{"id":1306,"date":"2016-10-07T23:32:58","date_gmt":"2016-10-07T23:32:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/?p=1306"},"modified":"2018-08-30T20:22:03","modified_gmt":"2018-08-30T20:22:03","slug":"theatre-in-film-bullets-over-broadway-1994","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-bullets-over-broadway-1994\/","title":{"rendered":"Theatre in Film: Bullets Over Broadway (1994)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"fusion-one-full fusion-layout-column fusion-column-last fusion-spacing-yes section-header-post\" style=\"margin-top:;margin-bottom:;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper\"><h3>Theatre in Film: <i>Bullets Over Broadway <\/i>(1994)<\/h3>\n<font size=\"2\" color=\"grey\"><span style=\"border:1px solid ;-webkit-border-radius:50%;-moz-border-radius:50%;border-radius:50%;-moz-box-shadow: 0 0 3px rgba(0,0,0,.3);-webkit-box-shadow: 0 0 3px rgba(0,0,0,.3);box-shadow: 0 0 3px rgba(0,0,0,.3);margin-right:25px;float:left;\" class=\"fusion-imageframe imageframe-glow imageframe-1 hover-type-none author-image\"><a class=\"fusion-no-lightbox\" href=\"http:\/\/performerstuff.com\" target=\"_self\"> <img src=\"http:\/\/mgs.performerstuff.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/authorimage.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"img-responsive\" style=\"-webkit-border-radius:50%;-moz-border-radius:50%;border-radius:50%;\"\/><\/a><\/span><p>Written by Ashleigh Gardner<\/p>\n<p>October 5, 2016<\/p>\n<\/font><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-one-full fusion-layout-column fusion-column-last fusion-spacing-yes section-body-post\" style=\"margin-top:;margin-bottom:;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper\"><p style=\"text-align: left;\">Welcome to Part IV in Performer Stuff\u2019s Theatre in Film series. In this installment, we feature films from 1989 to 1995 that focus on interpersonal relationships within theatre \u2014 the love, the complications, and the comedy that inevitably occur when actors, directors, playwrights, and technicians share the same space for extended periods of time. We\u00a0continue\u00a0Part IV with the 1994\u00a0Woody Allen backstage comedy,\u00a0<em>Bullets Over Broadway<\/em>.<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: left;\"><i>Bullets Over Broadway <\/i>(1994)<\/h4>\n<br><div align=\"center\"><div class=\"fusion-video fusion-youtube\" style=\"max-width:600px;max-height:350px;\"><div class=\"video-shortcode\"><iframe title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5RPuaGSB2QQ?wmode=transparent&autoplay=0\" width=\"600\" height=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/div><br><p style=\"text-align: left;\"><b>Director:\u00a0<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Woody Allen<br \/>\n<\/span><b>Starring:\u00a0<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">John Cusack, Dianne Wiest, Jennifer Tilly, Chazz Palminteri, Jim Broadbent, Tracey Ullman, Joe Viterelli, and Mary-Louise Parker.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: left;\">What happens:<\/h4>\n<br><p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s 1928, and young, inexperienced playwright David Shayne (John Cusack) needs to find the money to produce his play, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">God of Our Fathers <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">on Broadway<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unfortunately, he has to agree to cast Olive Neal (Jennifer Tilly), the girlfriend of mobster Nick Valenti (Joe Viterelli), in order for Valenti to hand Shayne any money for the production. Olive has always wanted to be an actress, and she is a disaster onstage from the moment of the first read-thru. To make things worse, Olive\u2019s bodyguard, Cheech (Chazz Palminteri), refuses to leave the rehearsal or stay out of Shayne\u2019s directorial choices. Shayne, admitting he\u2019s sold out to the mob, gets caught in an amusing spiral of self-doubt and guilt and begins an affair with his older, alcoholic, self-absorbed leading lady, Helen Sinclair (Dianne Wiest). Additionally, Olive herself begins an affair with the play\u2019s leading man, Warner Purcell (Jim Broadbent), putting herself and Warner at risk of being \u201coffed\u201d by Nick Valenti\u2019s men.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cheech, having seen what a disaster rehearsals are, begins making suggestions for improvements to the script. Shayne, somewhat open to Cheech\u2019s ideas, befriends the gangster and accepts some rewrites from Cheech, claiming them as his own. When the actors praise Shayne for his improved script, Shayne begins wondering whether or not he\u2019s really an artist, and his moral compass begins to shift as his desire for admiration and respect outweigh the truth of what\u2019s right and what\u2019s wrong.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: left;\">Why it matters:<\/h4>\n<br><p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the most fun backstage comedies within the past 20 years, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bullets Over Broadway <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">was nominated for six Academy Awards and, as of today, holds a <\/span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rottentomatoes.com\/m\/bullets_over_broadway\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">96% on Rotten Tomatoes<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Besides standing out as an excellent example of how difficult it is to get funding for a personal project in the arts, Woody Allen\u2019s film helps audiences witness the kind of relationships theatre-types must endure on and offstage, not to mention the consequences of severing ties with influential community leaders.