December 13th 2012. Pick Of The Day.
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The Film Forum's Jean-Louis Trintignant series revs forth in two vastly different Citroens this day. LE COMBAT DANS L'ILE finds our subject of the FF's trib hiding his deepest paranoia of the fascist state in the empty spaces of his mansion, and LE TRAIN finds him hiding the physical equivalent of the same in a hay strewn freight car slowly removing him from Nazi grasp. Both co-star the very sexy Romy Schnieder. As much as I dig this unsmiling prick, not my Pick today. Read on.
Susan Hayward was a gritty and grand Brooklyn gal who went Hollywood on us NY'ers. And thank God she did. She brought the moxie glam to the studios along with fellow stalwarts Ann Sheridan and Jean Arthur, and eventually built a cache that dealt her the choicest of roles, the ones with Oscar potential. Eventually she landed the role of ex-flapper and death row inmate Barbara Graham, and her iconic perf in I WANT TO LIVE won her the little gold guy. Robert Wise's film has lost none of its power, her performance serves still as feminist model of trajectory from diffident to empowerment on the big screen. Tempting, but not my Pick.
And as much as I'd love to award my imprimatur to a colosally unsung contributor to the modern art of big screen acting, one who left us too soon this year, I must pass up the phenomenally great and grizzled Ben Gazzara, whose retrospective at the Anthology Film Archives begins this day. THE STRANGE ONE was the Gazz's screen debut, and has the distinction of having only Actors Studio alumni amongst its cast. SAINT JACK owns the distinction of perhaps offering BG's best and most defining role, as a ex-pat whorehouse owner who finally comes upon the one dirty thing his conscience can't tolerate. Maybe. Both worthy, but not my Pick.
And MOMA's Pier Paolo Pasolini retrospective begins its completely creepy series of unspoolings this day with the controversial auteur's adaptation of the warm family melodrama MEDEA. More mayhem to come, some of which may be my Pick Of The Day, so I'm passing. There are greater mythological mother and son offerings this day. Or at least weirder. Or more costly. Look, for absolute batshit melodrama writ large there is only one choice today. The most epic depiction of men and their predilection for the particular worms they prize. I didn't write it so read into it what you will...
David Lynch directed ERASERHEAD, then THE ELEPHANT MAN. Now he was a big chip on the Hollywood poker table. He said no to RETURN OF THE JEDI in favor of creating his own SciFi filmscape, deciding to adapt the literary landscape of Frank Herbert, a bride that had many filmic suitors. EL TOPO's Alejandro Jodorowsky held the rights to Herbert's work, hired visionaries who would go on to change the cinematic landscape based on concepts and design created under his employ. The result was naught. Ridley Scott took a pass post-ALIEN. He chose instead a drawing room drama about androids and neon. Poor us. Ultimately the rights were procured by producer Dino De Laurentiis. He wanted Lynch and Lynch wanted him. They spared no expense and broke ground tech and artisitic to create the definitive masterwork of science fiction fantasy. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, GONE WITH THE WIND, no other cinematic epic would come close to this oh wait no I'm sorry it died quickly at the box office shut it down.
60 mil was the price tag. Careers were the casualties.
Except they weren't. David Lynch and star Kyle MacLachlan were almost immediately back in favor with Lynch's follow-up, the vivisection of small town Americana BLUE VELVET. Max Von Sydow, whose tribute this film screens as part, went on to his first Academy Award nom for PELLE THE CONQUEROR. And Dino went on as Dino, boldly defending his worst gambles alongside his humblest victories. You want what exactly from a megalomaniacal film producer, exactly?
Anyway they went for it, they failed, but in the process they created something wholly unique to the genre and to the history of film itself. And it screens in 35mm at BAM tonight. If you've never seen this projected, may the Bene Gesserit forgive you, Padawan. Or some such shit, it's all becoming the same thing to me.
DUNE screens at BAM today @ 4:30pm and 7:30pm!
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-JoeWalsh
