My evenings have become a ritual. Play with the boy at 5:00PM, watch PBS’ The NewsHour at 6:00 PM and start cooking dinner and putting the boy to bed starting at 7:00. By 9:00, I finally have time to unwind, watch a movie (rarely these days) or hop online and catch up with the world. But today, I was surprised to hear Werner Herzog’s voice coming from my TV. I looked up to see a scene from Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo playing underneath some typically brilliant comments about how the jungle in the film was more a “fever dream of a jungle than a jungle itself”, and I realized that Herzog was on the news. It was so out of context and so strange, I felt taken outside of myself for a brief instant, as if, for just a split second, I was not living in my own time.
The moment made me reflect on why it was that I was so freaked out; seeing Klaus Kinkski with his gramophone in tow, trolling down the river on an American newscast on a Wednesday evening? It hit me later; the treatment of artists and intellectuals in this country is scandalous to the point where hearing one of our greatest living filmmakers’ voice on the television news was something akin to culture shock. Someone was paying attention to something creative I actually cared deeply about! I couldn’t believe it. And even on PBS, which is my absolute favorite network, and even on The NewsHour, where I am used to the arts coverage primarily being about the relationship between finance and art, it still felt strange. I view that strangeness as tragic.
It turns out Jeffrey Brown, who does the Art Beat reporting for the show, interviewed Herzog about his new book Conquest Of The Useless (which I am buying immediately). And while the entire interview did not appear on TV (maybe Charlie Rose will give it a shot?), it is available online on the News Hour’s Art Beat blog. You can read the transcript, but I highly suggest you listen to the audio if only for the unforgettable sound of Herzog’s voice. It’s a wonderful interview, so be sure to give a listen.
In the meantime, something to jog the memory and contextualize the discussion.
Radio silence on this blog the past few weeks, but with the end of the Newport International Film Festival and a long overdue family trip to the midwest, I have been way out of the loop for the entire month of June. One of the highlights of the trip was visit to a newly refurbished Drive-in (yes, that’s right) in my hometown of Flint, MI. It was actually pretty funny as we learned two important lessons:
—Although Michigan is in the Eastern time zone, it is hundreds of miles west of New York City. Therefore, dusk comes much, MUCH later in Michigan. This is crucial information when planning to see a film that starts at “dusk” (as you will see).
—Never run the battery on your car (to listen to radio sound at a Drive-in) while charging an iPhone. That combination equals dead battery. We found out the hard way. Not surprisingly, it happens all the time and the theater had a portable battery charger on hand to jump the car. All fixed in less than 5 minutes, if rather embarrassing.
We arrived at 7:45 PM (gates at 7:30) and found ourselves one of about two or three cars in the place. We asked what time the film started, assuming dusk would come quickly, but no; nothing would begin until 9:30. In talking about it afterward, I guess it is true that Daylight Savings Time has made the Drive-in a very difficult prospect, even in a car crazy place like Michigan; the summer is the only time that works to show movies, and the days are incredibly long, pushing the start time to well past 9:00 PM.
With all of the extra time on our hands, we decided to take a few pictures of the place an do some exploring. By the time dusk finally arrived, the theater was crowded and we took in Up, which I thought was great. This was my son’s first moviegoing experience, and it was ideal; wrapped in a blanket, wearing his PJ’s and nursing a bottle, he watched the entire film. Not many kids can say their first film was the Opening Night film at Cannes, but Nico seems a natural movie fan (*ha*). As a father, I remember my own first trip to the Drive-in (to see Walt Disney’s Gus) and love the memory of it, so it was nice to be able to share a bygone moviegoing experience. Pictures below (note: we honored the theater’s request to not photograph the screen once the film started.)
While I am happy to see Ronaldo go, I have to say that the ability of a team to spend £136 million in one week proves once again that the transfer model is broken. While super clubs like Real Madrid spend money hand over fist, smaller clubs struggle to meet payments and go deeper into debt. Leave it to Europe to create an aristocracy in sport. I love the game, but it is now officially out of control to the point where supporters are hoping that billionaire oil sheiks will buy their clubs and bankroll a few high-profile transfers. I am not sure which model should replace the transfer model, but it is not the draft/free agency/trade/salary cap system that dominates American sports; our system has its own big problems that wouldn’t work for European football (and a college sports industry that does not exist on the continent). Either way, something has to give soon, as the current model of spending and revenue creation is clearly unsustainable but for the wealthy few.
