Kelly WandThe Parallex View
September 5th 2006 23:59
For a start, Alan J Pakula’s decision to shoot much of the action in the widest of long shots may have captured a feeling of the paranoia of the times but it strips the action of any excitement. Warren Beatty’s crusading journalist is also a creation of his time. Now we just see a shallow narcissist unaware of the needs of those around him. He doesn’t really fight for the story so much as he fights for the by-line.
There is a new JFK in town and so the bad guys gun him down. A Warren Commission style senate enquiry finds a lone gunman responsible. Three years later, when the fuss has died down, various witnesses start dropping like flies. You know how it is for bad guys. When they have gotten away with a crime, it is only right that they should draw suspicion back to themselves.
The Parallax corporation is running assassins for hire. Warren Beatty goes undercover and they like his psyche evaluation so much that they get him to watch a tedious montage of pictures of Hitler, The KKK, The American Flag and boys who like other boys. This little interlude must mean something to someone. Maybe I just don’t have what it takes to be a top level assassin because it seemed to me to be a fairly dreary way of filling five minutes of screen time.
Warren is invited up to the office for a quick chat but, instead, he spots one of the bad guys and chases him all over town. This does absolutely nothing to raise the suspicions of those lovable folk down at Parallax.
“The Parallax View” isn’t as bad as this review makes it seems. It is just a little bit too boring and worthy for its own good.
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Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Comment by Bob Short
Comment or Blog!
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Personally, with the current political climate I find this story more exciting and relevant now than when I saw it 15 years ago.
Reading your review I get the feeling you missed crucial information in the film. It is deliberately paced and alot is said with out words.
Certainly helps if you have read or seen research on the US governement and its use of mind control techniques over the years. (eg: the subconcious programing of the Parralax tape) Or looked into the big gaping holes of any number of assasinations and events leading to war. This film is actually creates a viable answer to a modern day mystery.
There are some amazing docos on the real Manchurian Candidate program that you should see to give the film some historical context, the actual footage is astounding.
Anyway, Ive wasted enough time pointlessly rambling, It all comes down to life experience, what youve read, what youve seen and what you accept as reality in order to suspend disbelief in any work of fiction.
Comment by Bob Short
When I saw this movie in the late seventies, I thought it was amazing. When I watched it last week - despite having all the expectations I had of refinding lost love - it just didn't happen for me.
Maybe I'm just getting too cynical!
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
In the case of the mind control scene, you have to remember that we are now decensatized as a society to this sort of imagery. When televion was new the understanding of the medium wasnt there.
For a while the culture was open to this type of programming, the subconscious was still open to these forms of suggestion.
Now in our quick cut, assualts of sound and vision, media obsessed culture we have evolved with the technology. Comprehension of cinema language is the only universal dialect on the planet.
We have seen it all before and most people see the distinct line between reality and what is projected onto a screen.
Obviously Im not talking about everyone, but you seem like you have digested your share of external stimuli and hence the uncomfortable, forced nature of the scene no longer carries as much weight or relevance.
Or maybe youve just become a cynic............like me, although I prefer the term realist.
Comment by Bob Short
Once upon a time, I think we could imagine the kind of mind control tricks that could be employed in film were real. The Ipcress file seemed perfectly feasible (though now we know that sleep disturbance is probably the most effective method to reprogram an individual). It is interesting that, before attacking the Waco complex, the FBI carpet bomb the airwaves with repeated plays of Nancy Sinatra's "These boots are made for walking". If they weren't insane fanatics in there before that, they certainly were insane afterwards.
Interestingly, David Cronenberg's "Videodrome" remains convincing to me in spite of my scientific knowledge as to the impossibility of making a signal that induces a perceived alteration in reality. I think it is because he is playing with an analogy of being changed by art that hooks onto those "microwaves cause cancer" stories.
The waters are getting deep on these comment pages!
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
On the topic of programming, it happens every day with people watching the mass media news channels and accepting what their told without question. (Just look at the BS story they gave us for invading Iraq)
Most of the world are followers and as such are open to suggestion and directions, they like others to do there thinking for them. The bottom line is just like hypnosis, you have to be willing and want to be hypnotized in order for it to work.
Others like you and I obviously think about what we read, see and do and certainly dont believe what we are told at face value. Some people research, others wait to be told.
Comment by Bob Short
On a random channel switch yesterday I heard half a dozen different voices talk about the BS reasons for invading Iraq and not one supporting Bush's ideology.
Another reason to keep on writing I suppose.