this film would have been MUCH better.
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anthonycashmere — 12 years ago(July 25, 2013 05:07 PM)
DarthBill,
Yes, yes, yes, no other actress, could have played that role, except Nancy Allen. She is beautiful, and talented. That role was made for her. She is the only one to be able to play that part!!!
Anthony Cashmere
It isn't fair, using the living, to bring back the dead!!!-THE SCREAMING SKULL -
moviemadness2012 — 12 years ago(December 14, 2013 10:40 AM)
Both actresses were well-cast and both characters were well-played. Angie Dickinson is great as the seductive, sexually unfulfilled woman while showing great silent film acting in those famous early scenes with no dialogs. Nancy Allen may not as skillful as an actress but she is well cast. There are many scenes of her being dishonest and deceitful, such as lying to the detective, pretending to be a patient to get in to the doctor's office, and pretending to seduce him, etc. Her lack of acting skills actually makes her more believable in showing to the audience that she doesn't say or act what she means to say or do. When she says her lines or does something with her body, it seems forced and artificial. But that's the point! She is often less than truthful and honest. Brian de Palma wrote the part specifically for her probably because of this.
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PrometheusTree64 — 12 years ago(December 15, 2013 01:54 PM)
The OP was talking about Nancy Allen, and I, too, didn't think she was too good in this (I keep thinking of Goldie Hawn not because I'm a Goldie fan, but I just don't like Allen's performance).
Angie, on the other hand, is just fine.
I do think this films suffers from Nancy Allen's acting, a sometimes inappropriate music score, and that late-'70s fetishy flavor (which can be both good and bad).
The result is a film that feels like a soft-core satire.
Non-sequiturs are delicious. -
moviemadness2012 — 12 years ago(December 29, 2013 10:15 AM)
Even in a nightmare it would be hard to believe that big Dr. Elliott could fit into the petite nurse's formfitting uniform and small shoes.
In a nightmare or a dream, anything can happen. Think of the dreams you once had, which had made-up places, people, and scenarios. -
moviemadness2012 — 12 years ago(December 29, 2013 12:29 PM)
It's not tacked on at all. The film opens with a dream, so fittingly it ends with one.
Light-hearted scenes serve to relax you before another scary scene.
You assume the nurse is smaller than the doctor. There are big women too. -
moviemadness2012 — 12 years ago(December 29, 2013 02:00 PM)
This is a woman who is having some emotional crises for which she needs psychiatric help, so her having nightmares at the beginning is not tacked on at all, but necessary.
There seems to be a lot of things in the film you don't like: the opening dream, the closing dream, the scenes between the call girl and the boy, and even the doctor's shoe size! Is there anything you DO like? -
PrometheusTree64 — 12 years ago(December 29, 2013 07:49 PM)
My
problems with the movie are (and have always been) Nancy Allen, the score which is sometimes effective but sometimes inappropriate, the late-'70s fetish-y softcore flavor, some dumbish dialogue ("I can tell by the size of that."), Angie's dubbed screams provided by someone else's voice, and the resultant cartoon-y quality all of the above mars the picture with.
Otherwise, I'm fine with it.
Non-sequiturs are delicious. -
moviemadness2012 — 12 years ago(December 30, 2013 10:07 AM)
My problems with the movie are (and have always been) Nancy Allen
I said in my earlier post that perhaps the director intentionally cast an inexperienced actress so that her behavior would appear forced and artificial, which is fitting for those scenes where she has to lie and pretend.
the late-'70s fetish-y softcore flavor
Angie Dickinson's character is a sexually-unfulfilled woman. The film depicts her thoughts and actions, which often revolve around sex. The opening dream depicts her sexual frustration. The museum scene depicts her sexual yearning, and so forth. These highly cinematic sequences are no way close to resembling a "softcore" film.
Angie's dubbed screams provided by someone else's voice
That's a typical filmmaking technique: to create a disembodied voice that befits a dream sequence.
The two of you, like so many average filmgoers, has a fundamental lack of cineliteracy that makes you unable to appreciate the artistic qualities of a great film. -
moviemadness2012 — 12 years ago(December 30, 2013 01:03 PM)
And will you kindly acquire some basic film knowledge? Here is a book I suggest : "Understanding Movies" by Louis Giannetti,
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Movies-Edition-Louis-Giannetti/dp/ 0130408131
. This would be the best penny you would ever spend. It is written for general readers (though some schools use it as a textbook), and it breaks down the basic elements of film art and helps you form sound opinions about films. By calling "Dressed to Kill" a "softcore" film, by having an opinion that is so completely off-based, you showed that you are FAR from being informed regarding the aesthetics of film. I would recommend this book to practically anyone who watches a lot of movies.