Paper Moon

Paper Moon is an American motion picture comedy that was released in 1973 and was directed by Peter Bogdanovich.

Production

Peter Bogdanovich, coming of the huge successes of his films What's Up, Doc? and The Last Picture Show, and having recently formed The Director's Company with Francis Ford Coppola and William Friedkin, was looking for another project, when his ex-wife and frequent collaborator Polly Platt reccomended filming Joe David Brown's script for the novel Addie Pray. Bogdanovich, a fan of period films, and having two young daughters of his own, found himself drawn to the story, and selected it as his next film.

Related Topics:
Peter Bogdanovich - What's Up, Doc? - The Last Picture Show - The Director's Company - Francis Ford Coppola - William Friedkin - Polly Platt - Joe David Brown's

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While the script went through various rewrites and the crew scouted locations, Bogdanovitch toiled over who to cast as his leads--in particular, the role of the young con-artist Addie. Again at the suggetion of Polly Platt, he approached seven-year-old Tatum O'Neal, who had no acting experience, to audition for the role. Director Bogdanovich had recently worked with Tatum's father Ryan O'Neal on What's Up, Doc?, and had the idea of casting the father-daughter team in the leads.

Related Topics:
Polly Platt - Tatum O'Neal - Ryan O'Neal - What's Up, Doc?

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Tatum recalls being asked to read script pages one afternoon for her father and his friend Peter, having no idea what the two had in mind for her. Ryan O'Neal, who, at the time, was one of the biggest stars in the world, would soon find himself intimidated by his daughter's natural screen presence. She had won the role.

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Various changes were made in adapting the book to film. Addie's age was reduced from twelve to nine to accomodate young Tatum, several events from the book were combined for pacing issues, and the last third of the novel was dropped in leu of a more fitting ending for the tone of the film. The location was also changed from the rural south to midwestern Kansas and Missouri.

Related Topics:
Kansas - Missouri

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The title of the novel, Addie Pray, also posed an issue. Peter Bogdanovitch found the title unfitting for a film, and began exploring other possible options. While selecing music for the film, he ran across a song called It's Only a Paper Moon, and found himself enthralled with the words. Seeking advice from his close friend and mentor Orson Welles, Bogdanovitch listed Paper Moon as a possible alternative. Welles' response has become legendary--"That title is so good, you shouldn't even make the picture, you should just release the title!"

Related Topics:
Orson Welles - Paper Moon

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Through various hardships and scrapes throughout the film the crew managed to stick together. Perhaps most notably, the acting skills of the young Tatum are impressive. Director Bogdanovich, a fan of deep focus cinematography and extended takes, drove his cast, especiallly young Tatum, to new levels of skill. In one remarkable scene, the camera follows Moses and Addie for several minutes without cutting away, as the two exchange heated dialogue and perform various pysical interactions with props. The concentration the two display is remarkable, especially for Tatum, who was only eight at the time, and having her first experience with acting, though it is worth noting that for the five minute shot, thirty-six takes were required over a two day period.

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O'Neal went on to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, the youngest winner in a competitive category. Co-star Madeline Kahn was nominated in the same category. Coincidentally, and perhaps most tellingly, her role is the most substantial film role ever nominated in a supporting category. Many believe that though she appears on screen nearly all of the film's running time, because of the fact that she was only ten years of age at the time of her nomination, academy voters would not nominate a child in a leading category. Her performance may have also single-handedly ended the debate as to whether or not children should be nominated for competitive Academy Awards, the academy having discontinued the Academy Juvenile Award in 1960. Since O'Neal's win, other child actors, such as Jodie Foster and Haley Joel Osment have gone on to earn nominations, with some, like Anna Paquin, even winning the award.

Related Topics:
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress - Madeline Kahn - Academy Awards - Academy Juvenile Award - 1960 - Jodie Foster - Haley Joel Osment - Anna Paquin

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