Homage: the cineaste’s flair for flattery

Part of the enjoyment of watching good quality cinema is the art of borrowing from and paying tribute to earlier works. This blog takes a look at five examples that exemplify this trend.

A Fistful of Dollars (1964) & Yojimbo (1961)

Sergio Leone’s masterful directing coupled with Ennio Morricone’s majestic score made cinema history, but the key to its success is arguably the transformation of the story from Kurosawa’s Yojimbo, an immoral samurai warrior in feudal Japan whose unscrupulous usurping is magically transported to what is considered the first of the ‘spaghetti western’ vehicles which, in turn, made Clint Eastwood into a star; not to mention an iconic figure in the pantheon of westerns.

Days and Nights in the Forest (1970) and A Day in the Country (1946)

Satyajit Ray the humanist and godfather of Indian classical cinema was a Brahmin, extremely well read and cultured admirer of European art cinema. He was particularly drawn to the work of Jean Renoir, who, like his protegee, was drawn to humanism, nature and poetry. The two men worked together on The River (1951). With Days and Nights in the Forest, Ray managed to pay homage to Renoir while creating a beautiful, moving story set on a totally different continent. He showed that it is possible to combine a love for what came before with something which was both fresh and formidable in later years.

Taxi Driver (1976) & Pickpocket (1959)

Although Scorsese’s Taxi Driver is based on the musings and real-life experiences of screenwriter Paul Schrader, stylistically, Robert Bresson’s Pickpocket, for example, is given centre stage in the lead up to the assassination attempt on Senator Charles Palantine. Bickle is shown rehearsing his skills with a knife and gun (and more) as he trains himself to be as effective (and deadly) as possible. Naturally, this is a throwback to when Michel practices his pickpocketing for the audience to see. The procedural documentary realism style as well as a fascination with crime seems to have enamoured Scorsese as it did Bresson.

Reservoir Dogs (1992) & The Big Combo (1955)

Tarantino’s ode to The Big Combo doesn’t stop at naming characters after colours (Mr Brown is the bad guy in the original), but most memorably in a scene where a cop has been kidnapped by gangsters he ups the ante by increasing the cruelty on display. In the earlier film, the unfortunate officer is forced to drink a whole bottle of liquor and has a hoodlum shout into a device which he must listen to, harming his hearing and rendering him unconscious. Whereas, in the later film, Mr Blonde severs his ear and douses him with petrol with the intention of setting him on fire. Perhaps changes in censorship played a role, though a definite desensitisation to violence shown in movies in contemporary cinema could also be a factor.

Ghost Dog (1999) & Le Samoura? (1967)

Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Samoura? is one of the most recognisable crime films ever made. With its steely blues and greys where characters are merely pawns or puppets in a showcase for the auteurs’ talents, Costello, the crafty hit man is single-minded, remarkably resourceful, works best alone and always gets the job done. In Jarmusch’s Ghost Dog scenes are cunningly mirrored or modernised. For example, the original car theft using a bunch of keys finds its anti-hero with the same motive for criminal activity while this time using an electronic device. Moreover, instead of a dodgy mechanic changing his number plates for him, Ghost Dog does the deed himself. The denouement as with many references throughout both films from the book of bushido, which are are both equally make-believe quotations, ends with an act of hara-kiri, whereby both protagonists essentially turn up to a gun-fight with an unloaded gun.

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