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October 2011: Filmfest Oldenburg 2011
by
John Gallagher
INTERNATIONALES FILMFEST OLDENBURG: Since its debut in 1994, Internationales Filmfest Oldenburg has grown to become the premier European independent festival, dubbed by the trades the “European Sundance.” Festival director Torsten Neumann (himself an accomplished filmmaker, producer of RP Kahl’s recent BEDWAYS from Strand Releasing) has made the annual September event, located in the small medieval German city of Oldenburg roughly equidistant between Hamburg and Amsterdam, an exciting and exhilarating celebration of cinema. Chris Gore, in his definitive The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide (now in its fourth edition), rates Oldenburg among the top five fest worldwide, heady praise indeed in a world populated with thousands of international film festivals.
I’ve presented films at thirteen of the fest’s eighteen years, and marvel with other Oldenburg veterans at the manner in which Neumann, despite the event’s sensational growth, is able to keep the festival an intimate forum for cineastes to screen their work and interact with like-minded souls. This year’s fest was no exception, as eight world premieres, nine international premieres, three European premieres, and seventeen German premieres were screened, a total of 55 films.
One of the best received films was Emilio Estevez’ beautiful and inspiring THE WAY, starring Martin Sheen and festival favorite Deborah Kara Unger. THE WAY screened inside the 1790 St. Lambert’s Cathedral, a most appropriate and unique venue for this spiritual film. Sheen, Unger, Yurick van Wanginingen (THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO) and James Nesbitt (THE HOBBIT) make the pilgrimage on foot over the rugged Pyrenees from France to Spain on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, or The Way of St. James, to the cathedral that houses the remains of St. James the apostle. The movie has a low budget and a small crew, but lots of heart, drama, humor and wit, beautiful cinematography, and spectacular performances. Deborah Kara Unger, the only major female character, deserves special mention, not only for THE WAY, but for 20 years of superlative acting: in David Cronenberg’s CRASH, Christopher Crowe’s WHISPERS IN THE DARK, David Fincher’s THE GAME, Istvan Zsabo’s SUNSHINE, Norman Jewison’s THE HURRICANE, Catherine Hardwicke’s THIRTEEN, Edoardo Ponti’s BETWEEN STRANGERS, the horror movies WHITE NOISE and SILENT HILL, the recent ABC series COMBAT HOSPITAL, and as Ava Gardner in HBO’s THE RAT PACK. Tough, tender and truthful on-screen, with undeniable star quality, Deborah Kara Unger summons memories of Barbara Stanwyck. Hawks, Wellman, Wilder, Lang and Anthony Mann would have loved her.
Past retrospective honorees at Oldenburg have included Ben Gazzara, Alex Cox, Nancy Savoca, Jim McBride, James Toback, Stacy Keach, Philippe de Broca, Seymour Cassel, Jerry Schatzberg, Timothy Bottoms, Frank Oz, Larry Clark, Asia Argento, Tim Blake Nelson, and James B. Harris (producer of Kubrick’s THE KILLING, PATHS OF GLORY and LOLITA). This year’s honoree was director Ted Kotcheff, whose films are distinguished by a Hawksian versatility, superlative acting, and a special affinity for the outsider -- TIARA TAHITI (James Mason, John Mills), LIFE AT THE TOP (Laurence Harvey, Jean Simmons), THE APPRENTICESHIP OF DUDDY KRAVITZ (Richard Dreyfuss), BILLY TWO HATS (Gregory Peck), FUN WITH DICK AND JANE (Jane Fonda), NORTH DALLAS FORTY (Nick Nolte), WHO IS KILLING THE GREAT CHEFS OF EUROPE? (George Segal), FIRST BLOOD (Sylvester Stallone), UNCOMMON VALOR (Gene Hackman), SPLIT IMAGE and JOSHUA THEN AND NOW (both with James Woods), WINTER PEOPLE (Kurt Russell), and the smash hit comedy WEEKEND AT BERNIE’S. He was a key figure in the development of the Canadian Broadcasting Company, directing many anthology shows and an exceptional adaptation of Cocteau’s THE HUMAN VOICE starring Ingrid Bergman, returning to TV to executive produce nearly 250 episodes of LAW AND ORDER: SVU.
