Next Cinema Lounge

The Cinema Lounge meets Monday, August 12 at 7:00 p.m. to discuss your top five films.

Cinema Lounge, a film discussion group, takes place the second Monday of every month at 7:00 PM at Borders Books, 600 14th St., NW in Washington, DC (near the Metro Center Metro stop).

Lost in La Mancha

By Jim McCaskill

Edinburgh, Scotland. The following comments on the documentary Lost in La Mancha were made at a recent preview screening by the directors, Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe, and the director, Lucy Darling. This is a documentary on Terry Gilliam's film The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. The film starred Johnny Depp and Jean Rochefort and was narrated by Jeff Bridges.

There are disaster films, films that are themselves disasters but rarely is there one about a film's disastrous collapse. Terry Gilliam has a reputation for visually rich, expansive films (Time Bandit, 12 Monkeys). He also, sadly, made one film that marred his reputation, Baron Munchausen. Sadly because the problem was not of his making. The producer deceived him into believing that the film was fully funded. It was not until filming started that Gilliam learned the truth. Everything had to be scaled back which led to an incomprehensible film. It the film world you are only as good as your last film.

For ten years Gilliam has chased his dream of filming Cervantes's Don Quixote. The sole source of funding available came from the shadow world of international co-production. Cobbling money together from various international sources is, at best, dodgy. National tax laws give deductions for art support and has led to a suspicion that some film projects are schemes for money laundering and tax evasion. The UK has recently suspended these deductions as over 80% of films financed this were were never completed or never released.

With a budget of 32 million dollars Gilliam was on his way to make The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. While that is a sizable amount for an independent film it was only half what he would need to fill his vision. In order to bring his one in and stay within budget restraints, Gilliam had to sign contracts that left no safety net. Deals that would come back to haunt him. Under funding, tight shooting schedule, little wiggle room this major actors schedules should have warned of potential disaster.

Documentarians Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe came to Spain to record the master filmmaker at work. Fulton and Pepe had worked with Gilliam before, making The Hamster Factor as documentary about 12 Monkeys. Giving outsiders access to behind the scene activities is only for the brave. "Gilliam does not worry about his image," Fulton said. Pepe agreed saying, "Terry is the only person in film to let us get away with it."

'Getting away with it' led to unprecedented access to calamity after calamity. Stars not available for pre-production. No rehearsals. No costume fittings. And the calamities keep on coming.

Jean Rochefort was the perfect Don Quixote. He looked the part. He could ride. He also could not speak English but took lessons for seven months. The problem? Suspected prostate infection would keep him out of the saddle.

That was just the start. F-16s flying low overhead ruined sound records. Normally that could be correct by re-recording back in the studio. In Gilliam's case, studio was not a film studio. It was a warehouse with horrid sound qualities. That was only Day One.

Day Two was to have had shots of Johnny Depp on the inquisition's chain gang. F-16s continued to fly overhead. Overhead also was a dark cloud. F-16s in the morning. Thunder in the afternoon. "Half an hour it will be clear," proved to a horrid prediction. That dark cloud grew into a storm cloud that unleashed massive rain. That resulted in a flood that carried away equipment and left the perfect location mud and a changed landscape.

Rochefort's suspected prostate infection now proved to be a double hernia. He was out for a month or more.

Flood, missing star, tight budget with inflexible shooting schedule. What can happen next? Insurance adjustors and lawyers, that's what. One shoot not included showed buzzards hovering overhead. They should have heeded the buzzards. That shot is not in the film but may be in the DVD.

The plug had to be pulled. The man who killed Don Quixote wore a pin stripe suit not medieval armor. Force Majeure, act of God, was the escape clause. The irony: Force Majeure, while being a French phrase, is not found in French laws. Filming in Spain meant that the Spanish cast had to be fully paid. More work for the lawyers.

Lost in La Mancha had its World Premiere at the Berlin Film Festival and has resulted in much sympathy for Gilliam and a renewed interest in his film. The Man Who Killed Don Quixote may yet be made. The rights have reverted to the insurance company.

Fulton and Pepe were graduate film students at Temple University when they first met. They have now worked together for ten years. Their directorial styles mesh as Fulton is more direct and confrontational. Pepe does most of the shooting. One moment of contention occurred when the flood was carrying Gilliam's film gear away. Do they help the rescue effort or continue filming? They continued and afterwards everyone asked, "Did you get it?" "Did you get me?"

