All language subtitles for A personal journey with Martin Scorsese through American movies - partie 1

-[People Chattering]
-[Man]Cut!

There.
Save all this.

[Man]Mr. Von Ellstein!
Wouldyoucomehereplease.

[ Chattering Continues ]

- You call that directing?
- That is what l've been
calling it for 32 years.

Why, there are values and dimensions
in that sceneyou haven't begun to hit.

Perhaps they are not the values
and dimensions l wish to hit.

l could make this scene a climax.

l could make every scene
in this picture a climax.

lfl did, l would be a bad
director, and l like to think
ofmyselfas one ofthe best.

A picture all climaxes is like
a necklace without a string--
it falls apart.

Look, when l want
a lecture on the aesthetics
ofmotion pictures, l'll ask for it.

And it won't be on my time...

and a cover-up for a shallow and
inept interpretation ofa great scene.

To be a director,
you must have imagination.

Whose imagination, Mr. Shields?
Yours or mine?

You know whatyou must do, Mr. Shields,

so thatyou will have it
exactly asyou want it?

You must direct
this pictureyourself.

To direct a picture,

a man needs humility.

Doyou have humility, Mr. Shields?

[MartinScorsese]
''Film isa disease, ''Frank Caprasaid.

Whenitinfectsyourbloodstream,

it takes overas thenumber-onehormone.

Itplays Iago toyourpsyche.

As withheroin,
theantidote to fiilm ismore fiilm.

Very nice!

l guess l have to say that when l was
growing up in the '40s and '50s,

l spent a lot oftime
in movie theaters.

l became obsessed with movies.

At that time there was
nothing really available that
l could find written on film...

except one book--

sort ofmy first film book,
although l couldn't afford to buy it...

and couldn't find
a copy except the only one available
from the New York Public Library.

l borrowed it from
the library repeatedly.

lt's called A PictorialHistory
ofthe Movies by Deems Taylor,

and it was a pictorial history
ofthe movies in black-and-white stills,

yearbyyearup to 1949.

Thebook castaspellonme...

'cause back then l hadn't seen
many ofthe films shown in the book,

so all l had at my disposal
to experience these films were
these black-and-white stills.

l'd fantasize about them
and theywould play into my dreams.

l was so tempted to steal
some ofthese pictures from
the book-- a terrible urge.

After all, it's a book
from the public library.

Well, l confess-- once or twice
l did give in to that urge.

Irememberquite clearly--
it was 1946andI was fouryears old.

Mymothertookme tosee
King Vidor's Duel ln The Sun.

l was fanatical about westerns.

My father usually took me to see them,
but this time my mother took me.

lt had been condemned by the Church--

Lustin the Dust, they dubbed it.

So she used me as an excuse
to see it herself, obviously.

- [Gunshot, BulletRicochets]
- [Orchestra, Dramatic]

From the opening titlesalone,
I wasmesmerized.

Brightblasts of
deliriously vibrantcolor,'

thegunshots,'
thesavageintensityofthemusic,'

theburningsun,'

the overtsexuality.

JenniferJones was
ahalf-breedservantgirl...

andGregory Peck was the villain,

aruthless rancher'sson
whoseducedher.

Fora childit wasapuzzle.

Imean, howcould theheroine
fall forthe villain?

[Thunderclap]

It wasallquite overpowering.
Frightening, too.

[Rifle Cocking]

The fiinalduelin thesun,

- whereJenniferJones
shoots Gregory Peck,
- [ Gunshot ]

was toointense forthis fouryearold.

Icoveredmy eyes throughmostofit.

[Gunshot, BulletRicochets]

Youdouble-crossin'bobcat!

A flawedfiilm, butnevertheless...

thehallucinatoryquality
oftheimageryhasnever
weakenedforme overtheyears.

[Gunshot]

[ Gasps ]

Itseemedthat the twoprotagonists
couldonlyconsummate theirpassion...

bykillingeach other.

l guess that does it.

Pearl.

Hey, Pearl!

[Gunshot, BulletRicochets]

l didn't know it, but in 1 946
Hollywood had reached a zenith.

Two decades later,
when l embraced filmmaking,

the studio system had collapsed and was
taken over by giant corporations.

lt was during the '50s that my passion
for films grew and became a vocation.

The movies were entering a new era--

the era ofThe Searchers
and The Girl Can't Help lt;

of east of eden and BlackboardJungle;

of BiggerThan Life and Vertigo.

My passion was fueled by all sorts
offamous and infamous films,

not necessarily
the culturally correct ones.

Films you may never have heard of.

- [Man Mumbling]
- The Naked Kiss;

Murder by Contract;

Don'tyou get restless?

lfl get restless, l exercise.

My girl lives in Cleveland.

- Well, this is not Cleveland.
- l don't like pigs.

l do.

Human nature.

The Red House.

This is the way
it could always be,Jeannie.

We don't need anybody else.

Ain'tyou Zeke Ward's kid?

Aaaaah!

Aaah!
Mommy! Mommy!

[Baby Wailing]

Out on the lawn, Mommy!
There it is! There it is!

[ Crying ]

[Baby Continues Wailing]

John!

[ Screaming, Wailing Continues ]

Mommy!
[ Continues Crying ]

Mommy!

Directors that
aresadly forgottennow--

Allan Dwan,'SamuelFuller,'

Phil Karlson,'Ida Lupino,'

DelmerDaves,'Andre De Toth,'

Joseph H. Lewis,'IrvingLerner.

Over theyears l've discovered
many an obscured film,

and sometimes theywere
more inspirational...

than the prestigious films that were
receiving all the attention at the time.

But l can only talk toyou about what
has moved me or intrigued me.

l can't really be objective here.

This is like an imaginary museum,

and wejust can't enter every
room, unfortunately, because
wejust don't have the time.

[ Gasps ]

So I'm talking toyouaboutsome
ofthe fiilms thatcoloredmy dreams,

thatchangedmyperceptions
andevenmylife, insome cases,'

fiilms thatpromptedme, forbetteror
for worse, tobecomea fiilmmakermyself.

As earlyas Icanremember,

the key issue for me was: What did
it take to be a filmmaker in Hollywood?

even today l still wonder:
What does it take to be a professional,

or maybe even an artist, in Hollywood?

How doyou survive
the constant tug-of-war...

between personal expression
and commercial imperatives?

What is the priceyou pay
to work in Hollywood?

Doyou end up with
a split personality?

Doyou make one for them,
one foryourself?

How about making Ants In Your Pants
in 1 941 ?

- You can have Bob Hope, Mary Martin.
- Maybe Bing Crosby.

- The Abbott Dancers.
- MaybeJack Benny and Rochester.

- A big-name band.
- What? Oh, no.

l want to make
OBrother, WhereArt Thou?

[Scorsese]From thebeginningIsaw
fiilm asameans ofself-expression.

I wasmostlyinterested
in the directors,

especially the ones who
circumventedthesystem toget
their visions onto thescreen.

This the sort ofthing
you had in mind?

- Course they need freshening up.
They been hanging quite a while.
- l can't get into this.

Sometimesitseemedeverything
conspiredtoprevent them
from achievingpersonalexpression.

