Monday, January 29, 2007
Film Rotterdam #2: Another venue, another timetable
Posted by Jonathan Rosenbaum on Mon, Jan 29, 2007 at 6:11 PM
It's hard at many festivals apart from the biggest ones to determine whether a film is really "new" or not: "new" in relation to where? I was fortunate enough to attend the world premiere of Jia Zhangke's Still Life in Venice last year and then resee it in Toronto a week or so later. It's playing in Rotterdam now, and perhaps it will reach Chicago a year from now, or maybe a little sooner. In the busy cafe-bar of the Lantaren/Venster, the oldest of the festival's three multiscreen multiplexes (where virtually the entire festival was taking place the first year I attended, 1984), between two programs, I buy a Chinese DVD of this film, priced around $10 in Euros from a clerk who assures me that this version has English subtitles, even though they aren't mentioned on the box—something I may not be able to confirm until I'm back in Chicago next month. But then, just before a Chinese indy film called Weed starts a few minutes later, I find I'm sitting a row away from Chinese film expert and sometime Reader reviewer Shelly Kraicer, who assures me that (1) this version is subtitled, and (2) it can be bought on the streets of Beijing for about $1.10—or 80 cents if it's from a pirated source. So is this a new movie or an old one? I'm reminded of when Chantal Akerman's Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles finally premiered in trendy New York in the 1980s, seven years after it premiered in Europe, and some reviewers were calling it "the new Chantal Akerman film."
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Damn Jon, you must be old. You don't have a laptop to punch your new purchase in for a test drive. I know you mention New York, but these days there is not much separating New York from Chicago or the burbs. We may get more movies, but there are infinitely more movies that won't ever make it (or even small released) to the Big Apple, speaking of Zhangke.
That's a bit untrue, villainx--New York has the upper hand when it comes to movies in every respect. Jonathan, how was Weed anyway?
villainx, I suspect that "old" Jonathan, who publishes articles on numerous websites, does indeed have a laptop which he's using to post these Rotterdam reports. However, most American computers can't play DVD's from other regions (thanks to corporate agreements to restrict competition), which would explain having to wait until he has access to a multi-region DVD player. Speaking of Jia's "Still Life," I'm extremely eager to see it. It didn't appear in the NY Film Festival or Film Comment Selects, so I hope it will turn up at the Tribeca Festival this spring. I'm also looking forward to the chance to see Pedro Costa's much-admired "Colossal Youth" at Film Comment Selects. And I hope to live long enough to see "Jeanne Dielman" make it to DVD.
Jim, I stand probably corrected. And apologizes for the crack, Jonathan. Otherwise, I recommend VLC, which can be google, if so desired. It's a media player for computers that turns your computer/laptop multi-region. It's really useful for movie lovers. I didn't say New York don't get more movies, but big business & big marketing limits choice in New York too. NY still gets blessed with its various festivals (woohoo Film Comment Selects!), but what indie/foreign/art movie actually manages to get released (even limited release) is slim pickings.
Just for the record, my only laptop isn't wireless and is back at Chicago; in Rotterdam I've been posting from cybercafes and public computers when and how I can.
I don't mean to quibble with Jonathan but premiere can mean different things. The voice cover was when Jeanne Diellmann finally was picked up for distribution and had a run in a theater. I think the Voice treated the theatrical release of Celine et Julie in the same way. Both films had several screenings in various non-theatrical situations. It was possible to have seen both films several times and not feel the need to see them when they opened but tell friends now oyu can see them. As far as I know there has been no public screening of Still Life in NY. Why was it not shown at NYFF or the Film comment screenings? I don't know. Hopefully, it will be shown soon and I don't have to look for a Chinese DVD.
The STILL LIFE DVD is available for $8 from Yesasia.com. As far as I can tell, it's a legit edition. I wonder if the film's absence from "FILM COMMENT selects" might be a hopeful sign, in that the sales agent might not have wanted it shown because they're negotiating with US distributors. Given its Venice win and the fact that UNKNOWN PLEASURES, PLATFORM & THE WORLD all got US releases, I'm not giving up hope yet. Villainx is right that the pickings for theatrical releases even in NYC can be slim, but simultaneously I feel a sense of overload. Some major foreign films have never played here, but tons of mediocre-at-best docs and American indie films open each week. 13 films are opening in New York this week. Out of this glut, a genuinely worthwhile film like THE TASTE OF TEA (opening Feb. 23) is bound to get lost in the shuffle.
"Just for the record, my only laptop isn't wireless" ! I've never been to any major festival except NY. Is Rotterdam's like the other festivals where they got a gazillion movies, or is it more elite/selective like NY? I'm thinking the former.
You can also pick up this DVD for $10 in the streets of Los Angeles--I did last weekend at what is informally known as "The Great Mall of China" here in San Gabriel. I can also confirm that it has English subs. (And I'll second the recommendation for VLC, if your hardware will accept extra-region discs.)
And this DVD is legit, to boot. A Warner Bros release, no less. (The set's second disc of "Dong" has only simplified Chinese subtitles, but I have reservations about the film in any case - as opposed to "Still Life", which is quite magnificent.)
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