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The Black Dahlia
The Black Dahlia is a detective fantasy on the famous 1947 very gruesome murder of the then 22 year old Elizabeth Short in Los Angeles . It is a case that has often caught people's imaginations. There are dozens of websites dealing with the facts of this case, and it would appear that the police are no closer to figuring out who actually committed the crime now then they were when the crime originally occurred. This version is based on James Elroy's novel, he also wrote the novel that the movie L. A. Confidential was based on. It is an interesting case and in a strange twist many people through the years have confessed to have been the person who committed the murder, though none have really panned out as such.
The movie was directed by Brian De Palma. I am a huge fan of his movie Blow Out and almost anything he directs is worth sitting down and watching. The first thing that struck me about this film is why there is there a cigarette in almost every scene. I would love to sit through this movie with a clicker and count the number of scenes that have a cigarette in them. I think every character smokes, at least it felt that way. I noticed this about one third of the way through the film and afterwards this became very annoying. I felt like I was being preached at. It made you wonder who financed the film, Phillip Morris? I do not think it added anything to the plot or to the atmosphere, in fact it was so heavy handed that I think it actually distracted from the movie in a big way. It is possible on this earth to make a film where no one smokes or at least to keep it to a believable percentage of screen time. This was ridiculous, and I want it to stop NOW.
The movie is well acted though I found the plot to be very confusing towards the end of the movie and not all that interesting in the wrap-up, even though there is one gross-out visual effect towards the end showing the murder that will put a jolt through you. I have not read the book on which the film was based which may have helped decipher (or care about) this plot. You should not have to read a book to enjoy a movie. If you do then there is a problem with the movie. Also De Palma may have painted himself into a corner by having to stay true to his source material instead of giving the film a more natural feeling conclusion. Hilary Swank puts in a great performance, even though I kept looking at her makeup and wondering if that was really her with all that large black hair. Scarlett Johansson looks stunning but is not given a lot of chances to strut what she is capable of doing. The scenes that show Mia Kirshner as Elizabeth Short in short black and white reels as she tries out for various film parts before she was murdered are the highlight of the movie and give a much needed poignancy to the film. The movie does have some interesting De Palma type touches (which I will let you find out for yourself), and the decoration of the sets was done with apparent love and care (as was the smoking). I loved the sets and the way De Palma used them in the movie. The cinematography is never less than very well done, always a pleasing touch to find. But overall I was disappointed with this; maybe it was all that, cough, cough, cigarette smoke.
You can write James Harper at movielover77061@yahoo.com |
