[.ca] Atlantic City (Widescreen)

Amazon.ca:
Atlantic City combines the poetry of French romance with the hard-boiled wit of American gangster films. Lou (Burt Lancaster) is an aged errand boy for the mob in Atlantic City whose life consists of watching the casinos of his youth demolished, caring for his former boss's widow and dreaming about being the big shot he never was. That is, until he meets Sally (Susan Sarandon) whose personal life proves to be a heart-stopping wake-up call: her ex is back in town with her pregnant sister, a load of stolen cocaine and pack of killers trailing behind. When Lou gets involved he finds a chance for romance and redemption. With the creative coupling of director Louis Malle (Murmur of the Heart) and Broadway playwright John Guare (Six Degrees of Separation, it's no surprise that Atlantic City has won a plethora of awards, including best picture, director and writer--making it a classic you won't want to miss. --Lloyd Chesley

Small Charming Movie:
Screen legend Lancaster and a then up and coming but still mostly unknown Sarandon are great together in this affecting melodrama about an aging tough guy who never amounted to much and a hopeful card dealer who is going nowhere fast. He has one last adventure and she faces the grim facts of life once and for all. Their sad, washed out lives mirror the sad washed out Atlantic City. If you can't make it in Las Vegas, try Atlantic City and, if you can't make it in Atlantic City, you might as well pack it in. Nominated for a bunch of academy awards but won nothing in an excellent year for movies.

Portrait of an Old Lion and a Tired City:
For whatever reasons, this film never has received the recognition and appreciation I think it deserves. It was directed by Louis Malle and stars Burt Lancaster as Lou. (In Atlantic City, first names are all you need to know about those around you.) Malle carefully develops three different story lines: Lou's long-term affair with Grace (Kate Reid), a mobster's widow; Lou's relationship with Sally (Susan Sarandon) to whom he feels both a paternal and romantic attraction; and his symbiotic relationship with Atlantic City. Both he and the city seem long past their prime. During the course of the film, Sally also becomes a widow. Credit Malle and his excellent cast as well as cinematographer Richard Ciupka for creating and then sustaining an atmosphere of deterioration and menace. Special note should also be made of John Guare's screenplay. He, Malle, Lancaster, Sarandon, and the film were all nominated for an Academy Award. (FYI, The respective winners in 1980 were Bo Goldman for Melvin and Howard, Robert Redford for Ordinary People, Robert De Niro for Raging Bull, Sissy Spacek for Coal Miner's Daughter, and Ordinary People.) Toward the end of his career, Lancaster accepted a series of roles (including this one) which enabled him to explore and reveal subtle nuances of character and personality which much earlier roles neither permitted nor required. My own opinion is that his performance as Lou is his greatest achievement as an actor. However, in certain respects, Atlantic City itself really is the dominant character. I recall brief visits to it in the 1970s. The city then bore little resemblance to what it has since become, at least in the casino area. Of course the city then bore little resemblance, also, to the elegant seaside resort it once was 75 years earlier. My guess (only a guess) is that Malle's work in this film -- especially his establishment and enrichment of precisely appropriate tone and atmosphere -- had a significant influence on later films such as House of Games (1987), Miller's Crossing (1990), Billy Bathgate (1991), Road to Perdition (2002), and The Cooler (2003). As I said, just a guess. One final point: I think it is a disgrace that the so-called "special features" provided with the DVD version are limited to "Theatrical trailer(s)" and "Widescreen anamorphic format."

