Big Budget Films shot in an Indie Style

[ulthar]

Scottie's post over in the Top Indie thread got me to thinking about movies I've seen (and like) that have that Indie feel to them, even if they had big budgets.

As a fan of classic pirate movies, the one that comes to mind for me is

The Black Swan (1942)

Shot in 1942, director Henry King wanted to save film stock, so he instructed all cast members to try to get their scenes on the first take.  38 scenes were shot and printed on the first take!

This was not for budgetary reasons.  This film had a huge budget, with stars of the day such as Tyrone Power, Maureen O'Hara, Laird Cregar, George Sanders and pirate movie must-have Anthony Quinn.  In addition, the fx budget was huge and the result was some of the most spectacular and intricate swashbuckling filmed to date.

So, this big studio backed star-packed film was shot with something of an Indie style, in direct contrast to modern Hollyweird shoot, shoot, shoot to the polished perfection only a large expenditure of film can buy.  One thing that bothers me in modern movies is that you can TELL they were done over until "just right."

Others?

[ThadC]

I kind of like the shot till perfect movies. I get real picky sometimes, and it bothers me when i can see errors in the movie...ie... car chase scene where hub cap flies off, then its back in next scene. Just little stuff like that bothers the s**t out of me for some reason.

[dean]

Not sure about the budget but I just watched Lords of Dogtown which had a very low budget feel to it, and it came across really well.

But other than that, I'm really not too sure about other big budget films which are shot in the indie style, though I'm sure I could think of a couple that could at least come close if I thought hard enough.  Which, of course, I'm incapable of doing. :P

I don't know but Wes Anderson's films seem to generally have a 'we did it in one take' feel about them, though some of the scenes seem way too complicated for the scenes not to have been redone over and over, so what do I know...

[dean]

Um I should also say that I too agree with ThadC: I kind of like shot to perfection films, though it's always really good to see a quickly made film that hits the mark really well.

I tend to like the perfect ones on average more, but I generally LOVE the low budget indie cool one-take flicks when they get it right.

[Scottie]

I completely forgot all about Robert Altman films. His films usually follow enormous numbers of people throughout an elaborate and intricate series of events that cross paths one time or another. Some plot lines are closed by the end of the movie and others are just left wide open. Think Nashville, Gosford Park, and M*A*S*H.
He and John Cassavettes, who is another indie style director, love to just let their actors go and run amuck on stage. If one of the actors happens to cast a harsh shadow on themselves by crossing in front of a light, big deal! If they trip over something, it's okay, because the movie is more about their experiences, not their acting skill. Stuttered lines are kept so long as they doesn't break character and look at the camera. As an omniscient camera sees everything, these films flow in and out of a character's mind, and this dislocated feeling can really have an emotional impact when it finally hones in on one character. The style is very independent, though the films were made for a large budget.
Sorry I almost forgot about them. I think John would want to strangle me.

[Scott]

I'm putting THE BLACK SWAN on my list. Might have seen it, but I don't recall the title of this pirate film. Interesting how they shot this film Ulthar. This will be a bonus viewing if I can find it.

[BoyScoutKevin]

"Black Swan" A wonderful film. You have to love the climatic swordfight between Tyrone Power and George Sanders. I put that one up there with some of the best action scenes I've ever seen.