Absence of Malice (1981) Retrospective
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- Опубликовано: 17 июн 2023
- George discuss Sydney Pollack's film "Absence of Malice" with a special emphasis on the film's portrayal of the press and romantic relationships.
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Absence of Malice is hands down my favorite movie. Good writing, good acting, good story, and a brilliant ending. One of Newman's best performances.
The first time that I saw "Absence of Malice" was a few years after it's release on HBO. Once the movie started, I was hooked, and I still find the story riveting.
Great video, as always! Hadn't seen this one until you mentioned it in a previous video but really enjoyed it! It never gets old seeing how few things change over time as you so astutely point out regarding our news and media industry.
Always appreciate that
Good insights to a classic 80's drama.
Thanks so much!
Hey George. First time watcher. Really great video. Will rewatch this one with new perspective.
Really appreciate that professor!
Glad to see this much underrated movie getting some attention. I must say that Newman's revenge is the single most satisfying act of revenge I've seen on screen. I can't say I buy all the additional stuff about feminism but then its been a years since I've seen it. I think Newman's characters problem with Sally Field's character was based on what she did not necessarily related to her being a feminist. And since he has strong relationships with other female characters in the story I don't think he can be labeled as misogynist.
I don’t think it would be fair either- just trying to represent all potential sides of the argument. To me Newman’s character is basically a total alpha male worthy of adoration.
I love how he turns the tables on everyone who caused him harm, hurt his business and ultimately led to the death of his dearest friend. He manipulated them and caused the final meeting and showdown. Brilliantly played by the Gallagher character and acted by Newman....
Thank you for another very thoughtful and thorough review. Looking back at the early 1980's American films, it seems to be that they were trying to deal with complex issues in a more even handed way. Unfortunately this period didn't really survive beyond 1983 due to the relative commercial failure of films like 'Under Fire'. The American film industry then seemed to re-trench and be more cautious.
One of my top 3 favorite movies
What are the other 2?
@@FilmJournal Papillion & the other one changes depending on my mood.... Maybe Syriana, Apocalypse Now, a few others I really like
Great retrospective
Thanks man!
I love this movie , profoundly Change my perspective of the media , what's accurate, but what's fact.
I've been passively avoiding this because I just thought it looked too dry... think I was confusing it with Norma Rae or something LOL. 5min into your vid and I'm having foaming at the mouth to watch the movie... great first 5min movie looks awesome, love Pollack
I actually liked Norma Rae- total propaganda, but they did it better back then.
Fantastic film and great breakdown. Wilford Brinkley should have won a best supporting actor Oscar for his 5-minute cameo. He stole the entire film, and he stole it from Paul friggin’ Newman!
Haha he is amazing in it!
His Postmaster General Henery Atkins on Seinfeld was based on his performance in Absence of Malice. Just as brilliant, just as scary. He was also incredibly good in a similarly scary role as Bill Devasher head of security for The Firm. Brimley could steal a film in a few minutes.
Some interesting perspectives. In my opinion Woodward and Bernstein should be commended for being tenacious on the Watergate scandal, but both their novel and the movie “All the President’s Men” greatly exaggerated the WaPo’s internal resistance to their quest. Ben Bradlee HATED Nixon and authorized an unusually large investment in time and money to allow the reporters to chase down the story. Today’s media relies way too much on anonymous sources which I believe is one of the negative consequences of the Watergate story. Changing the subject, that climax scene with Wilford Brimley is one of the best “revenge” scenes in modern cinema. Finally, Sally Field’s range to play different types of women was quite evident.
Damn Good movie, damn good video, another movie that touches on this. Is called Street Smart with Christopher Reeve. Morgan Freeman.
Russel Brand should be playing the lead in the sequel
👍
Isn't one of the targets of the film the legal fact that if you can prove your statement, however untrue or wrong, wasn't done maliciously, the victim had no comeback?
Yeah- kind of wild. I don’t know how you can prove you did something “without malice” seems like an insane standard. I took a first amendment class in college. I like the idea that you can say wild shit about people who are public figures (politicians etc.) the assumption being that they have a larger platform/ access to a public forum to defend themselves. But- figuring out who qualifies as a public figure is more difficult.
It's not accurate to say this is a romantic comedy. It is an indictment of prosecutors and the press. There is nothing genuine about their relationship, except her naïveté about his motives. Pollock was smart to let the audience in on that. it portends the end of the movie perfectly.
I laughed at times!
Great retrospective. I really wanted to enjoy this movie, but Sally Field is just too unlikable.
100% agree her character was a bitch kinda of got mad at paul newman's character when he got with her although i did always think he was just using her which is a deserving thing although i think the guy in the video is trying to defend her more than she deserved
Interesting, I thought this video would get me labeled a sexist. She's a character with no real agency- climbing the status ladder because she's been told to.
Her ambition leads her to make ethically questionable decision to write the initial article. But later he decision to write the second article clearing Gallagher's name causes the suicide of Gallagher's close friend.
Gidget? Unlikable?
Way too many woke code words in this video, including "patriarchal".
This is what happens when a kid educated in modern schools tries to interpret movies that are well-written and acted.
Unless a movie pushes wokesters buttons, it is totally incomprehensible to them.
It’s rather incomprehensible to me how often boomer Cons interpret my work as left wing. When did I offer a value judgment of “patriarchy”? Maybe I think Patriarchal norms are good.