James Berardinelli Interviewed at Cosmoetica
Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby
Dan Schneider, whose latest conribution to the Alternative Film Guide was a — sure to be controversial — review of Casablanca, interviewed ReelViews critic James Berardinelli a few weeks ago.
Below are a couple of brief snippets, mostly focusing on Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby and Mystic River, taken from Schneider’s extensive chat with Berardinelli, which can be found at Cosmoetica:
DS: And what of actors as directors? [Clint] Eastwood’s efforts have risen to mediocrity, at best; and things like Million Dollar Baby are embarrassingly bad – from the trite screenplay to the anomic direction to the bad acting. Again, more PC and unrealistic premises, and can Morgan Freeman ever not be ‘the Wise Negro?’ Yet, you thought this a good film. First, Almost all actors-cum-directors, are mediocre with the technical aspects. Eastwood is not in the same universe with the man who made him famous, Sergio Leone. Sean Penn’s Into The Wild saw him try a dozen different directorial techniques, and fail at them all. Kevin Costner’s efforts are pallid – even his Oscar-winning Dances With Wolves, is now considered one of the worst Oscar winners ever. But, more so than technical mediocrity is that they do not have the visionary aspect that all great artists, including great directors, have. Actors, after all, are not creative, but – like singers – interpretive, artists. And then there are the numerous vanity projects from big name actors like Jack Nicholson to ‘character’ actors who get behind the camera. To me, this is simply another expression of the urge that drives bad actors (like a David Hasselhoff) to think they are singers, or bad singers (like – take your pick of dozens or rap and pop stars) to think they are actors. I suspect you disagree, so please explain.
JB: First of all, it’s rather silly to use the Oscar as a representative of film quality. For the most part, however, I agree with you – most actors do not have a good grasp on the technical aspects of film. Dances with Wolves is, I think, and exception. It’s beautifully filmed and has a magnificent John Barry score. Seen on a huge screen, it’s a transformative experience. It does not work as well at home, but still works well enough to represent three hours well spent. Eastwood, on the other hand, is very uneven as a director. Why did I like Million Dollar Baby? Because the direction of the story surprised me and because it packed an emotional punch (no pun intended). As I mentioned before, emotional resonance is a personal thing. If it doesn’t work, one tends to regard it with great cynicism. From a technical standpoint, I don’t recall any obvious goofs, but neither were there virtuoso moments. But I remember the performances, and believe they all rang true. I’m not a softie by any means, but the movie reached me.
DS: Returning to your take on Mystic River: ‘Mystic River has only one misstep, and that occurs at the conclusion (and is reflective of problems with the book’s final pages). Instead of ending cleanly, at the point when everything is in place for the rolling of the credits, the movie drags on for two unfortunate, unnecessary scenes. This superfluous epilogue not only pads the running length, but commits minor character assassination and disallows the possibility of things concluding on a dramatically high note. It is Eastwood and editor Joel Cox’s only blunder. (This is the kind of material one would expect to see as an "alternate/rejected ending" on a DVD. )’ I’ll assume you’re talking about the outlandishly ridiculous, ‘You’re a king!’ trope. Absolutely horrid, but this is no Rashomon, which can survive such a plummet at the end. Thoughts?
JB: It brings up a question about whether any movie, regardless of how good it is, can absorb a bad ending. With Mystic River, it’s not a case of a bad climax but a poor denouement. The real story is essentially over by the time we get to the bad stuff. The same can be said of Rashomon. The films that get in trouble are those that fall apart at the climax. Who wants to sit through two hours of fine storytelling only to have everything resolved via a deus ex machina?
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Tags: Actors Turned Directors, Clint Eastwood, Dan Schneider, James Berardinelli, Million Dollar Baby, Mystic River, ReelViews
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