Paper Moon (1973)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Peter Bogdanovich

Writers:

Joe David Brown (novel)
Alvin Sargent (screenplay)

Release Date:

9 May 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

As P.T. Barnum put it, "There's a sucker born every minute."

Plot:

During the Great Depression, a con man finds himself saddled with a young girl who may or may not be his daughter, and the two forge an unlikely partnership.

Plot Keywords:

Bible | Great Depression | Carnival | Con | Con Man

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 6 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Ryan O'Neal	...	Moses Pray
Tatum O'Neal	...	Addie Loggins
Madeline Kahn	...	Trixie Delight
John Hillerman	...	Deputy Hardin / Jess Hardin
P.J. Johnson	...	Imogene
Jessie Lee Fulton	...	Miss Ollie
James N. Harrell	...	The Minister (as Jim Harrell)
Lila Waters	...	The Minister's Wife
Noble Willingham	...	Mr. Robertson
Bob Young	...	Gas Station Attendant
Jack Saunders	...	Station Master
Jody Wilbur	...	Cafe Waitress
Liz Ross	...	The Widow Morgan (Pearl)
Yvonne Harrison	...	The Widow Bates (Marie)
Dorothy Price	...	Ribbon Saleslady

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Norway:16 | West Germany:16 (nf) | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-8 | Sweden:11 | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Boca Raton, Florida, USA

Company:

Directors Company, The

Trivia:

Originally starred Paul Newman and daughter Nell Potts, but this changed when original director John Huston bowed out and was replaced by Peter Bogdanovich.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: Just before Mose takes Addie to the store for a hair ribbon, Mose and Addie are in a hotel room. As Mose passes by a small wall mirror you can see the shadow of a boom mic and an arm holding it.

Quotes:

Moses Pray: I know a woman who looks like a bullfrog but that don't mean she's the damn thing's mother.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 100 Years of Comedy (1997) (V)

Soundtrack:

Just One More Chance

PAPER MOON refuses to cry.

PAPER MOON is one of those films which refuses to age or become dated, because, as director Peter Bogdanovich claims, it was dated when it was released. It has the look and presence of a film from the Golden Thirties with the panache and style that could only come from the Golden Seventies. That extraordinary decade when the Old Hollywood Studio Machine was being rapidly replaced by the rise of the Artist Filmmaker, who were young, eager and just out of film school. A wonderful period of flux when anything could and did happen. A seminal period in filmmaking where new artists were making important new films, which would change Hollywood forever. PAPER MOON is outwardly a period road picture set in the mid 30s, about a traveling man named Moze Pray (Ryan O'Neil) who will play any angle if it means a couple of extra dollars in his pocket. As the story opens he agrees to escort the daughter of a now deceased lover to her Aunt in Missouri. Slick Moze quickly meets his match in the half pint tough little Addie Loggins (Ryan's real life daughter Tatum in her first role). No sentimental tear jerker here, this is a great story which refuses to go down the obvious road of a father reunited with his lost little girl; we aren't even sure it's really his daughter. Little Addie is tough as nails at every turn and a whole lot more savvy than Moze could ever be. At turn after turn she will outsmart and outmaneuver Moze in a way which is a sheer delight to watch. Tatum O'Neil gives an Oscar caliber performance as little Addie, but why she was given a Best Supporting Actress award and not nominated for the Best Actress category, one can only wonder. Madeline Kahn (What's Up Doc, Blazing Saddles), in her second film ever also delivers the goods as Miss Trixie Delight who meets up with the pair and sees her own angle. Everyone is playing some angle in this film and we get to enjoy every minute of it.

Shot completely on locations in Kansas and Missouri PAPER MOON sparkles with a richness only capable in black and white. Cinematographer Lazlo Kovacs is a great camera artist and never better than PAPER MOON where he uses black and white, deep focus and those great long takes to its best advantage. To the untrained eye it will just appear very sharp, but look closely at each frame and notice that everything is in tack sharp focus from the closest object to far in the distance. This deep focus is very difficult to achieve correctly, especially in the night shots, but Kovacs does it so well it is seamless. Watch for the train station sequence where even the children playing in the background are razor sharp. This is a look that can only be achieved using black and white to its fullest potential. New filmmakers take notice. This is how it's supposed to be done. All this cinematic brilliance would be wasted were it not for the wonderful direction of Bogdanovich. In this his third film, he proves that he is a consummate filmmaker who knows how to move the actors and camera in perfect concert. His craftsmanship of each scene is unmistakable as he brings a fresh and very new approach using Hollywood tricks which are decades old. A lesser director might have used process shots and sets to tell the story, but not Bogdanovich. He shot the entire film in real locations to give it the look and feel of a real thirties road picture. You can almost smell the wide plains and feel the dust as it comes up to slap you in the face. Notice too how he never resorts to sentimentality to move the story along, it is told razor sharp and without tears. This, never more apparent than the final sequence where he pays off the film in grand style.

There is only one thing about this film which still baffles me. Why in the night time hotel sequence toward the end of the film were electric lights everywhere but inside the hotel lobby, which was lit entirely with kerosine lamps? Was it to give the look and feel of the period, or did the real location use them? Small point, but interesting. If, like myself, the last time you saw PAPER MOON was when it was released in 1973, see it again on DVD and be delighted all over again. The DVD transfer is marvelous and only serves to heighten its visual appeal. If you have only seen PAPER MOON on broadcast TV, do yourself a favor and see the new DVD for a pleasant surprise. Without the obligatory broadcast TV commercials, pan and scan and dialogue cuts this will appear like a new film seen the way it was supposed to be seen. And if you have NEVER seen PAPER MOON and harbor some prejudice against black and white films, please see this film. Any preconceived notions against this format will quickly dissolve as it takes you along for a rich ride with Addie and Moze in the only format it could - glorious black and white.