★ 7 / 10
This is another of those films that I
CinemaSerf
This is another of those films that I could just imagine James Dean doing, but as it is it's a charismatic Martin Sheen who dons the white T-shirt and the 501s…
This is another of those films that I could just imagine James Dean doing, but as it is it's a charismatic Martin Sheen who dons the white T-shirt and the 501s and causes havoc with his younger girlfriend "Holly" (Sissy Spacek). "Kit" is a bit of a drifter who makes a living collecting the trash in 1950s rural America and who probably won't amount to much as he hangs about with her as if they were ten years younger. Then an incident at home with her disapproving father (Warren Oates) forces the pair to get off the grid. For a while they take to the trees, but with the cops and others trying to track them down they must resort to even more drastic action that essentially turns the pair into a sort of latter-day Bonnie & Clyde - complete with their very own bounty! As their adventures continue, both justify their increasingly erratic behaviour by claiming to want to protect the other whilst she, especially, becomes disillusioned with the opportunities their new life on the run is offering them. The plot here isn't especially gripping, but there is something about the observational style of the film that really does engage. It's not just that Sheen looks like Dean, it's like he's actually trying to look like him. That nonchalantness; that portrayal of the irresponsibility of youth and the complete indifference to the consequences of his increasingly murderous actions are captured effortlessly by an actor who looks entirely natural throughout. Spacek rarely disappoints and she doesn't here either. "Holly" has more of the loyal dog to her character than a girl. What won't she do for her beau? Except, as with any good chrysalis, as they spend more time together she is the one who emerges to more readily appreciate the toxicity and unsustainability of their situation. Will they both end up driving over a cliff together in one last grand romantic gesture or will one of them crack under the pressures of their now quite perilously transient lives and their constant pursuit? The uncomplicated cinematography brings an extra dimension to their story as it's very spacious grandness seems to exacerbate her feelings of being more and more hemmed-in and the pace - though lively at times - largely has a gentleness to it that further augments the sense that this pair are still playing with skimming stones, or mucking about in the fields emanating anything but a sense of menace. There is a certain chemistry here between the two and it's a film that sort of washes over you.
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Little did I realise that what began in
John Chard
Little did I realise that what began in the alleys and back ways of this quiet town would end in the Badlands of Montana. Badlands is written and directed by…
Little did I realise that what began in the alleys and back ways of this quiet town would end in the Badlands of Montana.
Badlands is written and directed by Terrence Malick. It stars Martin Sheen, Sissy Spacek, Ramon Bieri and Warren Oats. Music is by George Tipton and James Taylor and cinematography by Tak Fujimoto, Steven Larner and Brian Probyn.
Badlands seems to be adored by critics, often being coined as one of the best debuts ever made by a director. Maybe based loosely on the Starkweather-Fugate killing spree of 1958, though the makers have been at pains to ensure we know this is a case of all the characters and situations being fictional, Badlands does indeed have impressive strands. It's a gorgeous picture visually, the surreal feel that is sometimes garnered by Malick in the narrative gives the piece a haunted edge and Spacek and Sheen are very good given the characters they are asked to play.
However, Malick's commentary on amoral youth of 50s America, a corruption of innocence, alienation and etc, never has the depth, to my mind, to really be as special as so many say it is. Some argue the sketchy motives and reasonings involving Kit and Holly are deliberately thought provoking, I'd argue that devoid of psychological meat they are dull characters only livened by the actors' performances. Holly's narration is a clever device by Malick, serving to keep us interested since the structure of the film is repetitious, where being in the company of Kit and Holly becomes a chore. And lets not get onto credibility either...
I know I'm in the minority, but three times I have tried to grasp this supposed genius in Badlands, and I just don't see it. There's a myth and mysticism that has been attributed to it, even enhanced as the years have rolled by, but where there is undoubtedly beauty on the surface, down below there is no beast. 6/10
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★ 9 / 10
"If I could sing a song about the way I feel right now... it'd be a hit."
alexander-978-692186
Badlands is a dark 1970s existential road oddity through the Badlands of the midwest with fugitive Kit and his 15 crush Holly. The story, which is set in the…
Badlands is a dark 1970s existential road oddity through the Badlands of the midwest with fugitive Kit and his 15 crush Holly. The story, which is set in the 1950s, seems to exist in a fairytale, and this element is one of the reasons I love this film. The film is mostly spoken through the internal monologue of Holly, delivering the film as a tale or fable. She encounters a war veteran who collects garbage, a man with images of grandeur, who has nothing to live for and nothing to lose. When the two social misfits hit it off, her protective father disapproves and kills her dog, bags it and dumps it into the river as punishment; a rather drastic measure. It does go some way to explain why Holly, who we must remember is 15, seems to be benevolent to the actions of Kit when he starts to murder people who pose a threat to Holly and their survival. Both father and lover seem to resort to vicious, violent acts to protect her. He naivete does not survive the whole film though, as she tires of their time on the road, she dreams of the man she will marry, what he looks like, and where he might be right now.
While it is important to note that the film was inspired by the real-life serial killer Charles Starkweather and his lover-or captive-Caril Fugate', one should not assume the script is a retelling of their story. Malick does not reference them in the movie, and it must be said Charles Starkweather's story was more horrific in every detail. Badlands is more a coming of age story for Holly, a fall from grace for Kit, and the fairytale they lived in the moments in between.
I must admit that I adore the dialogue from this film, the subtle interactions, often littered with dark humour, and an air of altruism fill the film with a poetry that is complemented by the exquisite imagery of the Badlands, nature and the most incredible shot of Martin Sheen holding his rifle over this shoulder as the sun sets. The soundtrack further accents the mood of the film, bringing the entire atmosphere to one that envelopes you.
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thanks!!