Eastwood Movie Challenge, Week Six: The Beguiled, Play Misty For Me

[Christopher]

Eastwood mentions Fatal Attraction in the Play Misty for Me DVD documentary. I've never seen Fatal Attraction, but it was interesting to hear Clint address that movie, since the plot line is so close to Misty. He said that in that movie, the character is married, so obviously there's some wrong doing there, and liked the fact that Dave in Misty is a single guy (though he's obviously been unfaithful quite a bit to his girlfriend).

Fatal Attraction is currently on Netflix, so I might try to watch that soon, since I would be interested in see how the two movies compare. I know it's always been a pretty popular movie, so I'm sure some others here have seen the movie. Anybody a fan of it? And there's been some other movies with that basic plot line, but I know Fatal Attraction is best known.

[Matt]

Yeah, I liked Fatal Attraction. The acting is great from both Michael Douglas and Glenn Close. It's every man's worse fear put on film. You should watch it.

[Matt]

I really enjoyed Play Misty for Me. It's like a tourism film for Carmel... so gorgeous. And back then, it looks like it was so nice and quaint, and quiet. Is it still like that at all, or is it built up and a tourist mecca?

Dave has a great wardrobe. I want some of those shirts.



There was so much gold in this shot, it reminded me of Trump's NYC condo, just a touch more modest. 



But I digress...

There are a few moments that just don't seem necessary, maybe they're padding to bring it to feature length... the Monterrey Jazz Festival, and the song sequence "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face".  And speaking of that song sequence.... this looks like clover, but holy hell... that clover is about the size of her hand.



Here's one of my favorite shots ... which also takes place during that song:



The way it's shot makes it look like a 60' wall of water.

As for the story, I love it. Don't you just want to tell Dave to shut this thing down with Evelyn earlier? And he keeps going for the easy sex. Is there such a thing as casual sex? You really never know if the other person is as casual as they say they are. This story... maybe not to such a violent extreme... happens all the time.

It's great acting from Clint and Jessica Walter. Don Siegel was very good as the bartender also.

[The Schofield Kid]

It's like a tourism film for Carmel... so gorgeous. And back then, it looks like it was so nice and quaint, and quiet. Is it still like that at all, or is it built up and a tourist mecca?

My wife and I were there in May 2014. It was a Wednesday and trying to find a place to park the car was a nightmare. We went through the week to try and avoid that but it was just like a weekend. Plenty of tourist shops and not quiet at all but it was great place.

I spoke about it Here.

[Doug]

There are a few moments that just don't seem necessary, maybe they're padding to bring it to feature length... the Monterrey Jazz Festival, and the song sequence "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face".

Well, I think they use the Monterrey Jazz Festival to throw in the reference to Tobie's new roommate. I like that sequence. I'm not crazy about the other montage, but I think it was used as a shortcut to move forward Dave and Tobie's relationship. So I actually think those scenes are the opposite of padding--they're getting necessary story elements out of the way to speed up the pace.

And you can have Dave's shirts, I'll take the house. Wow, how amazing it'd be to wake up with that view everyday.

[Matt]

And you can have Dave's shirts, I'll take the house. Wow, how amazing it'd be to wake up with that view everyday.

That was Tobie's house. I never noticed the little detail in there that her father left it to her (with the payments), thus the need for all those roommates who seemed to keep leaving (she'd have to push me over the cliff to get me to leave).

I might start thrift shopping for some good 70's shirts. We'll be getting to my all time favorite wardrobe movie Thunderbolt & Lightfoot soon enough. They're awesome.

[Doug]

The picture you posted is from Dave's house. But I guess you meant the view. Maybe his house doesn't have the ocean front view...I might have assumed it did, but to be honest I'd still take Dave's place.

Anyhow, I was going to say when you talk about his story happening all the time that way back in the day maybe twenty-five years ago I'd often go over to my friend's and bring a movie and one time I brought over Play Misty for Me, and it freaked him out a bit as he'd dealt with a very similar situation. Obviously not so violent, but when Evelyn goes into his bathroom, he knew right away what was going to happen from his own experience. 

[Matt]

Yeah, I didn't think Dave had a great view... DJ's are paid just a hair over minimum wage. I figure his little pad is in someone else's backyard or something. 

[KC]

Yeah, I didn't think Dave had a great view... DJ's are paid just a hair over minimum wage.

All of which he plainly spent on his car.

[Matt]

   Yeah, what's up with that?

[Elizabeth77]

There are a few moments that just don't seem necessary, maybe they're padding to bring it to feature length... the Monterrey Jazz Festival, and the song sequence "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face".  And speaking of that song sequence.... this looks like clover, but holy hell... that clover is about the size of her hand.

