close ups
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | close ups |
| Original title | Inserts |
| Country of production | Great Britain |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1975 |
| length | 117 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 18 |
| Rod | |
| Director | John Byrum |
| script | John Byrum |
| production | Clive Parsons , Davina Belling |
| camera | Denys N. Coop |
| cut | Michael Bradsell |
| occupation | |
| |
Close-ups (original title Inserts ) is a British tragic comedy from 1975. Direction and script are by John Byrum . Richard Dreyfuss played the leading role .
action
In the 1970s, a group watches a stag film , i. H. an early porn film , shot in black and white and as a silent film. They whistle and scream, as the cliché expects, and call for the cumshot .
The shooting of the film: Boy Wonder is a young, but already worn out former star director in Hollywood . Now he only makes stag films. He makes preparatory recordings with his leading actress and good friend Harlene, a former Hollywood actress who, like him, did not make the transition from silent film to sound film and now works as a waitress. She tells him that a young aspiring actor named Clark Gable is so excited about his films that he really wants to do a film with him. She also told him where to find Boy Wonder. Soon Rex, the main actor of the film, arrives too. Together they shoot the scene shown at the beginning. When shooting has to be interrupted prematurely because of a full film role, Boy Wonder Rex can only get away from Harlene by hitting him on the head with a bottle.
Shortly afterwards, Big Mac, the producer of the film, comes to the set with Cathy Cake, his fiancée. Cathy loves films; she is as familiar with Boy Wonder as Harlene. She would like to see the production of the film. But Big Mac has also brought payment for Harlene and Rex - as requested, heroin for Harlene. It injects itself immediately and soon dies of an overdose. Wonder Boy wants to continue the interrupted scene with the corpse. However, Rex refuses because as a funeral director he does not want to be associated with necrophilia . Big Mac also finds the idea tasteless until it realizes it would save his money. Nevertheless, he sets out with Rex to make the body disappear. He leaves Cathy with Boy Wonder, after all it is common knowledge that he is impotent.
Cathy doesn't know what exactly the close-ups Boy Wonder has to take for the film is all about, but she wants to do it. Boy Wonder is initially reluctant and explains to her that not her acting skills and not even her face are needed, only her body. Above all, it's about the cumshot. Then she tries to seduce Boy Wonder into it. He agrees and has sex with her. Afterward, she reacts upset when she learns that Boy Wonder didn't record this for the film. At this point, Big Mac and Rex come back. Big Mac gets jealous, but Cathy calms him down. In the end he takes the film rolls with him. Boy Wonder is now alone again and wants to stay that way. Clark Gable also fails when he tries one last time to reach Boy Wonder.
background
Close-ups was John Byrum's directorial debut .
The close-up costume designer was Shirley Russell , who specialized in 1930s and 1940s costumes and was twice Oscar- nominated.
Richard Dreyfuss was voiced by Klaus Kindler , Bob Hoskins by Hans Korte .
The film was produced by Film and General Productions .
Close-up plays for two hours in real time in a room of Boy Wonder's house. This creates the impression of a play on which the film is not based.
Location
Although the film is set in Hollywood , it was filmed in Lee International Studios in Shepperton near London .
World premieres
Close-ups premiered in London in 1975. The German premiere took place on February 19, 1975.
The film was released on DVD on August 23, 2005.
Close-up was distributed by United Artists .
reception
Reviews
Vincent Canby saw the film as a “slapstick melodrama” in the form of a stage play “in one act, in one set and with five characters”. However, it is very clever and describes old Hollywood much more precisely than other films, including the Say yes to love that was made shortly afterwards . After referring to the achievements of Richard Dreyfuss and the "immensely talented" Bob Hoskins, he comes to the conclusion that, despite the X-rating , close-ups are not pornographic, but a wonderfully played comedy.
Even Roger Ebert points out the resemblance to a play. The characters appear exactly when the dramaturgy needs it. But precisely because of this, the impression of the theater is reinforced. Somehow everything doesn't really fit together and therefore seems implausible. It is not a successful film, but an interesting one that has its moments. The film has a "strange charm".
Donald Guarisco thinks the film is only suitable for a limited part of the audience, namely those interested in Hollywood history who “can deal with the dark side of the subject”, but the mixture of drama and evil humor makes close-ups “for the brave viewer worth seeing".
David N. Butterworth says the film exudes decaying Hollywood elegance from around 1930. Byrum's theatrical direction does not reach the highest level, but the film is extremely funny and often apt. He also thinks the acting is excellent, especially that of Jessica Harper, who plays her challenging role with flying colors.
The lexicon of international film also speaks of a “theatrical five-person film” that makes “the human-deforming constraints of Hollywood clear”. The “tangled comments on the 'essence' of the porn industry” are, however, “less successful”.
aftermath
In 1982 close-ups by Larry Loo was adapted as a play, which the New York Times critic Mel Gussow called redundant.
Web links
- Close-ups in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c close-ups. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed April 30, 2017 .
- ↑ a b Vincent Canby: The Screen: 'Inserts': Old Hollywood Evoked in Sex-Movie Story . In: The New York Times . February 28, 1976 (in English, online [accessed April 30, 2017]).
- ↑ Close-ups (1974). In: Synchrondatei.de. Retrieved April 23, 2017 .
- ^ A b David N. Butterworth: Inserts (1975). In: rec.arts.movies. 2017, accessed April 30, 2017 .
- ↑ Inserts (1975). In: Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 22, 2017 (English).
- ↑ Roger Ebert: Inserts. In: RogerEbert.com. April 2, 1976, accessed April 30, 2017 .
- ↑ Donald Guarisco: Inserts (1975). In: AllMovie. Retrieved April 30, 2017 (English).
- ↑ Mel Gussow: STAGE: 'INSERTS' ADAPTED . In: The New York Times . September 10, 1982 (in English, online [accessed April 30, 2017]).