It’s a hot night. I’ve had a long day.
So it’s time for more work on my 8th ongoing project. Here’s just a taste. I love this movie. And God, do I love his face.
And. What might be my favorite slap in all of movie history. Or, I should say, three slaps – in quick succession. Watch the clip (if you haven’t seen the movie, there is a spoiler therein). The slaps are vicious, real, sudden – It’s thrilling acting.
This is a movie that is on my Top 20 Must-See of all time. It’s funny, Holden’s character is a sharp trader, a guy who provides the services and commodities that aren’t available through regular channels. Although there is grousing about the outrageous prices, he still has plenty of customers. He’s not selling needs; he’s selling luxuries. As such, he has no guilt about his actions.
He’s an American capitalist. They are envious proles.
But the rest of the barracks are watching; they take the opportunity to liquidate his stock when he is accused of being the informer. They hadn’t the courage to steal from him before – they used the excuse of the accusations to help themselves to his stock. It was mob action, fueled by their long-term resentment. No matter that the charges weren’t proved; they acted like stormtroopers themselves.
They needed Holden to be the informer – that way, their thuggish actions could be justified.
I love this movie as well and I think it is astonishingly underrated by critics and even Wilder aficionados. Maybe the association with “Hogan’s Heroes” hurts? dunno, but it is one hell of a scathing look at capitalism, patriotism and, as Linda F points out in her great comment, Wilder’s darkest take on the boobus Americanus until he did Ace in the Hole a few years later.
Campapse – In my copy of the DVD ther’es a great making-of featurette – and a couple of folks who worked on the film reminisced that Holden pushed Wilder to add some lines, to make it clear that Sefton hated the Nazis. He was very uncomfortable with how buddy buddy Sefton was (the nod he gives at the gate when he comes back from the women’s barracks) – Holden wanted it to be made clear that Sefton despised what the Nazis stood for. But Wilder refused. There is no line in the film where Holden makes explicit his political affiliation or his anti-fascism or anything like that. I think the film is SO much stronger for it – because there is a mystery at the heart of Sefton, an ambiguity – that serves the film so well. It is not jingoistic, and while the Nazis obviously come off looking like assholes!! – Sefton uses them openly and never makes clear his views, one way or the other. It gives a great ambiguous power to his performance – and is one of the examples why actors, even great actors, sometimes need directors to steer them away from protective impulses. Holden didn’t want to seem pro-Nazi … but Wilder somehow knew that the film was beyond all of that, that Sefton was above and beyond such concerns. Holden couldn’t see it, though.
I just love that story – because when you see the film, it STILL WORKS. Regardless of time and place.