The Parallax View
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Movie Reviews of The Parallax View
Movie Review: Another great 70s paranoia flick
Summary: 4 Stars
This movie was released as Watergate was raging and Vietnam was coming to a close so no wonder it fits in perfectly with other landmark films of the time like "Three Days of the Condor" and "The Conversation". Warren Beatty, gets involved with a conspiracy concocted by a shadowy and creepy outfit called Parallax Corporation. This film really gives you a good idea of how helpless some people must have felt during the 70s when every institution seemed to be imploding, and problems like the energy crisis, domestic/international terrorism, rampant crime, pollution (so bad that Nixon had to create the EPA), etc seemed to be dwarfing the individual. I agree with previous reviews about the chilling and eerie feel of this film, from the cold sterile corporation settings, to the Parallax Corp "test film", to the authoritarian commission handing down ridiculous decisions to a public powerless to challenge them.
While the story itself was intriguing, I felt some parts were a bit slow, some of the editing could have been better to move the film along. The acting and writing are both pretty solid. I noticed a couple of the scenes are practically homages to other films, especially the bar brawl which was quite similar to that of the excellent Western "Shane". The style and atmosphere reminded me a lot of "All The President's Men" (also directed by Pakula).
Finally, some points taken off for the DVD itself...really poor sound and to make matters worse there was no English subtitles!?! And no extras offered other than the original trailer. But with a a really good film, you don't need them that much.
Movie Review: "70's Paranoia At Its Best!
Summary: 4 Stars
"The Parallax View" remains one of the classic paranoid conspiracy thrillers of the 1970's.Released during the height of the Watergate revelations and just a few years after the assassinations of the sixties, "Parallax" played on the general public mistrust of the government, politicians and big monolithic corporations.
Director Alan Pakula ("All The President's Men") gives the film a stunning visual style (the reporter hero (Warren Beatty) is continually shown being dwarfed by the large Parallax steel and glass headquarters)and the short film Beatty is told to watch as he attempts to infiltrate the Parallax conspiracy remains one of the best moments ever in a feature film.
The quality of the DVD is superb (especially considering the film is almost 30 years old), images are sharp and clear.
However,considering the film's dense subject matter, one would have hoped Paramount would have included some additional special features (interviews with political activist Beatty, screenwriters Lorenzo Semple Jr. and David Giler; making of featurette etc).
Example: the final shooting script of "Parallax" is completely different from the original screenplay that was written by Semple; Beatty changed the character of the hero from a small town cop to an investigative reporter.
The only special feature included on the DVD is an well produced 1974 theatrical trailer.
However, the widescreen version of the film is a far improvement over the pan and scan version available on VHS.
Conspiracy buffs still find "The Parallax View" one of the best films of the genre.
Movie Review: Dated but still interesting political thriller
Summary: 4 Stars
When I first saw this film 36 years ago (yipes!), I was really knocked out by it. Although I've seen a lot of political thrillers in the years since, this film stills holds its appeal, although -- naturally -- its impact is much less than it was back then. It's decently plotted (although see below), well shot, and has Warren Beatty at the height of his stardom. It's also kind of fun to see those '70s hairstyles, clothes, and cars.
Through the perspective of the years, I can now certainly see the film's flaws. In the wake of the assassinations in the 1960s, the film had a certain resonance that, at least for me, disguised some of the implausibility of its plot. [BIG-TIME SPOILER ALERT] If you were a super-secret organization that had knocked off a Senator -- and presidential candidate -- would you call attention to the possibility of a conspiracy by knocking off all of the witnesses? None of the witnesses -- with the possible exception of the William Daniels character -- seem to suspect that anything was amiss in the original investigation of the case, so why go to the enormous trouble and risk of bumping them off? I suppose it's part of the ambience of the film that the goals and motives of the Parallax organization, or those who hire it, is never spelled out, but somehow I found that approach more unsatisfying this time around. The ending remains quite a stunner.
All in all, a film that certainly deserves a DVD reissue with a commentary track or a "making of" feature.
Movie Review: Classic Political Paranoia
Summary: 4 Stars
"The Parallax View" is perhaps the quintessential paranoid political mystery of the 1970's. The entire film is a tribute to the late director Alan J. Pakula's minimalist flair. There isn't an ounce of cinematic fat on it; no extraneous scenes, no unnecessary dialogue, no gratuitous violence (outside of a bar fight), and no distracting love interest. It's 102 minutes of tight storytelling that builds all of its suspense from the quiet accumulation of detail. Note the scene on the airplane, when the tension mounts from the simple act of a flight attendant lifting napkins off a pile. Note the central 20 minutes of the film around the justly touted brainwashing sequence, which features almost no traditional dialogue whatsoever. And note how little music there is in the film, yet how effectively it haunts you and communicates a sense of foreboding. Historians can also note the plot's not-so-thinly veiled resemblances to the Kennedy assassination.
Treat yourself to a triple-feature of "Z," "The Parallax View," and "Marathon Man" sometime. If you can watch all three paranoia classics back-to-back and still go to bed not thinking there's a government spook in your closet, my hat's off to you. You probably aren't the kind of person who enjoys those 'grassy knoll' conversations at dinner parties.
Movie Review: Totalitarianism in the free world
Summary: 4 Stars
Starts out better than it ends perhaps. I found the movie got off to good start and held a fairly good pace until after the first half of the movie. Of course the ending makes it the somewhat powerful piece that it is, but in terms of excitement the film slows way down in its last 20 minutes. People walking down hallways and hiding in the darkness seem to go on interminably. Couldn't tell if it was nail-biting tension or boredom that had set in. Other small flaws may be the occasional illogical strokes that give Frady (Beatty) entrance into the Parallax club of hired assassins. In a nutshell, it may not overly impress movie-goers richly fed on a modern movies diet, but fans of early 70s cinema and 70s political thrillers may find it worth watching. A somewhat more exciting (though not necessarily more important) film of comparable genre and time vibe might be "Black Sunday". The Parallax View is decent but not excellent in terms of entertainment value. Message-wise however it could be comparable to literary classics such as 1984 for its warning value. I think there were a lot of people who felt a particular distrust of the government (or the CIA) at the time Parallax was made (1974).