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The Singing DetectiveRating:
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The Singing Detective Reviews
Never bows to the common place!!
We should all be grateful to Dennis Potter, Mel Gibson, Keith Gordon and Robert Downey Jr for giving filmgoers the opportunity to see that films can be cutting-edge innovative and that they don't have to fit a formula mold. The Singing Detective probably breaks every rule critics and audiences may have in their minds about the way a film should be, but I for one didn't care - it was a stimulating and drew me into its web right from the start.
Dennis Potter wrote a rich multilayered screen play that challenges and bedevils - watching it was work and fun and joy and emotive and playful.
Mel Gibson had the smarts to know how this film should be made and chose just the right people to pull it off, including himself as Dr. Gibbon. People have commented over and over about how different Mel looks in this role, but I think Dr. Gibbon tells us a lot about who Mel Gibson actually is.
Keith Gordon worked his Fellini-like magic on the screen play and with the actors and never bowed to the common-place. If you've ever seen "Waking the Dead", his touch in TSD is so present in the nuances of the dialogue and the darkness which he imbeds into the white-bright hospital scenes. I had wondered how he would accomplish jumping back and forth from the various 'Dark' worlds, but then I noticed the small repetitions, played out verbally and visually over the course of the film.
Robert Downey Jr came roaring onto the screen creating every aspect of Dan Dark with perfection - I saw no flaws. What I did see was his uncanny ability to hold Dan Dark's lightness just deep enough under the surface for us to wonder at first whether there was hope for him. Donwey's skill with the physicality of a role was also very evident, especially during the first stages of Dan's illness and in the scene where in a scene with his mother.
The dialogue is witty but sometimes Dan is hard to understand because of his infirmity - the DVD has English subtitles if that's a problem. Although I must say that as the film progressed, I realized it didn't seem to matter that I was missing a little dialogue here and there - the physical story telling took center stage a lot and as I said before themes were revisited to draw the collage together. In the end I knew exactly what had been said intuitively.
A big plus is Keith Gordon's commentary. One disappointment - I wanted Dan Dark to sing and dance more, but I know that wasn't the way to go.
I'm very clear that this rare breed of film should be revisited to get the full impact of its message of suffering, healing, love and redemption, so for me, buying it was a must. You have to be willing to jump into the film - get in the middle it. Besides wrongly holding TSD up against the mini-series, perhaps some of the harsher reviews are coming from those who subconsciously refused to take the plunge into Dan's world. It's a pretty organic piece that deserves full tilt participation, if you want to experience its complete message - if you want to find more than clues.
See The Singing Detective with no preconceived notions and the desire to evolve your thinking about the anatomy of a film and you will have a jolly good time and maybe learn something about yourself too.
Fabulous! Am I right or am I right?!
Next to "Chaplin", this is Robert Downey, Jr.'s finest performance ever! He shines in this role! I love everything about The Singing Detective!! It has everything: comedy, drama, song and dance numbers. I have seen this film 8 times (four times in the theatre, twice in Chicago where I saw Robert receive a career achievement award from the film festival there) and get something different from it each time. The rest of the cast is brilliant and they all add their own little flair to this clever film. Adrian Brody and Jeremy Northam are particular stand-outs for me. I love to watch Downey's interaction with his hallucinations and co-stars. Too say that this movie is a trip is a compliment. It is A TRIP!!!!! I never once thought "Are we there yet?" and when we were there I didn't want to leave the car. I was like a little kid in a candy store with this film, and there was plenty of candy.
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