Dick tracy
Welcome to Screen Gems, our weekend delves into adjacent queer and queer headlines from the past that deserve a watch or re-watch.
The Forgotten: Dick Tracy
Continuing our Diva Birthday Bash here at Screen Gems, we pay tribute to Madonna who turned 63 this week by bringing to life one of her most successful and forgotten films.
No one in 1990 would have believed that the world would have almost forgotten Dick Tracy some 30 years later. The film, produced by Disney, arrived in theaters amid a media blitz designed to rival that of Batman the year before. Toys hit shelves, clothes hit shelves, and video games hit consoles. McDonald’s sponsored a game related to the promotion of the film, and Disney also announced a sequel as well as a major theme park attraction based around it as well.
And yet, today Dick Tracy exists primarily as a footnote in comic book / blockbuster history and in the filmography of director Warren Beatty. Beatty also plays the title role of the famous comic book sleuth, on the trail of local crime lord Big Boy Caprice (Al Pacino). When several local crime lords are found dead and Big Boy takes over the Ritz Club, Tracy begins to suspect a larger criminal enterprise at work. The spotlessly clean sleuth also finds his own torn affection between his longtime girlfriend Tess (Gleane Headly) and nightclub singer Breathless Mahoney (Madonna, in one of her best performances).
Dick Tracy has an impressive cast of stars. In addition to the above, Dustin Hoffman, James Caan, Kathy Bates, Estelle Parsons, Charles Durning, Mandy Patinkin, Catherine O’Hara, and Dick Van Dyke all cast themselves in roles big and small. The film also features a stunning production design, channeling the 1930s into just seven vibrant colors. The plot, which involves a dark figure known as The Blank, plays out like a great detective story with ever-shifting loyalties, backstabbing, bizarre patterns, and double crosses designed for viewers guess who is trying to do what and why. .
As for Ms. Ciccone, a woman as well known for her rotten performances as she is for her good work, she does well here. Madonna has a great time sneaking around as a breathless sultry vixen, and even gets the chance to show off her vocal gifts with new tracks written by Stephen Sondheim. She and Beatty also dated while filming, and it shows: the two have a strong chemistry together.
Dick Tracy received great reviews on release and won seven Oscar nominations, winning three: Best Art Direction, Best Makeup, and Best Original Song (Sondheim’s song “Sooner or Later”). And yet, it remains obscure today. Why?
Suffice it to say, Hollywood learned the wrong lessons from Batman, at least initially: rather than producing more superhero films in a short period of time, the bosses of the day believed that the “movies comic books ”should come from newspaper comics. Like Dick Tracy, The Shadow, The Phantom, and Dennis The Menace failed to capture the same fire as Batman. Legal disputes between Beatty, Disney, and Tribune Media Services (the company that owns the characters) also complicated production of a sequel. These issues, along with a below-expected box office, kept the franchise from moving forward.
Seen today in the midst of the onslaught of the superhero franchise, Dick Tracy has a refreshing quality. The film dares to have a strong identity, an artistic vision and tell a stand-alone story rather than a story made of hype, crossovers or toy sales. The fact that Disney never produced a Blu-Ray Special Edition loaded with extras, commentary, behind-the-scenes footage and a 30-minute deleted scenes rumor only further damages the already waning legacy. of the movie. Maybe Dick Tracy would continue to find an audience if Disney let him.
For now, however, we recommend revisiting the film to celebrate Madonna’s birthday, as well as to enjoy her entertainment and artistic accomplishments. We’ll take that on another Marvel movie any day.
Streams on Amazon, YouTube, and VUDU.
