Film of the Week #22 - American History X

johnny_ultimate

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120586/

Since Karl (maybe he can sticky this when he gets back ) hasnt been around in a few days, thought Id start this because the film is on tonight (Sunday) for anyone who has yet to see this.
Personally thought it was an admirably different, extremely dark film with excellent characterisation. Its a tough but rewarding watch.
EDIT: 22.30 BBC2 is the time and place. May watch again has been a while since viewing number 1. Danke for the stickiness ixoy.

ixoy

I too have sticky powers

Very enjoyable film that might perhaps have still slipped by were it not for the astonishing performance of Edward Norton. He's truly amazing here (in a role he has yet to top) as the angry, young white man lashing out at the easiest target. Perhaps the main story is a little weak in some ways - the redemption is perhaps a bit too easy - but the tour-de-force of acting makes up for it.

As to the kerb scene .. I was astonished to see how little you actually hear/see on a re-watch. Shows the power of imagination that a successful film can bring.

One thing, I'm not too aware of, is how the film might have turned out without the creative fight between Norton and director Tony Kaye. To answer my own question:

Just read a book called "So You Want To Be A Producer" written by Lawrence Turman, Producer of American History X. He said Tony Kaye pissed off New Line because he was shooting way too much stuff. Kaye was also his own cinematographer, and, while very talented, was shooting far more than necessary causing film delays. He then edited the movie, cutting it to the bone, according to Ed Norton, and losing much of the emotional impact of his character and his influence on everyone else. When Kaye requested reshoots after all this, New Line had enough and pulled him from the editing process. Turman and Norton took over, and they changed the ending from one where Norton promises to avenge his brother's death to the one the film currently has.
Norton was given an editing pass as part of his contract before he signed on for the film, and most directors do not have final cut on a film (the Speilbergs and Scorceses are exceptions) Despite all this Turman says he thinks Kaye was very talented, and apparently Norton and Kaye got along well during the shoot. But Turman believes Kaye's antics after the release of American History X (the lawsuit, he also took out a full page ad in Variety blasting the film and New Line) prevented him from being a much more popular director today.

Snake Plisken

Yeah I always wanted to see the Tony Kaye cut of the Movie, maybe it wouldn't have worked as well, as the final Norton cut, but still it would have been interesting to see.

Snake

Damn never knew Randy (Earl's Brother) was one of the skinhead gang

spacecoyote

Randy was pretty good in it too i must say!!!

This is a classic movie, both the Eds giving stellar performances. It is a difficult watch at times, but is a fantastic....moving piece of cinema. Definitely deserving of a FOTW position. And as mentioned before, the curb biting scene is fantastically well done....your mind really does make it a hell of a lot more graphic than it is

qwertplaywert

saw it last night.......was a legendary pic......the younger ed actually outacted the surperb norton imo........

Karl Hungus

I leave Ixoy to do one Film Of The Week while I'm away, and what happens?

Anyway, a great film. I don't think the point of the film is redemption, I think it's much more bleak than that, considering the whole futility of Danny's so-called redemption.

Sad Professor

Excellent film with one major problem, it's little too short and lacks the proper sweep that Norton's character transformation requires. His change from smart kid to neo-nazi racist and then to reformed ex-convict is all a bit too easy. But Norton's performance makes it all work. While I usually support the director's vision this is one exception. Everything I've read suggests Kaye was hell bent on screwing the film up. He was a music video director and approached the film as a series of little segments with no notion of how to tie them all up. Had it not been for Norton's intervention it probably would have turned out a mess.

Anyway I do think Derek/Norton redeems himself in the end, in so far as he saves himself and his brother from a life of evil. But the film isn't about redemption but rather how racial hatred is a cycle that is passed on, father to son, brother to brother, perpetrator to victim. Derek can't undo the past no more than he can remove those swastika tattoos from his chest. His past has consequences for everyone, his every action was a seed that set on course a chain of events which he was powerless to stop. The film's final message is that hate isn't worth holding on to and to let go of it... but it's not easy.