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Daily GuiDe DAILY GUIDE saTurDay 14 february 09 THURSDAY 17 FEBRUARY
WhaT’s WHAT’S insiDe? INSIDE? 2 » PICKS OF THE DAY 2 » TOmOrrOW’s picks Highlights of day one at Our highlights of GFF11 tomorrow’s films and 2 » events INTERVIEW: ALEX SMOKE DJ Alex Smoke scores 2 » mexicO spOTliGhT Murnau’s 1926 epic Faust A glimpse into the films the Mexican strand 3 » in REVIEWS
Happy Birthday! Jonathan melville raises a glass to an archer who always hit his target.
LAYERS OF OZON
forget Jonas armstrong in the time. The studio’s faith in the the BBC’s recent big-on-action-butAussie actor was well placed, the low-on-charm Robin Hood or Kevin film earning them nearly £4 million Costner’s earnest turn in the forgetin ticket sales. table Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves: According to film critic Roger Errol Flynn as the titular hero of The Ebert, “Flynn shows us a Robin Adventures of Robin Hood did more Hood so supremely alive that the to cement the image of England’s whole adventure is a lark”. It’s hard greatest freedom fighter – or is to disagree, the sheer speed and enthat terrorist?Film – in the minds of the thusiasm show here are almost Glasgow Festival continues itsonFrench cinema public than anyone before or since. dizzying. love affair with opening gala Potiche As the film’s tagline screamed, While Flynn would continue to “Only the rainbow can duplicate its wow audiences in movies such as After last year’s riotous opening terrible of French cinema. brilliance!” The Dawn Patrol (1938) and The gala Micmacs, Glasgow Film Festival His next three pictures confounded Born on June 20 1909 in Hobart, Adventures of Don Juan (1948), he continues its auld alliance with our auteurism further by focusing on the Tasmania, Flynn started his life as was by now typecast in the role of cousins across the channel by bringfairer sex. Under the Sand (2000) and a serial seducer early when he was the swashbuckler, one he would find ing you Potiche, a perfume scented Swimming Pool (2003), respectively expelled from school for allegedly impossible to escape from. romp from François Ozon. a gravely serious melodrama and being caught in flagrante with a Flynn’s image would not remain Ozon is one of those directors who nutty comic thriller, featured his school laundress. Following failed that of the hero throughout his life, madden subscribers to la politique muse, Charlotte Rampling, while he attempts to run a tobacco plantation with an accusation of statutory rape des Auteurs. Like British anti-auteurenlisted an octet of French actresses and copper mine in New Guinea, in 1942 and a scandal surrounding ist film-makers Michael Winterbotin 8 Women (2002), including CathFlynn came to the UK in the 1930s, his failure to enroll in the armed tom and Stephen Frears, his eclectic erine Deneuve, star of Potiche, to where he took up acting with the forces during World War II returning output defies categorisation. His first create a sardonic musical-whodunit Northampton Repertory Company, to haunt him. Ironically, the fact three features gave him a reputation in the style of Vincente Minnelli. even stopping off in Glasgow as part that Flynn wasn’t allowed to serve as a provocateur: 1998’s Sitcom was With more recent films such as Ricky of one tour. due to heart problems was kept a kind of Pasolini pastiche in which (2009), Angel (2007) and 5x2 (2004), It wasn’t until 1935 that Flynn quiet by the film studios in an ata pet rat turns a sexually repressed he continues to play with genres and would show his prowess at swashing tempt to protect his image. bourgeois household into a sweaty themes. his buckle in Captain Blood, the first Still, the image the cinema-going den of debauchery; Criminal Lovers So what will he offer up tonight with film (out of eight) in which he would public were most interested in (1999) crossed a lovers-on-the-lam Potiche? That would be telling, but co-star with Olivia de Havilland. Soon was that of the screen icon, and yarn with The Brothers Grimm; and with French cinema greats Deneuve, after that he was appearing in gloriit’s fitting that the Glasgow Film Water Drops on Burning Rocks who looks as luminous as she did in ous Technicolor in Warner Bros’ The Festival should choose to show The (2000) saw him channel New German her 60s and 70s heyday, and Gérard Adventures of Robin Hood, but only Adventures of Robin Hood to mark Cinema firecracker Rainer Werner Dépardieu on board it is sure to be after screen legend James Cagney had the centenary of the actor’s birth. Fassbinder. On the surface all are a entertaining opening to this year’s signed up to then quit the role. Forget the impostors and the very different, but they share a focus festival. [Jamie Dunn] A little bit of England was recretry-hards and settle back to enjoy on characters with fluid sexualities, Find the CineSkinny in the GFT ated in Hollywood for this unusu102 minutes of pure escapism with and all feature an abundance of foyer and in other venues throughout ally extravagant production, its a lead at the peak of his powers. naked flesh, particularly male. He the city to keep up to date with all budget of $2 million impressive for Happy Birthday Errol! was quickly dubbed the new enfant things GFF.
