- What similarities do you see between Carpenter's depiction of the behind-the-scenes world of country music and behind-the-scenes in Hollywood?
- How is celebrity viewed by Carpenter? Can you make connections between celebrity in Carpenter and in Taxi Driver?
- Maury Dann (Rick Torn) is another in a long line of Hollywood Renaissance anti-heroes. Why is the anti- (or simply flawed) hero so integral to these movies? What is it about this time period that made these heroes so prevalent?
Monday, December 5, 2016
Payday and The Hollywood Renaissance
Don Carpenter wrote the screenplay for Payday (1973, directed by Daryl Duke). Although it's a film about the country music industry, I would like you to make connections between this film and The Hollywood Trilogy.
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The connections I see between the world of country music and Hollywood, mainly come from the abuse of drugs and alcohol. After each performance Maury Dann and his crew would go back stage and gamble there earnings, while indulging in there sweet alcohol and drugs. Sex is another thing that correlates between the country and Hollywood genre. Compared to classical films these new motion pictures have no shame when displaying acts of sex. Celebrity's are usually worshiped or even looked up to when comparing the Taxi Driver to Carpenters. For instance both Maury Dann and the president elect were both loved by society, based on there prior acts within the community.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest similarity between Carpenter's depiction of the behind-the-scenes world of country music and behind-the-scenes in Hollywood is the fact that meeting your heroes seems to be the biggest depressor out there. What I mean by this is that each industry has two sides, the fluffy glamour that is shown on scene and described near with development of the final product and the drug fueled, aggressive, time constraint-ed mess of the development near the beginning and middle of the product.
ReplyDeleteCelebrity is viewed with that same lens, on camera, the actors are professional, they're light and fun and everyone wnatsto be around them. BUt take away that camera and they become who they really are, be that either the same (which is rare) or the more snobbish and entitled men and women we make fun of in spoof/sketches/skits. The celebrity in Carpenter and in Taxi Driver are similar because they either only surround themselves with a few people or are isolated entirely.
The anti-(or simply flawed) hero so integral to the Hollywood Renaissance because the renaissance resonates with exploring the individual and how the psyche of a character can build a world just as good (if not better). An anti-(or simply flawed) hero feels more real and in that same breath almost connects with the audience more as their decisions are more sporadic and reaction based than actions simply on a script.
The world of country music is similar to the world of behind-the-scenes Hollywood in the sense that both are centered around drugs, and sex. We can see women being taken advantage of in both this film, and The Hollywood Trilogy. I think that Carpenter views celebrities in a sense that while they are up front in your face, everyone flocking to them, in love/obsessed with them, they aren't always the best people.. Many of them are struggling with their own demons, and taking advantage of one another, social climbing. I think that this time period had a lot of people exploring the darker side of life, the life that involved sex, drugs, music and fame. Due to this a lot of the main characters in the novels or books during this time period are anti-heroes, they are the center of attention without being at all a typical hero, they lack heroic attributes.
ReplyDeleteI think in some ways Carpenter was ahead of his time. Raymond Carver would become famous just a few years after he killed himself and then many American writers, influenced by Carver, would write stories that seem a lot like Carpenter, stories that critics called "dirty realism." Stories about no-good drunks who lived in crappy motel rooms.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I love about Carpenter's stories is that he's not afraid to give us the banal storyline. Like when Maury stops by WHHY radio and that whole conflict between him and the DJ. It's so banal, but it's also pretty engaging. Maury has to pretend to care about "the good folk" the DJ is talking about and the DJ is trying to get what he wants by threatening not to play Dann's records.
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ReplyDeleteConsidering that Don Carpenter wrote the screenplay for this movie and wrote the novels, I see many similarities. His viewpoints on both the Hollywood industry and country music industry both show the negative aspects of what both industries can have on the people that are involved with it. In both plots you see that the celebrity is known as the "Big Man" or someone that everyone looks up to. They are naturally charming and can pretty much please whomever they want. As far as celebrity goes in Taxi Driver and Carpenter's work, I see that they were very admirable however, if someone was effected because of them, they were viewed as targets. I've noticed that this particular time period, anti-heroes were very common. I believe it was because they wanted to be more abstract and venture into unfamiliar characters. It gives the audience more of a realistic aspect by showing that not all people are your typical hero.