This-- This may be a problem,
unless you get a thinner man.

Forthereare rules, manyrules,
in Hollywood'spowergame.

Shoulder pads.
Straighten it right out.

This'll giveyou the effect.
lt'll be good.

[Scorsese]
Apoetorapaintercanbealoner,

but theAmerican fiilm directorhas to
be, fiirstandforemost, a teamplayer.

Mostimportant was the collaboration
between the directorandtheproducer.

In The Bad And The Beautiful,
possibly thebestdramaabout
Hollywood's creativebattles,

Kirk Douglasplays theproducer...

- What if--
- Suppose we--

andBarrySullivan the director.

Theyboth dream ofmakinggreatfiilms,

butfortheir fiirstproject
theyhavebeenassigned
alow-budget thrillercalled...

The Doom ofthe Catmen.

Put five men dressed like cats
on the screen, what do they look like?

Like five men dressed like cats.

When an audience pays to see a picture
like this, what do they pay for?

To get the pants scared off'em.

And what scares the human race
more than any other single thing?

- The dark!
- Ofcourse. Andwhy?

Because the dark
has a life ofits own.

ln the dark,
all sorts ofthings come alive.

Suppose we never do show the cat men.
ls that whatyou're thinking?

- exactly.
- No cat men!

[Scorsese]Moviesare
amedium basedon consensus.

In the olddaysyoudealt
withmogulsandmajorstudios.

Todayyouhave executives
andgiantcorporations instead.

Butoneironrule remains true.'

every decisionisshaped
by themoneymen'sperception
ofwhat theaudience wants.

l've told you a hundred times,
l don't want to win awards.

Give me pictures that end
with a kiss and black ink in the books.

l'll make this picture,
Harry, or l'll quit.

[Gregory Peck]It wasa time...

when theproducer was thekey fiigure.

l found it and licked it. l wanna
produce it so much, l can taste it.

He chose the director--
He cast the director...

that he thought would be
right for the material,

which he had directed-- acquired a
novel, a play, an original, whatever...

and then given the green light.

Then he would cast the director.

That was pretty much the system
when l came into the business.

[Scorsese] Duel ln The Sun
isa fascinating example.

Evenan oldmasterlike King Vidor, who
practicallyputHollywoodon themap,

wasnotnecessarily calling theshots.

Themajorcreative force on the fiilm was
theproducer, David O. Selznick,

an obsessiveperfectionist who wanted
to tophis greatestachievement,

Gone With The Wind.

[Peck] Theresult was
akindofgrandiose quality...

that wasabitoverthe top,

but to Davidit was greatfun...

to exaggerate, toheighten.

Hisall-encompassingenthusiasm
galvanizedeverybody.

Thatenergy,'

thatsense ofplayfulness,

ofrascality--

that wasSelznick.

About 1.'00 or2.'00in themorning,

when theactorshadtogo tosleep,

David wouldsettle down
andrewrite thescript...

andwe'dgetdifferentpages
thenextmorning.

Thatdidn'talwaysset too well with the
directors, butit was David'spicture.

It washisbaby.

King Vidor was directing,

butDavid was overcome
byhis own enthusiasm at times...

andbeganmoreandmore
to directoverKing'sshoulder.

Andthatcreated
considerable tension on theset,

fiinallyleading to themoment
when Kingstoodup...

andtoldDavidheknew whathe coulddo
with thepictureandwalkedoff.

David's enthusiasm overwhelmedhim...

and William Dieterle
fiinishedthepicture.

This is King Vidor. Put him on.

- [ Man On Phone ]
Haveyou made upyour mind?
- l've made up my mind, Arthur.

Getyourselfanother boy.
l'm a director, not a butcher.

[Scorsese]Somehow Vidorsurvived
asan on-again/off-again teamplayer.

He even workedagain later
withSelznick in television.

Vidor wasprobably themostresilient
ofthe fiilmpioneers,

one ofthe few who wereable, time
andagain, to convince themoguls...

tolethim experiment
with themedium.

Throughouthis careerhesucceededin
alternatingstudio assignments--

pictures like The Champ
and Stella Dallas--

withpersonalprojects
like Hallelujah, Our Daily Bread...

orthismostunusualfiilm.'

MGM's Irving Thalberg
agreedto fiinanceit...

because Vidorhadgiven the
studioits greatestsuccess of
thesilentera-- The Big Parade.

Sometimes Vidor was even
willing tomortgagehishouse
orgamblehis ownsalary.

Somehowhe founda wayto do
one forthestudios, one forhimself.

Now, remember, the Hollywoodof
the classicalera-- the '30sand '40s--

wasbasedonapowerful,
verticallyintegratedindustry.

Thestudios,
particularly the fiivemajors--

MGM, WarnerBrothers,
Paramount, RKOandFox--

controlledeveryphase
oftheprocess.'

production, distribution,
even exhibition,

as theyownedtheirown chains
oftheaters worldwide.

Toproduce50picturesayear,

eachstudiohelditsstars,
writers, directors, producers...

andanarmyofskilledtechnicians...

underlong-term contracts.

Theyeven cultivatedarecognizable
style, oralook, in their fiilms.

MGM was more ofa dream world...

where everything was idealized...

and somewhat sentimentalized.

That came, l think, from L.B. Mayer,

what he thought was classy.

And l think probably
Fox leaned more towards,

uh, uh--

Well, l wouldn't exactly say
gritty realism,

because they made Betty Grable musicals
and ice skating pictures...

and all kinds ofpictures.

But l think the things
that Zanuck is remembered for...

are pictures with
a social conscience...

and done with
a degree of, ofrealism...

that probablywould not
be characteristic of MGM.

ln those days l could look at
the picture and ifeverything was
in white silk-- MGM.

l could look at the picture--

ifit's a Fred Astaire-- RKO.

Subsequently, MGM.

Paramount was a little bit
all over the place.

They did not have to--

They did have
their own handwriting,

with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope...

orwith Martin and Lewis and--

[ Sings Theme ]
We knew exactly--

We went to the same restaurants.
We had our own circle.

[Scorsese]Now, ifyou workedatMGM,
youhadtoadjust to the MGMstyle.

Andit was quite differentfrom
the WarnerBrothers orParamountstyle.

Ifthey didnotconform to thestudio
look, themavericks were reignedin.

Some, like Erich vonStroheim,
simplyrefusedtobeharnessed,

andhepaidaheavyprice.

BusterKeaton-- very freewheeling--

agonizedwhen MGMputhim undertheyoke
oftheirsupervisingproducers.

Hisgenius didn't
survive the treatment.

On the otherhand, those who
could work comfortably within
thesystem, they thrived.

They came to defiine
theirstudios'style.

Clarence BrownatMGM,'

Henry KingatFox,'

Raoul Walshat WarnerBrothers,'

they were Hollywoodpros
whorose from theranks.

Mostoftheirlengthy careers
were spentunderoneroof.

Take MichaelCurtiz,
forexample, here directing
The Charge ofthe Light Brigade.

Thisguymadenoless than 85 fiilms
for WarnerBrothers,

and Casablanca washis 63rd.

