**Spoilers** Don’t read if you’re still waiting to view it
Kong once mentioned as we were revitalizing this club that he would like to see the discussions more organized.
I’ll try to introduce some topics of discussion regarding Dressed to Kill, although some of the things I bring up may not be new to the topic of Brian De Palma or the film, but they may be worth discussing anyway.
First, my personal feelings about the film:
I first watched this film in 1986 when I was 20-years old. I then watched it again in 1987 when I was 21-years old. I don’t know if my “movie maturity” hadn’t developed yet because I couldn’t remember much about the film as I began to watch it last night, 16 years after my last viewing. Before starting the film, I remembered the opening scene with Angie Dickinson in the shower, but didn’t remember that it was a fantasy. I remembered the entire museum/taxicab/elevator scene, but I then had no recollection of the rest of the film. I had completely forgotten that Michael Cain’s character was the killer. I like De Palma’s style in this film, and the suspense works for me. The acting of Nancy Allen (De Palma’s wife at the time) is the only thing about this film that I don’t like.
From what I’ve read, Brian De Palma has received a lot of praise and criticism as a director. It seems that people either love him or hate him. Those who hate him point out that most of his early success was because he ripped off so many of Hitchcock’s films. There was a time, before The Untouchables, that every one of De Palma’s films was compared and picked apart regarding comparisons to Hitchcock films. Being a huge Hitchcock fan, I don’t see De Palma as ripping-off Hitchcock, but rather paying homage to him. If you’re going to make a mystery/suspense film, how can you not borrow from the master himself? Think about how many films out there borrow their storyline or style from other films. It Happened One Night has been redone so many times, it’s even shown up in the form of Shrek, which wasn’t criticized for being a rip-off.
Here are some things to discuss or consider (I may attempt to answer most of these after a few days):
Do you think De Palma uses gratuitous sex and violence in this film?
Does Dickinson’s shower fantasy at the beginning draw you in? or is it confusing and unnecessary?
Is the museum scene too long and drawn out? or does the camera work, editing, and acting of Dickinson work well in this scene to create suspense and develop the vulnerability of the character?
How does the discovery of her partner’s venereal disease play a part in this film?
What does the little girl in the elevator represent?
Does the poor acting of Nancy Allen (Liz) bother you? Do you think it would have been a better film had someone else played the part? or do you think she does a good job portraying a young, bimbo-type?
There are a lot of reflections and reflected light in the film? Does this have specific meaning?
De Palma uses a lot of split screens in many scenes, but he mixes up the style and purpose of these splits. Is there meaning to these split screens?
Does De Palma’s choice to use another actor (actress) for the role of the killer, “Bobbi,” as well as the voice of “Bobbi” on the message recorder make the sell of Michael Caine as the killer too unbelieveable?
Is the fake ending of Liz’s nightmare necessary? Does it work for you? Do see any relevance regarding this shower scene and the fantasy shower scene at the beginning?
How many scenes can you attribute to other Hitchcock films?
Kong once mentioned as we were revitalizing this club that he would like to see the discussions more organized.
I’ll try to introduce some topics of discussion regarding Dressed to Kill, although some of the things I bring up may not be new to the topic of Brian De Palma or the film, but they may be worth discussing anyway.
First, my personal feelings about the film:
I first watched this film in 1986 when I was 20-years old. I then watched it again in 1987 when I was 21-years old. I don’t know if my “movie maturity” hadn’t developed yet because I couldn’t remember much about the film as I began to watch it last night, 16 years after my last viewing. Before starting the film, I remembered the opening scene with Angie Dickinson in the shower, but didn’t remember that it was a fantasy. I remembered the entire museum/taxicab/elevator scene, but I then had no recollection of the rest of the film. I had completely forgotten that Michael Cain’s character was the killer. I like De Palma’s style in this film, and the suspense works for me. The acting of Nancy Allen (De Palma’s wife at the time) is the only thing about this film that I don’t like.
From what I’ve read, Brian De Palma has received a lot of praise and criticism as a director. It seems that people either love him or hate him. Those who hate him point out that most of his early success was because he ripped off so many of Hitchcock’s films. There was a time, before The Untouchables, that every one of De Palma’s films was compared and picked apart regarding comparisons to Hitchcock films. Being a huge Hitchcock fan, I don’t see De Palma as ripping-off Hitchcock, but rather paying homage to him. If you’re going to make a mystery/suspense film, how can you not borrow from the master himself? Think about how many films out there borrow their storyline or style from other films. It Happened One Night has been redone so many times, it’s even shown up in the form of Shrek, which wasn’t criticized for being a rip-off.
Here are some things to discuss or consider (I may attempt to answer most of these after a few days):
Do you think De Palma uses gratuitous sex and violence in this film?
Does Dickinson’s shower fantasy at the beginning draw you in? or is it confusing and unnecessary?
Is the museum scene too long and drawn out? or does the camera work, editing, and acting of Dickinson work well in this scene to create suspense and develop the vulnerability of the character?
How does the discovery of her partner’s venereal disease play a part in this film?
What does the little girl in the elevator represent?
Does the poor acting of Nancy Allen (Liz) bother you? Do you think it would have been a better film had someone else played the part? or do you think she does a good job portraying a young, bimbo-type?
There are a lot of reflections and reflected light in the film? Does this have specific meaning?
De Palma uses a lot of split screens in many scenes, but he mixes up the style and purpose of these splits. Is there meaning to these split screens?
Does De Palma’s choice to use another actor (actress) for the role of the killer, “Bobbi,” as well as the voice of “Bobbi” on the message recorder make the sell of Michael Caine as the killer too unbelieveable?
Is the fake ending of Liz’s nightmare necessary? Does it work for you? Do see any relevance regarding this shower scene and the fantasy shower scene at the beginning?
How many scenes can you attribute to other Hitchcock films?
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NEW (as of 1/24/05): Quick Reviews #10
NEW (as of 1/24/05): Quick Reviews #10