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Ok, I just rented Vanishing Point based on my roommate's constant raves about it. Well, I'll be the first to admit that I just don't get it.
I've read other comments alluding to its allegorical Christian and post-60s subtexts. Fine. But for a film to work metaphorically, it needs to work on a literal level. What we have here are details that don't make much sense. Does Kowalski really hear Cleavon Little in his mind, or the radio? (It's hard to believe that a Denver radio station's output can reach all the way to Nevada.) What's with the racist attack on Little at the station? (The bluntedly obvious irony of the attack juxtaposed with a "Love Everyone" tune aside, the purpose of the scene failed to enlighten me or propel the story.) What's with the choir in the desert? What's with the naked chick??? And all the flashbacks and police reports didn't tell me a whole lot about what makes this guy tick. What is the point of this movie??? That men desire the open desert road with no societal restrictions??? Don't stop the presses...
Anyway, like I said, I'm probably not tuned in to its message (I never cared for Easy Rider, either.) Vanishing Point was made three years before I was born, and perhaps I needed to have experienced the era to appreciate something like this (this may be why I adore Almost Famous, Dazed and Confused, and Woodstock so much for their nostalgia purposes - jeez, how much do I wish my parents conceived me twenty years earlier!) I do, however, admire the filmmaking techniques of this time, especially the downbeat endings (I'm a big fan of They Shoot Horses, Don't They), which is why I saw the crash coming from so far away, I had time to trim my nails and read my EW.
Cool car, though.
So, if somebody can clue me in, drop me a line. In the meantime, I'll just keep spinning my Zeppelin and Who CDs, and remember a past for which I wasn't present.
3/10
score 3/10
FeverDog 19 May 2001
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw0119855/ |
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30-11-2019 10:08:43
