The Player is a satire on the powerful players of the movie industry. Robert Altman takes on and beautifully illustrates a corrupt community that he, as a director, is a part of.
The opening scene is an 8 minute tracking shot that introduces us to Griffin Mill (Tim Robbins), and the everyday events of a movie studio executive. The tracking shot shows us executives discussing films, allows the audience to peek through windows, and get a general feel for the studio scene. Griffin is conducting business in his office, which involves writers coming in and pitching their ideas (and possibly their futures) in 25 words or less. "I'll get back to you" is the charismatic Griffin's standard response. After Griffin receives threatening postcards, he narrows it down to disgruntled writer, David Kahayne. Kahayne pitched a story to Griffin 6 months previously; seeing it had an unhappy ending, Griffin dismissed him without a second thought.
Griffin tracks Kahayne down, goes to his house, and calls him from the curb. Kahayne is not home, but his girlfriend answers and Mill has a voyeuristic conversation while watching her through a window as they talk. Altman's use of color in this scene defines June Gudmundsdottir as the "Ice Queen". She is dressed all in white, and working on a painting using blues and silvers. The symbolism of viewing through windows is used throughout the film- is it Altman's way of defining us as the audience watching his film?
Mill meets Kahayne at a theater where "the Bicycle Thief" is playing. The Italian neo-realist film may possibly define Kahayne's style of writing. In the parking lot, bathed in red tones, Mill in a fit of rage kills Kahayne- he now thinks that he has remedied his postcard problem. Investigating the murder of Kahayne, Whoopi Goldberg and Lyle Lovitt play detectives with great style. The use of cameos in "The Player" is extensive. Many stars playing themselves help to illustrate the glamour and mendacity of the Hollywood scene.
As the film progresses, Mill realizes that he has murdered the wrong man, but is determined to get away with it. His mode of dress changes from light beige to all black as his true character surfaces- a greedy, selfish man determined to survive the crime and the Byzantine goings-on at the studio.
It's a happy ending (as demanded by the studio), Mill gets the girl, and remedies his "postcard problem" by making a movie deal with his real antagonist.
Altman's use of satire in this film is wonderful. He doesn't hand it all to you on a platter, he makes you work to see the true picture. Many of his references are subtle and easily missed. He is making a statement about Hollywood while he himself is a major player. It is an enjoyable film for casual viewing, but even more intriguing for someone willing to dig deeper.
Product DetailsOriginal Title:The Player (Special Edition) - New Line Platinum SeriesActors: Robbins, Tim - Scacchi, Greta - Ward, Fred - Whoopi Gold...More at iNetVideo.com
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