"We were not making an advertisement. This is a documentary not a promotional film,"said producer Darling. The documentary itself almost became the victim of film fragility. With no Gilliam film there was not documentary as far as Canal + was concerned. They pulled out. Other financial backers were found. IFC Entertainment stepped in as distributor in the states. Their outstanding record with Boys Don't Cry, Monsoon Wedding and Memento indicate substantial bookings. Limited screening planned for November and wider distribution anticipated for February place this film in contention for an Oscar nomination.

Edinburgh: Location, Location, Location

By Jim McCaskill

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND. Walked out my flat one Sunday on way to Quaker Meeting to discover klieg lights, sound trucks and catering crews. My cobble stoned street had been transformed into a film set.

The elegant mix of Edinburgh's 18th Century Georgian architecture in New Town, newly rediscovered charm of medieval Old Town, robust seafront of Leith and starkly modern financial district combine to make a filmmaker's dream. In the past decade films as diverse as Jude, Trainspotting, The Little Vampire, Women Talking Dirty and House of Mirth have shot scenes here.

The set I walked into was the film adaptation of director Richard Jobson's performance poem, Sixteen Years of Alcohol. "Edinburgh's always been my adopted city ever since the days of the Skids. We were based in Fife but we used to have a flat here. I always thought of Edinburgh as my magical home," Jobson told the Evening Standard.

Jobson insists that despite the film title it is a love story not a sixteen year drinking binge. Auld Reekie, an affectionate appellation based on Edinburgh's smokey past, is an ideal setting for this gritty tale of one man's inner journey of self discovery of his identity forged in violence and betrayal. While a work of fiction, there are elements from Jobson's life in it. And he has had more lives than Shirley MacLaine. Lead vocalist for Scottish punk group, The Skids; film critic; film producer (Just Another Day in London, Tube Tales, and Heartlands). Film critic turned director is not new in Europe as Claude Chabrol, François Truffaut and Wim Winders previously blazed that trail.

Auld Reekie refers not just to the coal smoke that blackened the buildings but the wonderful mix of aromas. On a give day the smell of malt from the whisky distillers smelling like malt tea cakes just the other side of pleasant commingled with Cameron's peppermint pandrops. Pandrops are rememebered fondly by no longer young children as a church sweetie. Used primarily to keep kiddies quiet during sermons which were recalled as one to six pandrops in length.

Edinburgh's architecture and bars build the atmosphere crucial to this remembrance of life by a dying man. With a title like Sixteen Years of Alcohol, bars would be important, particularly workingmen's bars. For those wanting to follow the Sixteen Years locations you will need to live it up in Rutherford Bar at the end of my street, Central, Thompson's and Milne's Bars. Each of these retain their laborer heritage where a workingman can sit with a pint and block time present with dreams of time past. Jobson missed my favorite Damon Runyon-esque drinking establishment, Port O'Leith, better known as Mary's. If it exists on this planet it was walked, crawled or slithered through the doors Mary's atmosphere rich bar.

Sixteen Years has an outstanding cast of young actors. Kevin McKidd (Trainspotting, Acid House, Dog Soldiers), Laura Fraser (A Knight's Tale, Vanilla Sky) is Helen and Susan Lynch (From Hell, Nora) plays Mary, the two major love interests. Ewen Bremner (Julien Donkey-boy) has a cameo role as Jake, an art student. McKidd and Fraser worked together on the Scottish classic Small Faces. McKidd and Bremner teamed up in Trainspotting. Current plans are to take Sixteen Years to Sundance and aim for 2003 release.

Other Edinburgh locations used in this film are: Victoria Terrace, Caledonian Brewery (Slateford), Bistro Square, and Edinburgh Art College.

New Town, an 18th Century land development by the Lord Provost as wealth began to flow into the city, and its Georgian architecture has been the backdrop for numerous films and TV productions. The speeding car opening sequence of Danny Boyle's Shallow Grave was shot here. Exteriors of this film were shot around Royal Circus. Interiors were filmed on a soundstage in Glasgow.

