The movie that inspired Danny DeVito to become a director: “How did they do this?”
Danny DeVito is not one to play it safe. With an eclectic career that spans iconic roles in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, LA Confidential, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, producing credits on films like Pulp Fiction and Erin Brockovich, and his work as a director, DeVito has proven himself to be a truly irreplaceable creative force.
After amassing a huge body of work and working with directors such as Sofia Coppola, Todd Solondz and Tim Burton, it comes as no surprise that DeVito has a refined and expansive taste in cinema, which has largely influenced his directorial work on projects such as The War of the Roses and Death to Smoochy.
DeVito is, of course, most well-known for his comedic talents, but when directing The Ratings Game in 1984, he drew inspiration from some surprising sources, namely Pontecorvo’s 1966 film The Battle of Algiers.
DeVito’s career skyrocketed after his performance as Louie de Palma in Taxi, and before this point, DeVito hadn’t given much thought to pursuing any creative avenues other than acting. However, DeVito stated, “Somewhere around 1966, I saw Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers, and it got me very curious about directing. I looked at that movie and went, ‘What the hell? I’ve been watching movies since I was a little kid, but how did they do this?'”.
The Battle of Algiers follows the people of Algiers in their fight for independence from the French government. It is one of the only films nominated for an Oscar in two consecutive years, in both the foreign film and original screenplay categories. The film is celebrated for its naturalistic and semi-documentarian style, which highlights the struggle and optimism at the heart of the story.
However, the style of this film is vastly different from DeVito’s own work, a common phenomenon among many directors. For instance, French New Wave director Éric Rohmer cited Alfred Hitchcock as one of his greatest influences, despite their films having entirely opposite tones and emotional landscapes. This demonstrates that while you can appreciate your idols, it’s crucial to stay true to your own strengths—a principle DeVito certainly adheres to in his films.
Shortly after discovering his passion for directing, DeVito helmed two episodes of Taxi before making his feature film debut with The Ratings Game, a confident comedy about a New Jersey truck driver who manipulates the television ratings system to create successful shows. He later directed The War of the Roses, a dark comedy-thriller based on Warren Adler’s novel, which chronicles a lawyer and his wife as they navigate a tumultuous and chaotic divorce.
When comparing DeVito’s directorial work to his influences, they appear to be tonal opposites. However, DeVito’s work strikes a fine balance between comedy and drama, often finding humour through the problems that arise in everyday life. Charlie Chaplin famously said that “life is a tragedy when seen in close-up but a comedy in longshot”, which is perhaps where DeVito finds his voice, bringing a level of self-awareness and humour and embodying the statement the classic proverb of “if we don’t laugh, then we’ll cry”.
