American Cinematographer - September 2007 - (Page 16)

famous Ferris wheel) to the depths of its labyrinthine sewer system. — Kenneth Sweeney Straight Time (1978) 1.85:1 (16x9 Enhanced) Dolby Digital Monaural Warner Home Video, $19.95 Throughout its history, Hollywood has had a lot to answer for when it comes to romanticizing criminals, but the accusation could never be leveled at the uncompromising, considerably underrated gem Straight Time. Featuring Dustin Hoffman in a possibly career-best performance as Max Dembo, a jittery Los Angeles ex-con attempting to go straight, the film never once strikes a false note in its depiction of the sporadically exciting but ultimately desperate and sad life of an average criminal. Straight Time is resolutely a film of the provocative 1970s era, in that it explores the full spectrum of Dembo’s criminal psychology — the greed and stupidity that doom him, as well as the professionalism and exhilaration of a perfect “score” — while refusing to make easy moral judgments. At the start of the film, Dembo is released from prison and makes a sincere attempt to re-enter law-abiding society. But the crushing boredom of a minimum-wage job, combined with humiliating visits from a repugnant parole officer (M. Emmet Walsh), soon lures Dembo back to his old ways. When a jewelry-store heist with a loyal partner (Harry Dean Stanton) goes horribly awry, Dembo goes on the run, but the resignation on his face seems to augur that a return to prison is all but inevitable. Indeed, the film’s fatalistic last line and concluding frames imply that “institutional men” like Dembo are born rather than made. 16 Hoffman initially intended to direct and star in Straight Time, which is based on Eddie Bunker’s memoir No Beast So Fierce. But the actor soon found the combined demands overwhelming and turned over the directing reins to Ulu Grosbard, whose emphasis on low-key realism made him a perfect foil for Hoffman’s intense performance. Primarily a theater director, Grosbard favored letting many scenes play out in wide shots with few edits, a strategy that highlights both the bracing spontaneity of the performances and the tension of the narrative. In a commentary on this DVD, Grosbard notes that his visual approach was aided immeasurably by cinematographer Owen Roizman, ASC, who innately had a “great sense of what is real and what isn’t.” The filmmakers were determined to present the gritty underbelly of Los Angeles — disheveled Burbank backyards and dilapidated downtown rooming houses — and Roizman’s naturalistic style, honed on raw classics such as The French Connection and The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, was perfectly suited to the task. It’s a relief to see that Warner Bros. has treated Straight Time with the respect it deserves; this transfer features superb clarity, nicely saturated colors and minimal age artifacts. Grosbard and Hoffman are both featured on the commentary, though it quickly becomes clear that they did not record it together, and that they don’t even seem to be watching the film as they make their comments. Commentaries like this gemerally lack good, specific observations, but Grosbard and Hoffman are expansive talkers, and this supplement is well worth the viewer’s time. Hoffman describes how he did extensive research with Bunker to try to understand the dark mindset of a character like Dembo; in one instance, the ex-con told Hoffman that even as the actor was talking to him, Bunker was thinking about what he could steal from him, how he could kill him, and how he could get away with it. Ever the Method actor, Hoffman began practicing this behavioral “exercise” on everyone he met. In addition to the film’s original theatrical trailer, the DVD offers an inter- http://www.theasc.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - September 2007

Contents Editor’s Note Global Village DVD Playback Production Slate Bourne Again Cultural Immersion Baroque Visions Once Upon a Time in Bucharest Short Takes Post Focus Filmmakers’ Forum New Products & Services Points East International Marketplace Classified Ads Ad Index ASC Membership Roster Clubhouse News Wrap Shot

American Cinematographer - September 2007

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