If you want to re-enact the sand and surf slow-motion run from Chariots of Fire (despite the Broadstairs caption), you will need to hum Vangelis famous theme as you run along west Sands at St Andrews, Fife. The Royal and Ancient Clubhouse is visible in one scene. The village in Local Hero with its famous red phone box (just watch for speeding motorcycles as you cross the road) is in Pennan in Aberdeenshire. Fulton Mackay's beach is on the other coast at Camusdarrach in Morrar. Liam Neeson's cottage in Rob Roy was not far from this beach. It still stands at Loch Morar. Crichton Castle provided the location where Neeson and Tim Roth's fight. The flying sequences from Harry Potter were filmed at Alnwich castle, just south of the Scottish Border. The castle appears again in the sequel, The Prisoner of Azkaban.

Edinburgh is on a roll. A recent DKNY list of UK cities with atmosphere and energy places it second, behind Oxford. They came up with their list by analyzing Financial, Social, Cultural, Spiritual and Negative Energy data. With its many original architectural features still in tact, Edinburgh is a filmmaker's Mecca. Golden beaches and rugged cliffs, striking castles and mansion houses, and tranquil villages lie within an hour's drive of the city. Sir Sean Connery summed it up best when he said, "I've filmed in most of the world's great cities which makes coming home here all the better. To me, Edinburgh seems to have been built as a film set."

Next Year at the Smithsonian's Folklife Festival
Next summer the Mall will resound with bagpipes as Scotland takes front and center in the Smithsonian's 4th of July Folklife Festival. Look for more than Brigadoon and tartan as an attempt will be made to show not only Heritage Scotland but the modern urban life that is today's Scotland. If you can not visit the people and vistas then the next best thing may be Scotland on the Mall. No word yet if the various August festivals will have a presence. Wonder if the 4th of July fireworks will be Tartan plaid?

Calendar of Events

Editor's top pick: The Bad Sleep Well, at the AFI.

FILMS

American Film Institute
The AFI concludes its run of the restored Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927) from August 1-8. Nijinsky (Paul Cox, 2001) runs from August 2-8. See AFI website for exact times. The concluding films in the composer biopics are A Song to Remember (Charles Vidor, 1945) on August 7 at 6:30pm, Immortal Beloved (Bernard Rose, 1995) on August 14 at 6:30pm, Song of Love (Clarence Brown, 1947) on August 21 at 6:30pm and The Great Waltz (Julien Duvivier, 1938) on August 28 at 6:30pm.

Starting August 9 is a series of films by Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, with Rashomon (1950) on August 9 at 6:30pm, August 10 at 4:30pm, August 12 at 6:30pm, August 13 at 6:30pm and August 15 at 6:30pm; The Hidden Fortress (1958) on August 9 at 8:15pm, August 10 at 2:00pm, and August 11 at 1:00pm and 9:00pm; Red Beard (1965) on August 10 at 8:30pm, August 11 at 3:30pm, August 12 at 8:15pm and August 13 at 8:15pm; Stray Dog (1949) on August 11 at 6:45pm, August 14 at 8:45pm, August 15 at 8:15pm, August 17 at 4:30pm; I Live in Fear (1955) on August 16 at 6:30pm, August 18 at 1:00pm and 9:00pm and August 20 at 8:15pm; High and Low (1963) on August 16 at 8:30pm, August 17 at 2:00pm and 8:45pm, August 21 at 8:45pm and August 22 at 8:15pm; Throne of Blood (1957) on August 17 at 6:45pm, August 18 at 3:00pm, August 19 at 8:15pm, and August 23 at 6:30pm; Drunken Angel (1948) on August 18 at 7:15pm, August 19 at 6:30pm, August 20 at 6:30pm and August 22 at 6:30pm; Yojimbo (1961) on August 23 at 8:30pm, August 24 at 2:00pm, August 26 at 6:30pm, August 27 at 8:30pm, and August 29 at 6:30pm; The Bad Sleep Well (1960) on August 24 at 8:30pm, August 25 at 1:00pm, August 28 at 8:30pm and August 29 at 8:30pm; Sanjuro (1962) on August 25 at 8:00pm and 9:45pm, August 26 at 8:30pm and August 27 at 6:30pm; Seven Samurai (1954) on August 30 at 7:00pm, August 31 at 2:00pm and 8:00pm, with more showings in September. In addition to Kurosawa's feature films, there is also a documentary Kurosawa (Adam Low, 2001) on August 10 at 6:15pm, August 18 at 5:00pm, August 24 at 4:00pm, and August 25 at 3:45pm.

