Oscar Martin, April 2019
The denouement of Robert Altman’s 1992 film The Player leaves the audience with a deeply cynical and pessimistic outlook on the future of Hollywood. However, in doing so, Altman ironically reassures the audience that, despite its unsavoury institutions, Hollywood will continue to churn out blockbuster after blockbuster. Mirroring the film-within-a-film “Habeas Corpus”, The Player has two endings. One ending reveals the uncompromising reality of the studio system, revealed from the perspective of Bonnie (which reflects the initial “real” ending written for H.C.). In the second ending, we see that Griffin, having faced no consequences for his actions, has been promoted to studio manager (paralleling the star studded H.C. reshoot in which everyone apparently lives happily ever after). Ultimately, the conclusion of The Player is pessimistic about the future of Hollywood.
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