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April 04, 2008
Imaginary Duets: Mac and Lazarus
Last night I had the pleasure of watching Black Snake Moan with Samuel L. Jackson and Christina Ricci. Besides having the greatest poster so far in the 21st century, Black Snake Moan gives a heartfelt picture of failings and redemption in the South. It takes its religion seriously, something that I imagine made as many people uncomfortable as the movie's premise. A classic line in the film summarizes the plot: "A half-naked white girl chained in your house?"
Jackson plays the farmer Lazarus (more than a little symbolism in that name), embittered by the end of his marriage, who finally gets back to his true calling of blues musician through his friendship with trailer-park strumpet Ricci. In watching Jackson play and the plot unfold against the background of sinners trying to get right with God, I was struck by the movie's spiritual connection to Robert Duvall's Oscar winning Tender Mercies, from 1983. While Tender Mercies got great reviews and rewards, Black Snake Moan was considered exploitative dreck by some reviewers.
But it's not. I'll tell you why.
The movies run on parallel tracks, about men who've had too many hard times, but retain a core of decency and determination to do right. Music is a crucial element of both. Duvall's Mac and Jackson's Lazarus come from the same place in life, and the movie set me to musing about how their characters would get along in real life. Think of a meeting along the lines of a graphic novel that get Superman and Batman together.
I could see Mac and Lazarus on a rural porch, dusk in Texas or Tennessee, guitars in hand, swapping tales of juke joints and pool halls, tearing a music hall apart on Saturday night then scrambling to get to church on time.
It's that kind of movie, one to think about.
Van | 04/04/08 at 02:47 PM | Categories: Sensual pleasures
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