From media reports, the death of a third horse during the filming of the HBO series "Luck" forced its cancellation. I'm ambivalent about that. I wanted the show to have a life, even though the horses died.
I'm not a fan of horse racing. I've never placed a single bet. But the creator, David Milch, I once bet on; as a college student I finagled to help cover some of Milch's debts in return for a percentage of his first screenplay. (how that worked out is another story) Then, Milch was a star, drug-addled as the case may have been.
It turns out that "Luck" is the third Milch show in a row, that HBO carried to early cancellation. Of all, I enjoyed "Deadwood" most; a startling venture in the long-form TV drama format that tangled in Milch's own drama. His rebound, "John from Cincinatti", began with great promise and dissolved in its own ether. I had high expectations for "Luck", matching Milch to Michael Mann's skill in directing and delivery. Milch's secondary characters have always been very special and very entertaining. Think of Wu, the butcher in "Deadwood". Or, the motel maintenance men in "Cincinatti". The quartet he created in "Luck" of common gamblers who lucked their way to a winning claim horse had huge spirit and life. I loved what the series did for venerable actors Nick Nolte and Dustin Hoffman. Both were terrific. It was gratifying to watch Hoffman in a role that served his immense talent. There were miles and miles to go for the ensemble cast as well as its stars.
Michael Mann's filming of horse racing was extraordinary. In each of the season's seven episodes when it came to filming the big race I wondered, how did they do that? There was no question -- even from my living room -- the cost and difficulty were at the high end. Still.
Milch and Mann were able to convey a sense of the primordial attachment we have to animals, especially those magnificent horses. I started to understand the ecosystem of horse racing that captivated Milch at an early age. I wanted the series to go on, even though three horses died.
PETA certainly disagrees; it was a PETA campaign that seemingly brought HBO to cancel the series.
Horse racing is a nasty business, and human behavior can be messy to the point of disgusting. That Milch has succeeded exposing the complexity and drama of conflicting desires in a medium that can be perversely shallow is remarkable.
The three horses that died in the filming should have been celebrated. And so, too, if it had been twelve or twenty horses. Would it have been inhumane? Any more inhumane than using horses for leather, glue, or food?
We've used and abused horses for tens of thousands of years; maybe there was something more to the delineation of the abuse we inflict on ourselves and our loved ones that made HBO flinch. I wanted to watch Dustin Hoffman's character change and had an idea how Milch was winding up to make that happen. In any case, this viewer is sorry to see "Luck" finish without the ending it deserved.
I'm not a fan of horse racing. I've never placed a single bet. But the creator, David Milch, I once bet on; as a college student I finagled to help cover some of Milch's debts in return for a percentage of his first screenplay. (how that worked out is another story) Then, Milch was a star, drug-addled as the case may have been.
It turns out that "Luck" is the third Milch show in a row, that HBO carried to early cancellation. Of all, I enjoyed "Deadwood" most; a startling venture in the long-form TV drama format that tangled in Milch's own drama. His rebound, "John from Cincinatti", began with great promise and dissolved in its own ether. I had high expectations for "Luck", matching Milch to Michael Mann's skill in directing and delivery. Milch's secondary characters have always been very special and very entertaining. Think of Wu, the butcher in "Deadwood". Or, the motel maintenance men in "Cincinatti". The quartet he created in "Luck" of common gamblers who lucked their way to a winning claim horse had huge spirit and life. I loved what the series did for venerable actors Nick Nolte and Dustin Hoffman. Both were terrific. It was gratifying to watch Hoffman in a role that served his immense talent. There were miles and miles to go for the ensemble cast as well as its stars.
Michael Mann's filming of horse racing was extraordinary. In each of the season's seven episodes when it came to filming the big race I wondered, how did they do that? There was no question -- even from my living room -- the cost and difficulty were at the high end. Still.
Milch and Mann were able to convey a sense of the primordial attachment we have to animals, especially those magnificent horses. I started to understand the ecosystem of horse racing that captivated Milch at an early age. I wanted the series to go on, even though three horses died.
PETA certainly disagrees; it was a PETA campaign that seemingly brought HBO to cancel the series.
Horse racing is a nasty business, and human behavior can be messy to the point of disgusting. That Milch has succeeded exposing the complexity and drama of conflicting desires in a medium that can be perversely shallow is remarkable.
The three horses that died in the filming should have been celebrated. And so, too, if it had been twelve or twenty horses. Would it have been inhumane? Any more inhumane than using horses for leather, glue, or food?
We've used and abused horses for tens of thousands of years; maybe there was something more to the delineation of the abuse we inflict on ourselves and our loved ones that made HBO flinch. I wanted to watch Dustin Hoffman's character change and had an idea how Milch was winding up to make that happen. In any case, this viewer is sorry to see "Luck" finish without the ending it deserved.
3 comments:
After the recent area killing of horses for meat around here, this all makes my stomach turn.....Most recently, the article of starving horses in the 8 1/2 sq mile area. G-d only knows that's probably the tip of the iceberg with all the cockfighting and pit fighting probably going on out there too.
As for HBO - Bill Maher is a card carrying Board member of PETA. I'll bet anything, he was the one behind this.
I stopped watching HBO after the Soprano's.......Though, they do have some good comedy specials, I wait for the bleeped out curse words reply's on Comedy Central.
I for one will not miss luck. Bill Maher is full of horse manure and I would like to see the Sopranos make a comeback..,but only if they promise not to re-enact that horrible bed scene from the godfather one of the groosements piece of celluloid I have ever witnessed.
I really had started to like this show and think HBO had something! I was beginning to peak my intrest for horse racing as a sport that living not very far from pimiclo race track couldn't!
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