THEN AND NOW:
MOVIE: “THE GAMBLER” (1974)
CAESARS PALACE LAS VEGAS

On the 50th anniversary of the release of The Gambler, I walked through the iconic circular casino pit at Caesars Palace late last night, where the ecstatic crescendo of Axel Freed’s gambling “high” takes place. One of the most intense movies about gambling ever filmed, the 1974 lesser-known cult classic isn’t shown often. Not to be confused with embarrassingly dreadful 2014 remake starring Mark Wahlberg (read my review HERE), the earlier version starring James Caan in the title role contains a riveting portrayal of addiction and self-destruction, boosted by an outstanding supporting cast — including Lauren Hutton, Paul Sorvino, Burt Young, M. Emmet Walsh, and James Woods (in his first film role).

Caan (Freed), fresh off back-to-back widely-acclaimed performances in The Godfather and Cinderella Liberty, handles the dual contrast of the Ivy League professor/compulsive gambler with utter conviction and credibility. Perpetually on the hunt for a risk, Freed goes on a rush midway through the film, flies with his girlfriend to Las Vegas on a gambling-cation, and steps into the pit at Caesars Palace as the cliffhanger moment before everything in his life is about to crash into a nosedive of depravity and danger. In the climactic scene filmed here, Freed is way ahead -up tens of thousands of dollars- and then gets dealt an 18 in Blackjack. This is a hand no player would ever hit. It’s a clear “stand.” However, Freed tempts fate wishing to defy the odds. He knows that on this night at this moment, destiny is in his side. He stops the dealer who is about to pass the player and continue, and announces, “I’m blessed….double it.” Perplexed, the dealer replies, “you want to double down on an 18, Sir?”

“Yes.”

Freed knows what’s coming next. “Give me the 3.” Indeed, it’s the 3, good for a 21, the win, and the money. Every serious gambler knows the feeling, and hears the voice. We’ve felt it. I’ve heard it myself. The voice of god, the temptation of the demon.

The next few seconds the camera intensifies on the gambler, the emotion tucked deeply within, the stoic look on Freed’s face, the satisfaction of beating the house, the temporary thrill of victory. But we also see it’s not enough. It’s never enough. Freed instinctively knows he’s made 2 + 2 = 5. The quest is intoxicating and enlightening, yet strangely unsatisfying. His ultimate doom is in the illusion that he can manipulate reality, that we can control mercurial forces — and the myth of human free will.

Yes, it’s all temporary. Everything. Even the places where our lives are lived and the palaces where games are played. Unfortunately, Las Vegas is most notorious for erasing its most colorful history. Casinos are torn down and rebuilt. Almost nothing stays the same. It’s always a new place, and a new escape. Never quite real, but still a dose of reality disguised as fantasy. Casinos and corporations too are unfulfilled, and never have enough.

Fortunately, the main casino pit at Caesars Palace has remained pretty much the same half a century later. I seriously doubt if any gambling floor is as instantly identifiable as *this* room ringed and trimmed with chandelier crystal–which fortunately is preserved, at least for now. I took this photo in the spot where Caan and Hutton appeared in The Gambler 50 years ago.

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