American Buffalo (film)
Encyclopedia
American Buffalo is a 1996 British/American drama film
directed by Michael Corrente
and starring Dustin Hoffman
, Dennis Franz
, and Sean Nelson
. The film is based on David Mamet
's 1975 play of the same name
.
The film was produced by Gregory Mosher
, who was also responsible for directing the theatrical version
of American Buffalo.
, who originated the role of Teach on Broadway, was the first choice to play the role in the adaptation; he turned it down, not wanting to work with a first-time director. The film was shot on location in Pawtucket, Rhode Island
, Corrente's home town.
called it an "ugly fable of American free enterprise
at the bottom of the food chain";"With its staccato
, profanity
-laced language and metaphorically potent setting, American Buffalo folds a stylized parody of American gangster movies into a bleak Samuel Beckett
vision that is wide enough to accommodate many interpretations....In filming American Buffalo, Mr. Corrente has taken as conventionally naturalistic an approach as the play permits, playing down its social metaphors to concentrate on the characters' psychology." Lisa Schwarzbaum
gave the film a "B"
, saying "American Buffalo is about nothing less Mametian than commerce, friendship, betrayal, despair, and American hustle. Director Michael Corrente (Federal Hill) works at getting the story off the stage (it's set in a junk shop) by occasionally moving to an empty, decrepit city street. But mostly he just locks on to Hoffman and Franz."
Roger Ebert
gave the film (2½ out of four stars), saying "It is a cliché, but true, that some plays have their real life on the stage. American Buffalo is a play like that—or, at least, it is not a play that finds its life in this movie....Because the film never really brings to life its inner secrets, it seems leisurely, and toward the end, it seems long. It doesn't have the energy or the danger of James Foley
's film version
of Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross
. The language is all there, and it is a joy, but the irony is missing. Or, more precisely, the irony about the irony."
Two months later, upon the film's UK
release, Anne Billson of The Daily Telegraph
concluded "The film's principal interest lies, as it always does with Mamet, in the hypnotic language; repeat your sentences about 20 times, shuffling the word order, repeat the first name of whomever you're talking to as though it were a mantra
, add a judicious sprinkling of obscenities, and you've got the general idea. Franz, of television's NYPD Blue
, is terrific, but Hoffman, performing in "street" mode, complete with long greasy hair, never allows you to forget that he's reciting lines. Eventually the hypnotic repetitiveness of the language and the total lack of action did their work, and the dreaded Sandman
, who hovers constantly at the shoulder of all film reviewers, paid me one of his visits."
. In addition to Newman on piano, musicians included Steve Kujala (reeds
); George Doering, Bill Bernstein, Rick Cox, (guitars); Harvey Mason
(drums); and Mike Fisher
(percussion).
It was released by Varese Sarabande
, paired with Newman's work for the unrelated 1994 film Threesome
(tracks 12-20).
Tracks
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Michael Corrente
Michael Corrente
Michael Corrente is an American film director and producer from Pawtucket, Rhode Island. His films include A Shot at Glory, American Buffalo, Outside Providence, Brooklyn Rules and Federal Hill.-Biography:...
and starring Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman is an American actor with a career in film, television, and theatre since 1960. He has been known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and vulnerable characters....
, Dennis Franz
Dennis Franz
Dennis Franz is an American actor best known for his role as Andy Sipowicz, a hard-boiled police detective in the television series NYPD Blue. He previously appeared as Lt...
, and Sean Nelson
Sean Nelson (actor)
- Biography :Nelson was born in the Co-Op City section of Bronx, New York, of Jamaican/St. Thomian descent. He began his acting career at age 10 when he landed a role in an off-Broadway play Hey Little Walter. Sean Nelson turned 13 shortly before beginning principal photography on his debut film,...
. The film is based on David Mamet
David Mamet
David Alan Mamet is an American playwright, essayist, screenwriter and film director.Best known as a playwright, Mamet won a Pulitzer Prize and received a Tony nomination for Glengarry Glen Ross . He also received a Tony nomination for Speed-the-Plow . As a screenwriter, he received Oscar...
