movie hats that inspired you...

[kiltie]

millers crossing

Miller's Crossing is tied with Rear Window for my all time favorite movie, but MC is, without a doubt, the best "hat" movie of all time. Beyond the fact that there is a wide variety of hats featured, Tom's hat is an actual character. Amusingly, when asked directly about Tom's hat and it's symbolism, the Coen Bros. cryptic response has been, "...the hat is, uh, very significant..."
My take on the hat, cuz I know you care, is it is Tom's "soul". It is the one thing he clings to that is "Him". He's playing one side against the other, both ends against the middle, getting others to do his dirty work for him, always wrestling with his own... hell Leo, I ain't afraid to say it, I'm talkin' about ethics... ( reference for them who reference...). He can't lose that hat. If he loses the hat, he loses himself. He dreams about it, when The Dane is going to shoot him, he snatches it from his head and throws it away, he loses it to the only other person he has feelings for besides Leo, and a thousand other little things...Awesome movie. The color, the texture, the Hammet-esqe dialogue with Tommy Gun delivery, Barry Sonnenfeld's cinematography, all wrapped up under the Coen Bros. direction; all peerless.
I owned and wore hats prior to seeing it in about '91, but I'd have to say this flick influenced the WAY I wear hats. It's hard to watch this movie and not take something away with you every time you see it, be it yet another razor sharp quote, the outfits, or just something from the overall tone. Man, what a great movie. The BEST hat movie!

 

[Viper Man]

I couldn't have said it better myself!

Interesting take on the hat as Tom's soul. I like it. Many Coen Bros. movies are filled with hats. You've got "The Hudsucker Proxy", "O' Brother", "Barton Fink", and "The Man Who Wasn't There", all great hat movies.

 

[Doctor Strange]

More hats from the Coen Brothers

I just read that the Coen Brothers' next film is to be an adaptation of Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policeman's Union. I recently read the book - which imagines a Jewish homeland having been founded after WWII in Alaska, not Israel - and virtually everyone in it wears hats. In fact, their local slang term for the ultra-Orthodox is "Black Hats".

 

[Viper Man]

Sweet. Thanks for the heads up. I have still yet to see "No Country For Old Men".

 

[Wesne]

I agree with Kiltie, Miller's Crossing is probably THE "hat movie" because the hat is such an important symbol in the film. Kiltie put forth a very good analysis of the significance of Tom's hat. I remember discussing this with a friend back when we saw this movie for the first time, and I put forth pretty much the same argument, though as I recall I used the word "dignity" in place of "soul." Soul, dignity, identity, manhood, whatever you want to call it, the hat represented something very important to Tom's essence.

To carry this theme a step further, look at some of the other characters, especially John Turturro's character, Bernie. Bernie doesn't wear a fedora, and seems to have trouble with the whole concept of hats. Early on he wears a derby, if I remember correctly. Later in the movie he's degenerated to a newsboy cap. He doesn't seem comfortable with either, and this indicates that he is lacking something in his character. During the scene where he is to be executed, he is notably bare-headed, having been completely stripped of all human dignity and reduced to groveling like an animal.

Most of the other characters wear fedoras, showing that even if they are the bad guys, they have a soul and deserve some respect. Bernie is the most despicable character in the film and deserves nothing, as Tom demonstrates at the end of the film.

There are a couple of other examples of the film's symbolism involving hats that I can think of off the top of my head (forgive me). There's the punch-drunk boxer, presented as an overgrown man-child with a comically small hat, indicating that he isn't really a fully developed human being. Then you've got "Rug" Daniels, whose "hat" is a toupee. It sits crookedly atop his head as he lies dead, with no dignity at all, in an alley. A street urchin snatches it from his head. Albert Finney's character later wonders aloud why Rug's murderer would have taken his toupee, implying that this was some kind of symbolic desecration of his corpse - not just killing him but stealing his very soul?

 

[Viper Man]

The Original Porkpie

Here's one of my favorites. It won an Academy Award for Best Short in 1944...

Jammin' The Blues

 

[KY Gentleman]

WOW- thats another reason I like this place. I never thought so much about the symbolism of the hats in Millers Crossing. I feel like I might need to watch this flick again with that in mind. Thanks for the insights.

 

[dman]

Nice to meet you

I thought I'd pop in and bring some movie hats with me. I been watching French New Wave recently, and I have been inspired by the hats in Godard's films. The two hats are from Alphaville and Breathless.

Alphaville:

Breathless:

 

[Yohanes]

Caparzo, did you watch the first Borsalino on DVD? Is there any DVD edition of that movie? I've been searching for it!

Borsalino & Co. is just a mediocre gangster movie, but the meticulous costume and setting makes it worth viewing, especially for us - fedora loungers!

Now I just wonder if there's any connection between those movies with the real Borsalino hat company They're made in 1970, so Borsalino hat co. should be still in their prime condition?

Le Samourai is much better movie - although I think Delon only wears one fedora there. But he changes suits quite often!

 

[Brad Bowers]

Now I just wonder if there's any connection between those movies with the real Borsalino hat company

Yes, there is! The film's producers visited Alessandria around Christmas 1969 and proposed a deal with Borsalino, who ended up helping to finance the film and supplying the hats.

