Hit Me With Your Best Shot: "THE CIRCUS"

In the weekly "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" series, we select what we view as the best shot from a pre-selected movie. Everyone who does the same gets linked up! This week's film is Charlie Chaplin's somewhat underappreciated slapstick comedy The Circus (1928).

Don't you love it when a movie character is so iconic that you only have to see their backside as intro? The movie's plot kicks into gear when a pickpocket puts his catch into the Tramp's pocket to prove his innocent. Comedic complications ensue.

In truth, I have never quite understand the Little Tramp's appeal being mostly a Buster Keaton man. With Water For Elephants coming out on Friday, I thought a circus movie was in order and why not give Chaplin a second chance... or a fifth. In the past I've found his films a touch too saccharine -- it's a personal taste thing -- but it turned out that The Circus was just what I needed since it went light on the "awwwww" and sniffly pity and leaned into its gags with something in the general vicinity of wicked glee. I was super drepressed and ended up laughing for two hours. Win!

The best illustration of the naughty comic touch might be the late in the film when the Tramp, who usually squirms from delight, reveals that his squirming while watching a tight rope walker (his rival for the love object's affection) is actually something like physical exertion to telekinetically will the walker into falling and I laughed heartily at an early variation on that old saying "stealing candy from a baby" as he devours an entire pastry from the hands of an infant.

But in the end I kept going back to this very simple shot near the beginning which is much much funnier in context.

It's part of the perfectly judged opening slapstick theft with hilarious confusions and plot consequences. Both the Tramp and the thief have been running from the cops and from each other and they suddenly enter the frame looking like partners in crime; Chaplin's hat tip at the tail end of the run is a super funny nod to this odd turn of events (they'll be enemies again in a second).

It got me to thinking about why slapstick is mostly dead in the movies. We don't have any Tatis or Chaplins or anyone left anymore and it's not because it's 2011 or because comedy is dead or because [cue nostalgic violins] "they don't make it like they use to" or  because the movies found sound. It's because the currently preferred style of rapid cutting and the absolute manic attachment to closeups --even in scenes without heavy emotional components -- prevents the longform comedy of careful set-up and physical punchline; it's tough to maximize the humor of a pratfall or a surprise twist in the action when you can't see the entirety of a comedian's body in motion. The modern musical has the same problem in finding its voice, if you will. If you can't see the choreography it's awfully tough to join in the dancing.

Other Tramps

• Movies Kick Ass "You're supposed to be funny" Chaplin's resistance to sound.
• Awww, the Movies! ♥  Strike a pose, Charlie.
• Serious Film "The Keaton Man's Guide To Loving Chaplin"
• Ahora the sorrow of circuses and Chaplin's hall of mirrors

The complete index of "Hit Me" episodes

UPDATE. We were supposed to do Sofia Coppola's Somewhere next. But we keep running into snags with this series. I know the majority of you rent from Netflix (as do I) and for some reason though the movie is out on DVD and Blu-Ray it is strangely not available on Netflix for another month. Perhaps this is some new contract problem between studios and Netflix? SIGH.

So next Wednesday no episode. But stay tuned for more news on this series.

Links: Tim Hetherington (RIP), Batman Year One, Gaga Saga

Tribeca Film RIP Tim Hetherington. This is so sad.The just Oscar nominated co-director of the fine documentary Restrepo and an amazing war photographer has been killed in Libya. He had just recently released a book of photography called Infidel which had a section called "Sleeping Soldiers" --not your typical war photography.

You can listen to a lengthy talk by him about his work at "Foto 8" The site also has an accompanying gallery to watch while listening.

Movie|Line 3-D reboot of softcore Chinese movie Sex & Zen (I don't know whether or not to admit that I've seen the original. Whoops) breaks records in Hong Kong. American produced 3-D porn is also on the way. Ruh-roh.
Hollywood Reporter Batman Year One, an animated film igoing straight to DVD, casts Eliza Dushku as Catwoman. That works, her being a frisky kitty and all.
TOH Anne Thompson thinks Jennifer Lawrence looks terrible as Mystique in X-Men: First Class. I'd agree. I don't understand why they had to give her that abnormal forehead thing again. Shake up the look a little.

Weird Al explains what happened with Lady Gaga. She's disrupted his album release plans by rejecting his "Born This Way" parody "Perform This Way"
Playbill Been missing the awesome of Jonathan Groff or the bliss of Kristin Chenoweth on Glee? They return very very soon.

Antonio Banderas in The Skin I Live In (2011)

Vulture Margaret Lyons has a very astute article on what's right and wrong with NBC's "Parenthood". (I met one of its stars and I'll tell you about that tomorrow morning.)
Very Small Array has a horrifying chart about the quality slide in box office hits. Thanks to Awards Daily for pointing it out.
In Contention starts a series on the Cannes offering beginning with Almodóvar's The Skin I Live In.
Cinema Blend Jacki Weaver joins the Judd Apatow comedy Five Year Engagement. Go get those post-Oscar roles, Jacki! 

Ryan O'Neal 70th's Birthday

Alex aka BBats here. It’s Ryan O’Neal’s 70^th birthday today! He’s always been one of my favorite actors. In a few great movies, he showed incredible range and unbelieveable charisma.  After a few years of doing guest roles on television, O’Neal became a bankable star after Peyton Place's popular run. The Big Bounce (1969) was his first starring role in a film, but he’ll be remembered as bursting through to superstardom for Love Story (1970). 

Everyone’s seen Paper Moon (1973) and everyone should watch it again. (Its streaming on Instant Netflix, so no excuses!)  His collaborations with Peter Bogdonavich coincide with the peak of his career.  Look at his filmography in the 1970’s. It is an amazing assembly of films!  

I must confess that I still haven’t seen Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon (1975).  I have a firm belief that one day some repertoire movie theater will screen it in 70mm (a man can dream, can’t he?). 

poll by twiigs.com

Go watch The Big Bounce, The Driver, What’s up Doc?, Nickelodeon, Wild Rovers, or any of his films. 

Nashville Awards: Andrew Haigh's "Weekend" and More...

Jury Deliberations. Most festivals have separate jurors for each of the major sections. Cannes is the one people are most familiar with it being the festival of festivals. The competition slate is the main focus but they don't actually decide each of the awards you hear about. There are other juries gathered to decide things like the Camera D'Or (best first film) and the short film prizes. Nashville has five juries and they're also an AMPAS qualifying festival so if, for instance, a short film wins "best" in category here it becomes eligible for Oscar consideration. I was on the Narrative Competition jury this year. The running joke at the table became "this doesn't leave the table..." so...end of story!

Let it suffice to say that it's always usually enjoyable to discuss movies with other creative types and in this case it was extra enjoyable as my fellow jurors Dan Butler (previous discussed) and Joe Leydon (a Texas based film critic who also writes for Variety) were both fun passionate movie-loving guys.

After we decided our prizes, I scampered over to the Music Film jury when I saw them wrapping up to thank the gorgeous Kimberly Reed for her Prodigal Sons film the one I kept raving about to y'all a couple of years back. She told me about a new percolating project of hers but she's actually still trekking around the country with her breakthrough film years later. Oprah's interest in her story really made a huge impact -- Oprah really does control the world, doesn't she? -- but that kind of sustained interest couldn't have happened to a better documentary or to a more articulate champion for the transgendered community.

BEST OF THE 2011 NASHVILLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Read on to find out which films each jury loved as well as a few notes on the films.

Click to read more ...

First and Last, Statue

Dave here with another game of First and Last.

The first and last images from a motion picture:

Can you guess the movie?

Check the answer after the jump.

Click to read more ...