To no fault of my own, I was born and raised in New Jersey. Regardless, please don't hold that fact alone against me. Like everyone else, I deserve a chance. After a hiatus of ten years for good behavior, I returned to the state to attend graduate school at the same time that this film was produced and when there was so much hope that a crumbling, dying Atlantic City would be revitalized by the recently legalized casino industry. When the taxpayers of New Jersey approved the legalization of gambling in 1976, they were showered with empty promises of how a vision of gleaming Atlantic City casinos would substantially subsidize the state's very inefficient and wasteful public education system. Today, more than forty years after the much touted "Promise of Atlantic City", New Jersey is among the highest taxed states in the nation, largely because of the very same, maddening costs of an extremely localized public education system. In spite of the highest real property taxes in the country and additional taxes and lotteries of every kind, the state is also financially bankrupt as of this writing in 2018.
The promise of Atlantic City was a total lie, not only for the state but for the city. For me, this movie is a brilliant illustration of the hopelessness that lies ahead, not only for all of the characters within the story but for the perpetually troubled and morally corrupt city at the center of the movie. Near the end, as Lou discusses the kind of pizza that Sally is supposed to bring him, he knows that she will not be returning. "Remember to ditch the car," he advises her in a sudden flash to reality. As he peers out of the motel window watching Sally drive away, Lou, unlike the duped taxpayers and voters of New Jersey in 1976, is too smart not to understand the truth of the matter.
As good as Burt Lancaster was throughout his career, going back to "The Killers" in 1946, the man aged like fine wine. I recently viewed "The Swimmer", produced when he was 55, and just watched this film when he was 67. As interesting as the basic concepts of both films were, they would not have been as captivating without the depth and intelligence that Lancaster brought to their leading roles. Susan Sarandon as Sally kept up with the old master every step of the way, and she looked stunning. I would love her as my croupier any day of the week, not that I can afford to indulge. I worked too hard for my money through the years.
In order to tell his very sad but compelling story, Director Louis Malle brilliantly used the backdrop of a crumbling, decadent city that had been given false hope on a massive, monumental scale. This time, I was happy to focus on the actual action of the movie rather than the subtitles so that I could appreciate the extent of his very talented directing ability.
The promise of Atlantic City was a total lie, not only for the state but for the city. For me, this movie is a brilliant illustration of the hopelessness that lies ahead, not only for all of the characters within the story but for the perpetually troubled and morally corrupt city at the center of the movie. Near the end, as Lou discusses the kind of pizza that Sally is supposed to bring him, he knows that she will not be returning. "Remember to ditch the car," he advises her in a sudden flash to reality. As he peers out of the motel window watching Sally drive away, Lou, unlike the duped taxpayers and voters of New Jersey in 1976, is too smart not to understand the truth of the matter.
As good as Burt Lancaster was throughout his career, going back to "The Killers" in 1946, the man aged like fine wine. I recently viewed "The Swimmer", produced when he was 55, and just watched this film when he was 67. As interesting as the basic concepts of both films were, they would not have been as captivating without the depth and intelligence that Lancaster brought to their leading roles. Susan Sarandon as Sally kept up with the old master every step of the way, and she looked stunning. I would love her as my croupier any day of the week, not that I can afford to indulge. I worked too hard for my money through the years.
In order to tell his very sad but compelling story, Director Louis Malle brilliantly used the backdrop of a crumbling, decadent city that had been given false hope on a massive, monumental scale. This time, I was happy to focus on the actual action of the movie rather than the subtitles so that I could appreciate the extent of his very talented directing ability.