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Paper Moon by Peter Bogdanovich
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DVD detailsActor: John Hillerman, Madeline Kahn, P.J. Johnson, Ryan O'Neal, Tatum O'Neal Director: Peter Bogdanovich Brand: O'NEAL,RYAN Cinematographer: László Kovács Producer: Peter Bogdanovich Producer: Francis Ford Coppola Producer: Frank Marshall Producer: William Friedkin Writer: Alvin Sargent Writer: Joe David Brown DVD: Region Code 1 Audio: English (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Dolby, DVD, Letterboxed, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen Picture Format: 1.85:1 Running Time: 102 minutes DVD Release Date: 2003-08-12 Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Studio: Paramount
DVD Reviews of Paper MoonDVD Review: Review of the DVD version Summary: 4 Stars
The early successes of director Peter Bogdanovich -- which began with TARGETS in 1968, followed by his masterpiece THE LAST PICTURE SHOW in '71 and WHAT'S UP DOC the next year -- ended in 1973 with an evocative and endearing comedy-drama called PAPER MOON. Shot in rather stark black-and-white photography in real locations, and taking place mostly in sleepy locales and barren landscapes of the 30s, PAPER MOON seems to echo the memorably desolate world Bogdanovich had created in THE LAST PICTURE SHOW. But rather than a depressing look of American life, PAPER MOON is a light-hearted adventure about a con man and a tomboyish orphan girl partnering together to pull one small-time scam after another, with the girl often saving the day. The small cast of actors all give memorable performances. But the film will be most remembered for the work by then eight-year-old newcomer Tatum O'Neal as the orphan, who is on the screen nearly constantly and basically carries the whole film. She imbues every scene with the right emotions, convictions, world-weariness, precociousness, and understated pathos and comedy. It is a thoroughly convincing portrayal of a character that probably should have been played by a slightly older actress (in the original novel, it is a 12-year-old) to be believable. But looking at it today, it is an irreplaceable performance.The Region-1-only DVD version offers a good-looking widescreen anamorphic transfer, with the high-contrast black-and-white photography presented very well, with only a few graininess here and there to mar its quality. The mono audio sounds reasonably good. Bonus features include three short featurettes, running about half hour total, that include present-day reminiscences from Bogdanovich, co-producer Frank Marhsall, production designer Polly Platt, as well as all-too-brief comments from cinematographer Laszlos Kovacs. They recount production history, casting choices, and on-the-set experiences. It's a shame that none of the actors appear. A few outtakes are also shown. And Bogdanovich recalls a few amusing anecdotes. Bogdanovich also offers an audio commentary for this DVD. It is a mostly scene-specific commentary in which he elaborates on his intentions, the challenges, and the experiences in most aspects of the shooting. He had to shoot a long confrontation scene between Mose and Addie in over 20 takes. And 47 camera setups were needed to shoot a seemingly ordinary but pivotal one-room scene. He praises the acting and the photography, and explains why he liked to shoot in long takes and in deep-focus black-and-white. He makes references to THE GRAPES OF WRATH a couple of times while commenting on the mostly barren landscapes of the movie. He admits he didn't use storyboards, which is hard to believe considering the impeccable compositions in many of the shots. Also astonishing is that the film's wonderful ending did not come to him until almost at the end of the shooting. One of the movie's charms comes from watching the various scams being carried out by the two characters. And to the credits of the filmmakers, their tricks are not fully explained as to how they actually work, so the viewer has to be observant. Below is a description of the short-changing scam that occurs twice in the movie. I admittedly didn't understand it until after several viewings: The con artist goes into a store to buy something under a dollar. At the register, he pays with a $5 bill. The store clerk takes the $5 and gives him the change. Then comes following exchange. The con artist says, "I have too many singles in my wallet. Let me give you five $1 bills and you give me a $5 bill." The clerk gives him a $5 bill and takes the five ones. So far so good. While the clerk still has the five ones in his hand, the con artist says, "I still have too many bills in my wallet. Let me give you back the $5 bill, together with the five ones in your hand. And in exchange, you give me a $10 bill." The clerk unwittingly hands him a $10 bill -- not knowing that he only owes $5, not $10, at that point.
More Paper Moon reviews: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Description of Paper MoonAdapted from the novel "Addie Pray" by Joe David Brown, PAPER MOON is set in the Midwest during the Great Depression, and follows the story of Moses Pray (Ryan O?Neal), a happy-go-lucky con artist who travels through the Midwest on a mission to swindle money out of innocent widows. While attending a friend?s funeral, Pray is called upon by two elderly ladies to deliver the daughter of the deceased, Addie (Tatum O?Neal), to her aunt in Missouri. Soon learning that the 9-year-old is almost as mischievous and manipulative as he is, Pray and Addie develop a father and daughter routine that increases their credibility as well as their income. Now, the devious duo set out on a series of misadventures involving crooked cops, bootleggers, grieving widows and a Carney dancer named Miss Trixie Delight (Kahn) who adds a little spice to their routine.
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