Interesting first effort by Altman. Osborne on TCM said that Altman hated the voiceover, but I think it adds a lot to it (of course, what the narrator said turned out to be true, but it's more like a PG label on a film with a definite prurient factor going for it.)
share
It was interesting - a sleazy, but involving, well-directed little film,
marred only by a terrible performance by Rosemary Howard. Have to
agree with Altman, though, about the narration - it was awful. It sounded
like the narration in one of those old hygiene films we'd watch in
health class.
QUOTE:
Have to agree with Altman, though, about the narration - it was awful. It sounded like the narration in one of those old hygiene films we'd watch in health class.
I was really surprised at what a fine performance Billy Jack gave. Very loose and realistic. He was life-like, behaving as a real person would instead of all theatrical, melodramatic, or stiff like most actors were back then......and even today. Im curious to know how much of his dialogue and actions were improvised. Its a wonder Altman didnt find more use for him in later films.
share
I don't think he was much of an actor, but yes, I agree, his low-key
performance worked very well. Rosemary Howard, his girlfriend, was so
awful, his natural manner helped her.
I agree that the voiceover was a bit "tacky", just like those old hygiene films someone else mentioned. If I remember correctly didn't The Naked City (1948-Barry Fitzgerald/ Don Taylor) feature a voiceover narrative as well? My 11 Year old and I watched a good portion of the film and thought it was pretty terrible, almost as if someone had taken a video camera, filmed a bit and posted it on Youtube...
shareI agree with the overall view of Laughlin's performance. Really I felt that the whole film moved very naturally. Each scene appeared unconstrained by blocking and it was as though the camera wasn't obvious to the actors and we were seeing real people experience real situations.
share
And Laughlin was hotter than hell. What a body.