I conducted the Q-and-A’s for Ted’s retrospective, attended by many young international filmmakers and industry veterans; the festival screened LIFE AT THE TOP, APPRENTICESHIP OF DUDDY KRAVITZ, WHO IS KILLING THE GREAT CHEFS OF EUROPE?, FIRST BLOOD, JOSHUA THEN AND NOW, and his masterpiece, the 1971 WAKE IN FRIGHT, a brutal and brilliant drama set in the Australian outback. Poorly distributed in this country as OUTBACK, the movie kicked off the New Australian Cinema movement of the ‘70s, influencing Peter Weir, Bruce Beresford and Fred Schepisi, as well as Martin Scorsese. To this day, WAKE IN FRIGHT is one of only two films to have played Cannes twice (the other is L’AVVENTURA). Whenever we had to clear the theatre for the next screening, the talkback with Ted would continue in the lobby, turning the Kotcheff retrospective into a master class with a master filmmaker as he offered amazing anecdotes and practical filmmaking expertise from his 60-year career.
Roger Fritz also received a tribute from the festival; this German actor-director-photographer seemed to be everywhere during the ‘60s and ‘70s; the festival screened three of his features and presented an exhibit of his photographic work that included candids of The Beatles on HELP!, Romy Schneider on Visconti’s BOCCACCIO ’70, Visconti, Alain Delon and Schneider, R. W. Fassbinder, and Elke Sommer.
Other highlights included Craig McCall’s CAMERAMAN: THE LIFE & WORK OF JACK CARDIFF (available on Blu-ray from Strand Releasing), previously screened at Telluride, the New York Film Festival, and Cannes (where it was named a “Cannes Classic”). One of the best film documentaries ever made, and one of the few focused on a cinematographer, CAMERAMAN pays tribute to the late Jack Cardiff (the first Director of Photography honored with a Special Oscar for career achievement, in 2001), who shot Powell and Pressburger’s STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN, BLACK NARCISSUS and THE RED SHOES, Huston’s THE AFRICAN QUEEN, Mankiewicz’ THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA, Vidor’s WAR AND PEACE, and Fleischer’s THE VIKINGS, with a special skill for Technicolor, and photographing such beautiful stars as Sophia Loren, Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe.
McCall interviewed Cardiff for the film as well as colleagues Kirk Douglas, Lauren Bacall, Kim Hunter, Moira Shearer, John Mills and admirers Martin Scorsese, Thelma Schoonmaker, and Alan Parker, and packs it with gorgeous images, photos, and home movies (the footage of Kirk doing his own stunts on THE VIKINGS is priceless!). McCall’s astute direction, with an unerring eye for the visual, does great honor to Cardiff’s memory.
This year’s jury (headed by Matthew Modine, who also presented his thought-provoking short JESUS WAS A COMMIE) selected Linus De Paoli’s DR. KETEL for the German Independence Award for Best German Film, an expressionistic black-and-white drama set in the near future in Berlin, when the public health system has broken down and spawned a black market in prescription drugs. Twelve features competed for the festival’s Audience Award; the winner was K. Lorrell Manning’s HAPPY NEW YEAR, an important, emotionally devastating drama dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder among combat veterans, with echoes of Zinnemann’s THE MEN (1950), Forman’s ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST (1975) and Ashby’s COMING HOME (1978). Set in a veterans’s hospital, it’s a timely and overdue call to arms for the proper care of our military heroes. Michael Cuomo (who also produced and collaborated on the story with Manning) is absolutely brilliant in the lead role; high marks also go to Soopum Sohn’s cinematography, Paul Brill’s score and especially Manning’s script and direction in this compelling feature debut.
After 18 years, Internationales Filmfest Oldenburg is going strong, thanks to its best-of-international-indie programming, delightful retrospectives, receptive audiences, a phenomenal staff (headed by Dennis Ruh), and the creative and organizational skills of Torsten Neumann (www.filmfest-oldenburg.de).
TARANTINO ON BLU-RAY: Quentin Tarantino approved the sparkling new transfers of PULP FICTION (1994, NBR Best Film -- tied with FORREST GUMP -- and Best Director) and JACKIE BROWN (1997, NBR Top Ten List) now available from Lionsgate Home Entertainment. Smart, funny, shocking, brilliantly structured and written, with a fantastic cast (John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Ving Rhames, Christopher Walken), PULP FICTION took the film world by storm, won the Palm D’Or at Cannes, and inspired a slew of Quentinesque imitators. This edition is packed with extras, including new interviews with the cast, a critics’ retrospective on the movie’s place in film history, behind-the-scenes footage, a featurette on the production design, an episode of SISKEL AND EBERT AT THE MOVIES (“The Tarantino Generation”), footage from the Cannes Film Festival and the Independent Spirit Awards, THE CHARLIE ROSE SHOW with Tarantino, stills galleries, trivia track and deleted scenes. This is the ultimate edition of a legendary title.
