What’s so interesting about Warren Beatty’s career is that
his films act as generational entry points.
Dick
Tracy was my first exposure to Warren Beatty. In the film, he’s tough and
sarcastic, a brooding presence, with a smile. I loved it. My dad, a longtime
Beatty fan, grew up with
Bonnie and Clyde,
and later,
Heaven Can Wait. His
appreciation became my appreciation. Most everyone discovers Beatty at a
different time, and because his work is so eclectic, there is never a shortage
of discussion concerning his work.
Beatty’s career is a celebrated and complex one, so I’m
doing something different in this Directors post. Beatty has directed five
feature films, but he’s been responsible for the creation of many more. As a
producer, Beatty was able to throw his clout around and help make some of the
finest American films of all time. He starred in most of the films he produced,
and co-wrote a few as well. He was responsible for securing the directors and
casts of those projects, and earned final cut on many of them. In short,
because Beatty’s influence on the film’s he produced is paramount, I’ve listed
them here as well.
