Blogcritics: Comments on The Duke On "Leatherface - Texas Chainsaw Massacre III"

Comment by Chris Kent

Fri, 7 May 2004 12:31:43 EDT

Duke, we're talking about a film made directly after the first war to be heavily covered by the media We're talking about a film made on a shoestring budget where a bunch of kids were hoping to break into the business AND make money. The artistic pretensions bestowed upon this film after the fact are simply restrictions the filmmakers encountered because they had no money - there was no artistic intention except to freak the audience out and make a notorious film kids would flock to see. Images of disfigured, dismemebered soldiers filled the airwaves While there was certainly the realities of war shown like never before on TV, nothing even remotely resembled the carnage seen in TCM. I think the film Deliverance, which came out in 1972 (?), was a more accurate inspiration. There were some ugly things that happened in that movie - the ugliness was just taken a step further. I would believe Vietnam analogy in Deliverance long before I would in TCM. subconciously these things influence the work Perhaps, but I thought we were talking about conscious analogy intentionally created by the filmmakers. We could go all day about subconscious analogy on every film ever made, doesn't mean it's valid. Original Invasion of the Body Snatchers was a conscious analogy of a Cold War, McCarthy Witch-Hunt America. The filmmakers set out to create such symbolism and also a damn good sci-fi/horror film. I think Night of the Living Dead (the original) also has artistic pretentions. I think the only pretension TCM has is to scare the living shit out of the moviegoer with a recreation of a nightmare come to life. Vietnam analogy is giving the TCM filmmakers far more credit than they deserve.....

Comment by Aaron, Duke De Mondo

Fri, 7 May 2004 11:30:55 EDT

Jim, Hopper was in Chainsaw 2, not this one. I actually quite enjoyed his performance, even if it was one of those gimmie the money situations. Chris, thanks for the considered comments. Thing is, we're talking about a film made directly after the first war to be heavily covered by the media. Images of disfigured, dismemebered soldiers filled the airwaves. In creating his own American Nightmare, its difficult to think Hooper wouldn't have ben influenced on some level by that round-the-clock carnage. Like Film Noir, which dealt with America's lack of direction folowing WW2, the horrors of the late 70's / early 80's talked about the mass slaughter of America's youth. Maybe every director didn't set out exactly to do that, but subconciously these things influence the work, and are often much more evident than the filmmakers actively intended.

Comment by Chris Kent

Fri, 7 May 2004 06:23:12 EDT

El Senor Duke, I have argued for years about the supposed rationale behind the orginal Texas Chainsaw Massacre. To say it is a parable of the Vietnam War is an attempt by Tobe Hooper and company trying to add allegory after the fact - and of course such numbnut authors as Carol Clover trying to add meaning to a film that was one of the greatest flukes in motion picture history. Anyone who has interviewed anyone even remotely attached to this film (with the exception of Mr. Tobe) knows full well the simple completion of the original TCM was a miracle in and of itself. They barely had time to finish the scenes before a tractor drove through the background, much less attempt to give us the predicatable doses of Vietnam analogy. Any film made during this period (or after the Vietnam War) could have some kind of similar parable attached to it if we were bored enough to investigate. Such parables, made up after the fact, are nonsense. Hooper and company drove out to the country in a pickup, made a movie under incredibly low-budget circumstances and just happened to strike gold. TCM is more an example of what resourceful, hungry, young folks can do under stress, than it is a parable of the Vietnam War. They created a nightmare with a chainsaw, and mimicked several excellent horror films made previously (Deliverance, Let's Scare Jessica To Death) and unknowingly made a horror classic. Put them in the same circumstances again, and they create trash (please refer to Eaten Alive, Hooper's follow-up with the same cast members, which has anything but Vietnam War allegory, unless of course, the alligator symbolizes Charlie).

Comment by Jim Carruthers

Thu, 6 May 2004 23:21:13 EDT

I think somehow, you disrespected "Touch of Evil", one of the few movies where you can actually watch a director rot from the inside out on screen. Plus, you didn't mention that Chainsaw 3 features Dennis Hopper in one of the many roles where, if you look closely, you can see him cashing his paycheque.