Devil Doll

(people are talking at the party. That’s about it.)
Crow: This thing is miked like an Altman film!

You can’t bloody well hear what they’re saying. I tried listening in about five times; couldn’t do it. The only way I realized that that German lady was a prostitute was when Mike and the ‘Bots said something about it. The fact that you can’t hear what the hell the principal players at the party are saying, while you can hear every surrounding extra, is why Crow alluded to Robert Altman. Altman did his sound skillfully, and had a reason to include surrounding dialogue; I can only guess Devil Doll does it because they have cheap sound equipment. Altman has made several classic films, including but not limited to, M*A*S*H, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, and Nashville. I think the first film I ever saw of his was Gosford Park, which I loved, not only because of its cast, but also because of the dialogue. I came out of this movie not fully knowing who everyone was or their relationship with one another, but I kept thinking that I would have loved to follow these characters around and listen to their conversations. Despite his smashing credits, Altman’s never won a Best Directing Oscar. He was last up for in 2001, but lost to Ron Howard for A Beautiful Mind. I’m a bit at a loss for debating whether this was deserved or not, because I really, really liked A Beautiful Mind. While Howard probably should have won an Oscar for Apollo 13, why didn’t Altman win for any of the above classics? Argh. In any case, he did get an honorary Oscar in 2006 (in his speech he famously admitted to having open heart surgery only a year or two before). His last film was A Prairie Home Companion, based on the NPR radio show; it's an amazing movie in itself, but bittersweet in that Altman died a few months after his release. He's one of my favorite directors; I've never seen an Altman film that didn't entertain me (and I've seen Ready to Wear).


(while the German lady is talking, Mike and the ‘bots hum a tune)

The song they’re humming is actually “Lili Marlene”, a German song popular during World War I, and made famous by Marlene Dietrich. The first line is, “Underneath the lantern, by the barrack gates,” which I know because I saw Cher sing it during “The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour” before Harvey Korman (dressed as a Nazi soldier) interrupts her. The song, as sung by Marlene Dietrich, is actually very nice. However, I don’t believe that it was sung in one of her movies, although it was played in the background during a scene between her and Spencer Tracy in Judgment in Nuremberg. But she did make a lot of films to be sure, the most famous one without a doubt being Blue Angel, in which she sings “Falling in Love Again” (which is the song that blonde lady is moaning in Overdrawn at the Memory Bank). She famously disliked Loretta Young, once remarking "Every time she sins, she builds a church. That's why there are so many Catholic churches in Hollywood." Despite being from Germany, she played a big part in the World War II USO tour (the soldiers liked to see her trademark legs). She was very patriotic in another way too—she’s said to have slept with three Kennedy’s in her lifetime—Joseph Kennedy, and his sons John F. Kennedy and Joe Jr. Good for her.


(shot of Hugo in the back of the car)
Mike: Al Pacino!

Once again, Al Pacino’s stature is being made fun of. Well, Pacino is a highly respected actor, having been in such classics as the Godfather trilogy, Dog Day Afternoon, and Serpico. An interesting question that continuously comes up between film and/or Godfather buffs is the question, “Who do you like more, Al Pacino or Robert De Niro?” or “Who’s the better actor, Al Pacino or Robert De Niro?” While I don’t really like questions like the latter, I would say that I like Robert De Niro—he doesn’t overact as much as Pacino; there’s a quiet dignity to him (when he’s at his best) whereas Pacino acts like a demonic hummingbird most the time. To each his own, really.