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Howl 3 » revieWs The Deer Hunter Chiko Waste Land Johnny Mad Dog 4 » Elevator WHAT’S NEW ONLINE Blogs on the spine-tingling 4 » WhaT’s Online The TinglerneW and the GFF Check out our online blog Great Scots strand, plus as exciting reviews, thewell bestastweets about club coverage and fun stuff #GFF11 4 pasT 4 »» cheGGereD COMPETITIONS Michael Gillespie talks Win tickets to Waste Land Shakespeare, and the GSFF Britflicks Naomi and Keith Chegwin Kawase Focus. Questions courtesy of the lovely 4 » Quiz people over at You can win 2 tickets to Quotabl.es The Burning Plain
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orOrder visit tickets from the box office at Glasgow Film Theatre www.glasgowfilmfestival.org.uk 12 Rose Street, Glasgow, G3 6RB or call 0141 332 6535 info@glasgowfilmfestival.org.uk or visit Glasgow Film Theatre 12 Rose Street, Glasgow, G3 6RB info@glasgowfilmfestival.org.uk
THE DEVIL HAS THE PICKS BEST TUNES
TODAY’S
Glasgow DJ Alex Smoke tells us about scoring Faust, F. W. Murnau’s epic tale of good versus evil
OPENING GALA
19.30 @ GFT1 Potiche. A soufflé light farce from 8 Women director Francois Ozon, starring Catherine Deneuve and Gerard Depardieu
THE DEER HUNTER
13.00 @ GFT1 The Meryl Streep retrospective kicks off in brutal style with Michael Cimino’s Oscar winning Vietnam film The Deer Hunter
GLASGOW, I LOVE YOU
18.00 @ GSA A love letter to Glasgow featuring a programme of short films from the great city’s student community.
In the German legend of Faust, the eponymous protagonist trades his soul to the Devil for eternal youth. Faust (1926), the Weimar-era masterwork from F. W. Murnau needs no such pact with Beelzebub. Where other films from the period seem arthritic by today’s standards, Marnau’s pictures, which include Nosferatu (1922) and Sunrise (1927), rattle along at pace and Faust in particular flows with indelible, poetic visuals, like the waves of pestilence that billow from the Prince of Darkness’ wings during the film’s special-effects laden first act. The octogenarian epic’s youthful vigor is one of the reasons that Glasgow based musician and DJ Alex Smoke chose it for his first foray into the black art of film scoring. “So many of the silent-era films feel like pastiche and their origins in theatre and vaudeville are really apparent,” Smoke tells me a few days before debuting the score at the Glasgow Film Festival. But Faust, the last German film Murnau made before being lured to Hollywood, he explains, is entirely cinematic. “It’s so foreboding – it’s made for the screen. It couldn’t possibly work in any other medium. I think people are surprised when they see it. It’s much more advanced than they expect from an 1920s film.” Smoke, who is classically trained in cello and piano, has crafted a score that is as modern and vital as Murnau’s imagery. Blending a traditional orchestral composition with his trademark minimalist electronica, he has created a sound that he believes “compliments Faust’s dark and gothic atmosphere.” In a devilish twist, Smoke also reveals that he has secreted some contemporary Faustian deals within the soundscape: “there’s a strong sound design, with political Faustian pacts woven into the score – things like Blair’s address to the Chilcot Inquiry, and our obsession with consumerism.” According to Smoke, this blending of old and new sounds is perfect for the Faust plot as it reflects mankind’s own deal with Satan. “I associate the Devil with technology, that’s the biggest Faustian pact of our time, if you like; we’ve traded science for religion.
