Two movies that I often find myself turning over and analyzing in my mind are "House of Games" amd "Miller's Crossing".
"House of Games" is interesting because unlike the typical "con game" movie like, say, "The Sting", there are levels of meaning apart from the "con game" aspects of it that hold up to analysis even if you have either figured out where the plot is going or seen it before. You then realize that the film is about not just the protaganist's adventure, but her compulsive nature which rivals that of her patients, as demonstrated by her final actions in the film. Also, you have to love those shots of two characters conversing in profile that suggest the classic "faces or vases" optical illusion drawings as a metaphor for the film.
"Miller's Crossing" (Make with the DVD, please, Fox!) also has hidden depths within its complicated & highly stylized plot that make you reconsider it upon repeat viewings. For instance, there are revelations about one supporting character's (Eddie Dane) sexual orientation that upon further analysis of his actions seems to be a result not of an actual sexual preference so much as a pathological hatred for women, which in turn makes him an effective combination of enforcer and sociopath, while still being part of a love triangle that figures prominently into the plot. It adds an extra layer of interest to the familar bag man/gunsel characters. This is not necessarily obvious upon first viewing, and the rest of the film is just as carefully constructed to simultaneously pay homage to, build upon, and subvert its genre conventions.
Regards,
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Ken McAlinden
Livonia, MI USA
"House of Games" is interesting because unlike the typical "con game" movie like, say, "The Sting", there are levels of meaning apart from the "con game" aspects of it that hold up to analysis even if you have either figured out where the plot is going or seen it before. You then realize that the film is about not just the protaganist's adventure, but her compulsive nature which rivals that of her patients, as demonstrated by her final actions in the film. Also, you have to love those shots of two characters conversing in profile that suggest the classic "faces or vases" optical illusion drawings as a metaphor for the film.
"Miller's Crossing" (Make with the DVD, please, Fox!) also has hidden depths within its complicated & highly stylized plot that make you reconsider it upon repeat viewings. For instance, there are revelations about one supporting character's (Eddie Dane) sexual orientation that upon further analysis of his actions seems to be a result not of an actual sexual preference so much as a pathological hatred for women, which in turn makes him an effective combination of enforcer and sociopath, while still being part of a love triangle that figures prominently into the plot. It adds an extra layer of interest to the familar bag man/gunsel characters. This is not necessarily obvious upon first viewing, and the rest of the film is just as carefully constructed to simultaneously pay homage to, build upon, and subvert its genre conventions.
Regards,
------------------
Ken McAlinden
Livonia, MI USA