That'sanaverage ofthree features
ayearoveraperiodof28years.

Three featuresayear.
Think oftheincredible
opportunities they were given...

tolearn their trade
andbecomea trueprofessional.

There werealso talents whoneeded
the discipline ofthesystem toblossom.

Aperfectexample
was Vincente Minnelli.

Heknewandoftenacknowledged
that theproducer/directordynamic...

- was crucialto the quality
andsuccess ofapicture.
- [ Gunshots ]

Anavant-garde Broadway choreographer,

he was luredto Hollywood
byproducerArthur Freed...

andbecame MGM's residentartist
for30years,

thanks tosympatheticproducers
like Freedand, later,John Houseman.

Minnellihadallof
thestudio's resourcesathis disposal.

The cameras werehisbrushes
andthesoundstageshis canvas.

All thathehatedandloved
aboutHollywoodwas distilled
in theharshstory...

ofThe Bad and the Beautiful--

theambition, thepower,
the opportunism andthebetrayal.

No one was spared,
noteven the director.

Here BarrySullivanhears
from his ruthlesspartner...

whathasbecome oftheir dreamproject.

What happened?
Didn't he go for Gaucho?

Go for him?
He had a hemorrhage. He-- Shh.

The first time a star
ever said he'd shine--

Kirk Douglas'character was loosely
basedonseveralactualproducers,

among them DavidSelznick.

The Faraway Mountain's gonna be done
just the waywe want it.

A million-dollar budget; a location
in Veracruz; Von ellstein to direct.

Uh, Gaucho,
Wendy forthegirl.

Ants Chapman formy cameraman.

Von ellstein to direct?

You're taken care of.
lt won't be a separate panel,
butyour name'll be on screen.

Assistant to the producer.

- Thanks.
- You know this story
better than anyone else.

lt's your baby. l wantyou
with me on the set all the time.

You don't have to talk
to Von ellstein.

- Any ideas you have, l'll tell him.
- Thanks again.

- Von ellstein to direct.
- You always said
he was the best in the business.

Sure he is.

Fred, l'd rather hurtyou now
than kill you off forever.

You'rejust not ready to direct
a million-dollar picture.

Butyou're ready to produce
a million-dollar picture.

With Von ellstein l am.

Now, to survive, to master
the creative process,

each filmmaker had to develop
his own strategy.

Some, like Frank Capra,
Cecil B. DeMille orAlfred Hitchcock,

carved a niche for themselves...

by excelling in a certain type ofstory
and being identified with it.

Their veryname
becameaboxoffiice draw.

A fewevenachievedCapra's dream...

andsecuredtheirname
above the title.

[Capra] Theyhadwonderful directors
atMGM, butyouneverheard theirname.

Butyouheardaboutme.

l was the enemy ofthe major studio.

l believed in one man, one film.

l believed one man should make the film,

and l believed the director
should be that one man.

One man should do it--
l didn't give a damn who.

But l thought the director
had the most to do with it.

l just couldn't--

l just couldn't accept art
as a committee.

l could only accept art
as an extension ofan individual.

Ifyouhaven'tgot thestory,
youhaven'tgotanything.

Raoul Walsh used to say this,
and this is another cardinal rule.

The American filmmaker has always been
more interested in creating fiction...

than revealing reality.

early on the documentary form
was discarded...

or relegated to a marginal status.

For better orworse, the Hollywood
director is an entertainer.

He's in the business
oftelling stories.

He's therefore saddled with
conventions and stereotypes,

formulas and cliches,

and all these limitations were
codified in specific genres.

This was the very foundation
ofthestudio system.

Audiences lovedgenrepictures,

andthe oldmasters
neverseemedreluctant tosupply them.

WhenJohn Fordrosein themiddle
ofa tempestuousmeeting...

at the Directors Guildof
America in 1950andintroduced
himself, this is whathesaid.'

'' My name isJohn Ford,
and l make westerns.''

He was not referring to his more honored
pictures, such as The Informer...

or The Grapes ofWrath or HowGreen
Was My Valley or The QuietMan.

The westerns were
what he was most proud of.

Orsohemayhave wantedus tobelieve.

Eventually fiilmgenres wouldserve
to organize assemblylineproduction.

Eachstudiomadesomany westerns,
somanymusicals,

somanygangsterfiilms, andso forth.

Edwin S. Porter's
THe Great Train Robbery.

This was one ofthe fiirstattempts
atscriptingastory,

andfiittinglyit wasalsoa western.

The fiirstmasterstorytellerof
theAmericanscreen was D. W. Griffiith.

Hissensibility wassteeped
inaliterary tradition,

thatofDickensand Tolstoy,
Frank Norrisand Walt Whitman.

Yet, whileborrowing
from 19th-centuryliterature,

Griffiith was forging
thenewartofthe20th century.

He explored
the emotionalimpactoffiilm,

andbefore the outbreak
ofWorld WarOne...

hehadalready delineatednearly
everygenre, even thegangsterfiilm...

withhisshort
The Musketeers of Pig Alley.

Any minute now it may be curtains
for Roy earl.

[Scorsese]Genres wereneverrigid.

Creative fiilmmakers
keptstretching theirboundaries.

This wasa classicalart, where
personalexpression wasstimulated,

ratherthaninhibited, by discipline.

[ Machine Gun Fire ]

Take Raoul Walsh, themostgifted
apprenticeanddisciple ofGriffiith.

What's the idea, you?
Get backwhereyou belong.

Hisstrongestfiilms were variations
ona fewthemesandcharacters.

The fiigure ofthesympatheticoutlaw,
forinstance,'

arebelin the tradition ofJesseJames
inspiredhim timeandagain.

In High Sierrayoudidn'trootfor
thepoliceandthe ordinary citizens--

yourootedforthegangster.

Youknewhe was doomedwhenhe
becameseparatedfrom the only
person who caredabouthim--

his tarnishedangel, Ida Lupino.

Aw, be smart.Justyell up
to him and tell him to put
his gun away and come down.

Otherwise we'llgethimsure.

[ Sighs ]

All right.

Go ahead and yell.

- No, l won't!
- What's that?

- l won't, l tell ya!
- We'llgethim then.

He's gonna die anyway.
He'd rather it was this way.
Go on, kill him, all ofyou!

- [ Sobbing ]
- [Shouting]Earl!

Come down!
It'syourlastchance!

Comeandgetme!
There'splentyofya down there!

[Scorsese]
At the endofhismemoirs,

Walsh quotes Shakespeare,
his constantinspiration.

''Eachmaninhis timeplaysmanyparts. ''

This applies to Walshhimself,
butalso tohis explosive characters.

These outcasts werebiggerthanlife,'
theystoodbeyondgoodandevil.

[ Barks ]

- Theirlustforlife was insatiable,
- [Barking Continues]

evenas theiractions
precipitatedtheir tragic destiny.

Mary!

The world was toosmall forthem,

and Walsh wouldoftengive them
a cosmicbattleground--

Mary!
[ echoing ]

- Mt. Whitneyandthe High Sierras.
- Mary!

