movies (subject to tumblr's inconsistent search engine. for more complete results, try the archive): badlands, blow out, bring me the head of alfredo garcia, cadavres exquis, charley varrick, chinatown, dog day afternoon, il conformista, klute, le cercle rouge, marathon man, mean streets, night moves, point blank, prime cut, save the tiger, serpico, sisters, straight time, the day of the jackal, the don is dead, the driver, the friends of eddie coyle, the getaway, the harder they come, the hot rock, the killing of a chinese bookie, the last of sheila, the long goodbye, the mackintosh man, the onion field, the organization, the parallax view, the spook who sat by the door, the sting, the taking of pelham one two three, the yakuza, three days of the condor, villain, wanda
Save the Tiger (1973)
I’m not trying to write some 9th-grade essay on symbolism in The Great Gatsby, but look at all the shades of brown that make up this shot. Most likely it’s simply a reflection of the palette at the time. But brown, that dirt color, is also said represent a certain earthliness—stability, wholesomeness, dependability, simplicity. The very elements Harry Stoner is so desperate to recover in his life. They are the values he has grounded his character in, and today he finds that they’ve all slipped away from him.
Save the Tiger (1973)
Even if he doesn’t end up behind bars for arson and insurance fraud, Stoner is still a man trapped. He’s got a dress factory full of workers who need their jobs, a wife who likes her breakfast in bed, and a kid who needs her college tuition paid. He didn’t survive World War II just to watch his business fail. Sitting at his office desk, Stoner realizes he’s got no choice but to keep turning out women’s wear season after season—even if it means he’s going to have to continue cheating on his taxes and pimping for important clients.
