I happened upon this film as an upload on YouTube, scrolling through movie lists from the 70's, trying to time travel back to a slice of my childhood. It was a cold, overcast gray, and rainy day, and I decided to watch Play It As It Lays without knowing anything going in and it blew me completely out of the water.
It's been almost a week since I've seen it and I'm still unable to shake it from my thoughts. This is remarkable filmmaking. This film made me uncomfortable, it made me think, it made me anxious, and it made me desperately sad for Maria (Weld). Her attempts to piece together memories of her parents, the subtle lies she tells her daughter, her matter-of-fact attitude about the absurdity of life, and her inability and/or unwillingness to "fit in" with the crowd, my goodness that hit me hard.
Also, it should be mentioned: Tammy Grimes was absolutely indelible in every scene she was in, voraciously consuming the screen, line by line, all the way down to her final scream. She was marvelous.
Modern day Hollywood studios and directors could never imagine being able to get away with making a film of this caliber today. I dare anyone to even try. They would be laughed out of the room.
I loved this film. The nostalgic stickiness of it, the cinematography, the dialog, the editing. Everything. I haven't read Didion's book, but now I think I never will. Tuesday Weld and Anthony Perkins encapsulated whatever the book may have been perfectly for me and I don't want to ruin that. This is a film that deserves all the praise and high ratings it receives. I feel like I found a treasure.
It's been almost a week since I've seen it and I'm still unable to shake it from my thoughts. This is remarkable filmmaking. This film made me uncomfortable, it made me think, it made me anxious, and it made me desperately sad for Maria (Weld). Her attempts to piece together memories of her parents, the subtle lies she tells her daughter, her matter-of-fact attitude about the absurdity of life, and her inability and/or unwillingness to "fit in" with the crowd, my goodness that hit me hard.
Also, it should be mentioned: Tammy Grimes was absolutely indelible in every scene she was in, voraciously consuming the screen, line by line, all the way down to her final scream. She was marvelous.
Modern day Hollywood studios and directors could never imagine being able to get away with making a film of this caliber today. I dare anyone to even try. They would be laughed out of the room.
I loved this film. The nostalgic stickiness of it, the cinematography, the dialog, the editing. Everything. I haven't read Didion's book, but now I think I never will. Tuesday Weld and Anthony Perkins encapsulated whatever the book may have been perfectly for me and I don't want to ruin that. This is a film that deserves all the praise and high ratings it receives. I feel like I found a treasure.