``PUT YOUR BODY IN CASH'' was Kubrick's Hollywood debut that made his talent known to the world.

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2021.01.16Rui Takeshima

A breakthrough work whose talent was recognized by Kirk Douglas

Not only was it a non-linear story, but the visuals were also strong. The strange contrast is that Johnny wears a clown mask and breaks into a robbery with a machine gun in hand. It's clear that the film was heavily influenced by the opening scene of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight (2008), in which a group of robbers wearing clown masks rob a bank. The idea of hiding a machine gun in a long, narrow flower box with a ribbon is completely reminiscent of Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). The catabolic effect of contradictory objects such as ``flowers'' and ``machine guns'' is at work here as well.

Personally, I am more impressed by the self-referential lines than by the non-linear storyline and visuals. Maurice, who is asked to play a violent character at a racetrack in order to attract the police, utters these lines.

``In the eyes of the world, villains and artists are two people in the same hole.They are respected, but when they reach the top, they are pulled down from below.''

At first glance, he looks like a rugged skinhead, but his words have strange implications. The fact that he is The Wrestler by trade and a chess expert also echoes that of Kubrick, who was a film director and chess expert. Did you have the feeling that ``making movies is a rootless business after all''? This was despite the fact that he had not yet established his reputation as a writer. What a nihilist Kubrick is.

Unfortunately, ``PUT YOUR BODY IN CASH'' was a disaster at the box office. Although it received high praise from critics, it made a loss of $130,000. However, Kirk Douglas, who was shocked by this work, took notice of Kubrick's talent and went on to star in `` Paths of Glory '' (1957) and `` Spartacus '' (60). It all started here.

Text: Rui Takeshima　

A pop culture writer who wants to be kicked by Hit Girl. Host of the web magazine "POP MASTER".

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“PUT YOUR BODY IN CASH”

Publisher: IVC

Price: Blu-ray ¥4,800+tax

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