But this post is not meant to be an expression of my palpable disgust at the transfer market. Rather, it’s time to celebrate! Ronaldo is leaving the English game, and while there are few great stories without great villains, still, I couldn’t be happier…
Here for your viewing “pleasure” is a compilation of Ronaldo’s classic cheating and diving. He is an electric player who sullies his own reputation through his unprofessional and unethical approach to the game. His “win-at-any-cost”, pampered mentality can enjoy itself in Spain, where I expect a foul will be called every time he touches the ball. Good riddance.
I was recently reading Philip Gourevitch’s New Yorker article of May 4 (regsitration req’d), describing his recent return to Rwanda, more than a decade after the publication his incredible We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families. It was a powerful reminder of the trauma of the Rwandan genocide and it provides an excellent context for the film and the changes that have taken place since Munyurangabo was completed. A podcast with Gourevitch is up now at the New Yorker website. Give a listen; Rwanda continues to be an important story, one that is always changing as the people grow, develop and move forward as a nation.
Now that the line-up for the 2009 Newport International Film Festival has been announced, I can take a quick moment to post some thoughts on this year’s festival, which we’ve had a lot of fun assembling. We have a ton of filmmakers coming, lots of industry guests have decided to make the trip and I think it’s going to be a great time. One of the most exciting programs at this year’s festival is our Archival Gotham: NYC On Film program, which was curated by Anne Morra, Josh Siegel and Katie Trainor of the Museum Of Modern Art’s To Save and Project Festival. The program features some amazing films, and we’re showing all of them on beautiful 35mm prints provided by MoMA.
This was a really great opportunity for the festival to get serious about film preservation as well; As one of America’s oldest communities (and, I’ve been told, one that features more historic buildings per square mile than any other city in the country), it was my goal coming into the festival to bring the history of the city together with the history of cinema and to do something significant. So, in addition to giving these films a proper 35mm screening in the historic Jane Pickens Theater, we’re also re-launching the festival’s Claiborne Pell Award, which will now feature an annual $10,000 contribution to MOMA Film on behalf of our honoree for the purposes of film preservation and in support of the film archive. The late Senator Pell was a huge champion of the arts, having sponsored the bill in the Senate that created the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, and this award will reflect the significant contribution of a film artist to our shared cinematic history.
So, in addition to the great new films that are featured in the festival’s line-up, we’ve got a lot of gorgeous, classic films to share as well. The program is below; please come out and support the festival and take the opportunity to see these great films, projected on the big screen, in a beautiful old movie house. It’s going to be magic.
Archival Gotham: NYC on Film
East Side, West Side
USA (1927) 90 Min, Silent
Saturday, June 6th 12:15 PM
While films from the 1920’s are primarily known for their extensive use of sound stages, sets and theatrical cinematography, Allan Dwan’s East Side, West Side is a marvelous example of how location shooting can be transformative. Shot throughout New York City, from the harbors and waterfronts to the Lower East Side and the Brooklyn Bridge,East Side, West Side showcases the city in the 1920’s like no other film can. Dwan’s work is also notable for his use of some amazing set pieces; a collapsing subway construction site and the sinking of an ocean liner showcase state of the art effects from the silent film era. Preserved with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and The Film Foundation. This screening features live piano accompaniment by Joe Parillo. Joe has played nationally and internationally with the Glenn Miller Orchestra as well as with his trio and in solo performances and master classes. He holds a master’s degree in composition from New England Conservatory, has written and arranged music for theater and film. He is the head of the jazz department at URI.
