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Blast of Silence (1961)

post #1 of 7
5/8/08 at 11:36pm
Thread Starter 
Wow. See this. See it right now. As Patrick said about Killer of Sheep, this film reminded me why I want to be a filmmaker.

Also, Lawrence Block fans, you can tell this film was probably a big influence on the Keller character.
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post #2 of 7
5/8/08 at 11:39pm
Looks damn good, I'll be picking it up tonight.
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post #3 of 7
5/27/08 at 2:38am
Alright so, saw this tonight and I feel more than obliged to share my thoughts on this peculiar, and I'm afraid under seen film that while being made well after the film-noir golden days, basically contains every aspect of classic film-noir in it, but it's so much more in term of aesthetics. Long tracking shots that obviously many a few modern directors, and the voice over is the best and most unique I've ever heard. Allen Baron is the lead, but his work as director and writer are what he'll be remembered for here, although his acting style did remind me of a cross between Robert Walker (Strangers On a Train) and Chris Penn. Fantastic film that everyone should see as soon as possible.
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post #4 of 7
5/27/08 at 10:55am
Yeah, I watched this not too long ago, and I absolutely loved it. I almost started a thread for it myself, but never got around to it. Anyway, my only complaint is that the narration can get a bit heavy-handed at times, but it works so well in the context of the film that you can forgive it a couple shortcomings. Otherwise, the entire low-budget aesthetic really works in Barron's favor, and everything about the film just comes together pretty much perfectly. Great little film, and I still maintain it would make a good double feature with Herk Harvey's Carnival of Souls.
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post #5 of 7
5/29/08 at 8:20pm
I missed this thread. I've been playing the shit out of the disc since Criterion released it at the end of April.

It's a great film that plays Siodmak's control of shadow with Aldrich's grizzled approach. Plus, it was made for nothing and managed to look so good. I think the final budget was somewhere around 14,000.
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post #6 of 7
5/30/08 at 9:41am
That's something I would have never guessed. It has a unique look to it, and that's partially why I love it, but I never once got the low-budget vibe from it. And is that 14,000 in '61 or equivalent to 14,000 today? I'm assuming it was 14,000 by '61's standards, which would (I think) put it in the same budgetary league as something like Aronofsky's Pi, which is another of my favorite films.
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post #7 of 7
6/1/10 at 2:18am
Jesus. This movie probably has the best opening of any movie I've ever seen.

The narration often borders on the point of parody, but it's a stylistic choice that I think works for the most part. I figured the narrator was mostly the protagonist talking to himself, so the misanthropy fits right.

I think what sticks with me most is that first scene with Big Ralph. Jesus, that guy weirds me out.
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