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The Black Dahlia
Sep. 17th, 2006 06:14 pmSo apparently this is my weekend to see disturbing movies. I saw The Black Dahlia last night. This movie is based on a real case that happened in LA in 1947--I first read about it in a very strange book called Hollywood Babylon that had pictures of the case. A young woman named Elizabeth Short was found dead in an empty lot near the HOLLYWOOD sign--her body was unbelievably brutalized and cut in half. They never found the killer.
The movie is based on a novel by James Ellroy that uses the murder as a basis for an almost completely fictional plot--as such, it "solves" the murder. Although I was hoping for a lot more focus on Elizabeth Short, and there were large swatches of plot that went COMPLETELY over my head, I found it a compelling, terribly sad movie nonetheless. Mia Kershner does a great job as Elizabeth Short--she has these pale blue eyes that are just haunting. Hilary Swank is terrific as an heiress with an insanely messed-up family--she's supposed to be a look-alike for Elizabeth Short but she really doesn't look that much like her. They should've colored her hair black and made her up in a paler base. But she looks terrific nonetheless. Josh Hartnett is also great, although I found Scarlett Johnasson less than compelling. But she also looks very glam and noir-ish. I'm such an aesthete because if a film looks good, I forgive a lot. And the exteriors for this are amazing--there's a really neat feature on the website for the movie, where you can compare LA in 1947 to LA of today.
I couldn't stop thinking about the movie last night. Oh man. That poor girl. God bless her. I can't even imagine what her final hours must've been like.
The movie is based on a novel by James Ellroy that uses the murder as a basis for an almost completely fictional plot--as such, it "solves" the murder. Although I was hoping for a lot more focus on Elizabeth Short, and there were large swatches of plot that went COMPLETELY over my head, I found it a compelling, terribly sad movie nonetheless. Mia Kershner does a great job as Elizabeth Short--she has these pale blue eyes that are just haunting. Hilary Swank is terrific as an heiress with an insanely messed-up family--she's supposed to be a look-alike for Elizabeth Short but she really doesn't look that much like her. They should've colored her hair black and made her up in a paler base. But she looks terrific nonetheless. Josh Hartnett is also great, although I found Scarlett Johnasson less than compelling. But she also looks very glam and noir-ish. I'm such an aesthete because if a film looks good, I forgive a lot. And the exteriors for this are amazing--there's a really neat feature on the website for the movie, where you can compare LA in 1947 to LA of today.
I couldn't stop thinking about the movie last night. Oh man. That poor girl. God bless her. I can't even imagine what her final hours must've been like.
