TIN MEN

US, 1987, 110 minutes, Colour.
Richard Dreyfuss, Barbara Hershey, Danny de Vito, John Mahoney, Bruno Kirby, Seymour Cassell.
Directed by Barry Levinson.

Tin Men was written and directed by Barry Levinson. Levinson grew up in Baltimore and made a film about his teenage and early adult years in that city, Diner. It was a critical success. Here he is again in Baltimore a few years later, 1963. It is a city he knows well and he is able to draw his characters expertly in their Baltimore context.

The tin men of the title are salesmen who have scams to persuade customers to have aluminium sidings added to their houses. The film shows salesmen at work, their cons, their collaboration together and their mateship in telling stories about their successes. The film focuses on two tin men who have a car crash and then fight with onother, destroying each other's cars, and one seducing the other's wife. Meanwhile there is a government investigation into the industry.

Richard Dreyfus and Danny de Vito work well together as the clashing tin men. De Vito has an abrasively energentic style (Ruthless People, Romancing the Stone, Jewel of the Nile, Wise Guys). Richard Dreyfus shows what a screen presence he has. Barbara Hershey is excellent as the wife, used by both men.. There is also an excellent gallery of character actors who bring the tin men vividly to life.

The Tin Man of the Wizard of Oz had no heart - and neither do these tin men. However,.with the shrewdnees and perceptiveness of the writing and its sense of authenticity, The Tin Men is an arresting and sometimes funny comic portrait of America---in the '60s and the signs of change.

1. A piece of Americana? America in the'60s? The end of the Kennedy era? Barry Levinson and his writing, directing - and his experience of Baltimore?

2. The re-creation of the period: Baltimore 1963, homes, cars, lifestyles, manner and vocabulary, the wide range of contemporary songs?

3. The significance of the period: the '60s, changes, John F. Kennedy about to die? The shattering of the American Dream? Success, money, jobs? The acceptability of hustling - on the level of nickels and dimes, on a wide scale? The advertisements, justice? The increase of corporate salesmanship and cons as the '60s and '70s went on?

4. The title, the reference to the aluminium siding salesmen, the reference to the Wizard of Oz?

5. Levinson's skill with portraying people, observing people, behaviour, manners, talking, male bonds?

6. The initial clash: B.B. and his buying his car, demands, not wanting to be tricked? The importance of the Cadillac image? The contrast with Tilley at home, the clash with his wife? The build-up to the crash? The comic melodrama of their fighting, bickering? The repercussions - fighting? Discovering that each was a tin man? The mutua1 smashing and bashing of cars? Abuse, fight set-ups? The backing of each's group of friends? B.B. and his plan with Nora - and the irony of its backfiring and his falling in love?

7. Richard-Dreyfus? as B.B.: selfish, self-opinionated, not wanting to be tricked while being the master of the con, the car, his work? Seeing his operating with the 'Life Magazine' scam with the unsuspecting housewife? The many sequences of the buddies and their talking, telling stories? At home, his selfishness? The crash, the clash with Tilley, fighting him, smashing the car? His motives? The discovery of Nora, the meeting In the supermarket, his ingratiating himself into her favour, taking her out, the seduction? Ringing Tilley vindictively? Tilley's reaction? Nora moving in, the change in his lifestyle? The truth and hurting Nora? The effect on him? The background of the government investigation? The changing style of salesmanship, the effect on the buddies? His discovering that he had fallen in love? His decision about the testimony for the hearing? His encounter with the Commission to spy? Losing his card? His future - and Volkswagens? The resolution of his clash with Tilley? Their talking together after the investigation? Portrait of an American male and his ethos?

8. The contrast with Tilley and Danny de Vito’s style? Small, mean? Love for his wife, clashing with her? His scams, losing his ability, his clashes, his friendships and the buddies talking with him? His becoming morose? The crash, his disbelief in B.B's reaction, his smashing his car? The boss and lending him money? The relationship with Nora. his reaction to B.B's phone call, throwing Nora's clothes out and getting rid of her? Going downhill? The fights, the friends, talking, becoming the fall guy for the boss at the inquiry, his trying to put it over the Commission, meeting B.B.? His future?

9. The gallery of buddies, their memories, manner, insights, scams, talk, types? Their support and reaction to the clash? A study in idiosyncrasies?

10. The boss, the company, lending the money, making Tilley the fall guy?

11. The inquiry, the interrogations, the information supplied, the espionage within the firm?

12. The clients, their motives, their falling for the confidence tricks, the amount of money required of them? Giving information to the inquiry?

13. The portrait of Nora, her marriage to Tilley, his making her laugh, the unromantic life, the mundane nature of the similarity of the houses in the street, at the supermarket, her life? The attraction to B.B., falling in love, the seduction, Tilley throwing all her clothes out, the effect on her, going back.to B.B..; hurt about the truth, her friends at work, the importance of her having that refuge, B.B. and his courting her again at work, a new life?

14. The sardonic comedy? The satire? Hard tin men, yet?