One of the first directors I knew by name was Brian De Palma. It must have been all those viewings of CARRIE and DRESSED TO KILL that were in heavy rotation on television, while growing up. I always liked the way his name sounded when it rolled off my tongue. He seemed fancy or international in some way. All I knew what that he made high octane scare fest. As I grew older and started watching his other films, I realized that he was a genius behind the camera. He was able to get performances out of people that normally would just fall flat. He turned into one of the front runners in the New Hollywood movement in the 70’s cinema. He and many others challenged the old Hollywood system. Though not technically independent films, these directors ushered in a new thought process in producing, marketing and impacting American culture (and aboard) through filmmaking. Rules were broken, directors became stars and motion pictures would never be the same. He also made me fall in love with two things, Nancy Allen and split screen.
In 1968, De Palma met Robert De Niro and he got him to star in his first film, GREETINGS. He dabbled in comedic films, but it was his two small budget thrillers SISTERS and OBSESSION that put him on the map. Both films are tributes to Alfred Hitchcock and even recreate some of Hitch’s famous scenes. REAR WINDOW pops up again and again in SISTERS and OBSESSION has very unsubtle shades of VERTIGO all over it. Both films are quite remarkable and still hold up. Whenever I watch SISTERS, I usually go crazy out of my mind, because it is so good. OBSESSION is a slow burn, but the pay off is worth the ride. But it would be his his next film that would launch him into a household name and fame.
When De Palma was approached to direct the movie version of Stephen King’s bestselling novel, CARRIE, he jumped at the chance. King liked his work and De Palma was given full control to create his vision of the story, as long as King approved. He managed to get a dream cast of upcoming talent and seasoned professionals. Piper Laurie and Betty Buckley were acting powerhouses and were equally matched by the lead, Sissy Spacek as CARRIE. If that weren’t enough, he brought in virtually unknowns John Travolta, Amy Irving, P.J. Soles and the scene stealing Nancy Allen. Together, the cast made up one off the best group actors would could get for what seemed like a throw away horror film. But, for all of us who have seen CARRIE we know that it is more that just another horror film. It transcends any label and becomes a film about the struggle of not only a mousy girl with telekinetic powers, but of humanity itself. It paints a picture of cruelty from the outside world and even from the seemingly safety of your own home. The first scene in which Carrie has her period in the girls shower, while all the girls are mocking her is shocking in not so much the act of the girls tossing pads at her and screaming, “Plug it up!”, but the mob mentality that even seeps into the mainframe of good girl Sue Snell (lovingly played by Amy Irving). The only retribution that one gets from the opening scene is that you know at some point, Carrie is going to unleash a rage so deep that they will never ever toss anything at her again!
De Palma took a lot of chances with casting, but he also used this film and the finances to fine tune his craft. His camera work is unbelievable. It manages to use lots of trick camera work, that normally would jolt a viewer out of the film, but he somehow draws us in deeper. One of my favorite scenes is when he shows all the kids getting ready for prom but all in fast forward. It is weird and you would think it would not work , but it does. Another one of my favorite scenes is at the prom when Carrie is on stage and finally feeling like she belongs. Unbeknownst to her, one of the most vile high school students ever, Chris Hargensen, is under the stage pulling on a rope that is connected to a bucket of pig’s blood dangling overhead. Suddenly, the movie starts to move in slow motion, Chris (played by Nancy Allen) is licking her lips in anticipation as Carrie accepts her award. Through the crowd, Sue Snell sees what is about to happen and tries to fight her way to the stage. It is breathtaking as all three girls begin to collide. As the bucket tips, you know that Carrie is going to PISSED and massive carnage will follow. This technique makes the scene even more harrowing and still makes your stomach turn as you know what is about to happen to Carrie.
