Parallax View: Amazon.ca: Video

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Amazon.com Essential Video

Directed by Alan J. Pakula (All the President's Men, Sophie's Choice), this is an excellent, paranoid thriller and a benchmark for films of this type from the 1970s. Warren Beatty (Bonnie and Clyde) plays Joseph Frady, an arrogant investigative reporter who witnesses the assassination of a United States senator and then discovers that other reporters who were on the scene are dying under mysterious circumstances. With the help of his editor (Hume Cronyn), Frady goes underground to infiltrate the Parallax Corporation, which uses mind control to train assassins. And Frady might be the next one in line to take a fall. Featuring a classic brainwashing sequence and laced with intensity from start to finish, The Parallax View is essential viewing for fans of the political thriller genre. --Robert Lane

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Customer Reviews

32 Reviews

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4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
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Average Customer Review

4.0 out of 5 stars (32 customer reviews)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Chilling, Dec 6 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Parallax View (VHS Tape)

After watching a week of the History Channel's "The Men Who Killed Kennedy," someone recommended watching this movie. I tracked it down with the help of Amazon.com. Produced only ten years after, it splendidly parallels the JFK assassination. It was highly insightful, given the time it was produced. The story line is believable, the acting is superb, and although dated, sends a powerful message. Thanks, Warren, for having the courage to be who you are!!!

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars FInally the way it was supposed to be seen..., Jan 17 2002

By

Mad Dog (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Parallax View (Widescreen) (DVD)

Beatty plays journalist investigating mysterious deaths of witnesses to a political assassination.

Pakula's dark and paranoid masterpiece was origninally shot by Gordon Willis (Godfathers I II and III, Klute, Zeilig, etc.) in 2.35 aspect. Willis, a master of light and composition, developed frames for this film that are practically abstract. His sense of composition (I'm sure Pakula was part of this) is brilliant: the static formalistic compositions; the use of long lenses to flatten each image into an (almost) isometric projection.

Now, maybe I'm getting carried away here, but "parallax" and "isometric"...? Hmmm... Both are terms related to geometry the "perception" of reality -- which is more-or-less the subtext of this film.

Anyway, after its dissapearance from theater screens this film made numerous appearances on TV (mainly late at night) in a pan-and-scan version. Same with the VHS version. So until the DVD was released, this was the only way I (and most other people) had seen it.

Well twice the frame is twice as good -- now entire sequences can be re-examined and reinterpreted (the ending has elements which appeared seperated in the VHS version).

I found the picture and sound to be good, but I'd hoped for more additional material (a documentary, a making of, an interview or two -- anything). This is certainly one film that deserves the extra attention. However I'm grateful for the 2.35 version.

Bottom line: a real treat for cinephiles, and a great movie for everyone else.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic Political Thriller!, May 9 2004

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smoothjazzandmore (Ogdensburg, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Parallax View (Widescreen) (DVD)

Pakula did a great job directing this classic. I love the imagery of this film, the scene set up and the eventual consequences that take place. Warren Beatty is great as the investigative reporter. This is one great film! One of the most underrated films of the 70's!

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Most recent customer reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars NOT SURE WHAT BEATTY WAS SHOOTING FOR
"The Parallax View" was big liberal Warren Beatty's attempt to describe a conspiracy involving shadowy government agencies. Read more

Published on Jun 7 2004 by Steven R. Travers

4.0 out of 5 stars Really good but with unintended consequence?
I was trying to think how to describe The Parallax View and I realized its the conspricy movie Oliver Stone would make if had more talent and less ego. Read more

Published on April 10 2004