Re: Raoul Walsh
Posted: December 2nd, 2013, 7:14 pm
I must have drank too much homemade egg nog because your expounding on my riff on Greek Tragedy makes me sound like a genius Jaxxxon.
You’re right, there’s often the “rise and fall” element in the gangsta journey and “White Heat” is no different. They all have trusted lieutenants, no? I’m thinking of Eddie G. with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. in “Little Caesar.” But Fairbanks wanted nothing to do with being that close to "the power." He'd rather dance with Glenda Farrell. Whoa, Icarus??? You ARE pulling out the big guns. Cody’s hubris is getting him into big trouble. It’s a train wreck. He even brings in a Trojan horse to help with our Grecian metaphor. His men follow him blindly. They obviously think Cody is smarter than they, and he is. He just doesn’t use his smarts for good. I’m loving Steve Cochran making some type of bid for power. He obviously got Virginia Mayo to bump off Ma: ( “I did it for you.” ) There are definitely cracks in the wall around Cody.
I’ve got to see “Roaring Twenties” again. You and I talked a little about it re: Cagney and Priscilla Lane. I’ve got to see that play out again and how Cagney, not wanting to face a reality ( “She’s just not that into you...” ) goes down a wrong path. D’ya think Boetticher explores Greek tragedy issues too in his westerns. I’m thinking of “The Westerner” ??? Is that with Gary Cooper and Lee J. Cobb ( not a Boetticher film, I know. Westerns are jumbled in my brain. )
Dionysian vs. Apollonian. You’re on fyahhhhh! Your essay is a fantastic read. And you’ve given me even more food for thought! Who says you can’t learn nuthin’ from movies....
You’re right, there’s often the “rise and fall” element in the gangsta journey and “White Heat” is no different. They all have trusted lieutenants, no? I’m thinking of Eddie G. with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. in “Little Caesar.” But Fairbanks wanted nothing to do with being that close to "the power." He'd rather dance with Glenda Farrell. Whoa, Icarus??? You ARE pulling out the big guns. Cody’s hubris is getting him into big trouble. It’s a train wreck. He even brings in a Trojan horse to help with our Grecian metaphor. His men follow him blindly. They obviously think Cody is smarter than they, and he is. He just doesn’t use his smarts for good. I’m loving Steve Cochran making some type of bid for power. He obviously got Virginia Mayo to bump off Ma: ( “I did it for you.” ) There are definitely cracks in the wall around Cody.
Maybe that’s why watching the news doesn’t bother me when I see certain politicos go down boneheaded paths. The thrust of the story is watching what NOT to do. I see it in movies all the time. Those blinding headaches of Cody’s is also a metaphor for how blind Cody is. He can’t see one of his henchmen making moves, he can’t see that Fallon is disingenuous. There are none so blind...It's fated that Cody will go down, but the how and why of it is what we want to see.
I’ve got to see “Roaring Twenties” again. You and I talked a little about it re: Cagney and Priscilla Lane. I’ve got to see that play out again and how Cagney, not wanting to face a reality ( “She’s just not that into you...” ) goes down a wrong path. D’ya think Boetticher explores Greek tragedy issues too in his westerns. I’m thinking of “The Westerner” ??? Is that with Gary Cooper and Lee J. Cobb ( not a Boetticher film, I know. Westerns are jumbled in my brain. )
Dionysian vs. Apollonian. You’re on fyahhhhh! Your essay is a fantastic read. And you’ve given me even more food for thought! Who says you can’t learn nuthin’ from movies....