251: Dustin Hoffman Lost Classics – Billy Bathgate

At the Flicks

Way back in episode 220, we spoke to American novelist and journalist Jared Feldschreiber about his excellent novella Reckless Abandon. One of the strengths of the story is how it weaves real life and fictional characters together in its tapestry. One of those real-life characters who crosses the pages is legendary actor Dustin Hoffman. It is well known that Dustin Hoffman is something of a perfectionist, always looking to attaining excellence in his work, and driving others to do the same. This has led to some critics calling him difficult to work with, yet his technique has produced incredible performances in such films as Rainman, The Graduate and Midnight Cowboy. It’s also true that not everything he has done has been successful; that’s what happens when you take risk. Some of those less successful films contain some incredible Dustin Hoffman performances that are sadly not as well known as that found in his more successful work. Recently we have been talking to Jared about this very topic and collectively thought it would be interesting to create a short series of shows to highlight some of those now forgotten films and the work Dustin created for them. Our aim is to bring these movies to your attention and perhaps encourage you to give them a second chance (or even a first chance if you haven’t seen any of them before). First up and the subject of this show is Billy Bathgate. This is a 1991 feature based on the acclaimed book by E L Doctorow about the influence 30’s gangster Dutch Schultz has over a young impressionable teenage in the Bronx during that tough decade. Sadly, the feature was a box office disappointment for Touchstone pictures on first release and has been overshadowed by other more acclaimed gangster films from the same period, such as Goodfellas and Bugsy. During our discussion about Billy Bathgate we will talk about: · The production problems · Was Dustin Hoffman miscast? · Is this Shakespearean in approach? · Bruce Willis’s performance · The real Dutch Schultz · The positive qualities of the movie And more besides….. Have you seen Billy Bathgate? If so what did you think about the film – do you think it is worth revisiting? Please let us know. Until our next visit to Dustin Hoffman lost classics, we’ll see you At The Flicks