A New Look at the Late Tony Scott's Cult Classic, 'The Hunger'

The Los Angeles Times article about Tony Scott, by Betsey Sharkey, page 1 of the Calendar section, "He Brought Out the Best in Men," on 8-25-12,  was astute and thorough in the analysis of his male actors.  However, Sharkey says regarding Tony Scott's debut film The Hunger  that, "In his first pass at film, Scott lost himself in the look itself… Scott  found himself in Top Gun  three years later ."

Tony Scott’s cult classic, The Hunger deserves a better look. 

What Scott found in his action, adventure films was a bigger demographic, thus greater box office gross, making him commercially viable in the film business.  It was good for Scott’s career, notably after being severely criticized for The Hunger in which he stopped reading press about himself and was unemployable. But equally  important in Scott’s legacy as a director is his versatile talent, in directing an antithetical genre of his later "successful"  films.

By releasing it in April of 1983, the distributors shared some responsibility for this film not doing better at the box office. It should have been released in the fall season. Catherine Denueve (stars as Miriam Blaylock), said, "I could tell when a fan liked The Hunger;  they would be dressed like Halloween."

Also true in this film is Scott’s ability to make the actresses better than the material, as Sharkey praised him for in his later films, "Even when I didn’t love his movies, I loved his men. Scott made them matter." 

Scott makes palatable a story that would be less appealing without his directing, remarkably his first film. The filmmaking talent is stronger than the story, but that doesn’t make it bad film. In terms of the "style"; it’s historic in its use of editing, sound effects, lighting, cinematography, and set design. To create a traditional horror film, eliminates everything that Scott created. This precisely what shows his virtuoso. He made a vampire story, unparalleled in its then, avant-garde style, which remains a classic. 

Rock legend, David Bowie’s (John Blaylock) acting was surprisingly well. Denueve and Bowie, pass as a classy middle aged, pair of swingers in a nightclub, seeking their prey, as unrecognized vampires. They don’t have fangs, sleep in coffins or melt in the daylight. They are also classical music tutors, living in Manhattan. They seek the help of Susan Sarandon (Dr. Sarah Roberts) who specializes in longevity, as Bowie is rapidly aging despite being a vampire. Industry make-up wizard, Dick Smith again wove his magic, in making Bowie age generations (or vampire centuries) within a couple of hours in screen time.  

Bowie and Denueve have a complex but compatible relationship. As Denueve, a centuries old vampire witnessed the eminent decay of her husband, she’s open to finding a new mate. Sarandon is first smitten by Denueve’s stunning beauty; then realized she misdiagnosed Bowie’s (who becomes effectively unrecognizable) rapid aging condition. Denueve starts to reel Sarandon in, as if psychically.

One lovely pieces of acting is when Denueve is fully relieved to receive Sarandon’s card and a detective (investigating another victim’s disappearance) thinks Denueve is smiling at his Columbo looking face.

Scott’s artistry is uncovered most distinctively, in an elegant love scene between Denueve and Sarandon. Few love scenes have been shot with such finesse. All of this to an angelic chorus,  until slowly the subtext discloses intermittent sounds of jaguar growls. Denueve inducts  Sarandon’s as a vampire.

In Willem Defoe’s debut, he comments on Sarandon, shaking like a junky after realizing Denueve has done something terribly wrong to her body. Not yet understanding it was an initiation into becoming a vampire. Sarah feels betrayed, when discovering something foreign in her blood and Denueve tells her to "trust me."  Sarandon fires back, "I did trust you!"  These are universal feelings (not in these exact circumstances); betrayal from having had her vulnerability taken advantage of, as well as deception.

Some gay men have perceived this movie to be an allegory about AIDS; being about blood (although not in gory way) and during Reagan’s reign, when nothing was been done to research a treatment for AIDS.

Sarandon researches on monkeys. With that and the beef eating scene, there is a possible unintended statement for vegetarians and/or symbolism that humans could be tested and devoured like animals.

Both music and sound effects carefully, tell a story themselves; and highlight the actors’ subtext (motives contrary to what the character alleges). This and the cross-cutting to parallel action or disclosing  parallel subtext, is highly effective, along with the lighting, art direction and cinematography. Scott obtaining such talented, key-crew members and cast was impressive for a first-time director.

There is a less plausible sequence when Denueve is forced to confront her past. This film is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. But it embroidered a cinematic work of art that has stood the test of time