On 2010-02-26 Leif A. Ostgard, Columbia SC wrote: AUTO FOCUS:
This is without question one of the most well crafted movies I have ever seen. Allot of people pass on this movie because they think its something its not, assuming a comedy by the box or simply think it´s a straight-to-video bio of an actor. It is not, it is a very intimate detailed portrait of someone whom blatantly disregards the boundaries of decency and conduct for personal impulses and gratification. Everyone has slipped from time to time with lapses of judgement - doings they knew were wrong, lying or being shady. Crane doesn´t slip, he willingly tumbles and falls oblivious that his own actions destroyed his life and ultimately determined his demise.
Auto Focus has that unique ability to make you think about the movie way after the credits have rolled. It intrigues you, yet it also makes you feel gross, I literally felt dirty after I watched it. Not for the certain aspects of the content but the general nature by which is was filmed. It is gritty, its disturbing and it makes you feel as if you are in the room witnessing the sleazy side of humanity. One only has to witness the opening and final frame to see the world in which Crane resided go from bright vibrant and into the depths of darkness. This paradox isn´t just for imagery - though it works well. Crane is played by Kinnear - he is simple, sly, and witty using as he puts it ´like-ability´ to his advantage. And here lies the greatest triumph of this film. The depth in which Crane is explored.
Using family, friends, associates and former co-workers ´Auto Focus´ writers Gerbosi and Graysmith construct the most detailed portrait of Crane ever surmised. Crane´s life has been documented many times in print and in A&E type specials, all portraying him as a good guy who lets the seedy John Carpenter suck him into a world for which there was no return. Getting him hooked on self made porn and sex exploitation. The reality is quite sobering.
Crane uses his charm, fame, and ´like-ability´ to use people, discarding them when he has no further use for them. Caring little for anyone besides himself and his own personal desires. Women are mere pleasantries, families are his base of operations for image and nothing more as he abandons them for the night life, work is a paycheck that he packs ´womanizing´ into his lunch pale. No one is more affected by this trend of behavior in the movie than Carpenter whom out of co-dependancy willfully follows Crane through life as he conquests countless women and destroys every relationship both personal and professional he has...save Carpenter. Carpenter for his part (played by Dafoe) is Cranes wing-man, a video tech for which Crane exploits to assist him in gaining equipment he uses to film his multiple conquests and also as a ´friend´ which assists his sociability functions.
Carpenter enjoys the fringes of celebrity association but Crane never lets him get the slightest feeling of equality as in a scene where Crane mocks Carpenter with a video compilation he has made depicting him as gay, using footage of Carpenter disco dancing, a girl eating a banana, a hula dancer and a racy cartoon of a bosomed sextant all meshed together in a loop. When Carpenter interjects unfavorably Crane reminds him that the only reason women sleep with him is because of his association with Crane. This followed Crane showing off to Carpenter his penis extension for which he demands Carpenter acknowledge how big he has become.
You have sympathy for Carpenter´s character throughout the film as Crane undercuts him constantly, but like Crane he is a dastardly individual - repetitive in his clumsy come on´s, uneasy in his mannerisms, aggressive in approach from others and over all uncomfortable to be around. He has very little social redeeming qualities for which his bond with Crane grows stronger as he implores a certain aspect of cheerleading to Crane´s cynical and self deprecating nature referring to him as ´Big Daddy´.
Both Kinnear and Dafoe give solid performances but Kinnear´s portrayal of Crane´s decline is exceptional in its believability. When the sunken eyed-portly Crane shuffles into his agents office wearing his now trademarked butterfly collared shirt and large wireframe glasses for the final time in the movie, he receives the only sense of conscience in his life. He immediately rejects it affirming his normacy ´sex is normal, I am a normal guy´, eventually pacifying his agent with a half hearted ´yeah I want to change´ exiting via a final handshake signifying the end of their relationship.
At this moment of the film Crane begins to identify the doors closing around him. He is soon served divorce papers from someone he thought wanted an autograph, rejected by women (even with an ill fated attempt to have an episode of ´Hogans Hero´s´ on the television set play while he sat at the bar in front of it) and unable to make amends with his family whom he only agree´s to ´go to counseling´ for. Unwilling to detach himself from his lifestyle and not knowing any route but pacification Crane becomes a lost soul. His only confidant being Carpenter whom he soon dissolves their friendship out of frantic resolution. ´Who has always been there for you?´ asks Carpenter, like many other things in Crane´s life - Carpenter is discarded after use as well.
