By Hunter Williams
The following statement will date me — I’ll let you decide whether that makes me young or old — but my entry point into the audacious world of Nicolas Cage is the 2004 film NATIONAL TREASURE, an absolute staple in U.S. history class. Cage plays a treasure hunter named Benjamin Franklin Gates who seeks to steal the Declaration of Independence to protect it. A ludicrous plot.
So why am I writing about Nicolas Cage? Because two early-career Cage movies are coming to The Independent Picture House: WILD AT HEART and RAISING ARIZONA. The pair would make an excellent double bill. Both are dreamlike films driven by auteur filmmakers.
As part of the David Lynch: Wondrous & Strange series, and to showcase Criterion’s new 4K digital restoration, WILD AT HEART returned to the silver screen Oct. 30. The best way to describe the Palme d’Or-winning film is as a love story from hell, injected with rock ’n’ roll and sprinkled with THE WIZARD OF OZ.
Channeling the spirit of Elvis Presley, Cage plays the snakeskin-jacket-wearing Sailor Ripley. One line Cage delivers serves as the thesis for his character: “This is a snakeskin jacket, and for me it’s a symbol of my individuality and my belief in personal freedom.” Cage’s fearless performance makes the line ring true. There’s a spontaneity to it. It feels unrestricted, matching the flames we see in the opening credits. Cage uncaged.
And for one night only, Nov. 7, RAISING ARIZONA plays at IPH, followed by a postscreening discussion with film editor Michael R. Miller. After their debut feature, the neo-noir BLOOD SIMPLE, the Coen brothers shifted gears with the screwball comedy RAISING ARIZONA. An ex-con and an ex-cop facing fertility problems take matters into their own hands by kidnapping one of the quintuplets born to a wealthy local family.
Drawing inspiration from Woody Woodpecker, Cage plays the ex-con H.I. “Hi” McDunnough. The cartoonish energy Cage brings matches the film’s brisk pace. Hi is on a looping trajectory — in and out of jail because he’s impulsive and can’t shake his bad habits. But Cage adds a layer of goofiness to Hi and makes his love for Edwina (Holly Hunter) feel genuine, so I can’t help but sympathize with the character on his journey to fatherhood.
WILD AT HEART and RAISING ARIZONA offer a critique of Americana, grotesque in their approach. But at the heart of both films, a humanity shines through the flawed characters. Cage helps capture these ideas with performances that blend absurdity and romantic fervor. Even after the wild ride both films offer, I leave WILD AT HEART and RAISING ARIZONA optimistic that love can conquer a cruel world.