[ Gunshot ]

[ Gasps, Screams ]

[ Gunshot ]

Eightyears later Walsh fiilmed
thesamestoryasa western--

Colorado Territory.

Againheprovidedhis desperado
witha wide landscape...

which dwarfedhuman fiigures.

This time the Cityofthe Moon
in the Canyon ofDeath.

Hey, McQueen!

Yougotno chance!

- Come on down!
- Comeandgetme!

- We'llstarveya out!
- Goahead!

So dearto theheartofRaoul Walsh was
hisheroine, nowahalf-breedoutcast,

thathegaveherasmuchstrength
andcharacteras thehero.

You don't wanna leave him up there,
buzzards pickin' his bones clean.

Call him out, and we'll split
the 20,000 reward with ya.

[ Spits ]

[Scorsese] Youmighteven
senseamysticaldimension...

at the endofthe fiilm...

thatclearly transcended
anygenre limitation.

- Thelostcityis like
aprimitive cathedral.
- [ Chanting ]

Ashelistens to
the Navajos chanting in thenight,

JoelMcCreareflects onhis fate...

andappears toacceptit.

Wes!
[ echoing ]

- Wes!
- Colorado.

Wes, they're comin' atya!
They found a backway.

- [ Chamber Clicks ]
- Come down, Wes!

Hurry, Wes!
l got horses!

[Scorsese] Walsh usedsome ofthesame
cameraangles as in High Sierra,

but this time themessengerofdeath
wasa Navajosharpshooter.

-[Gunshot]
- [ Screams ]

Don't!

- Don't! They'll kill ya!
- [ Gunshots Continue ]

[Scorsese]
Andin Colorado Territory,

the tragedy was complete.

Bothprotagonists were doomed.

Now, tome themostinterestingofthese
classicgenresare theindigenous ones--

the western,
which was born on the frontier;

the gangster film, which was originated
in the east Coast cities;

and the musical,
which was spawned by Broadway.

They remind me ofjazz-- they allow
for endless, increasingly complex,

sometimes perverse variations,

and when these variations
were played by the masters,

they reflected the changing times.

They gaveyou fascinating
insights into American culture
and the American psyche.

Youcanseehowa fiilmgenre evolved...

justby watching three westerns
John Forddirected...

with thesameactor,John Wayne.

The characteroftheherobecomes
richer, more complex with each decade.

The Ringo KidofStagecoach...

Sorry. No silver cups.

grewfiirstinto thebenevolentfather
fiigure ofShe Wore a Yellow Ribbon.

They all put in the hat for it, sir.

There's a sentiment on the back ofit.

''To Captain Brittles...

from C Troop.''

[ Sniffles ]

'' Lest we forget.''

[Scorsese]Now watch Ford
transformJohn Wayne...

into themisfiitofThe Searchers.

Ethan Edwards returns
fromyears ofwandering...

to discoverthathis lovedones
havebeenmassacredby the Indians.

- Another one, huh?
- John Wayne'sheroicpersona...

has turneddarkandobsessive.

Thephysicaldeath ofthe Indian
isnotenough.

Ethan wants to ensure
his spiritualdeath as well.

This 'un come a long way
before he died, Captain.

Well, ethan, there's another one
you can score up foryour brother.

- [ Groans, Whimpers ]
-Jorgensen!

Why don'tya finish thejob?

[ Gunshot, echoing ]

[Continues Echoing]

What good did that doya?

Bywhatyou preach, none.

Bywhat that Comanche believes,

ain'tgotno eyes,
he can'tenterthespiritland.

He has to wander forever
between the winds. You get it, Reverend.

Come on, blanket head.

[Scorsese]Goneis
thesimpleblack-and-white
moralityofthe early days.

[ Gunshots ]

[ Thunder]

Goneare the old-fashionedvalues
oftheseasonedcavalryoffiicer.

[ThunderContinues]

-[Bugle]
- [ Gunshots ]

- Nowlookat
Ethan Edwards ofThe Searchers.
- Hyah! Get in there!

Thesamestar,John Wayne,'

thesamelocation,
aroundMonument Valley,'

thesame director,John Ford,'

buta differentcharacter, different
attitudes, differentconflicts,

almosta differentcountry.

Ethan Edwardshunts downhisniece,

No, no! ethan!

abductedandraisedby the Indians
afterthemassacre ofherparents,

becausehebelieves
shehasbeen tarnished.

- [ Shouts, Grunts ]
- Living with Comanches,
heinsists, isnotbeingalive.

Ethan Edwards isactually themost
frightening characterin the fiilm.

- Debbie!
- Afteryears ofsearching,

whenhe fiinally fiinds Natalie Wood,

youdon'tknow whether
he'sgonnakillherorsaveher.

No, ethan! No!

Let's go home, Debbie.

This isnohappyending, though.

There isnohome,
no family waiting forEthan.

He is cursed,
justashe cursedthe deadComanche.

He isa drifter,
doomedto wanderbetween the winds.

The westernalsoallowedforelaborate
psychologicalandeven Freudian dramas.

- Well, patron?
- Hang him.

InAnthony Mann's The Furies,

thepatriarchalcattlebaron
wantshis rebellious daughter...

tobeghim forherlover's life.

You will not humbleyourself.

This l ask.

WhileJohn Fordonlyalludedto the
darkside, Anthony Mann dwelledinit.

[ManSpeaking Spanish]

TheproudMexican chooses to die...

ratherthanallowhis woman
tohumiliateherself.

[ Continues ln Spanish ]

Amen.

The Furies could'vebeen
a Greek tragedy.

Thepowerfulstory, writtenby Niven
Busch, theauthorof Duel in the Sun,

wasactuallyinspired
byDostoyevsky'snovel The ldiot.

Juan.

The kiss ofa good friend.

'Til our eyes...

next meet.

'Til then.

Tears a body to see
someoneyou love hurt, doesn't it?

Doyou want me to beg? Doyou want me
on my knees toyou for his life?

- l'd hang him anyway.
- That's what he said.

He did, eh?
He always was smart.

Butyou're not. You're old, getting
foolish and you've made a mistake.

lt's meyou should've hung,

because now l hateyou in a way
l didn't know a human could hate.

Take a good, long look at me, T.C.

You won't see me again until the day
l takeyourworld away from you!

[ Murmuring Prayer ln Spanish ]

[Woman Whimpering]
Juanito.

Juanito!

Juanito!
[Wailing]

[Scorsese]
Themythologyofthe frontier,

ofalandinperpetualexpansion,

has given waytogreed, vengeance,

megalomania, sadistic violence.

- Roy!
- Anthony Mann'sbroodingheroes
werenosaints.

Look out!
Let go ofhim!

Seeking revenge was theirobsession,

an obsession that wouldconsume
andnearly destroy them.

EvenJamesStewart, theall-American
hero ofFrank Capra's fables,

succumbedto outbursts
ofsavage violence.

In The Naked Spur,youseehim
reelinhis deadprey.

Hehasbecomeabountyhunterin order
tobuyback theranchstolen from him...

- whilehe wasaway
fiighting in the Civil War.
- Cut him loose, Howie!

l'm takin' him back!

