Friday, December 8, 2006
Film Difficult Becomes Popular
Posted by Jonathan Rosenbaum on 12.08.06 at 11:21 AM
It's interesting to see how some of the most difficult and challenging examples of art cinema have become increasingly popular over the past decade. Back in the 60s and 70s, Robert Bresson was virtually a laughing-stock figure to mainstream critics, and someone whose films characteristically played to almost empty houses. Yet by the time that he died, a retrospective of his work that circled the globe was so successful in drawing crowds that in many venues—including Chicago's Film Center—it had a return engagement. Much the same thing has happened with Andrei Tarkovsky—another uncompromising spiritual filmmaker, and one whose films are even tougher to paraphrase or even explain in any ordinary terms.
I'm just back from a trip to the east coast where I was gratified to find, when I turned up to introduce a screening of Jacques Rivette's 252-minute L'amour fou (1968) in Astoria's Museum of the Moving Image, that the film was playing to a nearly packed house. (Incidentally, this galvanizing love story about the doomed relationship between a theater director and his wife, played by Jean-Pierre Kalfon and Bulle Ogier, has never looked better to me, though I've been a big fan since the early 70s.) Virtually everyone stayed to the end, and there was a lively and enthusiastic discussion afterwards. Better yet, Rivette's other major experimental work, his over 12-hour Out 1 (1971), was screened for the press in Astoria last week, and I'm told that over a couple of dozen members of the press turned up for the event. The public screening scheduled for this weekend was sold out several days ago, and A.O. Scott reports in today's New York Times that a return engagement is already being planned for early March. (I'm told that the only thing preventing a Chicago screening is the hefty cost in this case of having to use laser subtitles—which appear below the screen rather than within the film frame, and have to be carefully coordinated to remain in sync.)
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It's very encouraging, and it makes me hope that one day there will be some sort of substantial retrospective of Warhol's films. Alas I missed out when "Sleep" had its screening at the Siskel a few years ago. I've always been very curious too see what his work looks like projected on a big screen instead of on a video monitor (as one usually sees it in an art gallery). Hopefully some other underappreciated filmmakers will get their day soon: Frank Perry, Rick Schmidt, etc.
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A brief postscript: I saw "Sleep" at the Siskel, and, alas, it was only excerpts from the film (as stipulated, I believe, by culture baron Paul Morrissey), not the whole thing. But I recall liking what I saw.
I hope to get to see the return engagement in March. (What are the odds of Out 1 or L'amour fou ever being issued on DVD) For that matter, whatever happened to the planned release of Celine and Julie by New Yorker? Bravo to A.O. Scott. It is refreshing to see the Times cover some of these more difficult works. Gone are the bad old days of Janet Maslin.
The New Yorker DVD of "Celine and Julie vont en bateau" is definitely in the works, because I'll be working on it--most likely interviewing the screenwriter Eduardo de Gregorio in Paris next February for an extra. As for "L'amour fou" and "Out 1," I have no idea, though the fact that "Duelle" and "Noroit" just came out in France (without English subtitles, unfortunately), films which had the same producer as "Out 1," is a hopeful sign.
I was in Astoria from L'amour Fou through Out 1:Spectre and heard some gossip that this was a travelling retrospective that was going to Chicago. Was hoping to catch some of the ones I missed there, as I am a resident of Milwaukee. Does anyone know anything about this?
Yes, this will be happening at the Siskel Film Center in May and June --and both versions of Out 1 will be shown.
Jonathan, Is there any chance you will be giving any kind of talk at the Out 1:Spectre screening? Also do you know whether it will be a straight screening or split up over a weekend like some of the other showings?
I believe they'll probably be showing it over two weekend days. I haven't been asked at this point to speak at the screening--but such things are rarely set up this far in advance.
I wish with all my heart that their is a substantial effort to bring as many warhol films together for a big chicago screening. It would be, in the words of andy, "way up there!" I recently saw chelsea girls at a nyc library screening. oh my, what a piece of art, to see it on the screen, projected side by side, as he intended. It's like looking at a marilyn or an elvis or a piss painting, only it's a moving masterpiece.
