Havens on "Jesse James"

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In relatively honest fashion, Film Jerk's Edward Havens attended a research screening of an allegedly "truncated" version of Andrew Dominik's The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Warner Bros., 9.21.07), although it's hard to think of any 140-minute film as truncated.

I have to confess to profound disappointment in reading that Jesse James, like Blade Runner, uses narration and, in Havens' view, will be "a tough nut to crack if you're not paying total attention, words I am certain the studio would never want to hear, even though they had to know exactly what they were getting into when they greenlit this film." I hate, hate, hate narration. The only time I've really loved it was in Terrence Malick's Badlands and Days of Heaven and maybe four or five others.

Nonetheless, Havens is a rapt admirer. He says it's all but guaranteed a place on his list of '07s Best Films of the Year upon its opening in late September. He says that Brad Pitt, as Jesse James, turns in the best performance of his career since 12 Monkeys, and yet " this is not his film. It is Casey Affleck, as Robert Ford, who owns the screen by the time the film is over."

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford "doesn't try to reinvent the western as much as bring back to the same kind of timelessness which have made The Searchers or "The Wild Bunch or the westerns of Clint Eastwood favorites for generations. Twenty years on, Young Guns feels like even more like the tired '80s movie we knew it was when it was first released. Twenty years from now, this film will not be a victim of its time. It will be still be watched and benefit from the attempt to not chase what is hip or hot today.

"No matter what shape the final film takes, I suspect it will emerge as the best film the genre has seen since the days of Sergio Leone and Sam Peckinpah. Yes, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is better than Unforgiven. Better than Dances with Wolves. Better than Silverado or Wyatt Earp or any other Western in the past thirty years. I cannot wait to see it again."

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on June 14, 2007 at 5:58 PM

comment #1

Josh Massey says ...

He had me until the Young Guns jab.

"Hey, Peppin! Charlie Crawford's not with you anymore!"

Posted by Josh Massey at June 14, 2007 6:29 PM

comment #2

jeffmcm says ...

What? Wells hates something? Whodathunkit.

Posted by jeffmcm at June 14, 2007 6:35 PM

comment #3

BurmaShave says ...

Wells, you know we don't consider the voice-over version BLADE RUNNER.

Posted by BurmaShave at June 14, 2007 6:37 PM

comment #4

Craig Kennedy says ...

I love well done voice-over narration especially in a 'literary' film as Jesse James seems to be. The old argument that it's a sign of weak screenwriting is BS. Several Coen movies are better for it. Kubrick used it.

Also, I'm sure requiring audiences to pay attention scares Warner Bros., but that sounds like good news to me.

Posted by Craig Kennedy at June 14, 2007 6:59 PM

comment #5

christian says ...

narration is tricky. works great in ELECTION and any woody allen film but tough to pull off. this sounds cool.

Posted by christian at June 14, 2007 7:06 PM

comment #6

Mr. Muckle says ...

Apocalypse Now, The New World (loved it, screw you ;-)

Posted by Mr. Muckle at June 14, 2007 7:09 PM

comment #7

Craig Kennedy says ...

I would've mentioned New World and Thin Red Line if Wells hadn't already mentioned the first two Malick films himself.

Sure it's hard to pull off and sure it can sink a movie if it's poorly done, but based on everything else Havens is saying about Jesse James, there's no reason to think it was blown.

Posted by Craig Kennedy at June 14, 2007 7:14 PM

comment #8

Bilge says ...

Voiceover gets a bad rap. Screenwriting classes are always blathering on about "Show, don't tell" and all that, but the fact is, ask most film buffs what their favorite movies are and you're likely to find more than a few voiceover-driven films. Aside from the Malick films, here are "a few more":

TAXI DRIVER
BARRY LYNDON
FULL METAL JACKET
A CLOCKWORK ORANGE
GOODFELLAS
FIGHT CLUB
THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS
RAISING ARIZONA
APOCALYPSE NOW
L.A. CONFIDENTIAL
CHUNGKING EXPRESS
2046
HAPPY TOGETHER
FALLEN ANGELS
ANNIE HALL
THE PRINCESS BRIDE
A CHRISTMAS STORY

Sure, it's hard to do good voiceover, but it's hard to tell a story, period.

Posted by Bilge at June 14, 2007 7:45 PM

comment #9

Doug Pratt says ...