One Of Louis Malle's Best!:
As of late I have been watching the films of Louis Malle. I have watched some movies for the first time and others a second time around. What I've noticed about Malle is the way none of his films seem to have a distinctive feel to them. He seems able to direct every movie in a different style that is relatable to it's story. Each film carries it's own personal tone to it. Watch "Au Revoir Les Enfants", "My Dinner With Andre", "Damage" and this film. I don't notice any similarities in Malle's style of directing. And I guess that's a good thing. "Atlantic City" is a film about lost hopes and dreams. The movie's most interesting character I feel is Lou (Burt Lancaster). A small time hood who remembers Atlantic City in the "old days". He claims he at one time knew all the famous gangsters. Lou is at an age in his life where he feels regret. He thinks where is his big payoff? For the past 40 years he has been Grace's (Kate Reid) bodyguard\sboyfriend. And now seeks something more. He want to be one of those people who feels "important". He wants money and beautiful women around him. He wants to live it up in his old age. The other main character is Sally (Susan Sarandon). A woman who is now on her own after he husband left her for her sister, who is now having a baby! Sally wants to become a dealer in a casino. She feels she has a lot to look forward to in the future. Things seem to be shaping up nicely for her and with enough time may get her life back on track. What I like so much about "Atlantic City" is how Malle seems truly interested in these characters. This is one of those movies where the strenght lies not within the plot, but the people. Its the characters who make the movie because we can see ourselves in them. At one time or another I bet we have all felt a bit like Lou. I'll freely admit I have at times. We have all felt down asking ourselves when will our luck turn around. When will we hit the jackpot? For Lou it will come sooner than he thinks. But, Malle doesn't rush the movie. He lets the movie flow at its own rhythm. He really cares for these people and is willing to take the time to tell their stories. And in the end "Atlantic City" is a touching story that most people should find enjoyable. At it's time of release "Atlantic City" was showered with awards and nominations. The movie went on to earn 5 Oscar nominations including "Best Picture". It won 7 Cesars awards, including "Best Picture" and it also won the Golden Lion award for "Best Picture". And Roger Ebert named it one of the ten best films of 1981! I don't know if it was in some way meant as a joke or if I personally just got a kick out of this but Wallace Shawn has a brief cameo in the movie as a waiter. In a movie Malle made that same year "My Dinner With Andre" Shawn had a role in that movie. That movie was set with two people in a restaurant having dinner. This time around, Shawn is now the waiter. I don't know why but I just thought I'd mention this. Bottom-line: One of the best films of it's year. Director Malle does a wonderful job of telling the story. The characters seem real enough where we give them our feelings. A strong touching movie.

Captures a unique place during a unique time:
Atlantic City is a film that captures the time of transition that this city went through as it reinvented itself after gambling was legalized. Burt lancaster is perfectly cast as an-old time and small time numbers runner who is hanging on the fringe of the old Atlantic City. His musings about the "good " old days are one of the highlights of this film. At one point he tells a younger drug dealing hustler "you should have seen the Atlantic Ocean back then, it was really something." as he stares wistfully into the distance. The comparisons between old and new are extended into the characters and their tastes in everything from clothes to music. The soundtrack alternates between 40's big band and modern jazz. The decadence of Atlantic City is captured very realistically. Robert Goulet singing a campy song to a roomful of hospital patients as a new wing donated by the casino is being dedicated, etc. Susan Sarandon is very good as a young woman who sees her escape route in obtaining a license to deal blackjack. The scenes with her and Lancaster are extremely well done. The supporting cast is also very strong.A well written script and a wintery overcast ambiance adds to the overall effort. A movie that captures a unique place during a unique time.

A pearl of great price:
Burt Lancaster only got better with age and this has to be one of his shining roles, as a two-bit gangster (Lou Pasco) long past his prime, unwittingly involved in what would be his final deal. Louis Malle captures Atlantic City in its decline, telling a wonderful story of misplaced souls who struggle to find their place. Susan Sarandon turns in a memorable performance Sallie Matthews, who soon becomes Lou's love interest as she washes away the smell of brine from her shoulders in one of the signature scenes in the movie. Malle constructs an elaborate story dealing with the gangsterism of Atlantic City past and present. Lou finds himself the reluctant paramour of Grace, the widow of a former crime boss, who Lou worked for. A relationship Malle never loses sight of as he develops the relationship between Lou and Sally, taking it to its fitting conclusion. Malle has such a fine eye for detail, which made him one of the best directors in cinema. He brings his French sense of realism to Hollywood, playing off American gangster films in the same way Truffaut did, but creating what I think are more captivating films. Atlantic City is a pearl. It is so well rounded and lustrous that one can watch this movie over and over again and be enchanted each and every time.