Burt Lancaster stars as Lou, an aging mob flunkey, barely making a living in Atlantic City. Susan Sarandon plays Sally, a casino croupier whose husband Dave (Robert Joy) steals a large supply of drugs from the mob. When he is killed, the narcotics pass to the unwilling Sally. Lou, in the midst of longtime affair with middle-aged gangster's widow Grace (Kate Reid), falls for the much younger Sally, becoming her savior by killing the mob thugs sent to shut her up. The killings serve a therapeutic value for Lou, proving that ...
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Burt Lancaster stars as Lou, an aging mob flunkey, barely making a living in Atlantic City. Susan Sarandon plays Sally, a casino croupier whose husband Dave (Robert Joy) steals a large supply of drugs from the mob. When he is killed, the narcotics pass to the unwilling Sally. Lou, in the midst of longtime affair with middle-aged gangster's widow Grace (Kate Reid), falls for the much younger Sally, becoming her savior by killing the mob thugs sent to shut her up. The killings serve a therapeutic value for Lou, proving that he hasn't lost his old panache. Hal Erickson, Rovi
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Seller's Description:
Hollis McLaren, Michel Piccoli, Kate Reid, Susan Sarandon, Burt Lancaster. New. 1981 Run time: 104. Buy with confidence-Satisfaction Guaranteed! Delivery Confirmation included for all orders in the US.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Hollis McLaren, Michel Piccoli, Kate Reid, Susan Sarandon, Burt Lancaster. New. 1981 Run time: 104. Buy with confidence-Satisfaction Guaranteed! Delivery Confirmation included for all orders in the US.
I remember many years ago getting up early to catch the bus to Atlantic City and get as a reward for taking the bus credits in the casinos. I walked the Boardwalk, spent my casino credits, and took the bus home. It was a way of marking an important life- changing event.
This 1980 film "Atlantic City" directed by Louis Malle predated my experience but I hadn't seen it. Burt Lancaster plays Lou Pascal, an aging and small-time gangster who becomes mixed up in a cocaine robbery. In the process, Lou become involved his young, ambitious apartment house neighbor, Sally Matthews (Susan Sarandon) whom he has been ogling at night through the window. Lou and Sally form an unlikely couple. The movie follows their brief relationship through crime, violence, and the possibility of redemption for both.
With an original screenplay by John Guare the film develops its story quickly and convincingly. Lancaster and Sarandon give outstanding performances for which they received Academy Award nominations. The members of the large supporting cast also offer fine performances. Guare's screenplay and Malle's direction also received Academy Award nominations, and the film itself was nominated for best picture. In 2003, "Atlantic City" was added to the National Film Registry maintained by the Library of Congress as being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
The main character of the film is Atlantic City itself. Filmed on-site, "Atlantic City" shows the city on the cusp of a questionable revitalization and change of character with the then recent introduction of casino gambling. The wrecking ball becomes a symbol in this movie as old apartments along the Boardwalk are demolished to make way for casino. The movie takes the viewer through the shabby old neighborhoods of Atlantic City, along the Boardwalk, and through the casinos, corruption, and glitz. It is a visit to Atlantic City in time and as it is no more.
The film reminded me of my visit to the city as it was in the middle of its casino heyday. The film also reminded me of the possibility of change and of moving on in the search of a better life, as I was in the process of doing during my brief visit. . "You live too much in the past" Lou says at one point in the film to a friend who has fallen upon hard times. The aging Lou learns something in this film, as does his young, beautiful companion of a day, about the nature of moving forward and of beginning a new moment in one's life.
Robin Friedman
advancedinstructor
Jul 8, 2010
Burt Lancaster
Good picture, well acted, great ending. Through the years, Burt Lancaster proved himself to be one of filmdom's truly great actors, with such a broad spectrum of roles. His penultimate role in "Phantom of the Opera" with Charles Dance was more of an appropriate swan song than his final (almost cameo) performance in "Separate But Equal" with Sidney Poitier. The man was a wonder, and should have received the Best Actor Oscar a second time for his role in "Atlantic City".
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