ReplyDeleteThe movie is shot in 'the country' so the country music adds to the theme. Hollywood Trilogy has relations with country music because country music is usually connected with abusing hard drugs and alcohol and it adds a kind of twist that that is whats going on. Carpenter looked up too Celebrity and found Celebrity very admirable. Many of them feel alone, like Travis in Taxi Driver he had heroic characteristics but he himself, didn't feel whole.
ReplyDeleteThe similarities between Carpenter's depiction of the Hollywood behind the scenes world and the behind the scenes of the Country Music industry is the realistic and graphic presentation. As someone not attached to either world, all you see is the glitz and glamour manufactered. But these "celebrities" are just as human as we are and the realm (Hollywood or Country scene) in which they have been invited into is a haven for all types of behavior mostly illegal and inappropriate. It accurately displays the highs and the lows. I do appreciate Carpenter's preference to paint the entire character. He might start in the middle or even at the end but all his characters have a story to tell and does it so vividly...
ReplyDeletePayday and the Maury Dann character played by Rip Torn, Portrays the outlaw type in the country music element. I remember hearing that Dan is reminiscent of Hank Williams. But i see some Waylon Jennings and some of Elvis Presley. Both men were outlaws anti-establishment across the board. Maury Dann was different he was selfish, uncaring but having a vulnerable side to him. Anti-hero in the long line of the Hollywood Renaissance shows the audience how anti-hero is flawed and not prefect by any means. heroes are portrayed as perfection not making any mistakes and some standards bland. Payday shows the imperfections of anti-hero such as when Maury Dann stabs the drunk heckler at the restaurant. A hero would have walked away or take the drunkard with one punch. But Dann took the dirty route and stabbed the man not caring at all. It's doing things there own way without any moral justifications for the actions it why audience can identify with the anti-hero.
ReplyDeleteThe connections seen with country music as well as Hollywood all seem to stand the same. The men are seen as womanizing tools who get what they want all while abusing drugs and alcohol. The women are seen as very seductive and slutty, doing whatever they can to make it to the spotlight as well as abusing drugs and alcohol. People will do whatever it takes to be known and if it means going to the extreme, rest assure they will do that. Hollywood is seen to have many cocky individuals who will do anything to be known even if it involves scandalism.
ReplyDeleteThe only similarities I've noticed between Carpenters depiction of the behind the scenes of country music and the behind the scenes of Hollywood is the drug and alcohol usage, the power plays pulled by the artist and the rampant sex that seems to happen pretty casually. I would of course include rape, and sexual assault/manipulation added to the mix. I believe the drug and alchohol usage to be almost basic knowledge. today all our films that portray Hollywood include a "real nice girl" that's down to snort some coke or bag a body. And the girl in question has always been raped or manipulated and her story starts there. rape is normalized expected and in payday, two women are raped and made to seem like the most unimportant thing that could have happened. the women themselves just seem to accept it. personally I think that speaks to the power that the men hold in these situations. these women seem to think that just going with the flow of things and shutting their mouths about it seem to be the only way to go about it.
ReplyDeletecelebrity, fame seems to come explicitly from notorious circumstances.
UGH!!!!! I hate the fact that there are sooo many movies having to deal with this kind of man! Yes, we can see him as flawed and yes we can see him as sad & complicated but to do so, I think, would simply be glamorizing them and giving them more time and attention than they actually deserve. I suspect that the only reason why Maury Dann ever even struck gold and became famous is because the standards were low. We can obviously see that this man does not amount to anything outside of the stage so then why would i believe that his talent is genuine? I think that the difference between Maury Dann, Marlowe, and Travis Bickle is that the last two contributed something more. There was something that they both did which you can at the end at least say "well ok they are flawed but they did this good thing". Maury Dann did nothing. He is nothing. He contributed nothing towards the bigger picture.
ReplyDelete