Sydney (1996)

Director:

Paul Thomas Anderson

Writer:

Paul Thomas Anderson (written by)

Release Date:

28 February 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

When good luck is a long shot, you have to hedge your bets.

Plot:

John has lost all his money. He sits outside a diner in the desert when Sydney happens along, buys him coffee...

Plot Keywords:

Casino | Poker Game | Marriage | Remake | Directorial Debut

Awards:

1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

Philip Baker Hall	...	Sydney
John C. Reilly	...	John
Gwyneth Paltrow	...	Clementine
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Jimmy
F. William Parker	...	Hostage
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Young Craps Player (as Phillip Seymour Hoffman)
Nathanael Cooper	...	Restroom Attendant
Wynn White	...	Waitress
Robert Ridgely	...	Keno Bar Manager
Kathleen Campbell	...	Keno Girl
Michael J. Rowe	...	Pit Boss
Peter D'Allesandro	...	Bartender
Steve Blane	...	Stickman
Xaleese	...	Cocktail Waitress
Melora Walters	...	Jimmy's Girl
Jean Langer	...	Cashier
Andy Breen	...	Groom
Renee Breen	...	Bride
Jane W. Brimmer	...	Aladdin Cashier
Mark Pinizza	...	Desk Clerk
Richard Gross	...	Floorman
Cliff Keeley	...	Aladdin Change Booth Attendant
Carrie McVey	...	El Dorado Cashier
Truman Robbins	...	Pastor (voice) (as Pastor Truman Robbins)
Ernie Anderson	...	Pants on Fire Person
Wendy Weidman	...	Pants on Fire Person
Jason 'Jake' Cross	...	Pants on Fire Person

Directed by
Paul Thomas Anderson

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Paul Thomas Anderson		written by

Produced by
Hans Brockmann	....	executive producer
François Duplat	....	executive producer
Robert Jones	....	producer
Daniel Lupi	....	co-producer
John S. Lyons	....	producer (as John Lyons)
Helene Mulholland	....	associate producer
Keith Samples	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Jon Brion
Michael Penn

Cinematography by
Robert Elswit

Film Editing by
Barbara Tulliver

Casting by
Christine Sheaks

Production Design by
Nancy Deren

Art Direction by
Michael Krantz

Set Decoration by
David A. Koneff

Costume Design by
Mark Bridges

Makeup Department
Lydia Milars	....	key hair stylist
Lydia Milars	....	key makeup artist
Alyson Murphy	....	key hair stylist
Alyson Murphy	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Daniel P. Collins	....	unit manager (as Dan Collins)
Craig Markey	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Wayne Gee	....	second second assistant director
Rip Murray	....	first assistant director
Toni Whiteman	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Anthony Bashford	....	lead man
Steve Brennan	....	set dresser
Lloyd Brown	....	on-set dresser
T.C. Chappelow	....	set dresser
Mark Cocucci	....	carpenter
Tony Cocucci	....	carpenter
Tim Cohn	....	set dresser
Bob Cryderman	....	construction foreman
Mark Harrington	....	property master
Emily Hull	....	assistant props
Rob Lorentzen	....	carpenter
Martin Milligan	....	on-set dresser
Scott James Sasz	....	construction coordinator
Min Siegel	....	art department coordinator (as Min D. Siegel)
Stella Starlight	....	scenic artist
Michael S. Stencil	....	scenic artist (as Michael Scott Stencil)
Paula Williams	....	assistant to the designer