So I wanted to make it so that Mephisto [the film’s version of Old Nick] is associated with the more mechanical elements of the score and as Faust’s deal goes sour noise becomes much more chaotic.” Unlike the other similar Film and Music events at this year’s GFF, Smoke will not be performing live during the screening. There are a couple of reasons. “It’s very complex and to assemble the full orchestra would be pretty impractical. On top of that I don’t want to be standing in front of the screen or to be a distraction. It’s not really about my performance, it’s about the film.” Is he worried that purists will be aggrieved at a techno sound being paired with a classic? “I don’t understand that attitude. Murnau was some-
one who was pushing the boat out so far in terms of film modernisation and experimentation. There’s nothing wrong with someone just playing the harp or whatever but there are other approaches. The great thing about silent films is that the music you pair with the image can reflect current times – it brings it up to date and makes it more accessible to modern audiences.” Smoke won’t be giving up electronic music and the dance floor just yet but this project has obviously been a labour of love. “It’s really liberating to have a whole film to work on, you can let the music roam and run wild. It’s fired my imagination.” Does the devil really have the best tunes? Make your way to the GFT on Friday at 18.30 to find out. [Jamie Dunn]
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REVIEWS HOWL
Directors: Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman
Allen Ginsberg was the fiery voice of a whole generation of disaffected American intellectuals and never moreso than in his first published work, the poem Howl . Epstein and Friedman’s quirky biopic of the same name weaves between an interview with Ginsberg, his early experiences with men and his publishers’ subsequent trial for obscenity, interpersed with powerful and often beautiful animated sequences and spoken passages from the poem. In a time of frigid social norms and artistic censorship, Ginsberg had the courage
to say the unsayable. Key to the film’s success is James Franco. One of the most interesting and gifted young actors working today, he relishes unconventional roles and attacks the part with gusto. As Ginsberg, he handles the relationships with Kerouac and Orlovsky sensitively, and continues to be one to watch. Howl serves as a well-crafted and accessible introduction to one of the 20th Century’s greatest poets. Ultimately Ginsberg stood for truth above all in art and life. There’s no better fight. [Scott McKellar]
THE DEER HUNTER Director: Michael Cimino
Lo n g , ro u g h l y e d ite d , an d w it h an a l m o s t d r ag g i n g re a l i s m , T he De e r H unte r c o nti n u e s to r e s o n ate d i v i s i ve l y s i n c e it s o r i g i n a l 1978 re l e a s e. N a i ve l y h e ro i c , a p o s s e of s m a l l -tow n Pe n n s y l van i an fr i e n d s h e a d e d by t h e s tu r d y M i c h a e l ( R o b e r t D e N i ro) an d h i s v u l n e r ab l e b u d d y N ic k (C h r i s to p h e r Wa l ke n), are c at a p u lte d ab r u pt l y fro m wo r ka d ay ro uti n e to p r i m iti ve te r ro r i n V i e t n am. D i r e c to r M i c h a e l C i m i n o of fe r s a s t ar k v i s i o n t h at i l l u m i n ate s e ve r yd ay hu m d r u m w it h p e c u l i ar b e aut y w h e n s e t ag a i n s t t h e h o r ro r t h at t r an s p i r e s i n V i e t n am’s s c e n i c p ar a d i s e. Af te r tr aw l i n g t h ro u g h m e r r y c e l e b r atio n s , t r an q u i l Pe n n s y l van i an v i s t a s an d t h e i r m utu a l l ove fo r g i r l - n ex t- d o o r L i n d a ( M e r y l St r e e p), t h e g ut- w r e n c h i n g p owe r of that ro u l e t te s c e n e l i e s fo r e m o s t i n s e e i n g th e t wo fr i e n d s t h r u s t h e ar tb re aki n g l y o ut of c o ntex t . Fac i n g d e at h , D e N i ro an d Wa l ke n p rov i d e c ar e e r h i g h l i g ht s a s m e n w r e s t l i n g fo r t h e i r l i ve s an d s o u l s w it h i n t h e d e pth s of h e l l. I m p r e s s i ve l y, C i m i n o m an ag e s to fl u c tu ate i nvo l v i n g l y b e t we e n c y n i c i s m an d c o m p a s s i o n i n w h at fe e l s l i ke a t h r e e h o u r c i n e m ati c ac h e. [ J u l i e t B u c h an]