We all know the iconic image of Carrie covered in blood and she is raging! De Palma challenges the viewer again when the prom erupts into chaos and split screen! It is really hard to pull out the split screen card on an audience. At worse, it would seem gimmicky, but the cinematography is so stunning and the mayhem is so claustrophobic, that if you take your eyes off either side of the split, you will miss something. Brilliant! The use of split screen was so well received that it became a trademark for De Palma.
Split Screen wasn’t something new in the film world. It had been used many times before. Famously before in WOODSTOCK,PILLOW TALK and a handful of other films, but De Palma’s use of it was not just for a sight gag or to amp up the action, it goes much deeper. He used it to get into the viewer’s psyche and make them uncomfortable. Much like Andy Warhol’s CHELSEA GIRLS or the Richard L. Bare classic split screen film WICKED, WICKED, he makes you want to see the movie again instantly, because you just know you missed something. And it is pretty good chance you did.
De Palma followed CARRIE up with a great film called THE FURY. It didn’t really have the staying power as CARRIE, but Amy Irving fans rejoiced, because she was the main star and there is some nice head bursting scenes. He ventured into the comedy realm with HOME MOVIES,starring his then wife, Nancy Allen. He would become her muse for a couple of years and he would put her through the wringer on screen. It would be his next film that would alter everything.
1980 would bring us DRESSED TO KILL and what I consider De Palma’s masterpiece. It is graphic, violent and extremely disturbing. It opened shrouded in controversy and had to be heavily cut to avoid an X rating. The gathering storm of dissension about the use of a body double for some of the nudity, the amount of violence toward women in the film and even exploiting the gay community, DRESSED TO KILL managed to create a buzz about the movie and led it to become a office box hit. The story revolves around a bored and sexually frustrated housewife who after roaming around a museum, she meets a stranger and has a little afternoon delight. When she is brutally attacked, a hooker is the only witness. She has not only caught a glimpse of the murderer, but she also grabbed the murder weapon. Now she is tossed into a nightmare world of urban decay, sexual games and razor sharp horror. These film does not have one big build to a finale, but has at least three mini-builds that are nerve wrecking. I caught this film when it was first aired on television and it was cut to shreds. I loved it so much and really couldn’t figure out why at the time. As I got older and found myself coming back again and again to this film, I realized what it was that I loved about it. It is a DIVA movie through and through. You get more bang for your buck with this film. Top billed Angie Dickinson would break out of her B movie fodder that she was caught in during the 70’s. She would go right back to it a few years later, but her role as Kate Miller in DRESSED TO KILL. De Palma gets one of the best performances of her life, but it really centers on her being absolutely stunning. Dickinson has been quoted as saying it was one of her favorite roles. With a turn of events, the movie becomes Nancy Allen’s film as she fights off the killer and sets in motion a plan with Kate’s son to catch a killer. The son played by Keith Gordon was one of my first major crushes and I loved his boy detective ways in the film. Years later, I finally saw the uncut version of the movie and found myself blushing. All the frankness and a skewed eroticism shocked me. This was definitely not the TV version. It remains my favorite film of De Palma’s just because it introduced me to a whole new world of suspense films that had come before, as I searched for movies that inspired De Palma.
The eighties would be very good for De Palma. He would continue his streak of distinct films like BLOW OUT, BODY DOUBLE and WISE GUYS. His 1983 film, SCARFACE, was considered a flop, but would later be rediscovered by a new generation and become a cult classic with it’s own drinking game. It would be the 1987 film THE UNTOUCHABLES with Kevin Costner and Sean Connery that audiences would see a shift in his films. it was necessarily the films themselves, but as with all golden ages of cinema, something new comes along. Hollywood was out and independent films were on the rise. After the box office failure of THE BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES, the commercial success of MISSION IMPOSSIBLE and the De Palma fan favorite FEMME FATALE, you just never know what you will get with a De Palma film. He has not made a film since REDACTED in 2007. He has many films in him to go and one thing is for sure, you never know what you will get with a De Palma film. The abilities to keep me on my toes and always keep me questioning his films is why I consider him a ViewMaster.
– Jason A. Miller