's 1975 play of the same name
American Buffalo (play)
American Buffalo is a 1975 play by American playwright David Mamet which had its premiere in a showcase production at the Goodman Theatre, Chicago. After two more showcase productions, it opened on Broadway on February 16, 1977...
.
The film was produced by Gregory Mosher
Gregory Mosher
Gregory Mosher is a long time director and producer of stage productions – at the Lincoln Center and Goodman Theatres, on and off-Broadway, at the Royal National Theatre, and in the West End. He is also a film and television director, producer, and writer...
, who was also responsible for directing the theatrical version
American Buffalo (play)
American Buffalo is a 1975 play by American playwright David Mamet which had its premiere in a showcase production at the Goodman Theatre, Chicago. After two more showcase productions, it opened on Broadway on February 16, 1977...
of American Buffalo.
Cast
- Dustin HoffmanDustin HoffmanDustin Lee Hoffman is an American actor with a career in film, television, and theatre since 1960. He has been known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and vulnerable characters....
as "Teach" - Dennis FranzDennis FranzDennis Franz is an American actor best known for his role as Andy Sipowicz, a hard-boiled police detective in the television series NYPD Blue. He previously appeared as Lt...
as "Donny" - Sean NelsonSean Nelson (actor)- Biography :Nelson was born in the Co-Op City section of Bronx, New York, of Jamaican/St. Thomian descent. He began his acting career at age 10 when he landed a role in an off-Broadway play Hey Little Walter. Sean Nelson turned 13 shortly before beginning principal photography on his debut film,...
as "Bobby"
Production
Al PacinoAl Pacino
Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
, who originated the role of Teach on Broadway, was the first choice to play the role in the adaptation; he turned it down, not wanting to work with a first-time director. The film was shot on location in Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Pawtucket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 71,148 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth largest city in the state.-History:...
, Corrente's home town.
Reception
Stephen HoldenStephen Holden
Stephen Holden is an American writer, music critic, film critic, and poet.Holden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University in 1963...
called it an "ugly fable of American free enterprise
Free enterprise
-Transport:* Free Enterprise I, a ferry in service with European Ferries between 1962 and 1980.* Free Enterprise II, a ferry in service with European Ferries between 1965 and 1982....
at the bottom of the food chain";"With its staccato
Staccato
Staccato is a form of musical articulation. In modern notation it signifies a note of shortened duration and separated from the note that may follow by silence...
, profanity
Profanity
Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
-laced language and metaphorically potent setting, American Buffalo folds a stylized parody of American gangster movies into a bleak Samuel Beckett
Samuel Beckett
Samuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish avant-garde novelist, playwright, theatre director, and poet. He wrote both in English and French. His work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human nature, often coupled with black comedy and gallows humour.Beckett is widely regarded as among the most...
vision that is wide enough to accommodate many interpretations....In filming American Buffalo, Mr. Corrente has taken as conventionally naturalistic an approach as the play permits, playing down its social metaphors to concentrate on the characters' psychology." Lisa Schwarzbaum
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Lisa Schwarzbaum is an American film critic. She joined Entertainment Weekly as film critic in the 1990s. She has been featured on CNN, co-host on Siskel & Ebert At the Movies as well as a cultural, theater and television reviewer....
gave the film a "B"
Academic grading in the United States
Academic grading in the United States most commonly takes on the form of five letter grades. Historically, the grades were A, B, C, D, and F—A being the highest and F, denoting failure, the lowest. In the mid-twentieth century, many American educational institutions—especially in the Midwest —began...
, saying "American Buffalo is about nothing less Mametian than commerce, friendship, betrayal, despair, and American hustle. Director Michael Corrente (Federal Hill) works at getting the story off the stage (it's set in a junk shop) by occasionally moving to an empty, decrepit city street. But mostly he just locks on to Hoffman and Franz."
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
gave the film (2½ out of four stars), saying "It is a cliché, but true, that some plays have their real life on the stage. American Buffalo is a play like that—or, at least, it is not a play that finds its life in this movie....Because the film never really brings to life its inner secrets, it seems leisurely, and toward the end, it seems long. It doesn't have the energy or the danger of James Foley
James Foley
James Foley is an American film director and screenwriter. He was born in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York, the son of a lawyer...
