I recently finished the Tralala story. Boy, it was disturbing to think life was that hard for anyone. The whole book to this point was incredibly painful, although well written.
What is the film like? Is it as dark as Requiem for a dream? Does it do the novel justice? Why no NC-17 for something so graphic?
Just wondering; Feel free to comment.
Yeah, in my opinion it definitely does Hubert Selby Jr.’s book full justice. I’d strongly recommend you watch Last Exit to Brooklyn because it’s a brilliant, semi-forgotten film that deserves much more attention.
The cast is uniformly strong, especially Stephen Lang, Burt Young and the late Jerry Orbach of TV’s “Law and Order”, as well as a striking turn by Alexis Arquette as the transvestite Georgette. The standout of the cast is Jennifer Jason Leigh, who plays Tralala, and I can honestly say that her performance here is one of the most heartbreaking, sensitive and emotionally shattering performances I’ve ever seen in a film. She plays Tralala as a young woman who’s totally cut off from her feelings and is on a violent self-destruct mission that you just know is going to end in tragedy. I wasn’t very familiar with JJL’s work when I first saw Last Exit, but the film turned me into a fan for life.
I’m not sure how this film landed an R rating instead of an NC-17, because there is quite a lot of profanity, language and violence, including disturbing sexual violence and the union riot scene (which is dazzlingly well staged), and the whole subject matter is very adult. I guess in terms of imagery there’s nothing as graphically gruesome here as the final half hour of Requiem for a Dream, which is definitely not for the squeamish. Also, I would argue that this film contains surprising moments of beauty, tenderness and hope amid all the darkness – it’s not immediately evident, but it is there, and it makes it a very moving film.
"I can honestly say that her performance here is one of the most heartbreaking, sensitive and emotionally shattering performances I’ve ever seen in a film. I wasn’t very familiar with JJL’s work when I first saw Last Exit, but the film turned me into a fan for life."
I wholly agree. I cannot praise her enough for the commitment she displayed for this role, and her overall performance is simply breath-taking. I've gushed over her in a superlative-laden post in another thread, so wont repeat it again, but suffice to say I completely and utterly adored her in this film. I too had no idea she was this talented, but I now respect her a whole lot more.
Ironically, this isn't even ironic at all.
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The movie is dark, but it portrays some of the characters (such as Tralala) in a much more sympathetic light than in the novel. Also, there are a number of events and characters in the film that weren't part of Selby's novel (nor does the movie cover much of the last chapter "Land's End").
shareI had to get an overseas bootleg because of no US release, and it was rated the equivalent of NC-17.
Look, it's been swell, but the swelling's gone down.
It is a difficult book to read due to the graphic deals thoroughout and the style of the author's writing. I think the filmmakers did an excellent job with the movie.
shareThe 'Tralala' character in the book, as you know, was a true monster--violent, unfeeling of others, selfish. She helpd kick a soldier almost to death.
But the movie makes her out to be almost angelic at the end. The German director totally got it wrong. Selby wanted to portray how evil people can be.