Inside the Mind and Movies of "De Palma"

Brian De Palma has directed some of the most memorable (and controversial) movies of the last 50 years. His films include Carrie, Dressed To Kill, Scarface, The Untouchables and the disastrous big-screen adaptation of Tom Wolfe's novel The Bonfire of the Vanities. De Palma is a truly visual storyteller and his stylish, twist-laden and violent thrillers often feature Hitchcockian elements, as in Dressed To Kill, Body Double and Raising Cain. Filmmakers Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow sat down with De Palma to have a wide ranging conversation about his life in movies, and the highs and lows of working in the Hollywood system. The result of the many hours of footage shot by Baumbach and Paltrow is the compelling, in-depth documentary De Palma (2015).

 

De Palma discusses his family, his younger days and how he got his start making movies. He was part of a group of talented young filmmakers who rose to prominence in the 1970s, including Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Francis Ford Coppola. It's fascinating to hear his stories about the movie business in the 1970s, when films like Taxi Driver, American Graffitti and The Godfather were changing the ways movies were made. De Palma discusses his early films, including Greetings, Hi, Mom! and Get To Know Your Rabbit, which co-starred Orson Welles. His breakthrough movie, Sisters, a dark thriller which starred Margot Kidder, was not only influenced by De Palma's hero, Alfred Hitchcock, the film's score was provided by Bernard Herrmann, who worked on a number of films with the Master of Suspense.

De Palma talks about the casting and production of Carrie, his landmark adaptation of the Stephen King novel, and how the film became a hit despite the fact that the studio cut the budget right from the start, and gave little support to the project. In fact, many of De Palma's stories are about how some of his films succeeded in spite of the interference of studio management, and others failed as a result of it, including The Bonfire of the Vanities, which became a notorious flop. He also frankly discusses the controversy regarding the amount of violence and sex contained in his films, like Scarface and Carlito's Way, and how he is often (undeservedly) tagged as a mere Hitchcock imitator, and not a talented director in his own right..

Throughout the documentary, De Palma gives a well-balanced and honest assessment of the movies in his filmography, including the cult musical Phantom of the Paradise, the underrated thrillers Blow Out and Body Double, and the darkly themed Vietnam drama, Casualties of War. He also tells some frank and entertaining anecdotes about the making of his films, and the stars he's worked with, including Cliff Robertson, John Travolta, Melanie Griffith, Al Pacino and Sean Penn. De Palma openly discusses how, after some big budget failures, including Mission To Mars, that he won't make films in Hollywood these days, and prefers to work outside the confines of the studio system. He comes across as intelligent, sharp, thoughtful and also possesses a good sense of (often self-deprecating) humor.

De Palma is a thought-provoking and insightful look at a filmmaker who has directed some of the most offbeat and intriguing thrillers of all time. Despite being knocked as a Hitchcock copycat, De Palma's films are more homage than imitation. He is a master craftsman who has directed some unforgettable sequences, such as the terror-filled prom in Carrie, and the train station shoot-out in The Untouchables. If you're a fan of behind the scenes documentaries, or have enjoyed his films, De Palma is a must see. The film is currently available to stream on multiple platforms, including Amazon Prime. Here's a look at the trailer for the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97XoMjwoZ5w.