's film version
Glengarry Glen Ross (film)
Glengarry Glen Ross is a 1992 American drama film, adapted by David Mamet from his acclaimed 1984 Pulitzer Prize- and Tony-winning play of the same name...
of Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross
Glengarry Glen Ross
Glengarry Glen Ross is a 1984 play written by David Mamet. The play shows parts of two days in the lives of four desperate Chicago real estate agents who are prepared to engage in any number of unethical, illegal acts—from lies and flattery to bribery, threats, intimidation and burglary—to sell...
. The language is all there, and it is a joy, but the irony is missing. Or, more precisely, the irony about the irony."
Two months later, upon the film's UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
release, Anne Billson of The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
concluded "The film's principal interest lies, as it always does with Mamet, in the hypnotic language; repeat your sentences about 20 times, shuffling the word order, repeat the first name of whomever you're talking to as though it were a mantra
Mantra
A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation"...
, add a judicious sprinkling of obscenities, and you've got the general idea. Franz, of television's NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
, is terrific, but Hoffman, performing in "street" mode, complete with long greasy hair, never allows you to forget that he's reciting lines. Eventually the hypnotic repetitiveness of the language and the total lack of action did their work, and the dreaded Sandman
Sandman
The Sandman is a figure in folklore who brings good sleep and dreams.Sandman may also refer to:-People:*Mark Sandman, singer and co-founder of the band Morphine*Charles W...
, who hovers constantly at the shoulder of all film reviewers, paid me one of his visits."
Soundtrack
The score was composed and orchestrated by Thomas NewmanThomas Newman
Thomas Montgomery Newman is an American composer and conductor, best known for his many film scores. He is one of the more respected and recognized composers for modern film and has scored over fifty feature films in a career which spans nearly three decades.Newman has received a total of ten...
. In addition to Newman on piano, musicians included Steve Kujala (reeds
Reed (instrument)
A reed is a thin strip of material which vibrates to produce a sound on a musical instrument. The reeds of most Woodwind instruments are made from Arundo donax or synthetic material; tuned reeds are made of metal or synthetics.-Single reeds:Single reeds are used on the mouthpieces of clarinets...
); George Doering, Bill Bernstein, Rick Cox, (guitars); Harvey Mason
Harvey Mason
Harvey William Mason is an American jazz drummer. He has worked with many jazz and fusion artists such as Bob James, The Brecker Brothers, Lee Ritenour, Herbie Hancock's Headhunters and almost all the Mizell Brothers productions with Donald Byrd, Johnny Hammond, Bobbi Humphrey and Gary Bartz...
(drums); and Mike Fisher
Michael G. Fisher
Michael G. Fisher is a percussionist and studio musician who lives in Malibu, California. He owns Dondon, Inc....
(percussion).
It was released by Varese Sarabande
Varèse Sarabande
Varèse Sarabande is an American record label, distributed by Universal Music Group, which specializes in film scores and original cast recordings. It aims to reissue rare or unavailable albums as well as newer releases by artists no longer under a contract...
, paired with Newman's work for the unrelated 1994 film Threesome
Threesome (film)
Threesome is a 1994 film, written and directed by Andrew Fleming. The film is an autobiographical comedy mixed in with some social commentary, and is based on the college memories of Fleming. It was given an R rating by the Motion Picture Association of America...
(tracks 12-20).
Tracks
- Buffalo Head (2:43)
- Classical Money (1:33)
- Bobby (:54)
- What Kind Of This (2:10)
- Jaw (1:11)
- Bobby Bobby Bobby Bobby (1:22)
- King High Flush (1:01)
- Nothing Out There - Thomas Newman and Rick Cox (1:25)
- Chump Change (1:17)
- The Guy (1:20)
- Tails You Lose (2:43)
- Different Species (:33)
- Stranded - Bill Bernstein (1:08)
- Threesome (2:24)
- Post-Modern Eve (:46)
- Doomed Relationships (1:29)
- Sacred Vows (1:36)
- Concupiscence (:49)
- Leprechaun (2:03)
- Drive Away (1:09)