The Projectionist Movie
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Storyline
TAGLINES PLOT SUMMARY
A projectionist bored with his everyday life begins fantasizing about his being one of the superheroes he sees in the movies he shows.
| Chuck McCann | Projectionist/Captain Flash |
| Ina Balin | The Girl |
| Rodney Dangerfield | Renaldi/The Bat |
| Jára Kohout | Candy Man/Scientist |
| Harry Hurwitz | Friendly Usher |
| Robert Lee | Usher/Henchman |
| David Holliday | Fat Man/Bat's Henchman |
| Stephen Philips | Minister |
| Morocco | Belly Dancer |
| Clara Rosenthal | Crazy Lady |
| Jacqueline Glenn | Nude on Bearskin |
| Harry Hurwitz |
5.20 out of 10 (82 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Chuck McCann shows us all the Old Movies and Succeeds!
posted on 23 Aug 2008In this lovingly wonderful tribute to old movies and the unsung hero of the movie theaters:"The Projectionst!".Chuck McCann creates a unique character and fantasy world all his own.Here.McCann plays a dilligent,hard working movie theater projectionist.Who has to put up with his obnoxious and crazed go by the book boss:Theater Manager:"Rinaldi"(Played by Rodney Dangerfield in his movie debut)."Rinaldi"forces his staff to try and turn a dilapidated little movie house.(Which has probably seen better days in the l930's)into a glowing movie palace and he expects everyone to shape up.Chuck Tolerates Dangerfield's abuse and manages to do his job.The rest of the film has McCann having a relationship with a beautiful girl(Ina Ballin)and dealing with his dislike for his Boss and the changes in late l960's NYC Via his fantasies of being a old movie serial Superhero"Captain Flash".Who defeats a power mad supervillian"The Bat"(also played by Dangerfield) and his henchmen.as "The Bat"and his gang try to steal an Old Scientist/iventor's(Jara Krohout .Who also plays a candy butcher in Dangerfield's movie theater)"Death Ray Machine"and kidnaps his daughter(Also played by Ms.Ballin).The battle between McCann's"Capt.Flash"and Dangerfield's"Bat"is done in pantomime and is a brilliant piece of comic acting,psyhicial comedy and farce.Truly worthy of Keaton,Semon and Chuck's two idols and mine:Laurel & Hardy(McCann does a brief L&H impression in the film)Harry Hurwitz(The film's guiding genius plays a small cameo in this film as a put upon theater usher).Filled with great film clips of classic old movies,brilliant pantomime , comic acting and insightful wit.This film is more funny and heartwarming than Mr.Allen's"Purple Rose Of Cario"and more faithful to old movies.Forget Woody Allen.Stick To Harry Hurwitz's "The Projectionist".This is a real tribute to old movies.
In the mainstream of movies that tear down the screen
posted on 21 Nov 2007There have been movies before and after The Projectionist that tear down film's equivalent of Theatre's fourth wall by lifting the barrier between the movie and the real world. Buster Keaton did it most brilliantly in Sherlock Jr. (1924, 44 mins., also featuring a projectionist), and Woody Allen pulled off a reversal (character steps out of the screen) in The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985). Steve Martin duked it out with Cagney and others in Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982). The Projectionist is an amusing and annoying combination of a sweet schlub played by Chuck McCann, very reminiscent of John Candy, Rodney Dangerfield's film debut as a dictatorial movie theatre manager given to delivering incredible dressing-down speeches at his hapless ushers (shades of Full Metal Jacket), a nostalgic look at Times Square before it became "Times Square", and a melding of our hero with his screen idols, including his eye-popping drop-in at Rick's Cafe Americain. So what's to be annoyed at? A running super-hero theme is weak, and once you realize it will return again and again it's stomach tightening time while you anticipate the enjoyable sequences being interrupted by this underwritten motif. But without question The Projectionist is not to be missed in a time when imagination has been sucked out of Hollywood. And so I appreciated this film last night even more than when I saw it in a theatre 31 years ago, not excluding a hilarious trailer for a faux end-of-the-world flick that's a little too predictive of 9/11 for comfort.
So unique and memorable that it is very hard to rate.
posted on 04 Jan 2007This film is like Eraserhead in that its utter disrespect of conventional movie-making will be hated or loved. I personally loved it. The clips that are used from other sources actually give this film a well produced zany feel. The scenes that occur in real life are drab and ordinary which is just so perfect. No attempts are made in this side of the film to apply to a plot-line or spit out ridiculous exposition. We are shown a real looking world and constantly look forward to the next fantasy which reinforces the main characters preference of that fantasy world. The last scene of the movie is low-key but very interesting. Has he begun to combine fantasy and the real world or is he beginning to live and escape his daydreams? The film should be viewed once, all the way through. It deserves a rating WAY ABOVE 4.9 (maybe even in the 7 range) because of the imagination involved and, I'll say it, the lack of any real flaws.
A Cult film in search of a Cult.
posted on 26 Sep 2001"The Projectionist" is a witty, clever, creative fantasy that deserves a large underground following. The simple tale tells of Chuck McCann (played by, er, Chuck McCann) who is the projectionist at the local uniplex. His life is pretty uneventful, and most of his time is spent watching, quoting, and generally living deep, deep inside movies.His boring every day life gives way to wonderfully shot black and white fantasy sequences in which Chuck becomes Captain Flash, super superhero and all around nice guy, who must save the world from the Bat (Rodney Dangerfield) and his army of Nazi stock footage.The fantasy sequences look great, really capturing the look of a silent movie serial. The scenes mix real old movie footage with the new stuff seamlessly, looking fantastic. There is another fantasy sequence, in which Chuck tells about a women he met & fell in love with, also shot in black and white, that is sweet and very reminiscent of Woody Allen's "Stardust Memories".McCann is a wonderful talent, mixing impersonations, physical comedy, and a surprising tenderness that would almost be heart-breaking if the movie didn't remain upbeat. Rodney Dangerfield is superb also. He doubles as McCann's boss in the "real" world as well as the villainous Bat in Captain Flash's world. Dangerfield's character is a miserly control freak, and Dangerfield never breaks character to crack a joke or anything- he remains slimy and unlikable in a professional performance altogether missing from his starring roles (not to undermine the subtle nuances of "Meet Wally Sparks").My only complaint is that the color reality sequences don't live up to the day-dream scenes, but they too look great and gritty, a real great contrast to the fantasy scenes.I whole-heatedly endorse "The Projectionist" as a fine, entertaining art film disguised as a comedy that makes few mistakes in it's character study of a lonely, good natured man mired in pop culture.
Half-cocked headtrip wih an early 70's vibe
posted on 16 Jul 2009When not goofing off, the titular yutz daydreams of being a silent film superhero. Parts of the score are cribbed from old serials, and scenes are lifted from features of the 20's thru 50's. One wonders how John Wayne and Humphrey Bogart would react to seeing their work intermingled with clips of war atrocities and grindhouse dancers. Chuck McCann's character is immensely likeable when he dwells in the present, but his superhero mugs like the class clown you always despised. Released on VHS in 1986 to capitalize on Rodney Dangerfield's (straight) supporting role.