Sound Department
Todd Beckett	....	foley recordist
John Brasher	....	sound re-recording mixer
Susan Demskey	....	assistant sound editor
Diana Eljabri	....	foley assistant
Jim Eustace	....	foley assistant
Eric Hoeschen	....	adr mixer
Eric Hoeschen	....	foley mixer
Marty Hutcherson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Carlos Isais	....	sound recordist
Richard King	....	sound designer
Kevin Kubota	....	boom operator
Cailey Milito	....	foley assistant
Tim O'Connell	....	foley recordist
Jeffrey R. Payne	....	sound editor (as Jeffrey R. Paine)
Doug Reed	....	foley artist
John Sievert	....	foley artist
Casey Stone	....	additional recording engineer
Virginia Storey	....	foley artist
Mark Weingarten	....	production sound mixer (as Mark Deren)
Stephen Barden	....	dialogue editor (uncredited)
Paula Fairfield	....	sound effects editor (uncredited)
Daniel Pellerin	....	sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Lou Carlucci	....	special effects: FTS EFX, Inc.

Stunts
Bobby Burns	....	stunt double: Mr. Hall (as Bobby Andrew Burns)
Cliff Cudney	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Mike Booth	....	electrician
Kelly Clear	....	gaffer
Jason 'Jake' Cross	....	grip
Martha Fay	....	best boy electric
James Irons	....	best boy grip (as James "Crash" Irons)
Bob Ivanjack	....	dolly grip
Scott Medcalf	....	electrician
Michael Melvin	....	additional electrician
Steven Mesner	....	camera loader
Sean Hunter Moe	....	second assistant camera
Alan Parr	....	dolly grip (as Al Parr)
Stephen Pizzo	....	additional electrician (as Stephen G. Pizzo)
Michael G. Riba	....	first assistant camera (as Michael Riba)
Andy Shuttleworth	....	Steadicam operator
David W. Slodki	....	electrician (as David Slodki)
Tim Soronen	....	grip (as Tim 'Stuffy' Soronen)
Rick Stribling	....	key grip
Nathan Sweet	....	additional grip
Mark Tillie	....	still photographer
Arthur D. Whitehead	....	electrician (as Art Whitehead)
Nersi Elahi	....	grip electric (uncredited)

Casting Department
Marjorie Noble	....	location casting (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Kathleen Huggans	....	wardrobe supervisor
Linda J. McCarthy	....	assistant costume designer (as Linda McCarthy)

Editorial Department
Lin Coleman	....	first assistant editor
Phil Hetos	....	color timer
Lenge Hong	....	assistant editor
Fred Raskin	....	post-production assistant
Theresa Repola Mohammed	....	negative cutter
Stephen M. Rickert Jr.	....	assistant editor (as Steve Rickert)
Joan Sobel	....	post-production assistant
Dylan Tichenor	....	post-production coordinator

Music Department
Rick Baptist	....	musician: trumpet
Stephen Fitzmaurice	....	musician: alto horn (as Steve Fitzmaurice)
Brian Foraker	....	music mixer
Brian Foraker	....	music recordist
Glen Hollman	....	musician: upright bass
Patrick Warren	....	musician: chamberlin and keyboards

Transportation Department
Al Boone	....	transportation captain
Mike Clark	....	driver (as Michael Clark)
Geno Hart	....	transportation coordinator
Glenn Knowlton	....	transportation co-captain
Glen McRaven	....	driver
Ron Pope	....	transportation office contact
Jerry Snaiczuk	....	additional driver (as Jerry Snajczuk)
Chris Waldoch	....	transportation co-captain (as Christopher Waldock)
Brian Apt	....	transportation office (uncredited)

Other crew
Nan Baker	....	production assistant
Adam Block	....	production auditor
Yvette Brestyanszky	....	production associate
Valeria Migliassi Collins	....	production coordinator
Ryan Dabney	....	security officer
Tyrone D. Dixon	....	assistant accountant (as Tyrone Dixon)
Dylan J. Hay Chapman	....	production assistant (as Dylan J. Hay-Chapman)
Justin Hay-Chapman	....	production assistant
Kris Hemenway	....	craft service
Daniel Kahn	....	location assistant
Elizabeth Ludwick-Bax	....	script supervisor (as Elizabeth Ludwick)
Suzanne Lutz	....	location manager
Sean M. McAllen	....	unit intern
Sue McGibben	....	security officer
Mark Moelter	....	cook
Jake Paltrow	....	set production assistant
Michael J. Pierce	....	set production assistant (as Michael Pierce)
Lisa Reed	....	office assistant
Alexandra Schultze	....	production associate
Mark Seagraves	....	assistant cook
George Sheanshang	....	production counsel
Michael T. Shultz	....	caterer: Sunrise Catering
Dennis Stay	....	dailies runner: Los Angeles
David Diamond	....	assistant to producer (uncredited)
Carsten Meyer-Grohbrügge	....	assistant: Francois Duplant (uncredited)

