January 10, 2003
Clerks (1994)
[4 - Good]I am eternally grateful for Clerks (1994), the independent masterpiece that launched the career of Kevin Smith. Clerks proved that you can make a great movie for under $30,000, that great writing carries a movie a long way, that you can mix base and intellectual humor and audiences will appreciate it, and, most importantly, that Kevin Smith is a writer and director worth producing.
Made with a reported budget of $26,800 and a mix of amateur actors and friends Clerks quickly became an inspiration to guerilla filmmakers. The movie was shot at night using an Arriflex 16mm camera in the convenience store where Kevin Smith was working during the day. The sequencing, cutting, and acting are a bit crude at times but produce an amazingly witty full-length feature that surpasses both the entertainment and artistic value of most full budget blockbusters as well as many art films.
Clerks reminds us of the etymology of the word "amateur" which derives from the Latin "amator" meaning lover. An amateur filmmaker is someone who makes movies for the love of the art rather than greed or professional reasons. While I am sure that Kevin Smith had his fingers crossed that he would be able to pay back the credit cards, family, and friends that financed the movie, Clerks shows a loving devotion from everyone who contributed to getting it done.
While I am usually too intimidated by the Film-speak around here, since you are talking about one of my favorite movies, I had to chime in.
Clerks was one of the first low-budget/independent films that I had seen and I tend to compare other movies against it. Obviously not for special effects, but rather for how much bang for the buck are people getting.
I definitely agree with a 4 rating on this movie. Have you seen the alternate ending on the DVD? If they had used it, I am not sure I would have liked the movie as much.
Posted by: Mari on January 11, 2003 12:01 PMHey Mari thank you for pipping in.. and please do not be afraid to contribute!
Yes, you are perfectly right.. if Smith had not been convinced to drop the ending to Clerks it probably would never had been succesful and we would not have been priviledged with this other movies.
Posted by: Leopoldo Marino on January 11, 2003 03:32 PMNo doubt, I just don't get the alternate ending. It's stupid, nonsensical, and is merely used for shock value. Clerks is too lighthearted for that scene. Let's go ahead and let the couple die in a plane crash at the end of Big Fat Greek Wedding.
Losersayswhat?
The point of the ending, I believe, can me directly related back to the discussion about why Empire is the better Star Wars film. Dante says that he thinks its better because it ends on a series of downers, Luke gets his hand cut off, Han is captured, etc. Then you look at the end of this movie: One girlfriend dumps him, one girlfriend is comatose, etc. Him getting shot is just yet another downer in a series of downers that makes the film more real and not as watered down for the masses. Dante would have liked the movie better if he had been shot. Otherwise all you have is a bunch of muppets.
Posted by: Matt on May 23, 2003 07:25 PMi love kevins film and all his work. I never saw the ending until i bought this dvd. To be honest i thought it was not good and took the comedy effect away from it. I would have liked to have seen the film with that ending to see how much i enjoyed it then.
Posted by: tom on May 25, 2003 01:29 PMHello folks nice blog youre running
Posted by: lolita on January 19, 2005 04:58 PM
