The Stunt Man has always been one of my favorite movies. It contains some of the best work of Peter O'Toole's, one of England's great actors. A young Barbara Hershey is, like the candy bar, good enough to eat and Steve Railsback delivers a great performance as the paranoid fugitive/stunt man. When this movie first was released, it was one of the most unique films I had ever seen. A rare blend of action/adventure, comedy, satire, and love story, it defied simple categorization. Although today we are much more knowledgeable about movie making techniques and thus can shoot a few more holes in the story, "The Stunt Man" holds up pretty well to the test of time. After watching it countless times, I still marvel at the witty dialogue and clever plot twists. It is not your typical Hollywood formula movie.Perhaps the most enjoyable parts of this new DVD are the special features. The director's audio track and the companion disk "The Sinister Saga of the Making of the Stunt Man" finally shed some light on the trials and tribulations that Richard Rush encountered while making and releasing this film. If you loved the movie like I did, you must see this recent (2000) look back by the director on his greatest movie accomplishment. It includes recent interviews with many of the stars. It is interesting to hear how this project affected them and their careers. If you have never seen "The Stunt Man", you owe it to yourself to do so. You won't be disappointed.
To relate the plot of "The Stunt Man" in a concise way is to deny the subtleties and intricacies that really distinguish this as a bold and unusual work of art. But here's a brief synopsis. The film begins as a convict, played by Steve Railsback (Charles Manson in "Helter Skelter"), makes a break from the cops who are transporting him. Fleeing into the neighboring seaside village, he stumbles onto a film set where a tragedy that will likely be investigated has just struck. To avoid police intervention, the film's director (Peter O'Toole) embraces Railsback and identifies him as the company's stunt man who was just involved in an accident. It seems an ideal setup, as Railsback needs a new identity and the film production needs to account for the missing stunt man. As the film progresses, Railsback learns about movie making, becomes infatuated with the leading lady (Barbara Hershey), and starts to suspect that O'Toole has sinister ulterior motives.
The beauty of "The Stunt Man," which may be one of the most delightfully "inside" films about the industry ever made, is that it works on so many different levels. You could aptly describe the film as a drama, a comedy, a thriller, and action picture, a romance, a satire of filmmaking, and a study of truth versus illusion--what is reality? Seriously, it is successful in every one of these fields. Add breathtaking action sequences, a wickedly funny and literate script, and bravura performances--and this mini-masterpiece truly stands the test of time. Hershey and Railsback are terrific, but O'Toole steals the show as the megalomaniacal director! Anyone who loves movies, and the art of filmmaking, should find much merit in "The Stunt Man." But make no mistake, as much as I will defend this as a great film--you, in no way, have to be a film snob to enjoy it. This film is deliriously entertaining and a wild ride!
This film carries my highest recommendation to movie lovers of all ages. While maybe not one of the 5 "best" pictures ever made, it is easily one of my 5 most enduring "favorites." Check it out. KGHarris, 02/07.
Features (some old, some new) for the newest 6/7/11 2-disc Special Edition DVD set):
* Audio Commentary With Writer/Director Richard Rush, and Stars Peter O'Toole, Steve Railsback, Barbara Hershey, Alex Rocco, Sharon Farrell and Chuck Bail.
* The Maverick Career Of Richard Rush Exclusive New Featurette
* Peter O'Toole Recounts The Stunt Man Exclusive New Featurette
* Devil's Squadron Exclusive New Featurette With Steve Railsback And Alex Rocco
* Barbara Hershey On Nina Franklin Exclusive New Featurette
* The Sinister Saga Of The Making Of The Stunt Man Feature Length Documentary By Richard Rush
* Theatrical Trailers
* Deleted ScenesThere are just some movies in your life that really speak to you--that connect to you on some emotional or intellectual level in a very special way. "The Stunt Man" from director Richard Rush is such a film for me. Released in 1980, this ode to movie making is a challenging, intelligent, incisive and fun film that very few people saw upon its initial release. After a 10 year preproduction struggle by Rush, a tumultuous shoot, and no support from a studio that didn't care about the film--it was essentially dumped with no fanfare. Even star Peter O'Toole has commented, "The Stunt Man wasn't released, it escaped." But with amazing clarity and foresight, the film was surprisingly awarded with three major Academy Award nomination--Best Actor for Peter O'Toole, Best Director for Rush, and Best Screenplay for Rush and Lawrence Marcus. In the years that have followed, the film has attained a cult status and a legion of faithful fans (myself among them). In fact, I have seen this film probably 15 times and it was the first (really!) VHS tape I ever bought--now that's dating me!