Thanks
Amanda Anderson	....	special thanks
Ernie Anderson	....	special thanks
Joe Ball	....	special thanks
Stanley DeSantis	....	very special thanks
Alison Dickey	....	special thanks (as Allison Dickey)
Robert Downey Sr.	....	special thanks: a prince
Scott Frank	....	special thanks
Martin Gage	....	special thanks
Billy Gottlieb	....	special thanks
Todd Graff	....	special thanks
Carla Hacken	....	special thanks
Mark Halloran	....	special thanks
Robert Harvey	....	special thanks (as Bob Harvey)
Robin Holabird	....	special thanks
Perri Kipperman	....	special thanks
Rick Kurtzman	....	special thanks
Richard LaGravenese	....	special thanks
Michael Lazo	....	special thanks
John Lesher	....	special thanks
Lloyd Levin	....	special thanks
Kevin O'Shea	....	special thanks
Jarre Payne	....	special thanks
Richard Pryor	....	special thanks
Karyn Rachtman	....	special thanks
Michelle Satter	....	special thanks
Stacey Sher	....	special thanks (as Stacy Sher)
Andy Slater	....	special thanks
Leonard Torgan	....	special thanks
Barbara Tulliver	....	extra special thanks: slavish devotion, support and guidance
Steve Van Anda	....	special thanks
Wendy Weidman	....	special thanks
Joyce Wolfe	....	special thanks
Jeremy Zimmer	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Green Parrot
• Rysher Entertainment
• Rysher Entertainment (a Cox Company)
• Trinity

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1996) (USA) (theatrical)
• Rysher Entertainment (1996) (USA) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Cannes Home Vídeo (Brazil) (video)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (1998) (Germany) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2000) (Germany) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar (????) (USA) (video)
• Edivídeo (Portugal) (video)
• Goldwyn Films
• RCV Film Distribution (Belgium)
• RCV Film Distribution (Luxembourg)
• RCV Film Distribution (Netherlands)
• Sony Pictures Video

Special Effects

• FTS EFX Inc.

Other Companies

• Albert G. Ruben and Company  production insurance
• American Humane Association, The  animal action monitoring
• Cinelease  acknowledged cooperation and support
• City of Reno, Nevada Police Department  acknowledged cooperation and support
• City of Reno, Nevada  acknowledged cooperation and support
• City of Sparks, Nevada Police Department  acknowledged cooperation and support
• City of Sparks, Nevada  acknowledged cooperation and support
• Creative Cafe  sound editing facilities
• Denmead Marketing  publicity
• El Dorado Hotel & Casino  acknowledged cooperation and support
• Horseshoe Club  acknowledged cooperation and support
• International Game Tech  acknowledged cooperation and support
• J.B. & Associates Inc.  sound re-recording facilities
• John Ascuaga's Nugget  acknowledged cooperation and support
• Kallista Marketing & PR  international marketing and publicity
• Lew's Antiques  acknowledged cooperation and support
• Mustang Ranch  acknowledged cooperation and support
• Nevada Casting  casting: Reno
• Owen & DeSalvo Company  post-production accounting
• Pacific Title  titles and opticals
• Peppermill Hotel & Casino  acknowledged cooperation and support
• Reno Paint Mart  acknowledged cooperation and support
• Reno/Tahoe Film Office  acknowledged cooperation and support
• Sands Regency Hotel & Casino  acknowledged cooperation and support
• Sigma Lighting  acknowledged cooperation and support
• Sound Chamber Recording Studio  music redording facilities
• Specialty Lighting  acknowledged cooperation and support
• Sundance Institute, The  developed with the assistance of
• Sundowner Hotel & Casino  acknowledged cooperation and support
• Sunrise Catering  catering
• Sunrise Films  negative cutting

Also Known As:

Hard Eight (USA) (new title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language, some violence and sexuality.

