TRADING PLACES
US, 1983, 113 minutes, Colour.
Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Don Ameche, Ralph Bellamy, Jamie Lee Curtis, Denholm Elliot, Alfred Drake, Paul Gleason.
Directed by John Landis.
Trading Places is a very funny film directed by John Landis. Landis had experience in.Saturday Night Live and such films as The Kentucky Fried Movie before he made an impact with National Lampoon's Animal House. Comedies during the '80s include An American Werewolf in London, Into the Night, Three Amigos, Spies Like Us.
Landis has worked often with Dan Aykroyd. This is one of Aykroyd's best performances - as a stuffy businessman who is forced to become a beggar and a petty criminal. The film is also a wonderful star vehicle for Eddie Murphy. Murphy had appeared in 48 Hours and was, of course, to become famous as The Beverly Hills Cop.
There is an excellent supporting cast with Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche as the sour old millionaire brothers. Ameche's career had a new lease of life after Trading Places and he was to win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 1985 for Cocoon. Denh61m Elliott enjoys himself as a very proper butler and Jamie Lee Curtis is the hooker heroine. There are some guest spots, especially from Frank Oz. This theme of vice versa and trading places had been used effectively by Dustin Hoffmann in Sidney Pollack's Tootsie. The theme was to become very popular during the '80s e.g. Soul Man, Vice Versa, Like Father Like Son, 18 Again etc.
1. An entertaining comedy? Comedy of Amer1Can? manners? American morals?
2. The Philadelphia locations? The world of wealth? The streets? The highlighting of the settings by role reversals? Editing and pace? The musical score and the use of the Marriage of Figaro, for the opening? Mozart and popular songs? Elmer Bernstein's score?
3. The play on words in Trading Places? Stock exchange? Reversing roles? The popularity of this kind of theme?
4. The structure of the film: the interaction of the two main characters, their different worlds? The two brothers and their plan? The contriving of the trading places for each? The fortunes and misfortunes of each? The final collaboration between the two men and the comeuppance of the brothers?
5. The portrait of Billy Ray Valentiner Eddie Murphy and his presence, patter, stand-up comic work, acting skills? His screen presence? The conman? Petty crime? Mugging Louis Winthorpe III, bumping into him? His being looked down on? The Duke brothers? Their approach to Billy Ray, getting him out of prison, the humour of-the trainIng with Coleman? In Winthorpe's house? Billy Ray and the experience of commodities broker; his basic honesty? The question of environment or character? The humour of his being at home and the world of the wealthy, his success? Winthorpe's revenge and the planting of drugs? Billy Ray discovering the truth overhearing the brothers? His plan, approaching Winthorpe? Coleman and Ophelia and the plan? The orange crop question? The plans, the security agent? Stealing the documents? The false documents for the brothers? Their comeuppance? The bond between Billy Ray and Winthorpe? A genial performance and characterisation?
6. Dan Aykroyd's comedy as Winthorpe: snob, his manner, speaking, demeanour? The Philadelphia's heritage Club? Bumping into Billy Ray? His going to prison? Winthorpe and his relationship with the Dukes? His being framed? Ousted from his house? The night in prison? The meeting with Ophelia? Drugs? Penelope Witherspoon and her horror at what was happening? Coleman cutting off Winthorpe? The friendship with Ophelia and her concern? His desperation, discovering what it was to be poor? His inability to cope? His pawning his watch? Getting a gun? Santa Claus? The Christmas party, the drugs, his being caught? The escape? His antagonism towards Billy Ray? His contemplating suicide? Billy Ray finding him? The plan with Coleman and Ophelia? The revenge? The estimates, stealing the documents? His enjoying the comeuppance? A wiser man?
7. The portrait of Randolph and Mortimer Duke? Bellamy and Ameche and their comic skills? Enjoying their roles? Their theoretical discussion about heredity and social environment? Their attempting to play God? their observing the situation? Their approach to Billy Ray, persuading him, transforming him, keeping pace with him, encouraging him in financial circles? His honesty? Their callous attitude towards Winthorpe, their being his superiors, cutting him off, not rescuing him? Their enjoying their observations? The payment of the wager? Billy Ray hearing this? The brothers And their entanglement with the false documents? Their comeuppance - and audience sympathy or not?
8. Ophelia, Jamie Lee Curtis as the hooker, in jail, the drugs, her approach to Winthorpe, his prim reaction, Penelope? her concern about him? Joining in the plan with Coleman and Billy Ray? Her enjoying the comeuppance?
9. Denholm Elliott as the proper English butler, his work, with Winthorpe? His taking over the training of Billy Ray? The humour in their conventions of the English butler? His beComing part of the plan, his role and its execution?
10. The world of Philadelphia business, clubs, stock exchanges, commodities managers? The networks? Documents? The employing of agents like Clarence Beeks? Beeks and his double-dealing? Robberies of documents? Forging?
11. The contrast with life on the street, Billy Ray impersonating the Vietname veteran, the mercilessness of the wealthy, towards the people in the street?
12. The themes of trading places and audiences enjoying identification, transfer of roles, intrigues and comeuppances? A comedy of wit, dialogue,_situation, spoof and interpretation of the foibles of human beings?