No, the Monterrey Jazz Festival was not necessary in forwarding the picture.  Tobie's new roommate could have been introduced some other way, but I think you could give Play Misty for Me a secondary title and call it My (Clint's) Favorite Places.  The song sequence bothered me the first time I saw it.  I really didn't appreciate it and I could have done without it.  I still could, but I think it serves two useful purposes.  It provides us with a sense of Dave and Tobie's growing relationship and the passage of time, all without words but lots of pictures.  I think both the song sequence (which reminds me of a music video slipped into the middle of the movie) and the jazz festival serve an important part in lulling the audience into some degree of security regarding Evelyn.  After the mounting tension that came before, it has got to be done somehow.

[Matt]

I think both the song sequence (which reminds me of a music video slipped into the middle of the movie) and the jazz festival serve an important part in lulling the audience into some degree of security regarding Evelyn.  After the mounting tension that came before, it has got to be done somehow.

Yeah, that's a good point. It does release the tension that was building so that it can strike again.

[Christopher]

If anything, the jazz festival sequence might go on a little too long. Just as I was thinking it was going on a bit long, there was the bit of dialogue about Tobie's new roommate, and then it wrapped up shortly after that. But I like the sequence and wouldn't have wanted it cut, just maybe trimmed a little.

[Doug]

No, the Monterrey Jazz Festival was not necessary in forwarding the picture.  Tobie's new roommate could have been introduced some other way, but I think you could give Play Misty for Me a secondary title and call it My (Clint's) Favorite Places.

Given where we are in the movie, they would have had to invent some other scene to make the roommate reference in, and it's not just the reference to the roommate that is important but doing it in such a way for the audience not to immediately connect the new roommate to Evelyn. The jazz festival is a really good way of misdirecting the audience. Of course, the jazz festival itself isn't part of the plot.

And you're right, Clint really shows off Carmel in this film, and it's part of why the movie endures so well and gives it that special vibe.

[Doug]

Dave has a great wardrobe. I want some of those shirts.

I meant to say this before...you must really like Kramer's wardrobe in the Seinfeld show. You must be a real hipster doofus.  (I like those shirts too.)

[Matt]

Guilty as charged. 

[higashimori]

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beguiled

 "The basic desire of women to castrate men"!! so Gentlemen, Take Gard of you !! 

 I'm curious how she was if Jeanne Moreau was the headmistress Marta ?!

 

I was very shocked when I saw" The Beguiled " for the first time, a long time ago!
I received a feeling that was completely devastated by this movie! 
Because this was a totally different style of Clint's previous movies and more he was not The Good!! and was not my Hero!! 
But each time after several times I watched this becomes very interesting, very good movie! It's now one of my favorite! 

'' The Beguiled ' is a film with the terrific story of jealousy, revenge, deceit, treachery and manipulation!! 
There are lesbians, incest and a menage a trois(in the scene of a dream) there are a lot of things for 7 women and one man! 
The scene that McB killed threw a turtle Randolph of Amy was very very shocking than amputated McB's leg scene, to me!!! 
Then McB was well merited to be killed for that only, by Amy !!

It had been foretold that McB will be killed, in the theme song sung by Eastwood!... "After the dove flew away crow appears carrying the death .."
And the presence of injured wing crow that Amy has been care. That crow was hanging dead in the last scene...It must be the puppet of McB...!!  
His pale died face was terrific !!   Clint was giving a very good performance!! 
In " The Beguiled " 's opening credits feature sepia image of Civil War, the photo of first soldier in the stretcher after the photo of Lincoln, I found that it was very similar to McB!

And we can say that after the theme song sung by Clint opening and final credit, " The Beguiled " was the antiwar drama?!

[higashimori]

 

I love " Play Misty For Me "!!
There were many Clint's favorite things load in this movie!   It was nice and can breather at " The Monterey Jazz Festival " where was between Evelyn's implacable stalker!   Driving his nice car, Dave shows us the beauty of the West Coast scenery, splendor sunset and beautiful music! 
It is interesting that it was very similar with Evelyn's abnormal aggressivity and her violence attitude and the act of violence, yelling with all slang that McB suffered by Edwina in the scene of the stairs in the " The Beguiled ''!! 

[Matt]

In " The Beguiled " 's opening credits feature sepia image of Civil War, the photo of first soldier in the stretcher after the photo of Lincoln, I found that it was very similar to McB!

I thought so too! I read in Siegel's book that they just happened to find that photo, and the soldier resembled Clint so much that they used it. Wow. I thought it was him.

[palooka]

I'm now at least a week behind. PMFM done. The beguiled and Dirty Harry next.