paul snider's 'makeover'
what was the point? he looked just as sleazy and pimpish before as after.
shareThat is the point -- he doesn't understand the environment he's in (Beverly Hills). This is Paul's version of "adapting" to a higher scale environment, and it is doomed to failure.
sharethanks for the clarification. i think i was feeling a little sorry for the little SOB there for a minute. and dorothy's nervous-laugh about how "he doesn't dress like that anymore". . . hoe desperate she must have been, feeling loyalty to paul yet wanting to please the star-makers.
shareOne must remember that what was stylish in 1978 or 1979 is quite different from the fashions of today. Even by these standards, Paul still ends up with a pimpish look. The irony is that Paul goes to so much trouble to improve his appearance and fit in, and the final result is he comes off the same -- it's an exercise in futility.
I'm glad this thread was started, because it makes me realize that getting a makeover is one of the sub-themes of the film.
Dorothy certainly gets a makeover, and goes from innocent Canadian girl to icy blonde sex goddess (at least on the surface, deep down she's still insecure -- until Aram gives her more confidence). On a deeper level, Dorothy undergoes an internal makeover, from naive girl to confident woman.
Paul, of course, is a guy in constant makeover mode -- we first see him pumping iron, trying to improve his physique. He tries to go from pimp to personal manager and entrepreneur and producer. Since he is so demanding on himself, it is only natural that he would give Dorothy a makeover. The irony is he does his job too well, Dorothy gets too popular, and he loses her.
great analysis all 'round. i was old enough in '78 and '79 to remember guys dressing that way, but in indiana, we were more about jeans and t-shirts than the "high style" :0 of the city of angels. i like you being able to carry the metaphors all the way through. next time i watch, which will be soon, i shall pay more attention to these developments. prob a new thread, but. . . has any of DR's family commented publicly on specifically about snider?
share[deleted]
I'm really glad this thread is here too. All of the references to Paul's image - practicing his greetings, the makeovers, pointing out clothes & hair to people - are all indicative of a person with absolutely no personality. In other words, sociopath. For sociopaths, their image IS everything because it's all they have - they have no sympathy, no empathy, for anyone but themselves. The way he treated Dorothy as HIS property and HIS discovery, so therefore HE deserves the fame and not her, and the conversation with her mother ("I love it." "What did you say?" "I said I love her") are further proof of how sick he really was.