Little Children

Posted by Doug Pratt at June 14, 2007 7:45 PM

comment #10

cobhome says ...

Lord of the Rings had voice overs - and Scorsese has said he likes narrations - thinks it gives insight into the characters

Joe Carnahan put a review of this film on his blog some time ago - if I recall correctly - he thought it was a masterpiece - raved about it -

Warner seems to be really nervous about this film yet anyone who has seen it - thinks it is something very special - I can't wait to see it

Posted by cobhome at June 14, 2007 8:25 PM

comment #11

Geoff says ...

Yeah I loved that about Little Children. I actually had no idea there was narration until I saw it. It was great because at first I found it odd...then it grew on me and became oddly surprising.

Posted by Geoff at June 14, 2007 8:28 PM

comment #12

muteprotest says ...

Near-universal condemnation of the use of v.o narration in the cinema? Come Again?

This one is almost too asinine & therefore too easy to refute, but I'll take a stab anyhow...

-Scorsese's Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, The Age of Innocence & Casino

-Bresson's Diary of a Country Priest, A Man Escaped & Pickpocket

-Welles' The Magnificent Ambersons, The Lady from Shanghai & Mr. Arkadin

-Kubrick's Lolita, Dr. Strangelove, A Clockwork Orange & Barry Lyndon

When you're through pondering those, go back & sample the works of Renoir, Ophuls, Bergman, Cocteau, Hitchcock, Godard, Powell, Resnais,
Fuller, Bunuel, Wilder, Truffaut, Ford & Huston; not to mention most of the noir cycle & a whole range of documentary, non-fiction & essay films.

Virtually every master filmmaker of the last century has used voice-over narration at one point or another & used it well. To dismiss an entire artistic tradition & longstanding practice with vapid, smug pronouncements is to betray an inverse proportion between the size of one's ego, and that of one's knowledge & insight of the subject at hand.

Posted by muteprotest at June 14, 2007 8:30 PM

comment #13

Rick22 says ...

Voiceover when done right is another tool for the filmmaker to use. Let me add to the list:

AMELIE -- love that omniscient narrator
THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS -- ditto
Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN -- tambien
MEMENTO -- haunting voiceover

Take that Wellsey -- boo-ya!

Posted by Rick22 at June 14, 2007 8:39 PM

comment #14

Hallick says ...

I can't believe I'm the first one to cite "The Shawshank Redemption" here. Morgan Freeman's voiceover has to be one of the three best of all time.

Posted by Hallick at June 14, 2007 9:06 PM

comment #15

cinefan says ...

I love William Holden's voiceover narration for Sunset Boulevard (his cynicism and sarcasm perfectly match the tone and mood of the film).

Posted by cinefan at June 14, 2007 9:09 PM

comment #16

malibugigolo says ...

when the voiceover doesn't tell what is literally going on visually in the scene it is fine.

Posted by malibugigolo at June 14, 2007 9:10 PM

comment #17

thezipper says ...

Amadeus...narration AND flashback (another presumed no-no)

Posted by thezipper at June 14, 2007 9:11 PM

comment #18

cinefan says ...

Amadeus does have good (and, for the most part, sparingly used) voiceover narration by F. Murray Abraham. I also think worthy of mention George Sanders' cynical and knowing voiceover work in All About Eve as well as Nicholas Cage's very funny and clever voiceover narration in Adaptation.

Posted by cinefan at June 14, 2007 9:21 PM

comment #19

BurmaShave says ...

Good call Hallick. Definetly one of the best.

Posted by BurmaShave at June 14, 2007 9:30 PM

comment #20

erniesouchak says ...

The narration in "Little Children" would have been an asset if it hadn't been the voice of "Frontline." I recognized it instantly and could only think of "Frontline" whenever he spoke. As for "Jesse James," I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt, but every single Western this guy says it's better than is a piece of shit except for "Unforgiven." And I have a hard time believing it's better than that. Plus, it's hard to imagine Casey Affleck "owning the screen" in anything.

Posted by erniesouchak at June 14, 2007 9:32 PM

comment #21

Craig Kennedy says ...

Great examples everyone. Adaptation is especially funny because Robert McKee is one of the the biggest anti-voiceover hacks.

Diary of a Country Priest has the balls to break the rule of telling you what's happening while it's showing you.

The only bad voice over that instantly springs to mind is Dune which was so obviously used to fill in narrative holes that were never filmed or edited out by the studio.

