"Blow Out" (1981)

Brian DePalma is a smarmy pervert. I love that. Which is why I love his movies. He loves looking at tits. And making women do nudity. I’m sure there’s a story out there about his fetishes. Strangling widowy baby doll voiced hookers. Who would this sound like?...yep…Hitchcock.

Blow out is about Jack Terry, a post sound editor/maker for sleazy schlock horror movies. He’s bored, but still dutiful in his business. This leads him to record sounds for these bad movies. While in the park, he inadvertently records the death of a governor and potential presidential candidate. Was it an accident or was it intentional? Who knows? In fact, DePalma completely drops the political garbage and focuses on the paranoia that creeps in when you fall into conspiracies. John Tavolta plays Terry, and he is saddled with Sally who is played by Nancy Allen. Both are DePalma graduates from “Carrie.” Nancy being DePalma’s muse...and ex-wife (it seems in the 1980’s). It’s also cool to see a supporting cast with Dennis Franz as a fitting Manny Karp. He is pitch perfect scuzball blackmailer.

This movie is fantastically crafted. It’s not surprise that it got the Criterion treatment. The DVD contains a great interview with Nancy Allen & Brian DePalma. And you get the insight to a movie that was inspired by another movie (DePalma claims it was inspired by his sound editing work in “Dressed to Kill”). The movie has a TON of gimmicks that make it stand out. Things like split-focus diopters (a signature of DePalma) and camera moves in a 360 circle as in one scene where Travolta threads audio and slowly discovers his audio has been erased. Or long takes with just letting actors act. It’s much more stylistic than “Scarface” and seems more cerebral and low-key. This movie may not make sense to the younger generation, since it involves a lot of technology that no longer exist. It’s wonderful to see an upright Moviola editor, or a sync block with audio readers. Trim bins, and grease pencils and Nagras (field sound recorder). I recall bringing the reel to reel Nagra home to Ohio from school and being told not to lose the lock screws that hold the reel in place. This is the most easily lost item. And really expensive replacement. It was cool to see that piece of gear, and remember of those days.

The other thing that I think we like are the how-to’s. Like when Travolta starts to put together single cells to make a flip book to recreate the car accident based on frame by frame shots he got from a magazine. This takes zero dialogue and you get what’s going on. Also, Nancy Allen has never been better. She has an ease about her. While being dim-witted, we still get a sense of street smarts. And while naïve, still has a good heart.

This movie is definitely worth a look.