Comments on: The Essentials: The Films Of Hal Ashby

By: simplysimon2

simplysimon2 — Fri, 13 May 2016 14:36:47 +0000

I agree with the ratings for the films that I have seen but \”Harold & Maude\” is in another league, an A+. Perhaps it\’s the Cat Steven\’s\’ music that cements its place as an \”essential\”. As a film editor myself, I appreciate his deft handling of comic timing. I was never a fan of Ruth Gordon but she is believable as \”Maude\” and Bud Cort never again came close to the perfect fit of \”Harold\”. It\’s sad yet inspiring as \”Harold\” moves on to adulthood, sadder and wiser.

On the other hand, \”The Last Detail\” is sharp and cynical and ends hopelessly. Not a big fan of Sellers but \”Being There\” is as priceless as \”Strangelove\” and I LMAO over Palin as Chance in comments.

Ashby not only had a gift for the technical side of filmmaking but also his casting and handling of actors is superb along with his selection and use of music. He was as good as it gets.

By: David Ferguson

David Ferguson — Fri, 13 May 2016 14:36:47 +0000

I have often made the same observation about Julie Christie and Grace Kelly … you worded it beautifully! Terrific article about a director who never seemed to receive the accolades he deserved. Mr. Ashby was one-of-a-kind and created some films that will last forever.

By: Mr. Arkadin

Mr. Arkadin — Fri, 13 May 2016 14:36:47 +0000

Ashby never did a movie after 1980, it was someone else (an imposter named Smithee). That\’s how I see it.

“Bound for Glory” would probably still score an A in my book, but other than that I concur. Criterion should put out a blu-ray collection like the BBS set with Ashby\’s 5-7 first films.

moar…

By: sp

sp — Fri, 13 May 2016 14:36:47 +0000

It breaks my heart that most of Hal Ashby fans do not talk about their affection for \’ The Landlord\” ( what a wonderful film ) like the way they talk about “Harold and Maude” . I agree that film is completely undervalued on every level.

By: zxcvb

zxcvb — Fri, 13 May 2016 14:36:47 +0000

Forrest Gump isn\’t the remake of Being There. Sarah Palin is.

By: jon

jon — Fri, 13 May 2016 14:36:47 +0000

Ashby deserves all the posthumous credit he can get for that incredible body of work. Thanks for publishing such a thorough, thoughtful guide.

By: rotch

rotch — Fri, 13 May 2016 14:36:47 +0000

Yep, really rich and lovely guide. First time I agree in each one of the grades.

Great work!

By: Stephen

Stephen — Fri, 13 May 2016 14:36:47 +0000

Of everything you do here, these guides might very well be the best and most useful. I can\’t tell you how many times I\’ve used them as guides for what to see and what to skip in runs through the works of the auteurs you\’ve done them for. This Ashby entry looks to be one of the same. Wholehearted thanks.

By: Cory

Cory — Fri, 13 May 2016 14:36:46 +0000

Forrest Gump may have been sans satire, but it wasn\’t without legitimate themes. And that\’s what I suspect attracted Ashby to\”Being There,\” even more so than the satire of it. Yes, the revisionist historical aspects of the film and mental limitations of the character do seem a little like an afterthought by the filmmakers to make it entertaining, but there is a solid story there about destiny, determinism, fatalism, freewill, etc.

By: Bill

Bill — Fri, 13 May 2016 14:36:46 +0000

I think it\’s unfair to compare Ashby with the Spielbergs and Lucases of the seventies. They used razzle dazzle, special effects and large canvases to paint their masterpieces while Hal used great human stories.

I think his films define the seventies more so than any other director.

By: Fairportfan

Fairportfan — Fri, 13 May 2016 14:36:46 +0000

That \”bittersweet ending\” of \”The Last Detail\” is, in fact, only about three-quarters of the way through the full original story.

The only reason that i can see for ending it there is to give the film an upbeat (so much as is possible) ending.

Though it looks at first glance as if the story of Badass and Mule escorting the kid to the prison is the story, it isn\’t.

The story is the Badass (and, to a lesser extent, Mule), old-time sailor-men who are becoming more and more disillusoned with the Navy and their lives in it. And it comes to the inevitable (tragi-) comic ending.

(I was in the Transient Barracks in Norfolk where the story begins when i read it, and i was willing to swear that i could see the distinctive crack the opening paragraphs describe in the ceiling of the compartment where i was sitting.)