THE FILMS: State and Main (2000, David Mamet), Hearts of Darkness (1991, Fax Bahr, George Hickenlooper, and Eleanor Coppola), Man Bites Dog (1992, Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel, and Benoît Poelvoorde)
THE CONNECTION: Three films where the story revolves around making a (real or fictional) film.
THE THINKING: Films are fantastic. And the industry that makes them is a fascinating one full of creatives, masters of their craft, and . . . personalities. Each entry in this week’s triple feature uses its own technique to tell a story about this incredible world. Whether that’s through a fictionalized film set, a gritty documentary about a film set, or a real-time documentary satire, just about every angle is covered.
Something that comes through in each of these three stories—aside from the fact that money is always an issue—is that it’s downright difficult to get an idea all the way to a screen. Each represents a unique struggle that’s met with determination and choices good or bad that serve the final product. As Paul Thomas Anderson once said about filmmaking, “it’s a miracle anytime one of them gets made.” In this triple feature we get to see a few ways in which it actually does happen.
State and Main, David Mamet (2000)
Filled with playwright David Mamet’s signature rapid-fire dense dialogue, State and Main is a fun, satirical look at Hollywood through the eyes of a small town. In it a loud, entitled film crew descends upon a modern-day Mayberry where everyone knows each other and there’s only a single stoplight. Locals are quickly star-struck and go out of their way to accommodate the visitors. Until a scandal is stirred up and the outsiders wear out their welcome. At its heart is a story about how a film is made, despite the level of absurdity on top. It’s kind of like Hollywood making fun of itself, which is always a good time.
Hearts of Darkness, Fax Bahr, George Hickenlooper, and Eleanor Coppola (1991)
Hooo boy. There is a lot going on in this documentary about the making of Apocalypse Now. That film’s production was seemingly endless and riddled with trouble. There were a lot of financial issues, not to mention the difficulty Marlon Brando brought to set, and perhaps in some instances the director, Francis Ford Coppola, shooting himself in the foot with his commitment to perfection. It makes sense as an auteur to insist that things turn out the way you envisioned them. But when there’s a fight over the exact temperature of wine in a scene, it might be going a bit too much. Still, he knew what he wanted to do and wasn’t going to stop until he got it.
In addition to the documentary footage, Hearts of Darkness contains audio recordings provided by Coppola’s wife, Eleanor, which provide a bit more of an intimate look at some of the things the director was wrestling with on an emotional level as roadblock after roadblock was thrown up in front of him.
If you didn’t already appreciate Apocalypse Now as a great piece of cinema, you will after watching this in-depth look at the Herculean effort it took to make it happen.
Man Bites Dog, Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel, and Benoît Poelvoorde (1992)
This is a bit of a mash-up of the other two films in this week’s triple feature. It’s fiction, but in documentary style. The story centers on Ben, a boisterous and also kind of sad serial killer in Belgum who fancies poetry as much as he does murder. He’s somewhat complex, but is also a complete goofball. A film crew follows him around as he kills innocent victims and spouts off about things like public housing. Once they run out of money, Ben offers to help finance the rest of the film, which makes him more of a team member than a subject—a dynamic that goes both ways as the story progresses.
This biting satire is told through the lens of the cameraman, putting the viewer right at the center of everything. And for as sharp as Ben is, he’s also equally awkward and out of touch. These elements—along with the tone—make you feel like you’re watching an episode of The Office at times. One big difference, though, is that you don’t often question the morality of that show’s camera crew choosing to intervene—or not intervene—in Michael Scott’s absurd actions.
FURTHER READING:
- “20 Years Ago State and Main was Hollywood Satire, Mamet-Style” (Living Life Fearless)
- “Hearts of Darkness: The Horror, the Horror of Filmmaking” (25 Years Later)
- “Man Bites Dog: Cinema of Entrapment” (Matt Zoller Seitz for Criterion)
WHERE TO WATCH:
Also, be sure to check out the previous triple feature, Happy Birthday William Castle, for another film which fits into this theme: Matinee.