Little Fugitive
USA (1953) 80 Min, English
Sunday, June 7th 12:00 PM
A groundbreaking work of American cinematic naturalism, Ray Ashley, Morris Engle and Ruth Orkin’s Little Fugitive is the story of Joey Norton (Richie Andrusco), a little boy who is tricked into believing he has killed his older brother. Joey hops the subway and flees to Coney Island, where he spends a couple of days enamored with the carnival as his brother desperately searches for him. Using non-professional actors and a vibrant 1950’s era Coney Island to tremendous effect, Little Fugitive had a profound influence on later films, particularly François Truffaut’s The 400 Blows, but the film stands alone in its depiction of Eisenhower-era Brooklyn, a combination of rough and tumble and apple pie that is sure to enchant audiences.
On The Waterfront
USA (1954) 108 Min, English
Wednesday, June 3rd 12:00 PM
Elia Kazan’s On The Waterfront is a cinematic masterpiece, a union of great direction, brilliant acting and powerful writing that remains a seminal work for film lovers everywhere. Marlon Brando plays Terry Malloy, a tough and tender longshoreman haunted by the end of his career as a prizefighter. After he unwittingly participates in a murder, Terry decides he can’t harbor the corruption that surrounds him and decides to take a stand against the corrupt union bosses that have used him for their own nefarious purposes. On The Waterfront remains the film that, alongside Kazan and Brando’s other great collaboration on A Streetcar Named Desire, changed movie acting forever. An essential film that truly stands the test of time, featuring what might be Brando’s greatest performance.
The Projectionist
USA (1971) 88 Min, English
Friday, June 5th 12:30 PM
Ever wonder what goes on in the projection booth at your favorite movie theater? In Harry Hurwitz’s shaggy, hilarious The Projectionist, the secrets of the local movie theater are laid bare. A slovenly,
mild-mannered film projectionist (Chuck McCann) spends long hours showing movies under the iron fist of his sinister boss Renaldi (Rodney Dangerfield, in his screen debut), but that doesn’t keep him from dreaming of a better life; While watching the film reels spin, the projectionist dreams of adventure and romance as Captain Flash, his heroic alter ego. A loving homage to a life spent at the movies, The Projectionist is also a compassionate and moving portrait of our collective dreams, where each of us is a star writ-large on the big screen of life.
Taxi Driver
USA (1976) 113 Min, English
Saturday, June 6th 10:00 PM
Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver remains one of the most revered and controversial films of the twentieth century. Travis Bickle (Robert DeNiro, in the role that made him an international star) is a returning Vietnam veteran who works the late shift driving a cab through the seedy streets of 1970’s New York. When his affections for a beautiful campaign worker are rebuffed, Travis imagines himself the protector of a streetwise teenage prostitute named Iris (Jodie Foster) and vows revenge on the corruption he sees around him. Full of gritty neon, flaring streetlights and the decadent parade of Times Square, Scorsese captures a Travis’ vision of New York City as an urban hell with scorching detail, a nightmarish landscape that has come to define the city of the turbulent 70’s.
Archival Shorts
Thursday, June 4th 12:30 PM,
The Film Archive of the Museum of Modern Art and the Newport International Film Festival present four of the MoMA Film Archives most memorable short films, exhibited in restored archival prints.
The Hearts of Age
USA (1934) 8 Min The Hearts of Age is the first ever Orson Welles film, directed by a 19-year old Welles and college friend William Vance while the two were still at school.
Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor
USA (1936) 17 Min
The unforgettable technicolor animated tale of the iconic seafaring rivals, and their battle to be “the most remarkable, extraordinary fella.” Produced by NYC’s Fleischer Studios.
The City
USA (1939) 44 Min The City is a seminal American documentary contrasting the industrialization of the US with the idyllic conditions of small town life, set to an Aaron Copeland score.
The Tender Game
USA (1958) 6 Min
Colorful characters look for love in a dreamlike cityscape in this short piece by legendary animator John Hubley, set to an Ella Fitzgerald song.
Also, as a FREE outdoor screening in the park on Friday, June 5, 2009 at 8:00 PM…
The River
India/France, (1951) 99 Min
Director Jean Renoir’s entrancing first color feature—shot entirely on location in India—is a visual tour de force. Based on the novel by Rumer Godden, the film eloquently contrasts the growing pains of three young women with the immutability of the holy Bengal River, around which their daily lives unfold. Enriched by Renoir’s subtle understanding and appreciation for India and its people, The River gracefully explores the fragile connections between transitory emotions and everlasting creation.
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