The Killing of a Chinese Bookie

The 1976 film The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, directed by John Cassavetes, was definitely another unique one. Mr. Klobuchar was right in saying that Cassavetes takes some getting used to. Overall, I enjoyed this film better than Faces. It had a little more sustenance. I liked the bright lighting and colors used in the film, it made it more appealing to the eye and caught my attention.

When I watch a film, often times there is one scene in particular that sticks out to me and catches my attention (once again). Whether its a cinematic element or a literary element.

In this film a specific scene that I keep thinking about focused on a literary element. Ben Gazzara plays the character of a strip club owner named Cosmo Vitelli. When Cosmo is sitting around with some of the dancers talking; he says, "People are happy when they are comfortable". This quote immediately popped into my head and got me thinking: "that is so true!" Coming from a gambler, that is somewhat insightful. To me it sort of bounces off of the whole: money doesn't buy you happiness. However, Cosmo could have very well meant that money buys comfort, which would resolve in money "buying" happiness. I like to take the quote and relate it to more internal comfort, not material comfort. For most of us humans; if we are comfortable with ourselves, we are happy. I mean obviously not everyone is happy 24/7 like in Pleasantville (Gary Ross 1998), but a more general happiness.

For the most part I enjoyed watching The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, and I really like when films have something I can connect to outside of the box of images and sounds.

FACES

John Cassavetes' 1968 film Faces is a very different and new kind of film for that time period. It has a very minimal plot line, but that doesn't even matter because Cassavetes was trying to focus mostly on the interaction between genders. John Marley plays Richard Frost, an old man who leaves his wife for another woman. I sat there wondering when the movie was going to start taking off into the plot...and it never did, I soon realized this was the plot, them sitting around talking, having a good time, thrown in with some not so good times; all of this pretty much took place in one single room. However there was some more plot thrown in later on, Richard Frost's wife (now ex-wife) meets a younger fellow and starts a relationship with him. The story basically follows all of these love toils back and forth. I thought it was interesting that Cassavetes decided to steer clear from the plot almost as best he could, normally I like having a story to follow, but it was good for me to step outside the "norm" and watch something I might not on my own account.