Speaking of good little films applying humor and/or satire to
the HB/Noi=
r
world, there was one deserving a better attention that what
it received
when distributed in 1994: Clean Slate.
It is probably not in the same vein as Zero Effect (that I
didn't see) bu=
t
it carries a wild taste of satire of all the clich=E9s of the
genre, with=
out
destroying it. It's not a great film that renovated the HB PI
genre, neit=
her
a great piece of film direction... but IMO it has its
merits.
Imagine a PI struck by amnesia, obliged to investigate a
crime case he
forgot and in which he is a key whiteness... and not even
remembering who=
he
is himself. Everything narrated with exaggerated traits and
humor.
It is not meant for big laughs, but it has its moments, and I
think it wi=
ll
be even more funny for the HB/Noir aficionados, as they will
be more at e=
ase
to detect the allusions and clich=E9s than the average
viewer.
Watch carefully the story... as you will discover it only at
the same tim=
e
as the memoryless PI do.
The script is a technical gem *by its construction*, juggling
with logic,
time and continuity. Dana Carvey playing the PI is the loony
needed for
this role.
And watch the small dog, the incredible eye-patched Baby
(played by Barkl=
ey)...
A good satirical comedy, even if not a top one.
Directed by : Mick Jackson
Written by: Robert King
E.Borgers
Hard-Boiled Mysteries
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/6384
#
# To unsubscribe, say "unsubscribe rara-avis" to
majordomo@icomm.ca.
# The web pages for the list are at http://www.vex.net/~buff/rara-avis/.