The hero of `A Thousand Clowns' is Murray Burns (Jason Robards), one of the most original, most complex characters in movie history, and also one of the hardest to decipher. That fact alone that the protagonist is hard to understand is probably the main reason that this fabulous film is reduced to only a 7.3 rating on the IMDb scale, a scale which often underrates some spectacular movies, but that's a whole nother topic.
The story follows Murray Burns through about two days of his life, as he goes through a tremendous change. Murray is unemployed and living in a junky apartment with his nephew Nick (Barry Gordon), who urges him again and again to get a job because children's aid workers are on their way. Murray shrugs it off, until two workers Albert (William Daniels) and Sandra (Barbara Gordon) show up at his door. Murray spends most of the interview making jokes and bugging Albert, and we sense that it is his defense mechanism. He doesn't want to face his problems, and when he needs to shape up the most he romances Sandra and takes her on a daylong date.
But Sandra happens to be more than a one-night stand, and the two fall in love, which proves to be another distraction that's averting Murray from working to keep Nick. It's only after Albert shows up once again and warns Murray that he fully realizes his situation, and after a long bout he decides to work for Nick, and he goes to get a job.
There's a problem, though, it's that Murray doesn't want a job, because he's afraid of becoming a regular, a dead person whose entire life is planned before it happens. Murray sees the rest of the world as a circus, where everyone is a clown with a routine. Murray is a hero to himself, thinking he's brave to avoid this.
Only its revolutionary script matches the revolutionary plot of `A Thousand Clowns'. It knows exactly the right moment to switch from comedy and drama, to show when Murray is frightened about losing Nick or joking to hide his fear. The scriptwriter knew everything he needed to know about his characters before he wrote the script (and probably the play) and his expertise shows. The movie is very funny, and also very touching, and at all the right moments.
The film is obviously told in Murray's point of view. Example: when Gene Saks' character first enters Murray's apartment the camera follows him as if it were someone's eyes, watching Saks, and since Robards is off screen for the majority of the shot, we can assume who's eyes the camera represents. And we are horrified by the warped Saks, just as Murray is, but compromise along with him as Murray enters the shot and reluctantly joins Saks. The cinematography is great in capturing all of this, and more.
Another great aspect about the movie is how barely anyone understands Murray. Saks doesn't, he just sees a good writer for his show and has no idea why Murray is so `odd', inspiring a long, anger-filled speech about the oddness of Murray's household. Nick doesn't even understand him; he likes his uncle because he is fun but doesn't know why he is fun, and why he must cease being fun in order to keep Nick. Sandra doesn't seem to see the cynical parts of Murray and spends the movie trying to touch on his more compassionate, regular side.
The character that understands Murray the most is his brother Arnold played by brilliant character actor Martin Balsam. Murray and Arnold, who is also his agent, are locked in an intense verbal combat in an abandoned restaurant. For the first half Arnold is silent as Murray belittles him, as one of the `dead people', upset that Arnold never gets angry anymore, that he no longer is any fun. Murray is about to leave when Arnold screams, and then Arnold opens up, and explains how wrong Murray is, and how wonderful Arnold's life is. `I am the best possible Arnold Burns,' he says, and we see that he is right, and how happy he is.
You see; the whole point of the movie is that Murray is wrong. Well, not entirely, his description of people who've lost their souls to the system is spot-on for Saks' character, but his mistake is that he thinks everyone but himself and maybe Sandra fits into this category (though he's teaching Nick not to be). But he's wrong, and since the film is in his perspective we are as stubborn as he is in accepting that. But listen to all the other characters, like Daniels' line `A person like me will always look foolish when talking to someone as creative as yourself.' This is all summed up in Arnold's speech, about how you can still live a fulfilling life being a regular working man.
The acting in this movie is terrific. I'd like to single out Robards and Balsam (who won a very well deserved Oscar for this), who are wonderful, but really all the actors are great here. Harris is delightfully flighty as Sandra, Gordon is charming as Nick and Saks is strange and warped in his part. This is an ensemble piece, really, with every actor playing his or her part enough to leave a lasting impression while avoiding being a ham.
