70s/80s Film
American Graffiti (1973) IMDb
Directed by: George Lucas
(Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul le Mat, Charlie Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Philips)
Paper Moon (1973) IMDb
Directed by: Peter Bogdanovich
(Ryan O'Neal, Tatum O'Neal, Madeline Kahn, John Hillerman)
Empire of the Sun (1987) IMDb
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
(Christian Bale, John Malkovich, Miranda Richardson, Nigel Havers, Joe Pantoliano)
Other noteworthy films along the same lines:
Les 400 Coups (1959) IMDb
, with the young Jean-Pierre Léaud not looking totally dissimilar to the young Christian Bale.
El Bola (2000)
Matewan (1987) IMDb
Directed by: John Sayles
(Chris Cooper, James Earl Jones, Kevin Tighe, Mary McDonnell, Will Oldham, David Strathairn, Ken Jenkins, Gordon Clapp, Nancy Mette, Jace Alexander, Josh Mostel, John Sayles, Bob Gunton, Gary McCleery, Joe Grifasi)
I am going to nick someone else's analogy as I think it's marvellous, and that is comparing Chris Cooper's role in this film to Gary Cooper's in High Noon.
Like that film, there is the tremendous feeling of time ticking away, and although this is not done overtly, the tension and ominousness lives in every scene.
The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989) IMDb
Directed by: Steve Kloves
(Jeff Bridges, Michelle Pfeiffer, Beau Bridges, Ellie Raab, Jennifer Tilly)
Sex, Lies and Videotape (1989) IMDb
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
(James Spader, Andie MacDowell, Peter Gallagher, Laura San Giacomo, Ron Vawter, Steven Brill)
Firstly, to clear up the initial and very fair misconception, this is not along the lines of Last Tango in Paris.
It is a film about sex, yes, but there is no nudity, yet it does warrant its 18 certificate. How so? Because this is an effective and in depth portrayal of the complexities of sexual relationships and the emergent characters from these situations.
It is hard to imagine the film's success without James Spader as the intriguing near-stranger with so much more just under the surface. It's also kind of interesting to watch this and think that 13 years later he would make Secretary.
