R | 1h 42m | Drama, Mystery, Thriller | 1974
Alan J. Pakula’s “paranoid trilogy,” consisting of “Klute” (1971), “The Parallax View” (1974), and “All the President’s Men” (1976), masterfully captures the pervasive sense of distrust and anxiety of the 1970s.
The trilogy was created against a backdrop of disillusionment of politics in America, spurred by the assassinations of John F. and Robert Kennedy, the Vietnam War, and the Watergate scandal.
These incidents fed into a growing belief that unseen forces were manipulating society. The world was in the midst of the Cold War, where cloak and dagger shenanigans were very much a real thing.
“The Parallax View,” released in 1974, shows the era’s obsession with conspiracy and control. The film suggests that powerful clandestine organizations are constantly watching and manipulating the public.
Web of Intrigue
The story begins on a rare sunny day in Seattle. TV reporter Lee Carter (Paula Prentiss) is covering a Fourth of July parade, where Senator Charles Carroll (William Joyce) has arrived with his wife and entourage, including aide Austin Tucker (William Daniels). An event is underway atop the iconic Space Needle that takes a tragic turn. As Carter, Tucker, and others look on in horror, a waiter seemingly shoots Carroll twice, killing him. The senator’s security detail chases the supposed shooter up onto the roof of the Space Needle, where he ultimately falls to his death. Another armed man dressed as a waiter quietly slips away, unnoticed by the crowd.
A governmental commission attributes the entire assassination to a lone gunman. The commission closes their investigation as a one-man operation, rejecting any conspiracy theories, especially those propagated by the news media.
A few years pass, and a distraught Carter shows up at the bachelor pad of her ex-boyfriend Joe Frady (Warren Beatty), just as one of his lady friends is leaving. Carter tells Joe that six of the people who witnessed Carroll’s assassination have died under suspicious circumstances. Despite his job as an investigative reporter, Joe dismisses her concerns, attributing them to her history of hysterical episodes.
However, Joe’s demeanor changes when Carter dies. She was found dead behind the wheel of a car, the result of a supposed combination of “alcohol and barbiturates.”
Her cause of death bears an eerie resemblance to the ways that she claimed other witnesses had met their ends. Determined to uncover the truth, Joe journeys to the rural town of Salmontail, where another witness, Arthur Bridges, purportedly drowned.
Standing out conspicuously in a local bar, Joe finds himself embroiled in a brawl with Deputy Red (Earl Hindman), one of Sheriff L.D. Wicker’s (Kelly Thordsen) lawmen. Surprisingly, Wicker seems to take a liking to Joe and escorts him to the scene of Bridges’s death, located just beneath a massive dam.
Following a perilous event at the dam, Joe discovers documents relating to an organization known as the Parallax Corporation, and their ominous-sounding Division of Human Engineering.
Joe shares his experience and findings with his editor, Bill Rintels (Hume Cronyn). Rintels dismisses Joe’s story as too far-fetched, and puts Joe on another assignment.
Masterful Filmmaking
What’s truly striking about this film is the narrative’s slow burn. It starts off somewhat calm before erupting—sometimes quite literally—in shocking moments. For instance, a scene where Joe is calmly comforting someone he cares about, abruptly cuts to the same person deceased.Director Pakula masterfully employs this contrast between apparent normalcy and sudden violence or tragedy to great effect. It creates an overall sense of discomfort, leaving viewers on edge as they’re never quite certain what will happen next. This technique keeps the tension high, and ensures that every unexpected twist hits with maximum impact.
Pakula adeptly instills a pervasive sense of surveillance throughout the film, such as a long, tense scene of Joe tailing a mysterious man with a briefcase to an airport.
These scenes, while drawn out, captivate and immerse viewers in the atmosphere of controlled surveillance. The film employs various perspectives, including static shots reminiscent of Closed Circuit Television security footage, further enhancing the feeling of being under constant observation.
The performances are uniformly strong, with Warren Beatty’s portrayal of Joe as an investigative reporter particularly convincing. Beatty’s determined demeanor lends credibility to his character’s pursuit of an ever-unfolding conspiracy.
While Prentiss’ screen time is limited, her performance as Lee Carter is memorable. Prentiss effectively conveys angst and desperation, eliciting empathy and making viewers care about her teary-eyed plight.
“The Parallax View” is a gripping thriller that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats, eagerly anticipating each new twist and turn in the story.
