Critique of Capitalism with Falling Down (Retrospective)
Capitalism critique with Falling Down (retrospective) #fallingdown #capitalism #systemcriticism
WIKI Falling:
Falling Down is a 1993 American action-drama film directed by Joel Schumacher and written by Ebbe Roe Smith. The film stars Michael Douglas and Robert Duvall.
The plot follows the frustrated protagonist, William Foster, known as D-Fens (a play on the word "defense"), on his increasingly violent walk through Los Angeles to his daughter's birthday party. He becomes embroiled in incidents that expose him to the social problems of society. Foster, who has previously led a conventional, middle-class life, becomes increasingly angry and violent, and the situation escalates.
Schumacher:
Schumacher was born in New York in 1939 and studied at Parsons School of Design. His father died when Joel Schumacher was four years old, so he grew up with his single mother. As a child, he spent a lot of time riding his bicycle on the streets of the Queens borough of New York City. His family was so poor that they couldn't even afford a television. However, across the street from his mother's apartment was the Sunnyside Movies theater, where Schumacher watched numerous films as a teenager, sparking his interest in cinema.[1] Initially working in the fashion industry, he began his media career in late 1971 as a costume designer in Hollywood, earning $200 a week.[2][3] Early in his career, he collaborated with Woody Allen on several projects. Schumacher later wrote screenplays for films such as Car Wash (1976) and The Wiz (1978).
[1] After initial directing credits on television productions, Schumacher made his feature film debut in 1981 with the science fiction comedy The Incredible Shrinking Woman*, starring Lily Tomlin. Further successes quickly followed, including the Brat Pack films *St. Elmo's Fire (1985) and The Lost Boys (1987), which, with their genre elements, resonated strongly with audiences. In 1993, he directed Falling Down*, starring Michael Douglas. Schumacher also adapted two John Grisham novels, *The Client (1994) and A Time to Kill (1996). Many of Schumacher's films were star-driven cinema with a keen sense of style and sometimes exceptionally garish sets,[4] often featuring subversive elements or flamboyant humor that subverted mainstream cinema.[5]
With his growing reputation, he secured his first major budget when he acquired the rights to Batman from Tim Burton. Batman Forever (1995) was a summer hit. Its sequel, Batman & Robin (1997), while achieving a worldwide box office gross of $238 million on a budget of $125 million, was a massive flop with many critics and fans. At the 1998 Golden Raspberry Awards, the film received eleven nominations, including one for Worst Director, which Schumacher himself received. The announced fifth Batman film was canceled, and Schumacher returned to less ambitious projects. 8mm (1999), Tigerland (2000), and Phone Booth (2002) were all box office successes.
At the 1998 Golden Raspberry Awards, the film received eleven nominations, including one for Worst Director. Since the death of actor Brandon Lee, a friend of Schumacher's, who was accidentally killed by a gunshot during the filming of The Crow in March 1993, filmmaker Joel Schumacher developed a profound fear of firearms. As a result, he insisted on the meticulous maintenance of all weapons used during his own film shoots, ensuring that a firearms expert was present to verify that no live ammunition was present in the revolvers, rifles, and pistols.
In 2004, he created a lavishly produced film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical *The Phantom of the Opera*. His last film, *Trespass*, was panned by critics and also flopped at the box office. In 2013, Schumacher directed two episodes of the political drama series House of Cards, which were his last directorial work.
Joel Schumacher was one of the first openly gay filmmakers. Although he didn't consider himself a "gay filmmaker" ("I just don't believe it matters. This is how I feel. I've lived my life very openly. ... So I'm not hiding anything."), his sexual identity was nevertheless sometimes said to have influenced his work. Schumacher died on June 22, 2020, in New York City at the age of 80 from cancer.