Review for Paper Moon

I’d forgotten what a great film ‘Paper Moon’ is. It was the culmination of a rapid run of great movies from Peter Bogdanavich in the early seventies, following his excellent ‘The Last Picture Show’, his mad-cap screwball comedy (also featuring Ryan O’Neal) ‘What’s Up Doc?’. Oddly, seeing ‘Paper Moon’ reminded me that one of my all-time favourite horror films (and Karloff’s last) ‘Targets’ was also directed by Bogdanavich, albeit at the tail end of the sixties. When we see a release of that one on Blu-Ray this side of the pond?

So ‘Paper Moon’ followed hot in the footsteps of the incredibly successful ‘What’s Up Doc?’, another gentle comedy which featured Ryan O’Neal. Maybe it was during that shoot that he had met O’Neal’s incredibly talented daughter, the ten year old Tatum, which got the wheels turning towards the excellent depression-era comedy, ‘Paper Moon’. Whatever the case, it turned out to be a brilliant movie and watching it again is a great way to remind yourself of why Tatum O’Neal was such a deserving Oscar winner (for supporting actress in 1974). Her performance is quite simply the best ‘child actor’ screen part I have ever seen despite her being just ten years old during shooting. The irony is that her Dad (Ryan O’Neal) and comedienne Madeleine Khan are the real supports here. As good as they are, Tatum O’Neal just totally steals the show.



After meeting a newly orphaned girl named Addie Loggins (Tatum O’Neal) at her own mother’s funeral, con man Moses Pray (Ryan O’Neal), who may or may not be Addie’s father, is enlisted to deliver the newly orphaned Addie to her aunt in Missouri. Recognising the opportunity to hit another mark for some cash, insinuating that he may be the father of the girl, Moses takes two hundred dollars from the man which, in theory, is towards Addie’s welfare though he has no intention of giving the girl anything more than a train ticket.



But Addie is no ordinary girl and when Moses (or ‘Moze’ as she calls him) takes her for an ice-cream whilst he waits to dump her on a train and take the rest of her money, she says in no uncertain terms that she wants her two hundred dollars. When he refuses, the little girl outsmarts him by raising her voice enough so that others can hear. Realising he’s beat, he elects to take her along on his journey and soon the pair are pulling some great scams as they make their way across the dusty bible-belt of middle America during the depression years.


Looking up recently widowed ladies, Moses appears at their doors to deliver a specially engraved bible from their deceased husbands, asking for final payment above the initial dollar laid down as a deposit. Generally the ladies are taken n by what they (want to) believe was a generous and loving gesture by their recently departed that they gladly pay up.


Soon it’s clear that Addie is smarter at figuring out how much dough they can go for and through puffs on her cigarette is soon negotiating with Moses to stick along for the whole ride. It’s a warm hearted movie about unscrupulous but ultimately likable people in tough times. Madeline Khan turns up as a transparently money-grabbing ‘dancer’ half-way through and adds a comedic air as well as further pathos to the tale. She has a dour young black girl in tow (played by P. J. Johnson) who soon confides in the young Addie and together they plot to get rid of Khan’s character.


There is no doubt that the real-life chemistry between father and daughter must have contributed to the class of performance here and they’re never more believable than when they’re arguing - which is actually for most of the film. However, by the end you can tell that there is a grudging but genuine affection between the characters and it’s a film that has its heart in the right place.


It’s also a stunning film visually with its black-and-white cinematography shot by the great László Kovács. This Blu-ray certainly does it justice although the transfer does seem variable with grain visible in some segments but less so in others. Of course, that may have been all part and parcel of the original print and even intentional. Whatever the case, it looks pretty good most the time here.


Music is used often and repeatedly but it’s contemporary music hall ragtime of the day, interrupted occasionally by Addie’s obsession with Jack Benny airing on their giant radio.


Thanks to its period setting the film doesn’t look the tiniest bit dated. It could have been released yesterday.

Apart from a 36 page booklet (which I haven’t seen) extras include an informative commentary from Bogdanavich and three featurettes; The Next Picture Show (14 minutes), Asking For The Moon (16 mins) and Getting The Moon (4 mins). These contain interviews with the director as well as cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs, production and costume designer Polly Platt (who was married to Bogdanavich at the time) and associate producer Frank Marshall.



It’s a great, great film full of charm, humour pathos and style. This edition is an excellent one and thoroughly recommended. Now bring out ‘Targets’ and my life will feel complete.