July 24th 2013. Pick Of The Day.
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L'AVVENTURA, Michelangelo Antonioni's breakthrough work of world cinema, sees its two week booking at the Film Forum extended by five days, now running through Tuesday the 30th. Having chosen it the first opportunity I got I can pass it up as my Pick today with a clean conscience. Plus even Monica Vitti would acquiesce to the lady I've chosen to so honor this day. It's the Broad Code, I tells yaz.
Francois Truffaut's sophomore shot fired in the French Nouvelle Vague SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER screens for three days as part of MoMA's ongoing Auteurist History of Film series. I find this movie terribly endearing, though it remains in the minds of many the middle child between the filmmaker's debut THE 400 BLOWS and his shamelessly magical work of romantic tragedy JULES AND JIM. A fave, but a different twist on the gangster flick, carried solely by the sheer force of its star's screen charisma, looms above all today.
Martin Scorsese's proper debut MEAN STREETS screens as part of the Mid-Manhattan Library's summer series 1970's: NYC on Film. Our Beloved Marty's semi-biographical effort announced a uniquely voiced auteur in full bellow with just his second flick, while also fully capitalizing on and propelling the talents of two iconic actings treasures of 70's New Hollywood, Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro, who may never have been better than in the scenes they share in this film. Quite the day for revisionist gangster cinema, but an even more forceful, dynamic perf from one of our greatest living acting legends trumps Harv and Bob this day, and I believe the gentlemen would argue not a whit with that sentiment.
Believe it or not there's a NON-crime film screening tonight. Well, technically it involves the kidnapping of 2500 subpar adolescent music students by a diabolical piano teacher who links them on the damndest musical instrument to form THE 5,000 FINGERS OF DR. T. In my more pessimistic moments I believe this to be the inspiration for THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE. I digress. Hans Conreid delivers an appropriately scene-chewing diabolical madman in the first and last live action flick authored and later disowned by one Ted Geisel. Yeah he's Dr. Seus I'm being clever. It's an outdoor screening at Riverside Park of a cult classic for all ages, but a different child in peril flick is my preference this night, if only because Dr. T would wet his pants at the sight of Gena Rowlands with a .45 Magnum. Which might've pleased Geisel to no end, speculates moi.
Gena Rowlands and John Cassavetes. Whoever said opposites attract was dead wrong. If ever there existed human equivalents of a smoldering cigarette it was these twin examples of moxie with feet. They met as students at the Academy of Dramatic Arts, and JC pursued the woman who would become his wife and more importantly his muse during their attendance and beyond graduation. Shortly after their marriage he established an acting school as an alternative to The Actor's Studio, relying more on improvisation than emotional self-examination. He decided to make a feature film of his acting exercises, and the resulting, groundbreaking SHADOWS remains a touchstone of American independent cinema. To pay the bills however, he took a gig as JOHNNY STACCATO, a jazz pianist private eye in a short lived NBC series, which remains not merely a very fucking cool TV show that needs rediscovering, but the first time he directed his wife. From small things. What followed was a three decade-long relationship as not merely husband and wife but Pygmalion and Galatea. Among the star turns he devised for his insanely gifted actress wife number the brilliant OPENING NIGHT and A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE. The latter landed Rowlands a deserved Oscar nom, as did tonight's offering, the tale of an aging but steely mob moll who risks all to take an orphaned witness to his family's murder under her protection. Brutally so. For those who'd long delighted in Rowlands' fearlessness regarding her ability to unravel onscreen, it was and remains a refreshing example of her ability to cause same said effect in all others. We can and will argue over which of Rowlands' perfs is her best, but we can agree she's the goddam goods and will always be. Tonight's Pick is one reason why.
John Cassavetes' GLORIA screens today at BAM as part of their soon ending month-long trib to the filmmaker. Chick vigilantes never got better than this. Try me.
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