Runtime:

102 min | USA:101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 | South Korea:18 | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:R (Manitoba) | UK:15 (re-rating) (2008) | UK:15 (re-rating) | New Zealand:R16 | Finland:K-16 (video premiere) | Germany:16 (video rating) | Portugal:M/12 (video premiere) | UK:18 | USA:R | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Reno, Nevada, USA

Company:

Green Parrot

Trivia:

Though Sydney's last name is never mentioned in the film, in the original ending the motel man addresses him as "Sydney Brown." (Another possibility: a scene filmed at the Sundance Lab showing John attempting to call Sydney has him asking for the room of a "Mr. Blake.")

Goofs:

Continuity: When Sydney and Clementine are drinking coffee in the diner, Clementine's cigarette switches from her right to her left hand between shots.

Quotes:

Sydney: You know the first thing they should've taught you at hooker school? You get the money up front!

Movie Connections:

References My Darling Clementine (1946)

Soundtrack:

Love Is Free

Very intimate and compelling - a splendid debut for PT Anderson

Though he is best known for two ambitious ensemble pieces such as Boogie Nights and Magnolia, writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson was first noticed thanks to a low-key, unpretentious character study, a gem called Sydney.

The film takes its title from the main character, a lonely elder man played by Philip Baker Hall. At a diner he runs into John (John C. Reilly), a poor fella who has just lost all his money. Sydney buys him coffee, and after a little chat he persuades him to come to Reno. Once there, they manage to get a free room and under Sydney's tutelage John quickly becomes a successful gambler. All's well until he falls in love with Clementine (Gwyneth Paltrow), a waitress and part-time prostitute, and trouble ensues with a gangster named Jimmy, meaning Sydney will have to come up with something extreme to save his protégé.

For a first-time director Anderson shows great skills and confidence: even though he doesn't do much but follow four characters, he frames each shot to perfection and proves he is every bit as good as Scorsese at staging tracking shots (a thing he perfected on his next two features). But style doesn't really matter here: the important thing is that the audience cares for the story, and this essentially happens courtesy of sublime dialogue and great acting.

Anderson fought really hard to keep the movie's original title (and partially failed, which is why the film is known as Hard Eight in some countries), and the reason is clear from the beginning: the picture rests entirely on Hall's shoulders, and he carries it admirably. His performance is nuanced and genuine, and he manages to ensnare the viewer even when we are not sure what his motives are (and once they are revealed, it is not that important). Reilly is equally good, in a turn that opened his way to becoming one of the most reliable character actors in Hollywood, and the same intensity emerges from Paltrow and Jackson, the latter in particular adding extra dramatic flesh to what could have been a rehash of his more famous roles (Pulp Fiction etc.). Even Philip Seymour Hoffman, who has a brief but memorable role as a cocky gambler, gets his opportunity to shine, showing beyond any doubt that Anderson has a great eye for casting. He also knows how to write: the dialogue flows freely and seamlessly between the players, spawning some of the most affecting, realistic conversations ever heard in a movie, although the director can't resist the temptation to insert a couple of in-jokes as well (in one scene, Hall mentions two characters he wound up playing in Boogie Nights and Magnolia).

Overall, a very good film, and a must-see for PT Anderson fans: like many other directors who rose to fame in the '90s (Tarantino, Rodriguez, Bryan Singer) he proved right from the start what he was capable of, and has never disappointed the audience since that.