Resolutions and Revolutions

Happy New Year!  A week late.  Over the holidays I was simultaneously busy with family and yet had a lot of free time on my hands since everything in the outside world slows to a crawl.  I treated myself to True Grit.  I am a fan of the original with John Wayne, Kim Darby and Glen Campbell and I was a bit tentative to see what the Coen Brothers came up with.  I have to say I was prepped by the media blitz that the brothers decided to return to the source, a novel by Charles Portis.  My first impression within the first ten minutes was how brilliant Hailee Steinfeld is as Mattie Ross, the teenage girl avenging the death of her father.  She owned that character and as a result shines brightest in the entire film.  I enjoy Jeff Bridges work immensely. That being said it is extremely hard to take on a part played so wonderfully by the Duke himself.  Being a child of the late 70’s my only association with John Wayne was as Rooster Cogburn.  It wasn’t until I became an adult with film appreciation that I discovered classics like Stage Coach, Rio Bravo and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.  I was even older before I watched the WWII films that Wayne made.  I digress.  Jeff Bridges is a talented actor.  He played the part well.  Matt Damon, however, made La Beouf his own.  The chemistry between Haille and Matt is wonderful.  What struck me about this version is how simple and streamlined it is, a strong adaptation with minimal sets and impeccable acting work.  Alas, the Western genre is alive and well.  Thank you Joel and Ethan.  The last five minutes of the film were also particularly memorable.  It is the epilogue to the story and the adult Mattie returns to thank Mr. Cogburn.  What struck me is the simplicity and beauty of the last moments.  The adult Mattie looked like a real woman, not an actress in a western costume.  Elizabeth Marvel, a staple of New York Theatre and alum of the Coen brothers, is striking.  I had never seen her before and I was immediately struck by how memorable a countenance she has, not to mention the lush cinematography she is encapsulated in.  The brothers are known for their quick wit and wonderful timing.  One of my all time favorites is Oh Brother, Where Art Thou.  They are masters of the timing of language and their humor is quite original. Raising Arizona is a classic. Another Western that truly impressed me is The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.  It is an amazing film written and directed by Andrew Dominick.  Beautifully photographed by the legendary Roger Deakins.  With Brad Pitt as an unnerving and psychopathic Jesse James and Casey Affleck as the awkward hero-worshipping Bob Ford it runs just shy of three hours.  There is a lot of tension, psychological ‘space’ and storytelling through the lush cinematography.  When I watched The Assassination of Jesse James I couldn’t take my eyes off the story.  It makes me wonder if only studio made films can run that long.  True Grit runs an hour and fifty.  Both are fantastic stories in their genre and yet totally different in style.  Although A Rogue in Londinium is not a western there are similarities in style to The Assassination of Jesse James…in that they both linger in scenes for the emotional effect.  I have a feeling that The Assassination of Jesse James did far better in Europe and overseas than in the US because of its length and editing style.  I want to mention an amazing western that became a sleeper.  That is The Jack Bull (1999) with John Cusack.  Every time I stumble upon it playing on a showtime or starz channel I stop what I’m doing and watch it again.  Once again, the story is simple and succinct.  One of the reasons I bring up the genre is that on a recent visit to check out the progress of Londinium and talk with Elizabeth, the director, is that a Western is on the agenda for Bjornquist Films.  Very exciting. 

“How the hell are you going to pull off a western in this economic climate?” I asked her.

“Where there’s a will there’s a way.”  She said.  “Besides, we pulled off a Civil War story on a micro budget.”

“True.” I reply.  They did.  My Brother’s War. 

“If the story is strong and simple and takes place on the trail, then we have almost no sets, a few actors, a few horses and their wranglers and a crew.   It can be done and done well.  Every project we do we seem to evolve in the art and craft of it.”  She said.  And I know this to be true.

“So what is happening with Londinium?” I ask.

“Well we’re fresh off the holidays so there isn’t much movement at the moment.  I’m taking the down time to research the market.” She says.  “I’m also trying my best to learn and utilize social media to inform my audience out there.  It is a whole new animal.”

I ask her if she had seen the brief PR buzz around Glen Close’s project, Albert Nobbs, in which Glen’s character disguises herself as a man in Victorian Ireland in order to find work.