The director’s much anticipated next picture, JACKIE BROWN, was based on Elmore Leonard’s novel Rum Punch; filtered through Tarantino’s vision it’s every bit as impressive as PULP FICTION. Two of Tarantino’s favorite B-movie actors, Pam Grier and Robert Forster, get to excel in the lead roles, supported by Samuel L. Jackson, Robert DeNiro, Michael Keaton and Bridget Fonda. Again the casting is perfect, the direction scintillating, the action, thrills and humor masterfully balanced. Once again the bonus features are extensive: retrospective featurettes, cast and crew interviews, the Siskel and Ebert TV review, an MTV special, marketing and stills galleries, trivia track, deleted and alternate scenes, even the “Chicks with Guns” video that Samuel L. watches during the movie!
THE CRITERION COLLECTION: Producer Alexander Korda and brothers Zoltan (director) and Vincent (production designer) brought the oft-filmed A. E. W. Mason adventure novel THE FOUR FEATHERS (1939) to the screen in a lavish Technicolor adaptation, the best of the many versions. The tale of courage and cowardice ranges from England to the Sudan during the British Age of Empire, with epic battle sequences counter-pointing a personal story of redemption. The Oscar-nominated Technicolor cinematography by Georges Perinal and Osmond Borridaile (shooting the Sudanese location footage) is dazzling on Blu-ray, and the Miklos Rosza score never sounded better. The British National Archive provided a 35mm internegative for Criterion’s glorious new hi-def digital restoration. Extras include a knowledgeable commentary by film historian Charles Drazin, a new interview with Zoltan Korda’s son David, the short A DAY AT DENHAM (1939), a tour of the Korda’s studio featuring footage of Zoltan directing THE FOUR FEATHERS, the theatrical trailer, and an excellent essay by film critic Michael Sragow.
Erle C. Kenton’s ISLAND OF LOST SOULS (1932) has been high on the want lists of collectors for years; now this perverse horror classic gets the Criterion Blu-ray treatment. Based on H. G. Wells’ novel The Island of Dr. Moreau, it tells the story of mad Moreau (deliciously played by Charles Laughton) and his ghastly experiments in his House of Pain transforming animals into mutant humans. Banned or at least censored in many countries and U.S. states, it’s still a most disturbing film 80 years later. The great cinematographer Karl Struss (Murnau’s SUNRISE, Mamoulian’s DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE) creates a nightmare world on Moreau’s uncharted Pacific island; Richard Arlen (WINGS) as the stranding leading man, Kathleen Burke (as The Panther Woman), and Bela Lugosi as The Keeper of the Law (“Are we not men?”) round out the cast. Though the negative for the film is long gone, Criterion’s new digital transfer combines a 35mm fine grain master positive with a 35mm nitrate positive from the UCLA Film & Television Archive, and a private collector’s 16mm print, for the most complete version seen since 1932. Expert horror film historian Gregory Mank does the audio commentary, there’s a new video conversation between director John Landis, special makeup maestro Rick Baker, and film historian Bob Burns; new interviews with author David J. Skal on the novel, Richard Stanley (original director of the 1995 Brando remake), and Devo creators Gerald Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh on the film’s influence on their seminal New Wave band; a stills gallery, theatrical trailer, and an essay by Christine Smallwood.
TREASURES 5: THE WEST 1898-1938 is the fifth volume from The National Film Preservation Foundation, collecting films saved by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, George Eastman House, Library of Congress, Museum of Modern Art, National Archives, UCLA Film & Television Archive, and the New Zealand Film Archive. The 10-hour, 3-DVD set includes 40 works depicting the American West. Selections include the Mabel Normand comedy THE TOURISTS (1912), BRONCHO BILLY AND THE SCHOOLMISTRESS (1912) starring the first Western star Broncho Billy Anderson, LAST OF THE LINE (1914) with Sessue Hayakawa, the Tom Mix vehicle LEGAL ADVICE (1916), and a dozen documentary pieces. The real gems of the collection are three features: THE LADY OF THE DUGOUT (1918), produced by and starring former outlaw Al Jennings, directed by Woody Van Dyke, who would go on to a thriving career as an MGM house director (THE THIN MAN series, SAN FRANCISCO); WOMANHANDLED (1925), a comedy starring Richard Dix as a city slicker trying to impress blonde beauty Esther Ralston on the range, an important early credit for director Gregory LaCava (MY MAN GODFREY, STAGE DOOR); and especially another comedy, MANTRAP (1926), directed by Victor Fleming (RED DUST, CAPTAINS COURAGEOUS, GONE WITH THE WIND, THE WIZARD OF OZ), with the effervescent Clara Bow making men crazy in the Great Outdoors. All the films are digitally mastered from archival sources, with newly recorded commentaries and music, and interactive screens about the films, and the set includes a lengthy, detailed catalogue with notes on all the selections.
BLU-RAY: Terrence Malick’s metaphysical epic THE TREE OF LIFE (2011) has been released by 20th Century-Fox Home Entertainment in a set that includes Blu-ray, DVD and digital copy. It’s a demanding film, a love-it or hate-it proposition that audiences stayed away from in droves. Haters considered it slow, boring and self-indulgent; lovers hailed its somber meditation on nature and grace, brotherhood and family. Set in the 50s in a Waco suburb, the film centers on Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain and their children, one of whom grows up to be a miscast Sean Penn in a recurring series of flash forwards (or is it all one big flashback?). Two reels into the movie Malick leaves the narrative to present nothing less than the creation of the universe (or is it the solar system?), complete with big bang theory and dinosaurs! This 20-minute sequence is certainly visually impressive but tends to take one out of the film. Since his 1973 debut stunner BADLANDS, through DAYS OF HEAVEN, THE THIN RED LINE and THE NEW WORLD, Malick has proven himself an artist of great visual style and originality, while missing the mark at the box office. This edition includes a lengthy featurette, “Exploring THE TREE OF LIFE,” with interviews with his collaborators: per his custom, Malick does not participate in the promotion of his work, and is not included in the featurette.
Actor Michael Rapaport’s documentary BEATS RHYMES & LIFE: THE TRAVELS OF A TRIBE CALLED QUEST (2011) was a hit at the last Sundance, and won Best Documentary at the Los Angeles Film Festival. A pioneering alternative hip-hop group with a heavy jazz influence, Tribe (Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammed, Jarobi White) broke out with their very first album People’s Instinctive Travel’s and the Paths of Rhythm and the hit single “Bonita Applebum” in 1990. Four more albums followed until they disbanded in 1998, reuniting for a 2006 tour. Rapaport’s love for the group is clear, but he manages to remain completely objective in detailing Tribe’s sometimes turbulent trip. Special features on the Sony Pictures Home Entertainment release include a commentary by Rapaport, deleted scenes, and two featurettes, with the Blu-ray edition including a featurette on the director’s journey in making the movie and eight extended scenes.
J. Lee Thompson’s WWII adventure epic THE GUNS OF NAVARONE (1961), based on Alistair MacLean’s best-seller, has been meticulously restored for a new Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Blu-ray. Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn and David Niven head the cast as Allied commandos leading a perilous mission to disable the Nazis’ giant field guns in the Aegean Sea. There’s a commentary by Thompson and film historian Stephen J. Rubin, three documentaries and eight featurettes exploring the film’s history, impact and restoration.
LOST HONEYMOONERS RESTORED: Rejoice, fans of Jackie Gleason’s THE HONEYMOONERS (there are millions of us)! After umpteen viewings of the classic 39 episodes -- in syndication for years from their shot-on-film 1955-56 season – we get a sensational treat from MPI Home Video: THE HONEYMOONERS LOST EPISODES: THE COMPLETE RESTORED SERIES, restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive from Gleason’s personal collection. The 15-DVD, 50-hour set contains 10 hours of shows and skits unseen for over half a century, including eight HONEYMOONERS sketches from the 1951-52 CAVALCADE OF STARS variety show, half-a-dozen recently discovered episodes from THE JACKIE GLEASON SHOW, and the eight one-hour musical hours from the 1957 season. It’s an entertaining, hilarious, historic collection, with a 42-page booklet detailing the show’s history, and lots of rare photos. Keep THE HONEYMOONERS LOST EPISODES in mind as a great holiday gift.
John Gallagher
jgmovie@gmail.com |