This is what l came after, and now
l got him! No partners, like l started!

He's gonna pay for my land!

It'snogoodifyou takehim back!

They're dead!
Finished!

- He'll never be dead foryou!
- l don't care anything about that!

The money!
That's all l've ever cared about!

Roy, he called the current.
He said face up to it.

All right, that's what l'm doin'.
That's what l'm doin'.

Maybe l don't fityour ideas ofme,
but that's the way l am.

-Jeff!.
- Hey, Hank!

[Man] Youall drop
yourgunsandcome on down.

[Scorsese]BuddBoetticherexplored
thebare essentials ofthegenre.

Hisstyle was assimple
ashis impassiveheroes.

Let me seeyour hands, please.

- Deceptivelysimple.
- Put 'em out there!

Thearchetypes ofthegenre were
distilledto thepointofabstraction.

Bullfiightinghadbeen
Boetticher's fiirst vocation.

The choreographyof
basichumanpassions washis forte.

What did you do with Hank?

- Who's he?
- The station man here.

He's overyonder in the well.

And the boy?

He's with 'im.

In theseven westerns
hemade with RandolphScott,

Boetticheralways gaveprecedence
to characteroveraction.

You let us go and we'll never breathe
a word about this.

l knowyou won't.
Doyou go along with what he said?

lfl said yes,
you wouldn't believe me.

Yeah, it's dumb
even talkin' about it, ain't it?

Eachadventure wasapokergame,

andtheplayer's complexmoves were
more important than theavowedgoal.

- You know what's gonna happen toyou?
- l think so.

- You scared?
- Yeah.

You're honest about it.
l'll say that forya.

- [ Thump ]
- Ouch!

[ Laughing ]

Pouryourselfa cup ofcoffee.
[ Continues Laughing ]

In thepowerplay, theheroand
the villain were complimentary fiigures.

[ Continues Laughing ]

Theysharedthesameloneliness,
thesame dreams...

andeven thesame ethicalcode.

Have a seat.

Over there.

[ Continues Laughing ]

Somehow, thegentleman
andthe desperado...

were fascinatedbyeach other.

- You got a wife up on your place?
- No.

- Should have.
Ain't right for a man to be alone.
- They say that.

Well, l oughta know.

- You cook good coffee.
- Brennan.

Talk.

What about?

Your place.
What's it like?

lt's not much.
Notyet, anyway.

- You got stock on it?
- Some.

Work the ground?

l plan to, yeah.

l'm gonna have me
a place someday.

l thought about it.
l thought about it a lot.

You figureyou'll get it this way?

Well, sometimes
you don't have a choice.

Don'tyou?

- Now, look, Brennan--
- [Man]Frank!

[AutomatedOne-Man Band]

[Scorsese]Fordecades
the westerngenre embellished
therealityofthe west...

tomakeitmore ''interesting. ''

Butin themid-'50sseveralfiilms
startedquestioning themyth...

perpetuatedby Hollywood.

Arthur Penn, forinstance,
presentedBilly the Kid
asajuvenile delinquent...

- [ Dinging ]
- insearch ofa fatherfiigure.

Byhavingajournalistfollowtheyoung
misfiit throughhis careerofcrime,

Pennsuggestedhowhistory was
distortedevenasit was unfolding.

- Stateyour name.
- Garrett.

- Huh? How's that?
- Garrett. Pat Garrett.

-[Click]
- My--

Little case ofthe quickjump.

Somebody gonna get
his head clipped off.

[Resumes]

PaulNewmanportrayedBilly
asasuicidalantihero...

whosoughthis own death.

You help me.

We don't wantyou.

Neithera viciouskiller
norasympatheticoutlaw,

Billy wasarebel withouta cause.

You help me.

His rageandconfusion
hadmore to do with themalaise
ofgrowing up in the 1950s...

than with therealities ofthe Old West.

Please.

Billy, don'tgo foryourgun.

Keepyourhands
away fromyourside.

- Idon't wannakillya.
- He's here.

Billy.

Come to me.

[ Gunshot ]

[ClintEastwood]Just whenyou think
the westernhasbeen exhausted,

that there'snowhere else togo withit,

something willcomealong
withanewslanton things.

It's very exciting when thathappens.

Unforgiven is a good example...

ofwhat l mean when you can
address a situation.

There's a lot ofconcern
in society today...

about, about violence and gunplay,

and that film,
even though it takes place in 1 880,

it, uh, it addresses that now,

that in order-- when you are
a perpetrator ofviolence...

and you get involved
in that sort ofthing,

you robyour soul...

as well as the person--

the person you're committing
a violent act against.

[Scorsese]In Unforgiven,
Eastwoodplaysaprofessionalkiller...

whohas triedtoreform
andbecomea farmer.

Physicallyandmentallyscarred,

he'shauntedby
his darkandviolentpast.

Judgmentnightcomesafterhisbest
friendhasbeen torturedto death...

bySheriffGene Hackman.

- There'snoglamourinkillinganymore.
-[Thunderclap]

Thelawmanbehaves
asbadlyas therenegade.

They'reboth formergunslingers
whohaveshotpeople in theback
or when they were unarmed.

Who's the fella owns this shithole?

- Uh, l-l own this establishment.
- [ThunderContinues]

- Bought it from Greeley
for a thousand dollars.
- [ Click]

You'd better clear outta there.

Yes, sir.

Just hold it right there.
Hold it!

[ Screaming ]

[ Hammer Clicks ]

Well, sir, you are
a cowardly son ofa bitch.

Youjust shot an unarmed man.

Well, he shoulda armed himself...

ifhe's gonna decorate
his saloon with my friend.

You'd be William Munny out of Missouri.

Killer ofwomen and children.

That's right.

l've killed women and children.

Killedjust about everything
that walks or crawled...

at one time or another.

And l'm here to kill you, Little Bill,

forwhatyou did to Ned.

[ThunderContinues]

You boys had better move away.

[Eastwood]I'vealways felt that
the westernmovie...

is one ofthe fewartforms
thatAmericans canlay claim to.

Americans are somewhat masochistic,
l must say, about that.

Sometimes they can be very blase
about their own art forms...

because it doesn't--

The grass is always greener, you know.

lt's, um--

lt's easy to look elsewhere...

when sometimes great art
can be right in front ofyou.

[Scorsese]Ofcourse, mostAmerican
directorsneverclaimedtobeartists.

Theypridedthemselves
onappearingblase.

Holdingone's cards close to the vest
wasasurvivalstrategy.

Evenan oldmasterlikeJohn Ford,
itseems, hadto wearamask.

- Watchhowheplays
the tight-lippedpro...
- Take one.

in frontofPeterBogdanovich's camera.

''Take one''? Won't want more
than one take, will they? Shoot.

[Bogdanovich]
Mr. Ford, I'venoticedthat the, uh--

thatyour viewofthe West
hasbecomeincreasinglysad...

andmelancholyovertheyears.

I'm comparing, forinstance,
Wagon Master...

to The Man Who Shot LibertyValance.

- Haveyoubeenaware
ofthatchangeinmood?
- No. No.

