The Man Who Loved Women (and the women who loved him right back):
Man, I love this movie, a real beaut by Robert Towne, Hal Ashby and company:
George: Let’s face it. I f***ed them all. That’s what I do. That’s why I went to beauty school. They’re always there, and l…I don’t know why I’m apologizing. So sometimes I f*** them. I go into that shop and they’re so great-looking. I do their hair. They feel and smell great. I’d be on the street…at a stoplight, or go into an elevator. There’s…a beautiful girl. I don’t know. That’s it. It makes my day. It makes me feel like I’m gonna live forever. As far as I’m concerned with what I’d liked to have done in my life…I know I should’ve accomplished more but I have no regrets. I mean…Maybe that means I don’t love them. Maybe it means I don’t love you. Nobody’s gonna tell me I don’t like them very much.
Great film, and one of my favorites of the era. I've had mixed success turning other people on to it - I find some younger people really don't respond to it. Their loss.
By the way, the white haired gent talking to Christie is none other than movie director/producer/innovator/impresario William Castle.
It's VERY Hit or Miss, no matter the age. I think the poltical satire really works because they had a few years distance from the 68 campaign. But the Beatty character is great, a nice riff on his public persona, and a character who has to deal with the consequences of his actions at the end of the movie. Oh, yeah, then there are the women, Grant, Goldie, and especially Julie! Drooooool
All true, Alex. I had one female friend who turned it off because they didn't like Beatty's character. I tried to explain that if she'd seen it through to the end... well, you get the idea.
That ending is very haunting. We know George is a shit, but at the same time we like him and want him to succeed. He's not mean-spirited, just thoughtless. I really like the scene he and Warden have towards the end.
The women are tremendous and Warden and Tony Bill are both very very good in their roles as well.
Yup. And that's what I like about it. Without it being over moralizing, he suffers for his thoughtlessness in a way that seems fitting. He's not mean just has no spine.
Its a real shame what happened to Hal Ashby. He was one of the most original and interesting directors of the time and it ended way too quickly.
The king of the dissolves. The long, slow dissolves, especially in The Last Detail. But he was an editor first so I guess he just liked the effect.
Yeah, he was the hot young cutter in the 60s. I believe he did a few pictures with Norman Jewison that were big hits at the time (e.g. The Cincinnati Kid).
The Cincinnati Kid, written by Ring Lardner Jr after 18 years of being blacklisted.
[8] The Cincinnati Kid...all I can remember of that one is the smoldering Ann Margaret...oh man, she was just...whew!!!