Atlantic City • The Next Reel

It’s time to draw the curtains on our 1981 series with another Louis Malle film, Atlantic City. While technically made in 1979 and released in Canada and France in 1980, this film wasn’t released in the US until April 1981. Because of that, however, it does feel like a film from the 70s to us, like many films in our series ended up doing. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we discuss Malle’s second film to be released in 1981 in the US. We talk about how the film worked for us — Andy really loved it this go-around, latching on to the characters, the story and the sadness of it all while Pete enjoyed the supporting characters more than the leads and overall felt it dull. We chat about how the film came to be and who else was considered for the parts. We talk about the performances of Burt Lancaster and Susan Sarandon, and how they work for us, again splitting our opinion. And we examine how timely this film fits into the changing scenery in the real Atlantic City at the time, constant demolition and construction as the city became an East Coast gambling hub. Its a fascinating film that we don’t see eye to eye on, but one that is definitely worth talking about. Tune in! Hey! You know what would be awesome? If you would drop us a positive rating on iTunes! If you like what we’re doing here on TNR, it really is the best way to make sure that this show appears when others search for it, plus, it’s just a nice thing to do. Thanks!!

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