Ok, the line doesn't go that way, but it's still a good question. How do we see the seventies era influence in the film even if it's set loosely in the noir time frame (which actually fell a bit after the water wars depicted in the film) or late 30s anyway. So, where do we see the seventies?
I don't think this film would have been possible any earlier than the late sixties. I don't think it would have been marketable any earlier than the late seventies. It was the perfect time for it, when American films were letting loose and experimenting. It was created right before Nixon resigned. It was created right before the end of the Vietnam War. These were turbulent times, when the people did not trust those in power. Cross is a perfect representation of abuse of power.
ReplyDeleteI mis-typed. I meant to say it wouldn't have been marketable any later than the late seventies. Morning in America and all that nonsense.
DeleteI would like to add something, but I think you nailed it.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely, Watergate hangs over the historical conspiracy of the L.A. water wars depcited in the film. Once the president puts himself above the law, it's not hard to imagine former water czars doing so.
ReplyDeleteJake couldn't have put it any better. I was reading up on the film afterwards and noticed there was a sequel called Two Jakes that was done in 1990, that brought back Nickolson as his character and featured Meg Tilly as Katherine. Wondering if anybody had seen that and how it compares with the time frame it was made in even though it's set in 1948.
ReplyDeleteI liked The Two Jakes. I don't think it at all was a reflection of the time in which it was made, though. Its era was post-war, while we were just getting into the Gulf War at that time. The one comparison that could be made was the sub-plot about greed and oil with American troop presence in the middle east but I'd rather not start that debate.
DeleteTo only further Jake's comments, the mistrust of authority is apparent in how Jake views the police.
ReplyDeleteAlso in how the film was made, there are a lot of stylistic things, such as camera work. The editing and shots are more experiemental than the traditional noirs, but still fall into the category.
Furthermore, the Code was pretty much dead and through film one could discuss these issues and topics. I kept thinking of Bonnie and Clyde when watching this film with the violence, sex, and of course Faye.
Stylistically, we definitely see seventies elements, but on the plot level the note of conspiracy with Noah Cross's corrupt plan to preemptively acquire the future with underhanded political machinations smack of Watergate and the ensuing atmosphere of paranoia.
ReplyDeleteBonnie and Clyde are similarly romanticized as heroic rebels against the System--and are similarly unable to overcome its naked power. Visually, the shots of Evelyn's bloody face flopping out of the car are very reminiscent of similar shots of Bonnie's fall when her car door is opened in Arthur Penn's film.
I appreciate the views and how they related to the political influences of the time period they were shot in (70's). I don't always make those kinds of connections. What I did notice is the ability to show more with sex, violence and language since the Hays code is not enforced. I often wonder how much we notice or don't notice because of our own exposure/experiences. I was talking with someone about the homosexual characters in movies like Maltese Falcon and how these things sort of go right over my head and I miss the original meaning because it's not a big deal or it's such common place. It's like watching cartoons now that I watched as a kid and both laughing and surprised at all the "adult" jokes I missed as a kid because I didn't know the meaning of the references. Sneaky, lol
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