Posted by Craig Kennedy at June 14, 2007 9:55 PM

comment #22

BurmaShave says ...

erniesouchak, that was very much the point. Do you think they would have hired him otherwise?

Posted by BurmaShave at June 14, 2007 9:57 PM

comment #23

christian says ...

bad narration:

BLADE RUNNER
LAST MAN STANDING
GOODFELLAS (sorry - always telling you exactly what you're seeing)
DR. STRANGELOVE (the narrator just disappears)
APOCALYPSE NOW (i always found it too literary, overwrought)
PLATOON (doubly)
GODZILLA VS MEGALON

Posted by christian at June 14, 2007 10:43 PM

comment #24

Ian Sinclair says ...

Can't believe you guys missed TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, ALL ABOUT EVE and KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS

Posted by Ian Sinclair at June 14, 2007 10:59 PM

comment #25

BurmaShave says ...

christian, I'm with you on everything except GOODFELLAS. And I always forgive the narration in STRANGELOVE because it picks back up in the second half of FULL METAL JACKET.

Posted by BurmaShave at June 14, 2007 11:06 PM

comment #26

bfm says ...

Doesn't Fight Club use voice over? That's how I remember it anyway, and if so, I thought it worked well. I don't think Jeffrey is saying however that he hates all films with voiceovers, just the device itself.

Posted by bfm at June 14, 2007 11:33 PM

comment #27

Terry McCarty says ...

I remember that the late Toni Vellani, when teaching at AFI, had two rules for his students: no flashbacks and no narration.

Posted by Terry McCarty at June 15, 2007 12:39 AM

comment #28

cinefan says ...

Another bad example of voiceover narration: Jack Nicholson in The Two Jakes. I also remember hating Kevin Costner's voiceover narration in Dances with Wolves (you want to talk about someone simply retelling you what you're already seeing on screen...).

Posted by cinefan at June 15, 2007 12:41 AM

comment #29

christian says ...

great narration:

A CHRISTMAS STORY
SHOGUN ASSASSIN
NETWORK

Posted by christian at June 15, 2007 12:50 AM

comment #30

moorish says ...

Personally I can't stand the whispered narration in The New World. I have a pet peeve about people whispering during movies though, so if one of the main characters is doing it to you on screen then I get seriously narked.

Posted by moorish at June 15, 2007 1:56 AM

comment #31

BurmaShave says ...

I can't believe I forgot: Larroquette in the TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE.

Posted by BurmaShave at June 15, 2007 2:03 AM

comment #32

bmcintire says ...

Judi Dench's narration in NOTES ON A SCANDAL is the sole element that lifted it up (briefly) from being a completely trashy potboiler - and it made it twice as fun. And Scorsese's manipultion of Joe Peschi's narration in GOODFELLAS is brilliant.

Posted by bmcintire at June 15, 2007 2:10 AM

comment #33

Doug says ...

The narration in "Mean Girls" is very funny.

Posted by Doug at June 15, 2007 3:26 AM

comment #34

Doug says ...

"Mean Girls" and "Clueless."

Posted by Doug at June 15, 2007 3:32 AM

comment #35

BurmaShave says ...

So I think we can now agree that Wells' central conceit is flawed. Done. Finished. That's the way it looks from out here.

Posted by BurmaShave at June 15, 2007 3:40 AM

comment #36

murdocdv says ...

Tombstone is the best modern western!

Posted by murdocdv at June 15, 2007 5:11 AM

comment #37

BurmaShave says ...

Agreed.

Posted by BurmaShave at June 15, 2007 5:42 AM

comment #38

Movie Watcher says ...

Two points:
1) What about the narration on "The Shawshank Redemption"? Morgan Freeman's voice is compelling.

2) If the movie doesn't make money and gets bad reviews, I can hear that guy from Blade Runner saying "...Wake up. Time to die."

Posted by Movie Watcher at June 15, 2007 5:46 AM

comment #39

BurmaShave says ...

Correction:

"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near Tanhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears ... in rain. Time to die."

(From memory, thank you very much)

Posted by BurmaShave at June 15, 2007 6:01 AM

comment #40

Josh Massey says ...

Christian, gotta agree with you on Platoon. Great movie, wretched voiceover. And who the hell says "goddamn" to their grandmother?

Posted by Josh Massey at June 15, 2007 6:31 AM

comment #41

nemo says ...

