1981) Discussion > How it ever got released is a miracle......

How it ever got released is a miracle...however.

posted 18 years ago by mozli
6 replies | jump to latest

Watching it again after some thirty years and quite a bit more education and experience I see it as an incredible work of art even though its politics aren't very sophisticated. I respect and admire the courage it took to get this film made. It came at the tail end of Vietnam and in the middle of Watergate. America had grave doubts about itself and the civil rights movement was still reeling from the assasinations, riots, politcal conventions and campus unrest. There was a part of me that wondered if somehow al-quaida had discovered this film.

But here's the real shocker(SPOILER ALERT):

Watch this film then look at FIGHT CLUB again.

Was David Fincher(of all people)influenced by this film? I realize some folk can't wrap their minds around that idea but it screamed at me.

[–] mozli 18 years ago

As an addendum to the above, one of the things this movie reveals(probably unintentionally)is how a mild-mannered geeky guy transforms himself into a protodictator. No matter what his race might be.

[–] princeof1984 18 years ago

MOzli... the film did not show that... that was Freeman's plan the whole time... they made mention of how militant he was in the past... a brilliant film

[–] jebgeorgesuk 18 years ago

Yeah. Fight Club seemed to lean heavily on this movie. I would call Fight Club a remake. The primary additions to Fight Club are obviously the split-personality and the love story.

But all in all I'd say Fight Club is a good movie maybe because it drew so heavily from a good movie.

Releasing the film is a miracle. Getting the budget together -- in the 70's -- to manage the city warfare, riot scenes, etc. was a pretty big feat.

[–] C.S.Wood 17 years ago

About the Fight Club link, I don't wanna come off sounding like a dick, but Fight Club was a book written by Chuck Palahniuk before it was a movie. I just want to give credit where credit is due (you should see the looks I get from people when I tell them The Departed is a remake of an Asian film)

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[–] squelli69 17 years ago

This movie was also a book of the same title.

[–] DameDigbyChickenCaesar 11 years ago

Okay... So the author of Fight Club was influenced by this book and/or movie. And, you don't sound like a d*** for stating a fact. :)

"Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing."