Well here's some info and a look at a couple of projects by the a pair of the best filmmakers in the game. So dig in and enjoy...
Here’s the latest from the New York Film Festival:
First, I have some good news and bad news. The good news is that Ingmar Bergman has a new film and it’s showing at the festival. It’s called "In the Presence of a Clown," and he actually wrote and directed it. The bad news is that it’s not really a "film," in the classic sense. It’s a made-for-Swedish- TV movie shot on video and it plays like a stage play. I had the chance to see "In the Presence of a Clown" at a recent press screening for the New York Film Festival. When I walked into the screening room, I was shocked to see that the video projector was on instead of the film projector. Well, it took me a while to adjust to the harshness of video (especially when it’s projected on a screen—it looks totally fake and unnatural) but after a little while I started getting into the story, which, I’m happy to report, is vintage Bergman.
The plot centers around an "inventor" who ends up in a psychiatric ward after attempting to kill his fiancee. There, he befriends another patient, "the professor," and together they decide to embark on a revolutionary film project: the world’s first talkie! CUT TO: A year later. The pair have left the psychiatric ward and are now touring with the completed film (based on the life of composer Franz Schubert). One night, during a major blizzard, the showing of the film is interrupted by a fuse box fire. The principals then decide to stage a live re-enactment of the film for the paying audience. It is during this re-enactment that these men’s lives begin to unravel. We realize how much of the film mirrors their own lives and how deeply troubled they are. The inventor, Carl, is even visited by death (in the form of a horny female clown).
All the Bergman elements are there: the bleak setting, troubled characters, death, fear, agony, the surreal, etc. In fact, Carl, the inventor, is a recurring character in Bergman’s films. He was featured in "Fanny and Alexander" and the Bergman-scripted "Best Intentions." It is based on the director’s own uncle. The problem I had with the movie was the format. Video is not the best way to see Bergman. And it’s also very staged. The film has only two settings: a pshychiatric ward, and an old movie house. It’s hard to watch Bergman characters philosophize for two hours without having his trademark beautiful (yet stark) cinematography to distract your mind a little.
If you’re a fan of Bergman, then you definitely shouldn’t miss this. But if you’re not that passionate about him, then I would recommend that you skip this one and instead rent one of his better films that may not have seen, like "Wild Strawberries," "Fanny & Alexander," or "The Seventh Seal."
Oh, I almost forgot. Peter Stormare, who plays Steve Buscemi’s psycho partner in "Fargo" has a minor role in "Clown" as a tuberculosis-afflicted projectionist. It was so odd to see him speaking Swedish. Who knew...?
Another film I saw at the festival is "Black Cat, White Cat," by my favorite contemporary film director, Emir Kusturica. His film "Underground," which won the Palme D’Or in 1996, is my favorite film ever! This guy is amazing. It’s like watching Fellini on speed. The screen just bursts with energy. His films are more exciting than a thousand Bruce Willis action flicks combined. This is cinema at its most expressive. Kusturica is the most original filmmaker around, hands down.
Okay, okay, so I’m a little biased. What can I say? If you’ve never seen a Kusturica film, GO SEE ONE! His most popular ones are: "Time of the Gypsies," "When Father Was Away on Business," and "Arizona Dream," which happens to be my least favorite. (I just don’t think his style can be translated to English, or to the U.S. for that matter). Anyway, Kusturica likes to make movies about Gypsies. He feeds off their energy. "Black Cat, White Cat" is a tale about Gypsy lovers, hustlers, and grandfathers. It’s nothing more than a funny farce, but, boy, what an enjoyable farce it is. It’s totally magical. His scenes are so perfectly designed, with so much color, and magic, and detail. I know this may sound pretty abstract, but there’s no way to accurately describe his films. They’re meant to be experienced, not described. Kusturica said (during the press conference after the screening) that his intention is to make films that play like a "circus." Indeed, animals always have a prominent role in his films. He also said that his enemy is "realism." That should give you an idea of what this guy is about.
"Black Cat, White Cat" is a simpler film that "Underground," both in scope and subject matter. Yet it is visually stunning (and I mean stunning!), and funny as all hell. In this film, Kustirica relies a lot on slapstick and on the physical gestures of his characters. It is definitely a more accessible film than his previous ones, which is probably why he was able to land a distribution deal with October Films. "Underground" was never distributed in the United States, which I consider to be one of the greatest injustices of this century. I don’t even think it’s out on video. Does anyone out there know?
At the press conference, Kusturica vowed to continue making films. (He had announced that he was retiring from filmmaking after the European press attacked him for what they perceived was the biased politics of "Underground." ) This is good news for all. He even said he is considering adapting "Crime and Punishment." I can’t wait.
IGOR