To relate the plot of "The Stunt Man" in a concise way is to deny the subtleties and intricacies that really distinguish this as a bold and unusual work of art. But here's a brief synopsis. The film begins as a convict, played by Steve Railsback (Charles Manson in "Helter Skelter"), makes a break from the cops who are transporting him. Fleeing into the neighboring seaside village, he stumbles onto a film set where a tragedy that will likely be investigated has just struck. To avoid police intervention, the film's director (Peter O'Toole) embraces Railsback and identifies him as the company's stunt man who was just involved in an accident. It seems an ideal setup, as Railsback needs a new identity and the film production needs to account for the missing stunt man. As the film progresses, Railsback learns about movie making, becomes infatuated with the leading lady (Barbara Hershey), and starts to suspect that O'Toole has sinister ulterior motives.
The beauty of "The Stunt Man," which may be one of the most delightfully "inside" films about the industry ever made, is that it works on so many different levels. You could aptly describe the film as a drama, a comedy, a thriller, and action picture, a romance, a satire of filmmaking, and a study of truth versus illusion--what is reality? Seriously, it is successful in every one of these fields. Add breathtaking action sequences, a wickedly funny and literate script, and bravura performances--and this mini-masterpiece truly stands the test of time. Hershey and Railsback are terrific, but O'Toole steals the show as the megalomaniacal director! Anyone who loves movies, and the art of filmmaking, should find much merit in "The Stunt Man." But make no mistake, as much as I will defend this as a great film--you, in no way, have to be a film snob to enjoy it. This film is deliriously entertaining and a wild ride!
The Limited Edition of the DVD also contains the feature length documentary--"The Sinister Saga of Making The Stunt Man." This is a fascinating look at the trials and tribulations of getting "The Stunt Man" to the screen by a writer/director with no intention of compromising his vision. I recommend this edition while it's still available, the journey of this film is a tremendous and impressive story! And Rush is easy to admire and like.
This film carries my highest recommendation to movie lovers of all ages. While maybe not one of the 5 "best" pictures ever made, it is easily one of my 5 most enduring "favorites." Check it out. KGHarris, 02/07.
Read Best Reviews of The Stunt Man Here
Peter O'Toole, Barbara Hershey and Steve Railsback are superb in this movie. Railsback is a Vietnam vet who accidently kills a copy and stumble upon a WW I movie being shot by O'Toole, who plays the director. After his stunt man is killed, O'Toole blackmails Railsback into becoming his stunt man, and Railsback thinks O'Toole is trying to kill him.Barbara Hershey as Railsback love interest looks gorgeous. O'Toole is amazing. Not your usual, predictable Hollywood plot. A very special movie worth owning for repeat viewing.An image so vivid that unlike any previous blu-ray I have purchased to date, I had to dumb-down my monitor from "vivid" to "standard" to compensate, which is a good thing as the reduction in contrast subdues the occasional film grain which is evident quite often but short-lived, such as when Director Rush presumably zoomed in on the film negative for a close-up in post-production as an afterthought rather than having done so 'in camera' during the shoot. Though the original mix was mono, discrete surround sounds are quite evident from time to time. After enduring the poor print quality of the laserdisc pressing it's good to see Rush's beloved film get its due on blu-ray, both of which are well worth the upgrade if you're a big fan like myself, but if you're not and already have the two-disc Limited Edition, you won't find enough of a difference to warrant this upgrade to blu-ray.
Save 30% Off
No comments:
Post a Comment