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19 November 2007
AskFilmMecha: What about the dialogue in Mamet's The Spanish Prisoner? (possible spoilers) Does it sound stilted because it is Mamet, or because the acting is weak in spots? Or both? →[More:]Is this typical Mamet? It has been criticized as being stilted, but I wonder if something else is going on.
I blame Mamet for trying to direct his own script. Even worse than than the dialog and the actors' recitations were the huge plot holes that grew even bigger on the second viewing.
I've seen it a few times. Some of the biggest plot holes...
SPOILER ALERT
Is the unreality of how carefully the con artists would have to script everything for it to work. And the cinematography is heavy handed. Look! Look at the knife he is using! It will show up later!
Although the Chekovian guns over the fireplace at the beginning are a nice touch.
Why did Ricky Jay die? He was obviously in on the con, wasn't he? Just a sacrificial player?
I've added "possible spoilers" to your title, craniac, I hope you don't mind. What this does is automagically black out comments in this thread on the "recent comments" page, so that people don't accidentally read info that they don't want to see, if they haven't seen the film/read the book, etc.
Readers can just select/highlight the blacked out bits in order to see them on the Recent Comments page, and they always appear as normal inside the thread.
I have seen it 3 times and I get SO hung up on Rebecca Pidgeon that I can't really concentrate on the script, dialogue, blocking, performances, anything else.
Then I have to excuse myself from the room.
No really, for some reason I love the movie, even with its obvious flaws. It gets a pass, mostly because it's enjoyable to sit in front of.
I saw it when it was out in theatres, and my reaction was the same as mischief's. I've never been a Mamet fan, and I think the producer who gave him a director's chair should be spanked.
I'm trying to find out where the line between Mamet's dialogue and his wife's acting is, and trying to figure out if the stilted, self-conscious dialogue contributed to the themes of the movie in any significant way. So yes, I guess I am.
Steve Martin was the only actor there who could pull off those lines, and I think the reason for that is because he was a writer himself oh so long ago.
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