Anthony Perkins in Pretty Poison
Nothing screams Americana quite like small towns, shoot-outs with the law, and runaway romances. In 1967, titans of Hollywood Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway starred as the titular Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker in Arthur Penn’s relatively biographical Bonnie and Clyde.
Alongside the fast-paced heist plotline and the blossoming love between one of the most notorious couples and criminal names in American history, Penn’s daring depictions of sex and violence on-screen gave Bonnie and Clyde a gritty, realistic quality. Just one year after Penn dropped the bombshell that was Bonnie and Clyde into the culture, another star-studded, crime romance was released. Only this time, the film was met with a lukewarm reception at best, ultimately slipping away into the annals of cinematic history. Noel Black’s debut, 1968 film, Pretty Poison, is not a film to be missed. What could be considered a 1960s reimagining of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, this is no simple romance — Pretty Poison is a toxic tale that cleverly subverts audience expectations. Anthony Perkins and Tuesday Weld Make a Terrifying Duo Close Best known for his role as Norman Bates in Psycho, Anthony Perkins is no stranger to grim, shifty roles. Perkins is pitch-perfect casting as recent parolee from a criminal mental institution, Dennis Pitt. Pretty Poison is only able to kick off once Dennis has been released in a scene that reveals a darker past and a compulsive tendency to lie. Upon his release, Dennis finds himself working in a soul-crushing factory job and attracted to Sue Ann , a high school cheerleader. As is his wont, Dennis lies to Sue Ann about being a CIA agent, and together the two find themselves in a whirlwind of sabotage as a questionable affair unfolds between them. Unfortunately for everyone involved, Sue Ann takes a little too well to the criminal lifestyle. Related Roger Ebert Called This Seminal '60s Psychological Thriller a "Hypnotic Conjuring Act" Before Nolan there was... Posts Pretty Poison is a dual character study of Dennis and Sue Ann, using one to expose more of the other in turns. Perkins and Weld turn in such tremendous performances that it’s hard to say who is stealing the scene from whom. Separately and together, they both give off an air of charming niceness. Even as Perkins begins to spiral into delusion, struggling to balance his lies with reality, he never loses the friendly veneer. Particular editing is used during camera push-ins on Dennis as he stares off into space, and quick clips of previous scenes, or memories the audience is not yet privy to, are spliced in. The music grows louder as the background noise fades, creating a claustrophobic hold as the audience finds themselves trapped inside Dennis’ haunting mind. All the while, Dennis always remembers to say “please” and “thank you”. The audience is primed to suspect Dennis. It's impossible to totally divorce Perkins from Norman Bates, and as he opens the film just being released from a criminal institution only to go skulk at a cheerleading practice, he's certainly not set up as harmless. In direct contrast, Sue Ann is as threatening as a kitten when she first marches across the screen. As the film cracks open Sue Ann’s dark psychology, Weld never stops beaming at Perkins and the camera. She’s"bubblegum cheer" right to the bitter end, and what was first endearing, if not a little stock, slowly becomes unnerving. ‘Pretty Poison’ UsesAnthony Perkins and Tuesday Weld to Criticize the Culture Before the Manson murders slammed the door shut on the peace-and-love haze of the '60s, and before author Joan Didion so exactingly synthesized the collapse of the decade in her iconic “The White Album,” director Noel Black had identified a dangerous apathy festering among the youth of America. In the wake of Penn’s explosive and beloved Bonnie and Clyde, a preference towards extremes had revealed itself among the American public, specifically among the younger demographic. Go bigger and get a greater reaction. Pretty Poison sought to satirize this developing trend. What at first blush appears to be something of a dark romance, Pretty Poison is much more interested in critiquing than romanticizing. There is a distinct creepiness to the scene when Dennis first sees Sue Ann. As the cheerleaders stomp across the field, they're dressed in school regalia and look very young. Dennis lurks in the background, dressed in professional clothing and looking decidedly out of place. Inappropriate relationships are at the bottom of the list, though, when it comes to criticisms Black is lobbying. Even with such immense talent populating the film, Pretty Poison wouldn’t be half the film it is without Lorenzo Semple Jr.’s clever script and Black’s insightful direction. Black aptly described Sue Ann as a “teenie bopper Lady Macbeth.” And yet, Sue Ann is designed to be something of an ever-teenage girl for the time, a chilling thought with her character arc. Dennis doesn’t turn Sue Ann into a girl comfortable holding a gun, he just gives her the opportunity to hold it. Black and Semple are waving giant red flags for their audience with Sue Ann. They ask: how can our youth be so nonplussed by violence? How can they enjoy it? Eerie questions to begin with. Watching Pretty Poison today, it’s even more unsettling to realize this film is attempting to draw attention to a problem that would explode only a year later. Largely forgotten today, Pretty Poison is a film definitely worth watching and loving. A scathing depiction of the disenfranchised youth of the '60s, Pretty Poison riffs on the previous year's Bonnie and Clyde. Rather than a proper romance, Perkins and Weld stand shoulder-to-shoulder for a disturbing portrait of two fractured minds. With all the speed of a crime thriller, and all the rumination of a quiet character study, Pretty Poison is the best of both worlds. Fun, yet substantial, Pretty Poison grabs its audience and leaves claw marks for long after the credits have rolled. Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 Your comment has not been saved Like Follow Followed Pretty Poison R Crime Drama Romance Thriller Release Date July 19, 1968 Runtime 89 minutes Cast See All
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