Paper Moon

Paper Moon
by Peter Bogdanovich

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DVD Reviews of Paper Moon

DVD Review: Review of the DVD version
Summary: 4 Stars

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.

Description of Paper Moon