Atlantic City

Summary

“Sinatra gives wings to the hospitals. We all do what we can.”

This year marks the fortieth anniversary of Louis Malle’s film Atlantic City. The film stars Susan Sarandon and the iconic actor Burt Lancaster. French auteur Louis Malle had been directing films for over twenty years when he directed Atlantic City, and he still continued to direct films for another fourteen years after Atlantic City. The year after making Atlantic City, Malle directed one of his best known films My Dinner with Andre. I have not seen as many of Malle’s films as I would like, but I am a big fan of his narrative fiction debut Elevator to the Gallows. That film remains both an artistic accomplishment and a clever crime drama that still appeals to audiences sixty years later. I had been wanting to see more of Malle’s films and decided to watch Paramount Pictures’ release of Atlantic City the other night. The film is unique because it is a sweet natured film that revolves around criminal actions.

As the film begins, Sally (Susan Sarandon) cuts and squeezes some lemons in her apartment. She mixes the lemon juice and some perfume and massages it onto her neck, shoulders, and breasts while in front of her window. Across the way, Lou Pascal (Burt Lancaster) watches her from his window with admiration. They are both residents of the same apartment house in Atlantic City. Lou is a formerly connected (but unsuccessful) criminal, and Sally is an aspiring card dealer who works at a seafood restaurant within a casino. Lou works a small time book and also takes care of Grace (Kate Reid.) Grace lives in the apartment complex and used to date a well connected gangster that is long dead. She has kept Lou at her behest for years and makes demands of him. He also occasionally steals items from her apartment to sell. Sally takes lessons in card dealing from Joseph (Michel Piccoli) who has ulterior motives towards her. In Philadelphia, Dave (Robert Joy) gets his hands on a package of cocaine that he steals out of a phone booth. Two heavies who were supposed to receive the cocaine begin to search for him and their product. Dave heads to Atlantic City with the pregnant and free-spirited Chrissie (Hollis McLaren.) Dave is going to Atlantic City with the hopes that his estranged wife, Sally, will allow him and her sister, Chrissie, to stay with her. That would give him a chance to offload the product and get his hands on a good amount of money. Dave, through a series of events, enlists the help of Lou to help deliver the product. When Dave is murdered, Lou is left holding the package of stolen cocaine. As he begins to offload the product, he also begins to pursue a relationship with Sally. They are both in danger from the men from Philadelphia that want to reclaim their cocaine.

Burt Lancaster was a uniquely talented actor that could easily carry a film on his shoulders. In his role he conveys the deep longing felt by a man who sees that his chances for adventure and romance are diminishing each day. The romance angle between the two leads would have felt a lot less appealing without Lancaster’s strong screen presence. I still think that the chemistry between the two leads was a little bit askew, but they did fine work in their roles. Susan Sarandon is at her most attractive in the film as the naive and down-on-her-luck Sally. Sarandon is a well rounded actress and brings a lot of charm to the role. She is a good choice for the part. Michel Piccoli has a small but enjoyable role as a somewhat sleazy cards instructor. Kate Reid is great in the film as the needy and overbearing Grace. Robert Joy is also well cast in his role as the unlucky grifter Dave.

Louis Malle did a good job of allowing his actors to inhabit their parts and allowing the film to naturally proceed. For a crime drama it is unique because the film does not seem too worried about building tension as much as it cares about developing the characters. It is an understated picture that has plenty of charms that carry the picture through. Malle did a fantastic job of allowing the camera to focus in on the unique settings. At the time, many buildings in Atlantic City were being torn down to be rebuilt. Everywhere the camera goes, there seems to be a building facing a wrecking ball. The film captured the fading of the old city very well. Atlantic City was a critical success that received five Oscar nominations (Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Director, and Original Screenplay.) Forty years after its release, the film is still enjoyable and I am thankful that Paramount chose to release it on Blu-ray.

Video

Paramount Pictures have done a solid job on the presentation of the film using an MPEG-4 AVC codec in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 in 1080p. While the presentation does not come from a brand new master, the scan is of good quality. Fine detail for the most part is pretty good and the film retains some natural looking grain lending a filmic look. Visually the film is pleasing, but it is not particularly vivid or colorful aside from a few set pieces. There is some specking, but I did not notice any serious issues with the print. I was pleased with the way the film was presented here and can’t imagine fans of the film being disappointed.

Audio

Paramount Pictures have provided a DTS-HD MA 2.0 track that serves the film well. Clarity is solid and there are no real issues to report. Dialogue is easy to discern and the track is of high quality. 

Supplements:

• There are no supplements for this release

Overall Scores:

Video – 4/5

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements – 0/5

Overall – 4/5

Atlantic City is a good crime drama with a flair for sincerity and romance. It is a unique film that cares more about developing characters than it cares for developing tension. As can be expected, Burt Lancaster is fantastic in the lead role. I also really enjoyed Susan Sarandon in the film. Louis Malle had a great eye for setting and the film does well at capturing Atlantic City as it was changing rapidly. Paramount Pictures have provided the film with a handsome transfer. The film does not have any supplemental features, but still comes recommended.