Boogie Nights (1997)
Porno has never been more cinematic!
Presentation:
If there was one film to get into Paul Thomas Anderson, this is one of the best to get into his filmography. With writing rivaling Pulp Fiction and a script as good as Goodfellas, this film is epic in nature and far reaching in genre. The film opens up with an impressively long take and immersive camera movement. Lots of anamorphic handheld for this film and quirky editing fitting of the 70s porno culture. The cast could not be more perfect for this film with even the secondary short cast being extremely charismatic. The script is fantastic with perfect pacing and dramatic arcs. This is a criminally underrated film.
Analysis:
Beneath the shallow musings of porn, PTA illustrates his intelligence in script writing by embedding real metaphors in the layers of his stories. There’s a moment where he addresses the transition from celluloid adult entertainment to VHS. This is a modern reference to the shift to digital from film in cinema as well, a sentiment him and Tarantino seem to resist publicly. If you look for it, you can really find his thoughts on filmmaking as a whole.
Conclusion:
With so many critiques raving about Tarantino and Scorsese films, Paul Thomas Anderson seems to fly under the radar. His cinematic language is a bit more muted and less lavishly piercing than his counterpart’s works, but I’d argue it makes for more sophistication. Some may find the style to be more mature or literary, especially because of the broad range in story arc. But that’s what makes his films so ambitious, though it might be difficult to digest all at once for audiences, considering it looks like a popcorn epic about a nostalgic porn industry. If you love Goodfellas, definitely watch this, I think it may even be better.
Recommendations
Boomer makes a political thriller.