Hollywoodland is an intriguing look at both the dazzle and the dirt of Tinseltown in the 50’s. For his directorial debut, Allen Coulter has done a beautiful job of piecing together the life and death of George Reeves.
Ben Afleck does a very believable job of playing George Reeves, the original Superman from the 1950’s television series “Adventures of Superman.” For those unfamiliar with his story, this was not exactly a dream job for Mr. Reeves and unfortunately audiences (or studios for that matter) were never able to accept him in any other role. On June 16, 1959, he committed suicide at the age of 45.
Hollywoodland explores the mysteries involved with his death and offers up the prospect of murder along with several possible suspects. Adrian Brody plays Louis Simo, a struggling private investigator with issues of his own. Reeves’s mother hires him because she believes her son was way too big a star to have killed himself. Despite her naïve and actually selfish impression of her son, it turns out she might have a case, and even one far too big for Simo.
The real brilliance of this film is how well it is told visually. Aside from the opening credit with the date of death, the film moves flawlessly across time without any further text to spell out where we are. The make-up artists did an amazing job on the actors, gradually aging them, particularly on Diane Lane. Instead of telling us each possibility, the director shows us what could have happened. And then in a fashion rarely seen in any movie, the answers are left open and available for the audience to decide.
It’s difficult to spoil a movie about a true story, but I will share my favorite scene from the end. Each possibility regarding the death of George Reeves is imagined by Simo in front of the house where his death occurred. After viewing a heart breaking film reel where Reeves is attempting to look tough in order to show he is not to old to play a wrestler, Simo returns to the scene of his death and imagines the fateful night turning out exactly the way it was reported. The audience understands that Reeve’s was a less than happy soul, and that despite everything suspicious; suicide is still a real proposition. But as Simo is turning to leave the house he sees something on the ground and turns to pick it up. It happens to be one of the cards that was used to cover the extra, mostly unexplained bullet holes in the bedroom, reminding us very subtly and silently that there is still a lot to be suspicious about.
By Tina Alexander