Brad

 

[Brinybay]

How about a hat cartoon?

Bugs and Thugs

 

[Yohanes]

Yes, there is! The film's producers visited Alessandria around Christmas 1969 and proposed a deal with Borsalino, who ended up helping to finance the film and supplying the hats.

Brad

No wonder their hats are excellent! So all of those are indeed Borsalino brand! Makes me drooling...

 

[FATS88]

TEST

TEST

 

[FATS88]

GREAT THREAD!

Hello,

I have a question.
When you say "best hat movie"
Are referring to nostalgic film only,
excluding vintage film?
I've noticed that most actors,(or is it their makeup
departments?) fail to be properly trimmed and coiffed,
resulting in their hat or hats not fitting, or
being worn with the dignity it deserves.
Thank Heavens that Bogart, Muni and Gable,
didn't look as silly, (unless they intended to) as some of these cats nowadays!
There have exceptions, most notably
in my humble opinion;
Polanski's Chinatown, Coppola's The Cotton club,
and De Palma's The Untouchables.
Three of my favorite NOSTALGIC "hat movies"
as well as the entire wardrobe/costuming
for these classics.

Thank you to all the Loungers
Fats 88

 

[Brinybay]

I've noticed that most actors,(or is it their makeup departments?) fail to be properly trimmed and coiffed, resulting in their hat or hats not fitting, or being worn with the dignity it deserves.

Can you give some specific examples of who is doing what wrong for the edification of us newbies? All the hats in the above pics look fine to me, but what do I know? I only just bought my first hat a week or so ago.

 

[FATS88]

Not to be overly critical but...

People's exhibit A:http://www.allmoviephoto.com/photo/2005_king_kong_027.html

Jack Black's portrayal of Carl Denhem pales to
that of Robert Armstrong (He defintly knew how to wear a hat!)

People's exhibit B:[IMG]http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/idlewild/gallery.php?page=4&size=hires&nopop=1&

Terence Howard looks great, of course he usually does.
However, the other actor's hat appears too large.
I don't think it's a hip hop thing either,
the artist known by the alias Mos Def,
wore his fedoras with both style and class,
in the film; Something the the Lord made.

I thought The costumes, sets etc. in King Kong were exellent.
Idlewild on the other hand...I made it through about ten
minutes before pressing the surf button on my remote.

Brinbay,
Congratulations on your first titfer,
I just returned from Peters Bros.
You'll probably find that a custom hatter,
will serve your "vanities" best of all.
I seriously started building my arsenal of
head wear last Fall.
Had I known of Joe Peters' operation,
it would have saved me from many disapointments
dealing with retailers, who are just that; RETAILERS
not HATTERS.
My personal recommendations are Paul's hat works
The above mentioned Peters Bros.
and Jimmy Pierce.
I'm new to this lounge, so, hope it's ok to pass on
that info.
I do so to keep you from dealing with people
who want you to buy their assembly line products;
seven hat styles in two colours from four companies
with no choice of hat band, brim width, stiffness,
or softness, many times overpriced, with
shoddy craftsmanship.

I had a professor, who was a metallurgist,
he told me never to settle for mediocrity.

Cheers loungers
Fats88

 

[FATS88]

To:Brinybay

Take your cues on proper hatwearing
from most of the other loungers,
they look great in their thumbnail photos!
and you can always watch TCM
especially when they have a "star of the month"
salute to say... Cary Grant or for the more portly;
Robert Morley or, one of the most satorial
legends; Adolph Menjou

FATS88

 

[FATS88]

RE: ALPHAVILLE

I thought I'd pop in and bring some movie hats with me. I been watching French New Wave recently, and I have been inspired by the hats in Godard's films. The two hats are from Alphaville and Breathless.

Alphaville:

Breathless:

Hello dMAN,

I'm hoping to see this film
on IFC or TCM.
I hadn't heard of it, before seeing your post and pics, THANKS!
it looks interesting.
Whenever I see Paris in B&W, it reminds me of Miles' and Michel
Legrand's works.
I'm familiar with Breathless, I saw it for the first, of several times
when I was about six or seven (both of my parents were artists)

I wanted to throw my hat into the ring, so to speak,
with my selection for favorite "HAT MOVIE"
with Alfred Hitchcock's Number Seventeen (1932)
It Comes to mind for two reasons;
I recently watched it.
And after watching it, I "reworked" the three Christy's
trilbys I own, to look more like the ones in the film.

 

[Lon Goval]

I haven't seen Miller's Crossing yet, but I checked out a copy from the library and plan on watching it this weekend. I'll be looking hard!

My favorite movie with hats is "Harlem Nights", even though I've read many poor reviews regarding Eddie Murphy and this movie. But that was after I saw the movie, and I continue to enjoy it. I had my first conversion done based on hats in this movie since this was the only movie I've seen recently enough to remember.

As we said in the Paint Shop, "There's no accounting for taste!"

Ralph

 

[mingoslim]

I mentioned this in another thread . . .

But it more properly should be posted here . . .

I caught Kansas City (1996) on the Independant Film Channel (IFC).

The film did not overly impress me . . . but set in KC in the 1930s it had some great hats . . . and a good soundtrack to boot.

Anybody else catch it . . . or familiar with it?