"...Conscience dulled by demon rum, liquor, thy name's delirium." Welcome to HBO's new darling, a whiskey of a series labelled Boardwalk Empire.
The pilot episode, rumoured to have cost around twenty million dollars, is a period piece to behold. Directed by Martin Scorcese and starring Steve Buscemi, the story follows a politician slash gangster at the beginning of Prohibition, feted here with a New Year's Eve type countdown in a crowded 1920's bar (cue ironic shot of a woman opening a bottle of champers in celebration).
Nucky Thompson, played by Buscemi, decides smuggling liquor into the US equals lucrative trade. In the words of his fisherman cohort,
"...And he took the loaves and fishes, looked at his disciples, and said, f*** it we're going into the whiskey business."
Boardwalk Empire, Season 1, Episode 1.
The costuming and set design are simply stunning. At one point, a character reads an early edition of Vogue Magazine in a waiting room; the publication is completely unrecognisable, filled with fashionable sketches. Billboards don't move or flash, and apparently only a handful of fonts held monopoly on storefront signage.
Another strength? The writing takes a note from Mad Men, and stays sociologically true to the period. Unlike some programs, Boardwalk Empire isn't PC'd up to please the masses. It works hard to create an authentic, period-specific feel, complete with twenties slang and shoe shines on the street. An era when it's fine to watch midget boxing for a laugh and for band members to paint their faces black; when beating your wife isn't really a crime the law cares about, and the everyday citizen's attitude to print press is frighteningly innocent:
"They couldn't write it if it wasn't true."
Boardwalk Empire, Season 1, Episode 1.
(Also watch out for the 'cameo' by Al Capone, a breathtaking little historical reference).
A lot is expected of the network's latest investment, and rightly so. The pilot was written by Terence Winter, who penned at least two dozen Soprano episodes. Also the creator and executive producer, Winter has a lot riding on the project.
Boardwalk Empire's strength lies in its inherent dichotomy. On one hand, you have colour, fun, laughter, friendship and kindness. At the beginning of the pilot, dodging Prohibition laws seems clever, slightly naughty, and bound to make everyone rich. By the end of the episode, as a consequence of character choices, the screen is awash with subsequent blood and violence.
Michael Pitt plays Jimmy, a former Princeton student and recently returned WW1 vet who works for Nucky Thompson.
"A few years killing Jerrys doesn't exactly prepare you for a lot of outs."
The Boardwalk Empire, Season 1, Episode 1.
I liked Pitt in Murder By Numbers, Dreamers, and Hedwig and The Angry Inch. He has a dark energy about him, without appearing overtly violent, which works perfectly here.
Granted, I'm not a Scorcese aficionado, but visually the ending seemed very Scorcese, tranquility and violence superimposed until the grotesque appears almost aesthetically beautiful.
Some critics have criticised the pace of the pilot. I think they've forgotten this is the first episode of a television series which could potentially run for years, not a movie. Setting the scene, character development, all these factors are important before launching into recurring violence.
Online comments give the impression mass murder was expected from about five minutes in, but Boardwalk Empire isn't a killing spree. This is a story we get to watch unfold slowly, a clever narrative attempting to realistically reflect a turning point in contemporary American history.
I guess in the eyes of audience members inclined toward 'destruction- backstory optional', Boardwalk Empire is disappointing. But I liked getting to know the town, following a politician (albeit a slightly crooked one) around for a while. I liked meeting the main characters' family members. I liked listening to dialogue designed to give you a vague understanding of what's going on in people's heads.
Watching Jimmy's killing spree made more sense, and was more affecting, because by then I had an idea of the character's myriad motivations and conflicted emotions.
Let's just hope modern audiences haven't lost their love of good storytelling and can appreciate Boardwalk Empire for the gem it promises to be... a visual exercise in well-crafted storytelling, encompassing both shocking violence and homely comforts, expressed through complex, well-developed characters.
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