Geraldine Kudaka (gkudaka@csi.com)
Wed, 28 Jul 1999 02:23:50 -0700
Pity they didn't show the Hammet back to back with the
Hellman documentary.
While I agree with William that the Hammet doc attempted to
capture some of the flavor of the period, its like comparing
the bare, essential style of the old noir masters to the
florid prose of some writers today. Unlike the past, when
writers could submit short manuscripts for publication, we
now see novels plumped up to longer lengths. These longer
lengths don't necessarily mean th plor is more complex, or
there's more their -- sometimes it's just fluffed up so the
buying public will feel like they're getting their money's
worth.
I think there's an equivalent to that in filmmaking. When you
have to get florid to tell the story -- especially in a
documentary -- then you're trying to make up in style for
what is lacking in content.
The Hellman doc had rat-a-tat editing of talking heads. It
was fast paced, like good tight writing. Of course, the doc
had enough raw material so that the variety could be
maintained.
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