I love this movie, it's funny, and it's brilliant, 8.5/10.
The story follows Murray Burns through about two days of his life, as he goes through a tremendous change. Murray is unemployed and living in a junky apartment with his nephew Nick (Barry Gordon), who urges him again and again to get a job because children's aid workers are on their way. Murray shrugs it off, until two workers Albert (William Daniels) and Sandra (Barbara Gordon) show up at his door. Murray spends most of the interview making jokes and bugging Albert, and we sense that it is his defense mechanism. He doesn't want to face his problems, and when he needs to shape up the most he romances Sandra and takes her on a daylong date.
But Sandra happens to be more than a one-night stand, and the two fall in love, which proves to be another distraction that's averting Murray from working to keep Nick. It's only after Albert shows up once again and warns Murray that he fully realizes his situation, and after a long bout he decides to work for Nick, and he goes to get a job.
There's a problem, though, it's that Murray doesn't want a job, because he's afraid of becoming a regular, a dead person whose entire life is planned before it happens. Murray sees the rest of the world as a circus, where everyone is a clown with a routine. Murray is a hero to himself, thinking he's brave to avoid this.
Only its revolutionary script matches the revolutionary plot of `A Thousand Clowns'. It knows exactly the right moment to switch from comedy and drama, to show when Murray is frightened about losing Nick or joking to hide his fear. The scriptwriter knew everything he needed to know about his characters before he wrote the script (and probably the play) and his expertise shows. The movie is very funny, and also very touching, and at all the right moments.
The film is obviously told in Murray's point of view. Example: when Gene Saks' character first enters Murray's apartment the camera follows him as if it were someone's eyes, watching Saks, and since Robards is off screen for the majority of the shot, we can assume who's eyes the camera represents. And we are horrified by the warped Saks, just as Murray is, but compromise along with him as Murray enters the shot and reluctantly joins Saks. The cinematography is great in capturing all of this, and more.
Another great aspect about the movie is how barely anyone understands Murray. Saks doesn't, he just sees a good writer for his show and has no idea why Murray is so `odd', inspiring a long, anger-filled speech about the oddness of Murray's household. Nick doesn't even understand him; he likes his uncle because he is fun but doesn't know why he is fun, and why he must cease being fun in order to keep Nick. Sandra doesn't seem to see the cynical parts of Murray and spends the movie trying to touch on his more compassionate, regular side.
The character that understands Murray the most is his brother Arnold played by brilliant character actor Martin Balsam. Murray and Arnold, who is also his agent, are locked in an intense verbal combat in an abandoned restaurant. For the first half Arnold is silent as Murray belittles him, as one of the `dead people', upset that Arnold never gets angry anymore, that he no longer is any fun. Murray is about to leave when Arnold screams, and then Arnold opens up, and explains how wrong Murray is, and how wonderful Arnold's life is. `I am the best possible Arnold Burns,' he says, and we see that he is right, and how happy he is.
You see; the whole point of the movie is that Murray is wrong. Well, not entirely, his description of people who've lost their souls to the system is spot-on for Saks' character, but his mistake is that he thinks everyone but himself and maybe Sandra fits into this category (though he's teaching Nick not to be). But he's wrong, and since the film is in his perspective we are as stubborn as he is in accepting that. But listen to all the other characters, like Daniels' line `A person like me will always look foolish when talking to someone as creative as yourself.' This is all summed up in Arnold's speech, about how you can still live a fulfilling life being a regular working man.
The acting in this movie is terrific. I'd like to single out Robards and Balsam (who won a very well deserved Oscar for this), who are wonderful, but really all the actors are great here. Harris is delightfully flighty as Sandra, Gordon is charming as Nick and Saks is strange and warped in his part. This is an ensemble piece, really, with every actor playing his or her part enough to leave a lasting impression while avoiding being a ham.
I love this movie, it's funny, and it's brilliant, 8.5/10.