“Sounds awfully similar to My Brother’s War.” I say.

“I think this transvestism that we as a culture have uncovered from the past is nothing new.  I think women in any culture because of their gender’s station in society have had to pretend to be men in order to survive whatever crisis, prejudice or injustice had befallen them.  It makes for good story-telling and great drama.  We live in a society where on the surface it seems like women are equal to men and that gender issues are blurry these days but they’re not. We have yet to elect a female president and 2010 was the first year we gave an outstanding award to a woman for Best Director.  What does that say about our society and the things we tell ourselves?”

Food for thought.  I chew on it for a while and it keeps repeating on me.  I have always considered my wife to be, if not my equal, then my superior in almost everything. 

“I read that Ms. Close has been trying to make this project for fifteen years.” I say.

“Isn’t that a shame.” She replies.  “That it takes that long to rally people to see the value in a well told story.  It was proven onstage.  That’s what happened with The King’s Speech.  It was a play first and adapted for the screen.  I wonder how long it took Tom Hooper and David Seidler to move it from stage to screen.  I’m willing to bet a lot less time than fifteen years.” She says.

“It only took you a little over two years to make A Rogue in Londinium. That’s a pretty big achievement.” I say.

“Yes, but I had a lot of help from my partners Patrick Sullivan and Thom Milano.  The cast and crew were beyond amazing.  I don’t know the details of Ms. Close’s project but I can’t wait to see it when it is done.” She replies.

“What do you see for the new year?” I ask.

“A completely new way of approaching and working within the business.” She says.  “In doing a few private screenings down south and here in New York the enthusiasm and excitement over Londinium continues to build.  If I can keep steadily expanding my audience then DIY distribution on the DVD/VOD front could yield a profit come the Fall. 

“Are you planning on a theatrical run?” I ask.

“I would love a theatrical run even if it rolls out for a week in a few art house theatres here in New York.  We’ll see how it does and plan from there. I am realistic, though.  I know that unless there are millions in marketing behind a film that the film’s audience will only be reachable through grassroots efforts like the internet and social media.  That is my extended goal.  To turn the unknown and undiscovered into a remarkable experience and well-loved piece of cinema.” She explains.

“Huzzah!”  I reply.

Step Right Up, Folks!

I must apologize for my absence firstly to the filmmakers of A Rogue in Londinium and to all of you out there who sometimes surf here to my blog. I’ve been MIA in remote parts Tanzania and Khazakstan helping work on a documentary. Can’t say any more about the project for nondisclosure reasons but, alas, I am back in the good ole’ US of A. Upon my return I have found some exciting films about to be released and am eager to compile and compare. What I find interesting is that several of these high profile films and possible Oscar contenders are period pieces. In the time I’ve been away the chatter about new distribution modes and the beginning of festival season has been amazing, surprising, depressing and yet refreshingly challenging. 

I want to begin with “The King’s Speech”. It began as a play and was adapted for the screen. However, because of budget constraints the pomp and circumstance of Royal Britain, i.e., the crowds, balls and state dinners could not be produced. It makes for a very intimate human drama with a good amount of classic British humor and fascinating behavior. It is a favorite in the Oscar race. The performances are sublime and nuanced with a handful of favorites with a cast including Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter. A film about the younger brother with a speech impediment in line for the throne after his older sibling, Edward, abdicates for the love of an American divorcee would be a hard sell. It is the stuff that the Weinstein brothers like best and recalls their past accomplishments and roots. Having strayed way off the path the Weinsteins first sold Miramax to Disney in 1993 and then tried to buy it back. They left the Disney owned studio in 2005 and after expanding in ventures on the internet, social media and gaming and trying to grab a demographic not usually theirs they found themselves in deep debt scaling back to the essential elements that made them trailblazers in the first place with classics like Pulp Fiction, Heavenly Creatures and Shakespeare in Love. They remind me of the old days when Sam Goldwyn would pull a rabbit out of his hat like “The Best Years of Our Lives” (directed by William Wyler in 1946). “The King’s Speech” is one to watch and you will be satisfied. Colin Firth for Best Actor and Geoffrey Rush as Best Supporting.

