The old man chats about teenage madness

Rubye 2022-03-14 08:01:02

From Ma Gongzi's point of view, Atlantic City is like a rising third world city, such as Japan in the 1970s, South Korea in the 1980s, Taiwan in the 1990s, and now the mainland. People are running around to make money in a materialistic society. The instability of life and the happiness that comes from money are both living and living together. The current Chinese people may experience it much better than the Americans who watch this movie again now.

It is said that although Atlantic City is known as the world's top four casinos, it is only dipped in the light of New York, Philadelphia, DC, and it has not developed much so far. If it weren’t for the troublesome people on the east coast make a trip to the Nevada desert, Atlantic City is just a country town with a mighty name, but the scenery is particularly good, and it’s no wonder that casinos are all grabbing the pits on the seaside.

Looking back at the dream of catching up with Vegas, Atlantic City has given many people who had no chance in Vegas to find a hope to return to the battlefield, just like Lancaster and Sarandon in the film. Ma Gongzi still likes to use New Wave techniques to include the relationship between several people in one big shot (this was later used by Wong Kar-wai and Mi Tan). From the beginning of the gangster and his wife, the gangster and the wife, the old man and the wife, the gangster and the old man, the old man and the old woman, the old woman and the wife and sister, this crumbling story starts from the bombing of the old building, trying to imitate a rhythm like a rondo , Everyone seems to be chasing their own interests, and everyone seems to retain a piece of hope in their hearts, at the mercy of fate, and finally they have to end in the demolition of the building under the sledgehammer. Lancaster and Sarandon both played at a decent level, especially the former.

The most interesting thing is Lancaster's state of mind. At first he was a voyeur, then he was a graceful old man, then he was an accomplice, and then the old man talked about teenage madness. Like all the gangster movies of that era, he came with money, walked away, held a woman, run free. It was only at the end of the turn that a woman had her own thoughts, and the old man realized that being drunk is one thing, but it is another thing to be around. He had to have great feelings and see through everything in order to face betrayal so calmly and easily give a young woman a step and let her leave with a share of money. The old lady Mo is holding the old man's hand and walking on the streets of the Atlantic Ocean. It is hard for me to think of the marginalized life I depicted before, dirty bedrooms, noisy bars, tense casinos, murders in garages, drugs, Pistol, at this moment I only see a pair of old men after the storm.

Mahler is really interesting. In just such a shot, the fateful grief of crime he carried over from is not important. What is important is the romance of the old trees blooming in the vibrant new city, just like As the film says:

So, the point is still love.

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Extended Reading
  • Brionna 2022-04-22 07:01:55

    Atlantic City, which is in the transition between old and new, accommodates immigrants and declining gangsters, and the demolition of old buildings and the construction of casinos accelerate the growth of crime. The orphans from the old era finally maintained the glory of the past with the sound of gunfire in the gap between the times. Louie Mahler's zooming from a height is a bit like Robert Altman.

  • Lucie 2022-03-23 09:03:29

    "Atlantic City", shot by Louis Mahler in the United States, won the Venice Golden Lion Award, a literary love crime film with both classic Hollywood temperament and French romance. In Atlantic City, where the old and the new alternate, the gambling industry is booming, demolition and reconstruction can be seen everywhere, people's values ​​are also in a tearing period, the line between good and evil is no longer clear, the boundaries between black and white are unclear, and money and material pleasures have become the driving force of behavior. In this casino city There is no one who is absolutely perfect. The director injects a rare sense of documentary (large-scale demolition and reconstruction) and social awareness (dramatic changes in social values) into this slightly hypocritical fictional story. The distinctive character is symbolic, the aged and elegant Lu represents the old traditions of the city. He shot two mafia gunmen and briefly resisted external threats, but he could not stop the trend of the times after all, because he likes the young and beautiful Sally and enjoys money This is the real human desire. The creativity and scheduling of the chase scene on the elevator parking device are great.

Atlantic City quotes

  • Sally: What about Grace?

    Lou: She came down here during the war - a beauty contest.

    Sally: Oh, for Miss America?

    Lou: Nothing like that. More like - Miss Pinball Machine.

  • Lou: I watch you.

    Sally: Huh?

    Lou: The place where we live. I watch you.

    Sally: Through my window?

    Lou: You saw me?

    Sally: I figured maybe somebody was there.

    Lou: Did you know it was me?

    Sally: You were just this guy across the way.