Sunday, June 10, 2007

"Did the kids really smoke in the movie?"

The girls and I enjoyed one of my favorite movie experiences last night, Peter Bogdanovich's "Paper Moon."
This 1973 film has so much going for it.
Kerstin and Annika howled with delight as Moses Pray (Ryan O'Neal) and Addie Loggins (Tatum O'Neal) sped away from the crooked sheriff (John Hillerman) and my girls were mesmerized by Pray's money changing ability (watch yourself if you ever agree to make change for these girls after they saw this film -- WAS that a five she just gave you?).
The girls also enjoyed the testy but almost always witty exchanges between shrewd conman Moses and even-shrewder con-artist-in-training Addie:
Moses: "I got scruples too, you know. You know what that is? Scruples?
Addie: "No, I don't know what it is, but if you got 'em, it's a sure bet they belong to somebody else!"
I tried to explain the significance of Tatum O'Neal's Oscar win for Best Supporting Actress and my admiration for the cinematography of Laszlo Kovacs, but by film's end my girls had one question that seemed to matter to them.
"Did the kids really smoke in the movie?"
It seems the scenes of Addie and (occasionally) Imogene lighting up caused a sensation for Kerstin and Annika, who know no smokers and live with the more modern (and correct) view of smoking as unhealthy evil.
I explained that Addie probably didn't really inhale. It's all good acting, after all.

2 Comments:

Blogger Mike said...

Paper Moon is one of my favorite movies, along with Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show, especially since much of my family is from rural Texas and Oklahoma.

MPAA recently announced that smoking is now a factor considered when films are rated. I wonder if Paper Moon would have been rated R if released today rather than PG as rated in 1973?

3:06 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

www0725

nike pegasus
coach outlet
cheap mlb jerseys
coach outlet
coach outlet online
ralph lauren polo
kappa clothing
fitflops sale
ysl outlet
oakley sunglasses




12:46 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home