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Theatre is an industry that requires a lot of convincing: actors must convince the audience that characters are real people, the playwright and director must convince the audience that the story is plausible, techs must convince everyone that everything backstage is going smoothly (even if it\u2019s not), and actors must sometimes convince each other that they like each other offstage, not to mention convincing the audience that their characters are thick as thieves. In an industry where working with people directly is the primary responsibility of all involved, complications can arise when one individual doesn\u2019t like someone else. <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As actors, singers, techs, and directors, we work with people we\u2019ve never met <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">all the time.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> When we meet them for the first time at an audition or at the first read-thru, we\u2019re putting our trust in them that they have our backs during the production (if we\u2019re cast at all). And if we find out that the person playing opposite us in the show isn\u2019t who we would ideally want, a shift of perspective sometimes has to take place in order for us to work with them in a professional manner. For David Shayne, his professionalism is <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">required <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in the theatre. He may be pummeled to death by Cheech or murdered by Nick Valenti if he upsets or fires Olive. But then again, his professionalism isn\u2019t required outside the theatre. His emotional recourse is having drinks with his leading lady, Miss Sinclair. <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shayne\u2019s internal struggle to admit that the show\u2019s rewrites are actually <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cheech\u2019s <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">also presents a dilemma that so many playwrights experience throughout their careers. Oftentimes, writing credit may never even be given to the person who came up with the bulk of the story to begin with. Additionally, the playwright may find themselves questioning their own talent: \u201cAre these my words? If they\u2019re not, why is my name on the bill? Ultimately, whose ideas are these, and how should credit be presented?\u201d It\u2019s a tough decision to make, especially if the actual editor of rewrites doesn\u2019t want any credit, just like Cheech refuses recognition for his edits.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bullets Over Broadway <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">transcends time to address backstage theatre culture in ways that encompass reputation and ethics, and though the film is a comedy, the events presented in Allen\u2019s script fall close to home in some situations where the outcome is more dramatic than farcical.<\/span><\/p>\n<br><p>This film is the first featured in Part IV of \u201cTheatre in Film\u201d. See below for the others in Part IV.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-a-chorus-of-disapproval-1989\/\"><strong><em>A Chorus of Disapproval<\/em>\u00a0(1989)<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-noises-off-1992\/\"><strong><em>Noises Off\u00a0<\/em>(1992)<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-vanya-on-42nd-street-1994\/\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Vanya on 42nd Street\u00a0<\/em>(1994)<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong><em>A Midwinter\u2019s Tale (In the Bleak Midwinter)<\/em>\u00a0(1995)<\/strong>\u00a0<em>(Coming soon.)<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Want to start with\u00a0<strong>Part I<\/strong>? Begin with\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><em><a href=\"http:\/\/mgs.performerstuff.com\/?p=133\">42nd Street\u00a0<\/a><\/em>(1933)<\/strong><\/span>.<br \/>\nMiss\u00a0<strong>Part II<\/strong>?\u00a0Check out\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-series-the-band-wagon-1953\/\"><strong><em>The Band Wagon<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<strong>(1953)<\/strong><\/a><\/span>.<br \/>\nNeed a refresh for\u00a0<strong>Part III<\/strong>? Start with\u00a0our feature on\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-series-all-that-jazz-1979\/\">All That Jazz\u00a0<\/a><\/em><\/strong><strong>(1979)<\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><hr \/>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: left;\"><em><strong>Ashleigh Gardner<\/strong>\u00a0received her AA in Theatre\/Drama\/Dramatic Arts\u00a0from Valencia College and\u00a0her Bachelors Degree in English Literature and\u00a0Masters Degree in Literary, Cultural, and Textual Studies from\u00a0the University of Central Florida. She is a playwright, an actor, and PerformerStuff.com\u2019s Editor.\u00a0<\/em><\/h5>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: left;\">Thumbnail image from\u00a0<em>Bullets Over Broadway.\u00a0<\/em>Copyright \u00a9 Miramax Films 1994.<\/h5>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [...]","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1307,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[259,265],"tags":[106,25,319,405,80,14,406],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1306"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1306"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1306\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1306"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1306"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}