NowthatI'vepointeditout,

is thereanything
you'dlike tosayaboutit?

l don't know
whatyou're talking about.

Can Iaskyou whatparticularelement
about the western...

appealedtoyoufrom thebeginning?

l wouldn't know.

Wouldyouagree
that thepointof Fort Apache...

was that the tradition ofthearmy...

wasmore important than oneindividual?

Cut.

[LoudBanging]

[Scorsese] Thegangsterfiilm.

Anotherrichgenre
whichallowedfiilmmakers...

to dwellonAmerica's fascination
with violenceandlawlessness.

- [Banging Continues]
- lt's only a coal truck.

Hey, Tom. Waitaminute.

- What happened?
- Aw, nothin'.
l just got burned up, that's all.

[LoudBanging]

[Banging Continues]

[Machine Gun Fire]

[Gunfiire Continues]

''There'saction onlyif
there is danger. ''

This was said by Howard Hawks,
an authority on both
the western and the gangster film.

''To stay alive or die;
this is our greatest drama.''

The gangster film
predates World War One,

as with Griffith's
Musketeers ofPigAlley...

or Raoul Walsh's picture
of 1 91 5 called Regeneration,

which wasshotonlocation
on New York's LowerEastSide.

Gangsters then were viewedas
the victims ofa depressedenvironment.

Neighborhoodkids growing up
on themeanstreets.

But tenyears later, Prohibition
broughtabouta tide ofmovies...

thatsignaleda tremendous escalation
in urban violence.

[Machine Gun Fire]

Whatstruckmein Scarface was Howard
Hawks'coolanddistantobjectivity.

Hey!
That's O'Hara's mob.

Heshowed Tony Camonte,
alsoknown asAlCapone,

asa vicious, immature,
irresponsible character.

- Hey, lookit!
They got machine guns you can carry!
- [Gunfiire Continues]

- lfl had some ofthem,
l could run the whole works in a month!
- l'll getyou one!

Yet, that world wasalmostattractive...

because ofits irresponsibility.

And that was disturbing.

At times, ofcourse,
the fiilm is very funny.

Notsurprising, as Hawks was asmuch
amasterofcomedyas ofaction.

Swell! Look, it's little.
You can carry it. Let's get outta here.

Butat the endofthe '30s
cameareallypivotalfiilm--
Raoul Walsh's Roaring Twenties.

Don'tyou ever say that to me again.
Doyou hear? Never.

This chronicle ofthe Prohibition era...

was thelastgreatgangsterfiilm
before theadventoffiilm noir.

Itreadlikea twisted
HoratioAlgerstory.

Thegangstercaricatured
theAmerican dream.

Ofall the dog-and-ponyjoints
l've everworked in, this tops 'em all.

Don't worry, honey. l likeya.

Well, happy New Year.

[Scorsese] This was thegrippingsaga
ofa warhero turnedbootlegger...

andhis downfall
afterthestockmarketcrash.

- [ Gunshot ]
- eddie! eddie!

It wasactually theinspiration
behindone ofmystudentfiilms,
lt's NotJust You, Murray.

And l'd like to think, uh, GoodFellas
comes out ofthe tradition...

ofsomething as extraordinary as
The Roaring Twenties and Scarface.

Drop it!
Drop it!

eddie!

Thegangsterhadnowbecome
a tragic fiigure.

eddie!

Walsh even daredto endthe fiilm...

onasemi-religious image...

thatevokesapieta.

He's dead.

Well, who is this guy?

This is eddie Bartlett.

What was his business?

He used to be a big shot.

After World War Two,
thegangsterturnedintoabusinessman.

Thegang was taken over
byanonymous corporations.

[ Whistles ] What a layout.

There's only one way to handleyou.
Kill me?

lfl have to, yeah.
A guy's gotta fight forwhat's his.

[Scorsese] The fiirstfiilm toshow
themajorchanges in the underworld...

was Byron Haskins'
underrated l WalkAlone.

BurtLancaster,justoutofprison,
discovers thenew worldhe's in.

Get him outta here.

He knows all my business.
He stays.

You and your boys.

This isn't the Four Kings,'nohidingout
behindasteeldoorandapeephole.

This is big business.

We deal with banks, lawyers
and a Dunn and Bradstreet rating.

The world's spun
right pastyou, Frankie.

ln the '20s you were great.

ln the '30s you might've made
the switch, but todayyou're finished,

as dead as the headlines
the dayyou went into prison.

- Regional associates--
- Stop tryin' to dizzy me up!

Here. Now, l want simple answers, Dave.
No diagrams.

Dink's got the full say
around here, right?

- Yes.
- Okay, then.

except that it's revocable by
a vote ofthe board ofdirectors
of Regent Associates.

- Stop the double-talk.
- l'm sorry, Frankie.

-Just what does Dink own?
- ln which corporation?

[Scorsese]
Some fiilms,

notablyAbraham Polonsky's
Force of evil,

wenteven furtherandpainted
the wholesocietyas corrupt.

The face ofJohn Garfiield,
alawyerforthemob,

wasalandscape ofmoralconflicts.

[Man Thinking]
People canbemade to talk.

Was myphone talking too?

[ Dial Tone, Click]

[Scorsese]
Thesocialbodyitselfwassick.

Thesystem's violencebecame theissue,
ratherthanindividual violence.

Yousawa corrupt world
implodebeforeyour eyes.

Leo, l arranged with Tucker
foryou to quit tonight.

- l'll pay offyour investments.
- l don't want it,Joe.

The money l made in this rotten business
is no good for me.

- l don't want it back.
- The money has no moral opinions.

l find l have,Joe.
l find l have.

Abraham Polonsky's dialogue
was unusuallypoetic.

l'm glad you called me, Freddy.

l'm glad you thought it over
to calm down and listen to me,
so l can helpyou.

Coffee.

Please, Mr. Morse. All l want
is to quit. That's all. Nothing else.

Theywon't let me quit, and l want
to quit. l'll die ifl don't quit.

l'm a man with heart trouble.

l die almost every day myself.

That's the way l live.

lt's a silly habit.

You know, sometimes you feel
as though you're dying...

here...

and here.

Here.

You're dying whileyou're breathing.

Freddy, what haveyou done?

[ Car Doors Slamming ]

Freddy, what haveyou done to me?

- Take it easy, Pop,
and you won't get hurt.
- You're safe with us.

Come on!
Itcan't takeallnight!

- Standupandwalk!
- Stop him! Stop him! He knows me!

Kill him! Kill him!
He knows me!

[ Moans ]

Where's my brother, Ben?

[Scorsese]
Youcouldn'tbuck thesystem. You were
indebtedto thesyndicate forlife.

Where's my brother?
Where's my brother?

Where did Ficco take my brother?

[Scorsese]
They were foreverusingyou.

Theyeven wantedyou
tosacrifiiceyourown family.

[Joe Thinking]I wantedto
fiindLeo, toseehim oncemore.

It wasmorning by then, dawn,

andnaturallyI was feeling
verybadthere as I wentdown there.

Ijustkeptgoing
downanddown there.

It was likegoing down
to thebottom ofthe world...

to fiindmybrother.

