Atlantic City (1980)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Louis Malle

Writer:

John Guare (written by)

Release Date:

3 April 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

She made him become what he always wanted to be - a lover, a hero, a rich man...and a killer!

Plot:

Lou is a small time gangster, who thinks he used to be something big. He meets up with a younger girl...

Plot Keywords:

Gangster | Cocaine | Drug Dealer | Motel | Atlantic City New Jersey

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 23 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

Burt Lancaster	...	Lou Pascal
Susan Sarandon	...	Sally Matthews
Kate Reid	...	Grace Pinza
Michel Piccoli	...	Joseph
Hollis McLaren	...	Chrissie
Robert Joy	...	Dave Matthews
Al Waxman	...	Alfie
Robert Goulet	...	Singer in hospital
Moses Znaimer	...	Felix
Angus MacInnes	...	Vinnie
Sean Sullivan	...	Buddy
Wallace Shawn	...	Waiter (as Wally Shawn)
Harvey Atkin	...	Bus driver
Norma Dell'Agnese	...	Jeanne
Louis Del Grande	...	Mr. Shapiro

Also Known As:

Atlantic City (USA)
Atlantic City, USA (Canada: English title)

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

Canada | France

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | West Germany:16 (f) | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Iceland:L | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Albany Avenue, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

Company:

International Cinema

Trivia:

A French-Canadian production company gave director Louis Malle money to make a film under the stipulation that he use the money within an allotted period of time or he'd have to give it back. With time running out and not entirely happy with the one script that stood out from the ones he took under consideration, Malle's then-girlfriend Susan Sarandon introduced him to a good friend of hers, John Guare, a playwright ("House of Blue Leaves", "Six Degrees of Separation", and "Four Baboons Adoring the Sun" among others). Over dinner, Malle and Sarandon (who was attached to star) discussed the problems they had with the script and offered suggestions as to how Guare could possibly fix it so they could beat the pending deadline and start filming. Guare quickly reworked the script (it was his idea to set the film in Atlantic City) and filming got underway within a few months of the trio's initial meeting.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the beginning of this film we see a shot of a very large hotel being demolished, presumably to make way for the construction of a new hotel and casino. The imploded hotel is the old Traymore hotel one of Atlantic City's largest and most famous pre-casino resorts. The movie portrays the hotel as being demolished in 1979-80 so that it can be replaced with a new hotel/casino, gambling just being legalized in Atlantic City in 1978. However, the Traymore was closed and demolished in 1972 six years before gambling was legalized in AC and seven to eight years before the film was made.

Quotes:

Lou: Yes, it used to be beautiful - what with the rackets, whoring, guns.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Family Guy: Road to Rhode Island (#2.13)" (2000)

Soundtrack:

Song of India

I Don't Wear Seatbelts, I Don't Believe in Gravity

"Atlantic City" is a great film where the setting is just as rich and complex a character as the people traversing its streets (and boardwalk). Louis Malle delivers one of the most understated directorial turns working with a delightfully witty script (that has many great lines, like the one above) and a great cast (Lancaster perfect in a comeback role, Sarandon stunning in one of her early great performances). Things are so subtle here that you don't even realize you just watched a work of art until it is over. Atlantic City is shown truthfully (in despair, in shadowed glory, and in the glitz and glamor that was to return thanks to the casinos circa the late 70's) and the people inhabiting it gloriously reflect all of those varying degrees. This is the human condition (searching for that first break or that last chance) in all its quiet charms.