Girl Interrupted

Sunday, October 16, 2005

[+/-] Sin City: Film Noir on Acid

by AmandaNew Post

For some (strange) reason, most of my friends seem to think that one of my favourite phrases is "Wow, that film would be so cool on acid". This film, however, is a complete trip all on its own. In fact, watching this stoned on acid would probably send you over the edge of insanity.

Its a fabulous work of cinematography - smooth-grained, rich black and white, with the most awesome use of light and shadow that I have ever seen. Its a visual orgasm, a feast for the eyes, the likes of which I have never experienced sober. Digitally overlaid colours, stark (almost luminous) whites... I couldn't take my eyes off the screen, it was so gorgeous.

Fantastically stylised violence, blood, gore, severed heads, dismembered bodies, cannabilism, carnage, child-rapists, sex, prostitution. And who would have imagined sweet little Frodo (Elijah Wood) as the utterly creepy, super-sneaky Kevin.

I can't decide whether the so-called "continuity-errors" are, in fact, a clever addition to the trippy feel of the movie. For example, when Marv is in Lucille's bathroom, he is smoking a cigarette with his right hand. When the shot widens, and he is taking his "pills", the cigarette is in his left hand. In the next shot, the cigarette is back in the right hand. In another example, in shots of Nancy dancing, she is alternately wearing (or not) gloves. Planned or not, I think these "errors" work very well.

Some trivia (from the Internet Movie Database):
  • Rumour has it that a sequel will be filmed with Johnny Depp as one of the characters (can't wait for that!!)
  • The directory (Rodriguez) resigned from the Director's Guild of America, over their refusal to allow the graphic novelist Miller to be credited as a co-director.
  • The film was shot on a completely "digital backlot" - ie, completely green-screened, with backgrounds added in post-production.
  • Apparently, Robert Rodriguez scored "Kill Bill: Vol. 2" (2004) for $1. Quentin Tarantino repayed him by directing a segment of Sin City for $1 (the scene where Dwight is driving along with the dead Jackie Boy).
  • Leonardo DiCaprio was originally up for the role of Junior but eventually declined the role, which later went to Nick Stahl (this is,like, super-weird, cause at first I thought it *was* DiCaprio).
  • Knowing the stories would have to be cut down for time, Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller shot them ("The Hard Goodbye," "The Big Fat Kill" and "That Yellow Bastard") in their entirety anyway in order to be completely faithful to the source material. The footage was also planned to be a feature in the DVD.

 
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