There's that wonderful and venerable literary device known as The Unreliable Narrator. It can be used to hilarious and often devastating effect. But to use it in a film, it helps to have, you know, a narrator.

Posted by nemo at June 15, 2007 7:05 AM

comment #42

nemo says ...

"Tombstone is the best modern western!"

That's for sure. Unforgiven is pretty good too.

Posted by nemo at June 15, 2007 7:06 AM

comment #43

alan says ...

Agree that voiceover narration can add a lot when done properly/skillfully, or can be wretchedly awful when not.

Little Children was brought down several notches by the almost completely unnecessary voiceover ("Sarah walked into the room and was surprised by what she saw!" - not literally but close enough).

And yeah, he had me up until "Casey Affleck owns the screen." But I'll give it the benefit of the doubt. Rumors of some intelligence in a Hollywood movie? I'm there!

Posted by alan at June 15, 2007 7:15 AM

comment #44

Mark says ...

Agree that the narration got in the way re Little Children, except for at the football game. I would not have changed a thing about that whole scene.

Posted by Mark at June 15, 2007 7:40 AM

comment #45

DavidF says ...

I haven't seen New World but the narration in Thin Red Line is one of the things that ruined that movie for me.

Not only is it often confusing WHO is actually narrating, it is abundantly clear that no matter who it is, you're actually hearing the screenwriter and not the thoughts of any of the on-screen characters. If the characters seemed like the people would think those things maybe it would all have tied together but instead (I'm sorry Malick-lovers) it struck me as some amazing imagery, edited to the point of narrative incoherence and then tied together with thematic narration aimed at patching those holes.

Compare it to Apocalypse Now where the narration is occasionally overwrought but still believably coming from Willard. Platoon is somewhere in between...I wouldn't be surprised if some bits and pieces came from actual letters Stone wrote but they are a bit too writerly for "Chris."

It's only been mentioned twice so I have to add my voice to Adaptation as perfect voice-over. Hell, the movie starts on black with narration and, IIRC the voice-over is actually interrupted by McKee shouting, "and whatever you do, never use voice-over!"

Clearly the point is that like ANY tool voice-over can make a movie better. Fight Club wouldn't really work at all without it and most people agree Blade Runner works better without it so the only lesson to be learned is that anyone who says anything as an absolute is a tool....right?

Posted by DavidF at June 15, 2007 8:12 AM

comment #46

Overstreet says ...

Speaking of great Brad Pitt performances, what about "A River Runs Through It"? I thought Redford's narration had perfect pitch for the quiet, meditative quality of that film.

Worst narration ever? "The Dark Crystal."

"At this time, Jen is the chosen one.
Today, Jen's pipe gives no comfort.
For today, his master lies dying.
And a journey must begin...
the journey of Jen."

Posted by Overstreet at June 15, 2007 8:14 AM

comment #47

BurmaShave says ...

Anyone who has seen the Mexican segments of OCEAN's THIRTEEN should not be surprised by the statement "Casey Affleck owns the screen".

Posted by BurmaShave at June 15, 2007 8:46 AM

comment #48

Joe Leydon says ...

Best narration? Michael Caine in Alfie. Runner-up: John Cusack High Fidelity.

Honorable mentions: Fred MacMurray in Double Indemnity, John Huston in Cannery Row, Hugh Grant and Nicholas Hoult in About a Boy, Tom Neal in Detour.

Posted by Joe Leydon at June 15, 2007 8:52 AM

comment #49

christian says ...

doesn't THE DEAD also use a narrator? that's a good one.

Posted by christian at June 15, 2007 8:56 AM

comment #50

Joe Leydon says ...

Christian: Yikes! Of course! Donal McCann in The Dead.

Posted by Joe Leydon at June 15, 2007 9:04 AM

comment #51

Mark says ...

I think most of my favorite movies would be even better with added narration.

Before Sunset:

Jesse (narration): As we walked up the stairs, Celine petted that cat, and then I realized: I wanted to be that cat. I wanted to roam the villa, have fur and dander, and have Celine feed me milk and hold me for hours while scratching my ears.

Much better.

Posted by Mark at June 15, 2007 9:18 AM

comment #52

nemo says ...

In that still Brad Pitt captures perfectly that soulful pensive look my dog puts on so often.

Posted by nemo at June 15, 2007 10:00 AM

comment #53

murdocdv says ...