[Scorsese]
Thismadness culminated...

in Francis Coppola's The Godfather.

AsAlPacino discovered
whenhe cameback from World War Two,

thesonhadto follow
his father's criminalpath.

Whenyou werea Corleone,
there wasnoleaving the outfiit.

It wasan evil family
boundby fearandtorn by treachery,

butyouservedit withoutever
questioningits legitimacy,

as thoughit wasyourcountry.

American values-- family,
free enterprise, patriotism--
became totally twisted.

even individualism was dead.

The organization was
a state within the state;

the gangster, a chairman ofthe board;
and crime was a way oflife.

By thelate '60s thegangstergenre
hadprovenso versatile...

itcouldeven embrace
anavant-gardestyle.

Watch theinnovative editinghere
ofJohn Boorman's Point Blank.

Theimagesare literally flashing
through CarrollO'Connor'smind...

asherealizes who Lee Marvin is--

akiller whosluggedandsmashedhis way
to the top ofthe organization...

ina desperate quest to fiindthemanin
charge, theman who cansimplypayhim.

- Aaaah!
- Walker.

[ Mutters ]
Walker.

You're a very bad,
destructive man, Walker.

- Why doyou do things like this?
What doyou want?
- l want my money.

I wantmy93grand.

Ninety-three thousand dollars?

You'd threaten a financial structure
like this for $93,000?

- l don't believeyou.
What doyou reallywant?
- l-l reallywant my money.

l want my money!

Well, l'm not gonna giveya any money,
and nobody else is!

- Don'tyou understand that?
- [ Gunshot ]

Carter!

- Well, wh-who runs things?
- Carter and l run things--
I run things.

What about Fairfax?
Will he pay me?

Fairfax is a man who signs checks.

No. Cash.

Cash, checks-- Fairfax isn't gonna
giveyou anything. He's finished.

- Fairfax is dead.
Hejust doesn't know ityet.
- Somebody's gotta pay.

Parallel to the gangster film
was the rise ofa very
different genre-- the musical.

An interesting coincidence.

The harshness ofthe times--
the Depression--

colored this most escapist
ofall film genres.

[ Singing ]

[Scorsese] With BusbyBerkeley,
thegenre cameintoits own.

A formerdanceinstructor,

Berkeley was the fiirst torealize
thatamoviemusical...

was totally different
from astagedmusical.

On fiilm, everything was
seen through one eye-- the camera.

In designinghisproductionnumbers,

he would therefore relyon
unusualcameramovementsandangles.

The cameraitselfwouldpartake
in the choreography.

Berkeley'sballets couldnothave
existedoutside ofthemovies.

They werepure cinematic creations.

Berkeley's fiilms were viewed
aspure entertainment,

butsometimesheappliedhis wizardryto
thegrim realities ofAmericanlife...

caughtin thegrip ofthe Depression.

[Woman]
Remembermy forgottenman?

Youputarifle inhishand.

Yousenthim faraway.

Youshouted ''Hip-Hooray. ''

Butlookathim today.

Remembermy forgottenman.

Youhadhim cultivate theland.

He walkedbehindaplow.

Thesweatfell from hisbrow.

Butlookathim rightnow.

'Cause eversince the worldbegan,

a woman'sgot tohaveaman.

Forgettinghim, yousee,

meansyou're forgettingme.

[WomanScreams]
Aaaah!

[Scorsese]Alwaysstretching
thelimits ofthemusicalgenre,

Berkeleyeven dared
choreographhuman tragedies.

Aaaah!

[Crash]

- [Gunshots]
- [ Crowd Gasping Shouting ]

[ Women Scream ]

Aaaah!

[CrowdMurmuring]

- [Police Whistle Blows]
- [Siren Wailing]

The big parade goes on foryears

l can't do it, l tell ya.
l can't!

[Scorsese]Berkeley's earlymusicals
at WarnerBrothers...

offeredbackstagestories
whosepacing wasnotunlike
thatofthegangsterfiilm.

l'm too nervous!
l can't do it!

They were dominatedby the fiigure...

ofthe crazed, manic,
often embitteredBroadwayproducer.

- What doya wanna do, boss?
- Bring up that curtain!

In Footlight Parade,
youhadJames Cagney.

- All right, that's you!
- No!

In 42nd Street, WarnerBaxter.

Watch that tempo!
Watch it, will you?

Getyour feet offofthe floor!

In these times,
ifyoushowedanyambition...

-youeitherbecame
agangsterorashowbizperformer,
- Faster!Faster!

Come on!
Faster! Faster!

atleastin the fantasy world
ofWarnerBrothers.

-Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! lt's brutal!
-[Stops]

Ohh!

May l remind you that PrettyLady's
out-of-town opening is not far away?

lt's been advertised
as a musical-comedywith dancing!

lfit isn't asking too much,

will you please show me a little?

- Come on. Ready,Jerry?
Get into it now!
- [Piano Resumes]

[Scorsese]Broadwayofferedametaphor
fora desperate, shatteredcountry.

Directororchorus girl, yourlife
dependedon theshow'ssuccess.

[ManShouting]

Againstallodds,
WarnerBaxterachievedhis dream.

These directors make me sick.
Take Marsh.

Putshisnameallovertheprogram,
getsall the credit.

Ifit wasn'tforkids likeSawyer,
he wouldn'thaveashow.

Marsh would probably say he discovered
her. Some guys get all the breaks.

[Scorsese]Buton openingnight
he was too drained...

to enjoy theproduction's triumph.

- [Crowd Chattering]
- Theshowhadtaken on
alife ofits own.

The taskmaster's lot,
in the end, wassolitude.

They're sending me
to New York for good,

tobeheadofthe offiice
ofFenton, RayburnandCompany.

- New York?
- What?

New York?

[Scorsese]
Tenyears later, Vincente Minnelli's
Meet Me ln St. Louis wasamilestone.

- l simply don't believe it.
- We'll leave right after Christmas.

l thought we'd all like to have
Christmas in St. Louis.

[Scorsese]Firstofall, thestory
didn'thavea Broadwaysetting.

New York is a big city.

It wasamemoryalbumsetin
the Midwestat the turn ofthe century.

Itsprotagonists were themembers
ofamiddle-classhousehold.

[ Tinkling ]

They didnotneedtobe
professionalperformers.

- [ Humming ]
- Anyone couldsinganddance,
ifthey feltlikeit.

[ Continues ]

Singinganddancingbecame
asnaturalasbreathingortalking.

- La-da-dah, dah-dah-dah
- Also, the tunes were designed
to furthertheplot...

andrevealthe characters.

They expressedthe ebbandflow
ofpersonalemotions.

lfSanta Claus brings me any toys,
l'm taking them with me.

l'm taking all my dolls;
the dead ones, too.

l'm taking everything.

Ofcourseyou are.

l'll helpyou pack them myself.

You don't have to leave anything behind,

exceptyour snow people, ofcourse.

[ Laughs ]

Sometimes they were tinged
withbittersweetirony...

as the family faced
an uncertain future in thebig city.

Haveyourself

A merry little Christmas

Make theyuletide gay

Nextyear all our troubles

Will be miles away

Oh, haveyourself

A merry little

Christmas

Now

Tootie.

