ABSTRACT
Three of the more remarkable and talented directors in the Hollywood dream factory are Clint Eastwood, Roman Polanski, and Martin Scorsese. In considering their recent film work, I came to the conclusion that they share a perilous effort to hold on to reality, while plying a craft that requires an equal measure of illusion. The result is a trio of film masters exploring the roots of moral ambiguity—a theme that well serves the American state of affairs in 2010. But that does not quite capture the spirit of these directorial giants. So I was led into Marxian and Freudian concepts to explain what is going on in tinsel land.
