Have you ever noticed this

tulip · October 21st, 2005, 08:24 AM

I was watching The Last Samurai the other night and Tom Cruise plays a civil war soldier. He had the costume, the hair appropriate for the period...but when he opened his mouth he had these huge, sparkly, pearly white teeth. It was so distracting. People back then didn't have shiny white teeth. I've noticed this before in other period movies -- they seem very authentic until the actors open their mouths...and their teeth light up the screen. Isn't there a way they can dull up their teeth a bit for the role? It is so irritating and totally distracting.

By the way, I have to admit I liked The Last Samurai, even if Tom was in it. I heard it referred to as "Dances with Sushi" -- which is pretty accurate -- but I thought it was a good movie, and I didn't expect to like it at all.

muchlove · October 21st, 2005, 08:28 AM

Soemtimes they'll make the teeth "authentic" looking, but it seems like a lot of times they don't even think of it. Or perhaps the actor's vanity gets in the way.

stargazer · October 21st, 2005, 08:31 AM

^ Cruise vain?? Surely you jest!

muchlove · October 21st, 2005, 08:32 AM

lol.

ourmaninBusan · October 21st, 2005, 09:03 AM

This is utterly true. I remember a movie where the character
(a Greek centurion) threw his head back and called out to Zeus,
and the camera was in tight for a close-up,
revealing modern fillings and bridgework in his molars

...the movie was Clash of the Titans, I think (1981)

October 21st, 2005, 09:07 AM

I remember seeing a close-up of Thandie Newton's face in Beloved. You could see her contact lenses!

ourmaninBusan · October 21st, 2005, 09:08 AM

Further proof -- veneers in Victorian England

muchlove · October 21st, 2005, 09:08 AM

The last time Sadie Frost looked good!^

ourmaninBusan · October 21st, 2005, 09:23 AM

This is fun!

Meg Tilly, Valmont (another version of Dangerous Liaisons, 1989)

ourmaninBusan · October 21st, 2005, 09:27 AM

Mozart! Lookin' good, Amadeus!

(Mozart died in 1791, according to that song, Rock Me Amadeus)

tulip · October 21st, 2005, 09:31 AM

ourmaninBusan -- those are great!

Grimmlok · October 21st, 2005, 02:09 PM

I hated 'The Last Samurai'.. firstly, it was historically incorrect to an insane degree.

Secondly, it had Tom Cruise in it. Anytime I see Tom Cruise in a movie, It's just Tom Cruise playing Tom Cruise. He never seems to create any kind of character, or lose himself in the role.. it's just him playing dressup.

Thirdly, we're supposed to feel sorry for the Samurai who are made out to be 'protectors' of the population.. which is just utter crap. Japan had a caste system, with Samurai at the top who were brutal oppressors of the lesser castes.. they could chop you down in the street simply to test out a new blade if they so chose. When the poor little samurai gets his hair cut by the 'evil' new soldiers with their guns, I mostly laughed.. the guys with the guns were peasants who had been under the Samurai boot heel for 2 thousand years. Go them.

Thirdly, why is it that it takes an American to come to a foreign country to show the indigenous population how wonderful and magical their own culture is? Gawd, it's such jingoistic crap.

pacific breeze · October 21st, 2005, 02:45 PM

^^Agreed. About the teeth thing, my favourite is period pieces like Westerns where everyone has blazing white perfect teeth. It's an anachronism and completely blows away any credibility every time an actor or extra opens their mouths.

Grimmlok · October 21st, 2005, 02:53 PM

How did anybody kiss each other back then with mossy teeth?

tulip · October 22nd, 2005, 08:43 AM

well, if everyone had mossy teeth, it would be the norm, so no one would think anything about it