In this week’s blog we will be going back to analysing a given film, and the film that we will be discussing about is The Player. Directed by Robert Altman, it is a film that delves into the inside of Hollywood workers, telling a satirical yet somewhat uncanny message on the greed and paranoia to those who work in the business. Originally written as a book of the same name by Michael Tolkin, the screen’s adaptation follows the story of Hollywood executive Griffin Mill (Tim Robbins) who has been receiving threats via postcards from an anonymous writer he rejected. Unsure of who the writer could be, Griffin suspects that it could be David Kahane (Vincent D’Onofrio), who he then murders. Filled with suspense of whether he will get caught for his actions, Griffin manages to get way with the murder and ends up having a relationship with the dead man’s girlfriend (Greta Scacchi).
From watching this film, I was able to understand a sense of the business within the film industry and how it can be very difficult to manage at times. The notion of people within the Hollywood industry having to deal with a number of clients with only limited places available. As a producer it is their duty to select the best stories to tell that will market their business, and with the industry having so much competition, the situation becomes tricky. With this idea, Robert Altman has been able to ingeniously shape this concept into a compelling narrative that explores on the exploitation of Hollywood.
One of the features that struck out to me was the cinematography, which I thought was a very intriguing element that was considered in the production. The shooting style was very unique in that it played an important role in exploring Griffin’s story. Particularly with the opening scene, it contained an 8 minute sequence that was all within the same shot. With a lot of shots capturing long sequences, it almost felt like we were watching a security camera that was following every move being made. The camera would constantly be tracking Griffin’s movements which gave a sense of the audience becoming their own detective spying on him, as they attempt to do in the film. This sort of technique gives the audience a perspective that isn’t usually seen, allowing them to get on the inside and follow the character’s footsteps.
As for my personal opinion, I really enjoyed this film and thought it was a clever and very brave idea to explore. Including cameos from several Hollywood icons like Jeff Goldblum, Julia Roberts, Bruce Willis and Cher just to name a few, the journey of seeing Griffin’s triumph is an exciting and thrilling story. Even though his actions may be questionable, we still seem to root for him.
References:
Betterteam (2019). Movie Producer Job Description. Retrieved from https://www.betterteam.com/movie-producer-job-description
Fox, K. (2007). Review: The Return of the Player by Michael Tolkin. Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2007/aug/05/fiction.features1
Ebert, R. (1992). The Player Movie Review & Film Summary (1992) | Rogerebert.com. Retrieved from: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-player-1992
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