[ Sobbing ]

Tootie!

[Scorsese]
Sweetnessandinnocence willprevail,

but with the explosion
ofa child'spainandrage...

unexpectedshadows weresuddenly
caston thisnostalgicperiodpiece.

Nobody's gonna have them!
Not ifwe're going to New York!

l've got to kill them
ifwe can't take them with us!

Tootie, darling, don'tcry. Youcan
buildothersnowpeople in New York.

[ Sobbing ] You can't do anything
likeyou do in St. Louis!

Oh, no, darling.
You're wrong.

''The rabbit hunters have his
private carrot patch surrounded,

and they're closing in.

And what's that sticking up
over that bush?''

- Areyou my daddy?
- lt's, um-- Hmm?

- [ Chuckles ]
No, l'm justyour Uncle Doug.
- Oh.

In themid-'40s
something interestinghappened.

Hey, fellas.
Can Icomein?

[Scorsese]Darkercurrents
seepedinto themusical,

as theyhadin the western
andthegangsterfiilm.

Even themore conventionalmusicals
hintedat thepostwarmalaise.

Root-too-toot-ooh
Toot-ooh

Listen to that fiddle player
slap, slap, slap

On thesurface My Dream ls Yours
hadall the trappings...

ofa Doris Day vehicleproduced
on the WarnerBros assemblyline.

Itseemedtobepure escapistfare.

Oh, it's so spacious and peaceful.

No sponsors or agents pushing me around.

Just hitch yourwagon to me
and you'll be a star.

No. Thankyou, Gary,
but l have too much to do on my own.

- My dream is yours
- But the comedyhadabitteredge.

lt isn't much to give

Yousawtheperformer's
personalrelationships...

turningsourandbeingsacrifiiced
to their careers.

So, darling, may l say

Look, honey,
let's have an understanding.

Two careers in one family
is one too many.

We'll concentrate on mine, huh?

[Man]Come on. Hereheis!

The fiilm madeyouaware
ofhowdiffiicult,

orevenimpossible, relationships
arebetween creativepeople.

- [ Chattering ]
- It wasamajorinfluence...

onmy fiilm New York, New York.

l'm through with spending time

Doris Day'sbigbreak comes when
shehas toreplace Lee Bowman,
thepopularcroonersheloves,

who's too drunk toperform on
his ownnationalradioshow.

Gary, you can't go on.
You're drunk.

Lee Bowman's character was
an egotist who felt threatened
byDoris Day'ssuccess.

My dream is yours

-Itisn'tmuch togive
- In New York, New York,
I took that tormentedromance...

andmadeit
the verysubjectofthe fiilm.

But while l live
My dream is yours

-[Continues]
- Lovely girl.

Lovely singer.

Handywith a knife, too.

Begins toshine

[Grunting, Groaning]

Thepinnacle ofthemusical
was reachedin the early '50s.

Again wemeet theincomparable
Vincente Minnelli.

Lookat The Band Wagon's
fiinalproductionnumber,
''The Girl HuntBallet. ''

In thissatire
ofMickeySpillane'spulpnovels,

yousee themusicalborrowing
andabsorbing theicons offiilm noir--

private eyesanddangeroussirens.

Minnelli'smusicals celebratedthe
triumph oftheimaginaryoverthereal.

Anyaspectofreality, howevertrivial,

couldbe transformed, stylized
andincorporatedintoaballet.

The world wasastage,

anditbelongedto those
who couldsinganddance.

MGM was then themagic factory,

whereproducerArthur Freed
nurturedsuch classics as On The Town,

An American in Paris,
Singin' in the Rain,

lt's Always FairWeather
and, ofcourse, The Band Wagon.

He's drunk.

- How bad?
- Very.

- What doyou want me to do?
- Keep him off.

A horse!

My kingdom for a horse!

George Cukor's A Star ls Born...

took thegenre onestep further.

Get a load of Norman Maine, will ya?

Itgave usJudy Garlandasabandsinger
whobecomesamoviestar...

whileJames Mason, hermentor,
sabotageshis career.

Sure, butjust a few.
l promised the boys.

Takeyour hands offme.

Actually, thestoryhadbeenbrought
to thescreen twicebefore...

inanon-musicalform.

''Theshowmustgo on. '' Thatis
theperformer's fiirstcommandment.

ButMason's Norman Maine
couldn't takeitanymore.

- That does it.
-Just a few more.

- l said, that does it.
- Butyou got plenty oftime!

[Scorsese]He was trapped
in the cruel worldofmake-believe.

l-l'm sorry, gentlemen.
No time.

He couldn'tevenbear
tolookathimself.

Areyou trying to stop me
from going on? ls that it?

[ Women Screaming ]

Thesebrokenmirrors were
the fiirststep towardself-destruction.

For the love that's truly true
you gotta have me go with you

- You gotta have me
- Why the holdout

Andme

-Haveyousoldout
- [WomenScreaming]

- Timeyou woke up
Timeyouspoke up
- [ Screaming, Gasping ]

This line I'm handin'you

It'snotahandout

Asa team we'dbeastandout
Fallout

- You wanna live high on a dime
- This wasnotamusical-comedy.

This wasamusicaldrama
about thesadironies ofshowbusiness.

- Boodely-ooh-boo
- Why the holdout

Haveyou sold out

Timeyou woke up
Timeyou spoke up

Ooh, you gotta have me go with you

Why theholdout
Haveyousoldout

Timeyou woke up
Timeyou spoke up

- This line l'm handin' you
- [Audience Murmuring]

lt's not a handout

As a team we'd be a standout

- You wanna live high on a dime
- [Audience Laughing]

[ Laughing ]
You wanna have too harsh a climb

You gotta have me

Go with you

All the time

In spite ofboldattempts by
such choreographer-directors...

as Gene Kelly, StanleyDonenand
Bob Fosse to open upnewterritories,

themusicalceasedto exist
asa fiilmgenre.

But theshowbizperformerstillremains
akey fiigure inmusicalbiographies.

Recently themostexciting
effort wasprobablyBob Fosse's
self-portrait, All ThatJazz.

[ Coughing ]
lt's show time, folks.

The fiigure ofthe exhaustedentertainer
needing openheartsurgery...

wouldfiitrightinto BusbyBerkeley's
galleryofhard-driving, hard-drinking,

chain-smoking directors.

[Beeping]

We're glad thatyou're sorry

Now

- [Man]Cut!
- [BellRinging]

You blew it.
You forgotyour line.

At the end ofthis number
you're supposed to say, uh--
What's he supposed to say?

He's supposed to say,
''l don't want to die. l want to live.''

[ Mumbling ]

Well, ifyou can't say it, you can't
say it. We'll just have to cut it.

Cut it. Take me up.
Next setup.

Ofcourseit'snotenough forAmerican
directors tobejuststorytellers.

So, as we continue ourjourney
inparts twoandthree,

I'dlike toshowyouhowI think
theyneedalso tobeillusionists,

sometimessmugglers...

andevenat times iconoclasts.

Thatis, iftheyintendto express
theirownpersonal vision.