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(Credit: Madonna)
Remembering when Madonna starred in Warren Beatty’s ‘Dick Tracy’
When we think of Madonna, we normally think of the queen of pop who has delivered many iconic hits over the years – from ‘Like A Virgin’ to ‘Like A Prayer’. She’s a pop culture phenomenon and one of the most influential artists of the 1980s who helped to subvert social mores and gender norms, bringing society into the future with her progressive spirit.
Influenced by Joni Mitchell, Grace Jones, and the Motown label, some of her best songs are brimming with challenging themes and come complete with a thunderous chorus and the appropriate musical frills, a balance that many artists fail to achieve with such consistency.
Musically and aesthetically, Madonna is one of the ultimate iconoclasts, and it’s a testament to her work that she has remained so ever-present, despite it being nearly 40 years since her eponymous debut album dropped in 1983. She acutely understands that image is everything aside from the music, and it’s an area in which she’s been a leader for most of her career.
While Madonna is one of the most distinguished musicians, it is often forgotten that she is also an adept actor. Throughout her career, she has starred in many titles, ranging from Evita to Dangerous Game. However, one film that stands out in her filmography – Dick Tracy.
An action crime comedy based on the famous comic strip of the same name from the 1930s, Dick Tracy, was produced and directed by Hollywood’s most legendary Lothario, Warren Beatty, who also starred as the titular detective. Boasting an ensemble cast alongside Beatty and Madonna, Al Pacino, Glenne Headly, Dick Van Dyke, Seymour Cassell, and Mandy Patinkin are just some of the names that lend their talents to this colourful adaptation.
The film is a strange case in the sense that it is an entertaining watch, complete with an all-star cast, but in the contemporary world, it seems to have been forgotten. There are many great features, including Madonna’s songs which were compiled into the album I’m Breathless, and Danny Elfman’s atmospheric score.
People also forget just how splendid Madonna is in the role of femme fatale Breathless Mahoney. Although the character is essentially a stereotype from the hard-boiled detective era of the ’30s, the depth that she brings to the role is intelligent, and her physical representation of walking the line between good and evil is a reflection of her dramatic ability.
Arguably, her performance ranks among the very best femme fatales in cinema history, such as Brigid O’Shaughnessy in The Maltese Falcon and Norma Desmond from Sunset Boulevard. Added to this captivating essence is the fact that Madonna and Beatty would date after shooting, and their chemistry courses through the movie, carrying it and making the strange relationship between Tracy and Mahoney a convincing one.
“I chose to do Dick Tracy because it was a great script, and I love the character of Breathless Mahoney. Breathless wears a lot of tight dresses – those are her redeeming qualities.” Madonna said of her role in the film when speaking on an MTV Special in early 1989. “She has a vulnerable side, so if anyone can manage to be a villainess and vulnerable at the same time, that’s… interesting”.
Dick Tracy is undoubtedly one of Madonna’s finest moments, and it’s a film that deserves to get more plaudits in the mainstream than it currently does. Its surreal cartoon world is one of the most unmistakable visual experiences you’re likely to have, complete with a raft of great characters, of which Breathless Mahoney ranks at the very top.