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WASTE LAND
Directors: Lucy Walker, João Jardim & Karen Harley
Amid the bleak surroundings of Brazil’s Jardim Gramacho, the biggest landfill in the world, director Lucy Walker finds an inspiring true stor y. Her documentar y Waste Land follows artist Vik Muniz as he embarks upon an ambitious project, recruiting a number of ‘pickers’ from the site and creating huge portraits of them from discarded materials. It’s fascinating to watch
this project gradually develop, but the real power of Waste Land exists in the characters Walker and Muniz find toiling away among mountains of garbage. The film really makes us care about the likes of Tiaõ, the charismatic head of the pickers’ association, or Isis, a heartbroken woman whose life has been marked by tragedy, and the fact that we become so
involved in their stories gives Waste Land an extraordinar y emotional resonance. Pedro Kos’ editing balances these stories expertly and develops an absorbing narrative, while Moby provides a fine musical score. Waste Land is a deeply moving and genuinely uplifting experience, and an irresistible ode to the transformative power of art. [Philip Concannon]
THURSDAY 17 FEBRUARY THE CINESKINNY 3
WHAT’S NEW ONLINE? Don’t worry if you don’t manage to pick up your print copy – simply get online for your CineSkinny fix. We’ll be uploading all our reviews, interviews and features onto The Skinny’s website for your reading pleasure, www. theskinny.co.uk or you can peruse each issue at: www.glasgowfilmfestival. org.uk/cineskinny
SCOTS GALORE
GFF Co-director Allan Hunter celebrates some of the great Scottish cinema in store at the Festival: http://bit.ly/h1a5Of
SKINNY FILM ON FACEBOOK
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on free tickets and party invites: http://on.fb.me/dVW4QB
THE TINGLER
Heaven help us if it were to break free, run loose in the cinema, perch on your shoulder or scuttle in between the seats of the GFT. Are you brave enough? http://bit.ly/h0b1cv
QUIZ TIME
PIC OF THE DAY
GIVEAWAY 1:
Naomi Kawase 1: Father, Feb 18, 15.00 - CCA This short film programme, the first of two from Naomi Kawase, is featured in this year’s Glasgow Short Film Festival. To win tickets to this event, simply answer the question following our quotable clue: “You mustn’t look at a film with only one point of view.” Q1: To whom is this year’s GSFF dedicated?
GIVEAWAY 2:
Waste Land, Feb 18, 18.45 - Cineworld, Renfrew Street This inspirational documentary about Brazilian-born artist Vik Muniz won the audience award at Sundance this year. To win tickets to see it at the GGF, simply answer the question following our quotable clue: “Artwork that is only about wanting to be famous will never make you famous. Fame is a by-product of doing something else.” Q2: Last year’s GFF included Oscar-nominated film Exit Through the Gift Shop. Which famous (street) artist directed the film? email jamie@theskinny.co.uk by 10am on Friday 18 Feb to enter.
Here’s the GFF Daily Quotable: “Glasgow’s a punterfriendly festival that aims to put local film fans at the heart of its concerns.”
We collected four of the best tweets from Twitter
DID ❝ WHAT ❞ YOU THINK?
— Jane Graham, The Guardian http://qtbl.es/gff1 Visit Quotables to see many more GFF quotes as the festival goes on: http://qtbl.es/glasgowfilm
Download your FREE Glasgow Guide iPhone app
Marco D’Agostin meets members of the Glasgow Youth Festival programming team.
@AidanGillenFans -
@awareinjustice -
OK, NOW I can hyperventilate... OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!! #TreacleJr #GFF11
Alex Smoke scores Faust @glasgowfilmfest ..yes please http://bit.ly/ ePQTt6
@LWLies -
@RobertMDuffin -
Really looking forward to partying with the @glasgowfilm folks tomorrow! #glasgowfilmfestival
@mrmarkmillar will you be at the GFF screenings of the films you curated? If so can I pleasantly harass you to sign my copy of Kick Ass? :-)
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NOW INCLUDING WHAT’S ON LISTINGS 4 THE CINESKINNY THURSDAY 17 FEBRUARY
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