What happens next is debatable in fact. The movie´s final scene of Crane´s murder is very grim and eerie. Gone are the smirks, partying and nudity-replaced with the dark dim lit wasteland that is Crane´s swanky fetish filled apartment. The scene is cut differently than the rest of the film, the soundtrack of boom-boom hits and snazzy sax are nowhere to be found, the faintness of the atmosphere amplifies the instrument of death´s initial impact to Crane, it is sad to watch. Regardless of the person, the director has vested the viewer into his life, and watching it taken gives the viewer the slight emotional impact that makes a movie scene powerful. The director intelligently does not directly acknowledge Carpenter as the killer, he eludes to an argument for that sense of possibility, however he also leaves the film hanging on the assumption that it is unknown with Crane telling the audience ´I can blame him, John was a cool guy in his own way´. The movie ends perfectly if you didn´t know the story, and like a slow car crash if you did. Like waking up with a hangover or a realization of guilt. Summarized in a scene where Crane wakes up in the dead of night walking to find his television set playing rerun´s of ´Hero´s´ at which time he see´s himself on the tube ´Klink´s having an inspection...I don´t know about you guys...but I´ve got things to hide..´
****Things not in the movie*****
Though these things were not in the movie, and in reality not important to the overall story on film or the character perception for the viewer, they are nonetheless important to the actual life of Crane.
-The film portrays Crane as being squeaky clean and a family man until he met Carpenter, however Bob Crane´s son Scott who posts his fathers pornography online (pretty classy) has pictures his dad took dating back to the 50´s. Long before Carpenter came into the picture.
-The film also depicts Crane´s image before ´Hero´s´ as mundane and innocent prior to his fame, however Crane had countless sexual innuendo´s he put over the airwaves while being ´The King of Los Angeles´ for CBS Radio. Once asking a fellow celebrity which current starlet would be most fun to get stuck in a bunker with come nuclear Armageddon.
-Not allot is made of Crane´s bizarre willingness to show others his pornography save one scene when he is confronted by his agent about this unusual behavior. However Crane regularly let numerous people to include ´All in the Family´ actor Carroll O´Conner (former neighbor) view his personal tapes in his basement.
-The film depicts Crane as money desolate in his later years, however in the 70´s ´Hogans Hero´s´ began syndication which Crane received substantial royalties for and thus made a buck.
-The movie opts not to mention the failed ´Bob Crane Show´ which followed ´Hero´s´ in which Crane plays an executive suit overwhelmed and unhappy with his life whom decides to move his family into a studio flat and return to college to study medicine. The show bombed after a few months but has a small cult following online. TBCS was the first to feature Crane´s adopted butterfly collared 70´s look.
-The movie concludes that Crane broke his friendship off with Carpenter possibly motivating the murder, but this is unknown. The day before the murder Crane and Carpenter had what a waitress considered a ´heated discussion´ in a restaurant but its not known its content. They also base this belief on Crane´s omissions to his wife that he would break away from his wild life and return to her. Crane had touted this retort to his wives, agent, friends and colleagues countless times over the years leading nowhere. Sleeping with as many as eight different woman in the weeks prior to his death, it is difficult to believe he was making a serious transition. The apartment strewed with pornography, film and editing equipment, half developed pics of women and a photo lab in the bathroom also debunks Crane was making any serious attempts to change his life. As far as Carpenter is concerned, Crane spent the majority of his final two days with Carpenter willingly and seemed normal - shopping at electronic stores for new items, eating at restaurants, getting early morning coffee with a few ladies, and hanging out in nightclubs. It was business as usual for Crane.
-Carpenter is the only character in the film introduced as the possible murder, however due to Crane´s insatiable appetite for any woman he came in contact with many boyfriends, husbands and women who were unknowingly filmed having sex had reason for murder the actor...to say Crane had enemies would be an understatement. Crane had so many frequent female visitors that any number of them could have left the backdoor open. The murder was most likely committed by a male due to the force of the blow to Cranes skull. Random pictures were missing from Cranes ´scrape books´ which lead police to believe the killer removed ones containing themself or of their said girlfriend/wife. Due to Cranes insistence of letting his video tape run, most likely the killer did not have time to search the video archives and is possibly still on one of Cranes many sex tapes. Carpenter was put on trial due to circumstantial evidence, a very weak case with the most damaging evidence being Carpenters demeanor when calling Crane´s apartment and speaking to police, a blood stain is his car and a ´photograph´ of what some believe was possible brain tissue on a door...but in all accounts could have just been a booger. These details are included in the bonus features ´Murder in Scottdale´ documentary included in the disk...also an interesting entry is the bonus footage not used in the film, of the killer looking out the window waiting for men to depart the area prior to his exit from the apartment.
. And summed up by saying ´...I don´t know about you guys, but I´ve got things to hide.´. Currently Auto Focus has an overall rating of 6 over 10.
Auto Focus can also be found in the following searches:
Alicia Allain claimed Dramatization of the turbulent life of Bob Crane, popular for his role in the television program Hogan´s heroes.Genre: Feature Film-DramaRating: RRelease Date: 3-JUL-2007Media Type: DVD
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