Tombstone also used narration in the opening 5 minutes or so to explain the setting.

Posted by murdocdv at June 15, 2007 10:21 AM

comment #54

christian says ...

oh and THE ROAD WARRIOR -- except the feral kid grows up to be a rhodes scholar.

Posted by christian at June 15, 2007 10:26 AM

comment #55

christian says ...

and i love jamie lee curtis' narration for the opening of ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK.

Posted by christian at June 15, 2007 10:27 AM

comment #56

christian says ...

but woody's narration in LOVE AND DEATH is perfect. like in the shot of his father hoarding his piece of land, woody says, "he was an idiot but i loved him."

Posted by christian at June 15, 2007 10:32 AM

comment #57

Craig Kennedy says ...

BurmaShave, did you enjoy that bit in Ocean's Thirteen as much as I did or were you being sarcastic?

Posted by Craig Kennedy at June 15, 2007 11:17 AM

comment #58

Craig Kennedy says ...

Oh and when is Jeff going to come back and just admit he's wrong?

Posted by Craig Kennedy at June 15, 2007 11:20 AM

comment #59

alan says ...

"Anyone who has seen the Mexican segments of OCEAN's THIRTEEN should not be surprised by the statement 'Casey Affleck owns the screen'."

OK, if you say so. I don't plan on seeing Ocean's Thirteen for the Mexican segments or for Mr. Affleck's screen ownership, or for any other reason, ever, so I'll just take your word for it and wait to see him take reposession as Robert Ford.

Posted by alan at June 15, 2007 11:35 AM

comment #60

BurmaShave says ...

cj I'm completely serious. I especially loved his monologue about Zapata.

Posted by BurmaShave at June 15, 2007 1:05 PM

comment #61

Craig Kennedy says ...

Not sure why I needed the affirmation of a complete stranger just to show I wasn't alone in appreciating that scene, but now I have it and I can rest easy.

Posted by Craig Kennedy at June 15, 2007 1:12 PM

comment #62

christian says ...

i once let casey affleck borrow my pen so jim sheridan could give him his number in '99.

ah, memories.

Posted by christian at June 15, 2007 2:02 PM

comment #63

lazarus says ...

Thought I'd step in and defend Nicholson's The Two Jakes for a second. I think it's important that we see how much Gittes (and the city of Los Angeles) has changed in the intervening years between what happened in Chinatown and the present day in the film, and while you would certainly be able to get that from the dialogue, I think Gittes' extra commentary is what makes this film so great. From a character standpoint, the film has a lot to do with being unable to let go of the past, and I think in this case a narrator seems entirely appropriate. Some really haunting work done here by Jack, with great one-liners as well.

I'll add that this is one of the most underrated sequels ever, and retains the political slant of the original, as well as its insight into human nature and the aforementioned themes about memory. One of my favorite endings as well. If Nicholson's visuals are a bit over the top, at least he was trying to give it a sense of style. A shame he hasn't directed since, or that him and Towne weren't able to settle their differences and make the part three that was planned.

Posted by lazarus at June 15, 2007 3:50 PM

comment #64

BurmaShave says ...

Didn't TEXASVILLE, THE TWO JAKES and GODFATHER PART III all come out in 1990? It's like they were actively trying to ruin the 1970s. It's too bad Hackman couldn't do FRENCH CONNECTION III.

Posted by BurmaShave at June 15, 2007 8:49 PM

comment #65

cinefan says ...

In regard to voiceover, I think you can also differentiate between voiceover introductions for films (as with Danny Devito in L.A. Confidential) and voiceover narration that's spread throughout an entire film. For the former, my favorite example is probably Trevor Howard in Third Man - it matches the tone of the film perfectly and gives you all the information you need to know about the world that Joseph Cotton is about to enter. For comedy, I like Orson Welles' funny opening voiceover for History of the World Part I.

Posted by cinefan at June 17, 2007 12:58 AM

comment #66

christian says ...

and his narration for THE LATE GREAT PLANET EARTH is alternately hilarious and terrifying.

Posted by christian at June 17, 2007 10:57 AM

comment #67

cinefan says ...

I can't believe I forgot the worst example of voiceover narration ever: Plan 9 from Outer Space. As ludicrous, moronic, and unnecessary as the film itself...

Posted by cinefan at June 20, 2007 7:28 PM

comment #68