The second film “The Conspirator” is the first production for The American Film Company. It has committed to making films absolutely based on the facts of American History. The founder of Ameritrade is the force behind this interesting new company. Where Ted Turner fell in love with the Civil War and at times made exceptional films like “Gettysburg” and “Andersonville”, his passion for the subject seemed to exhaust the interest of his larger audiences. “Gods and Generals” was mediocre at best and the third in the trilogy, “The Last Full Measure” has been in the works for years now. The American Film Company’s creed involves all of American History. Stories we were never told in school, truths that have been hiding, myths that no longer satisfy and adventures lost in the dusty archives of our libraries.

“The Conspirator” is more like an old time movie – Inherit the Wind or Twelve Angry Men. A period courtroom drama set during the Civil War. Directed by Robert Redford and starring James MacAvoy and Robin Wright Penn as Mary Surratt and her court appointed attorney. After John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Lincoln and was tracked down and shot, Edwin Stanton, Secretary of War at the time took over the running of the government. To quell any thoughts of insurrection and rebellion by the South they rounded up anyone associated with Booth as conspirators in the plot. Mary Surratt’s son escaped and was never found yet she was held responsible on the thin evidence that they met once in the boarding house she ran. In the end she was publicly hung. Her attorney, a Union veteran is torn between the honorable reasons he fought in the Civil War and the sham trial being performed to satisfy public discontent. Will it find its audience to sustain a theatrical release? It premiered in Toronto this year without a distributor. However, Lionsgate and Roadside have agreed to roll it out for a March 2011 release. Is Redford whispering to Oscar with this period drama?

“Bel Ami” is another small period flick with Robert Pattinson, Kristin Scott Thomas and Uma Thurman. Set in 1895 in Paris, Bel Ami is the story of Georges Duroy, who travels through 1890s Paris, from cockroach ridden garrets to opulent salons, using his wits and powers of seduction to rise from poverty to wealth, from a prostitute’s embrace to passionate trysts with wealthy beauties, in a world where politics and media jostle for influence, where sex is power and celebrity an obsession. This logline comes courtesy of the official website. Here is a small film based on a classic novel, produced by Simon Fuller of American Idol fame and it had quite a hard time finding a distributor. Studio Canal of France finally agreed to release it in that country for May 2011 and Optimum Releasing will pick it up for a UK release in August. How can a movie with Robert Pattinson of the Twilight trilogy vampire fame not find distribution in the US? It makes one pause. The power is shifting from the studios that are going broke to the filmmakers who can - with the power of the web - reach their audiences without a middleman. According to a recent quote from Thomas Mai, ‘now more than ever is the time for filmmakers to hold onto their film’s rights.’ That is the only way a filmmaker will see any revenue from his or her project. Sell the foreign territories but hang onto the North American DVD, VOD rights.

Now this brings me to “A Rogue in Londinium”. I was away during the private screening at the Player’s Club in New York in October but the filmmakers graciously accommodated me and a few close friends that were not able to make the earlier date. A mutual friend had access to a small screening room in the building where he lives and we sat down the other night to take a look at Elizabeth’s new film. Wow…I was speechless for some time. Knowing what I know about how they made it for less than $100K, I was astounded, impressed and moved. The performances each rock solid and nuanced, stand up to the previously mentioned films. Whit Hamilton has succeeded in carrying his part of the story with sex appeal, charisma and poignant vulnerability. An unlikely choice for the part he rivals James Franco and Johnny Depp and holds his own. The only difference is he is not famous…at the moment. The secret behind his character will only add to his future success and will be the talk of the town when revealed. Rebecca Damon’s portrayal of Victoria Thornton is magical with every nuanced look and gesture. Judy Krause who plays Catherine Burroughs is a miracle – at once charming and gorgeous then calculating and downright evil and again sympathetic and tortured. The only difference between this micro-budgeted film and the other Independents are that the people involved are not well-known…yet. They will be. Take my word for it. If this little film can run the obstacle course of the festival circuit and gain momentum you will see these exceptionally talented people working again and again. If you feel like supporting this amazing small film go to their facebook page and become a fan. You won’t be sorry.