CRAZY AS HELL

2002

Crazy as Hell

CRAZY AS HELL
2002

Eriq La Salle (director and actor)

BEFORE THE FILM

The film is made by two Julliard students (note references): Eriq(c) La Salle and Michael Beach. La Salle has a B.F.A. in Theater from NYU.

Michael Beach also attended Julliard and went on to acting and appeared in a number of films before making Crazy as Hell.

John C. McGinley (also NYU) co-stars.

Ronny Cox (on three films with LaSalle)

Like Angel Heart, another story with a twist.

Like Angel Heart it is also a “detective story” where the audience needs to see if they can solve the mystery. Where are clues for detectives?

There are many films that do that including Angel Heart, Sixth Sense etc.

Word games people play:

Translations into film of verbal material
Names and related games
In Men and Black, Rosenberg dies and the “lights go out”.

Film Techniques

Sometimes shots are in and of themselves “set pieces” They add some dimension to the film but are sometimes just used to “show off” Some film students are often accused to doing (or more likely trying to do) complex shots )the so called “Look Ma, I went to film school – shots for no real reason).

In the film there is a documentary being made. What is the point of this “reflexive” element in the film? Does it have a purpose?

Watch for other instances of voyeurism in the film.

AFTER THE FILM

In what ways is the film like Angel Heart

How does the film approach the Devil?

How is he introduced (is he really the Devil?). Does Dr. Adams take him seriously as the Devil?

How is the Devil depicted? Male/female variation but not racially or ethnically varied. Does the fact that the actor is African American have an impact on the film? It is a question that is raised with several films like the original Night of the Living Dead.

Steambath has God as a Puerto Rican and of course the new Bedazzled has the Devil as female.

At what point do you begin to suspect he might actually be the Devil?

What is Devil’s relationship to God? How does that relate to Angel Heart?

Taylor – big Ego leads to his downfall – his ego (theories) more important than patient care

Hints to plot:

Opening shot?
Beach’s opening title descends
Missing knife

Spellings

Sedah – Hades spelled backwards. Backwards spellings are common as a form of disguising things, (Alucard – Dracula); slight slurs Dr. Acula (Dracula) Louis Cyphre (Lucifer). These are used as hints for the audience to “solve” the puzzle in the film.

Film and verbal interactions

Opening word “HELL-o”
That’s a hell of a gift.
Dance with the devil
Bird sounds recorded backwards.
“Gates to hell” open
Files (of the souls)
Chess game – (from 7th Seal)
Do you believe in Satan? Of course I do, I work for him. (really!)

Father son and mother become trinity

Set design:

Awards on wall (will be there only 1 month)
Awards neatly arranged
As film progresses the set deteriorates reflecting Taylor’s mental state.
(daughter appears – frames on wall becoming crooked)
Later scenes he is more disheveled. Jacket off – open collar
Air conditioning broken – heat – etc.

Green BMW for Ronny Cox character is “serpentlike”

Events

Eating: Crew doesn’t eat.
Water fountain doesn’t work.
First time eating OK
Later can’t keep food down.
Taste goes (scene with iced tea)
Red apples
Fall from chair - death

Ronny Cox and Satan never in the same scene.

Ronny Cox told “A man’s room should reflect his personality”

Satan says it back

Filming techniques

Several long tracking shots – difficult for actors
One when Dr. Adams goes into room. (door opens and closes) gone into another word. (Cut removes magic)
one into the ward gives feeling of moving into insanity. The shot is somewhat destabilizing. PROBLEMS OF DEPICTING INSANE PEOPLE
Cheryl “backlit” wants to look like angel

Voyeurism:

Documentary film – TV screens around
Photos
Frames in frames – (Cheryl in door)

The Devil is “Great at the box office” (hopeful?)

Shift in color (decolorization)

Reflexivity: Film looks at itself. Film is about film making. In the film, the documentary serves as a record of what Dr. Adams did to justify his place in hell. Does this film justify the film makers’ positions in Hollywood?

Sub text/Theme

People who believe themselves to be good, may not be. Dr. Adams believes he is doing good but is not. How can you know if you will go to heaven of hell is you can’t tell whether what you do is good or bad?
Does Devil take on personality needed for the person he is dealing with
Capable of being anything

What do we discover at the very end of the film

Is the film subversive?

What makes a film subversive. Generally it goes against the expected pattern. Do we generally have films in which bad people “know” they are doing “bad” and good people know they are doing “good”? In this film the characters are not quite like that. What is good and what is evil is not clear cut. Does American society have specific beliefs like that (alcoholism is a moral lapse/alcoholism is a disease). Subversive films tend to argue against the prevailing point of view or the “accepted” one even if many people don’t hold to it.

Is Adams “God like” over reaching like Frankenstein? Is this his sin? Does the film in fact hold to the belief in God and the Devil if the theme is “over-reaching” and playing God. Is that subversive?

Adams also is disinterested in people who are not going to benefit him. He ignores Red eye and never even notices