A three-part miniseries on Thomas Mann The Manns: Novel of a Century (Heinrich Breloer, 2001) starts with Part I on August 24 at 6:15pm and August 25 at 6:00pm, Part II on August 31 at 5:45pm and September 1 at 4:45pm and Part III on September 7 at 5:45pm and September 8 at 9:00pm.

Freer Gallery of Art
The seventh annual summer Hong Kong Film Festival at the Freer concludes in August with City of Glass (Mabel Cheung, 1998) on August 1 at 7:00pm; Hu Du Men (Shu Kei, 1996) on August 2 at 3:00pm and August 8 at 7:00pm; Fighting for Love (Joe Ma, 2001) on August 2 at 7:00pm and August 9 at 3:00pm; La Brassiere (2001) on August 4 at 2:00pm; Twelve Nights (Aubrey Lam, 2000) on August 9 at 7:00pm and August 23 at 3:00pm; A Chinese Odyssey I: Pandora's Box (Jeffrey Lau, 1995) on July August 16 at 7:00pm; A Chinese Odyssey II: Cinderella (Jeffrey Lau, 1995) on August 18 at 2:00pm; The Stormriders (Andrew Lau, 1998) on August 16 at 3:00pm (re-scheduled); and Time and Tide (Tsui Hark, 2000) on August 23 at 7:00pm and August 25 at 2:00pm.

National Gallery of Art
Concluding the short series of films set in ancient Egypt is Faraon (Jerzy Kawalerowicz, 1966) on August 3 at 2:00pm. Shown throughout the summer is a short documentary The Quest for Immortality in Ancient Egypt (2002).

A series of films by Russian director Alexander Ptushko include The New Gulliver (1935) shown with The Stone Flower (1946) on August 4 at 4:00pm; Ilya Muromets (1956) on August 10 at 3:00pm; and Sampo (1959) on August 11 at 4:00pm.

A series of films by Polish director Andrzej Munk include Men of the Blue Cross (1955) shown with Man on the Tracks (1956) on August 17 at 2:00pm; Eroica (1958) preceded by A Visit to the Old City (1958) on August 18 at 4:00pm; Bad Luck (1960) on August 24 at 2:30pm; and Passenger (1963) preceded by Last Pictures (1963) on August 25 at 4:00pm.

Beginning a series of "Preservation" films is The Emperor Jones (Dudley Murphy, 1933) on August 31 at 3:00pm. More will follow in September.

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Continuing the "city" film series is Urbania (Flávio Frederico, 2001) set in São Paulo on August 1; Tom (Mike Hoolboom, 2002) set in New York City on August 8; and short films about New York City (2001-2) on August 15. All are at 8:00pm.

The National Museum of Women in the Arts
The final film in the series by Bette Gordon is Seven Women--Seven Sins, (Bette Gordon and six other directors, 1987) on August 21 at 7:00pm.

Films on the Hill
A double feature of "B" films by Louis King, younger brother of Henry King, Special Investigator (1936) starring Richard Dix and Police Court starring noted silent-era actor Henry B. Walthall will be seen on August 7. Tarzan Escapes (Richard Thorpe, 1936), the third in the series with Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O'Sullivan is on August 21; and The Scarlet Pimpernel (Harold Young, 1934) starring Leslie Howard and Merle Oberon is on August 23. All are at 7:00pm.

DC Jewish Community Center
Summer films outside at the DC Jewish Community Center conclude in August with Saving Silverman (Dennis Dugan, 2001) on August 10 at 9:30pm. A special screening of "The Best of the Jewish Underground" including The Blair Princess Project, Obsessed with Jews, and Moses vs. Godzillaa is on August 3 at 11:00pm.

Pickford Theater
Smiles of a Summer Night (Ingmar Bergman, 1955) is on August 9 at 7:00pm; The Player (Robert Altman, 1992) is on August 16 at 7:00pm, and Macbeth (Roman Polanski, 1971) is on August 23 at 6:30pm. Check the website for others.

Goethe Institute
Concluding the summer "Made in Berlin" film series is Berlin Babylon (Hubertus Siegert, 1996-2000) on August 21 at 6:30pm.

The National Theatre
Summer films on Mondays at the National Theatre conclude in August with Best in Show (Christopher Guest, 2000) on August 5 and The Color Purple (Steven Spielberg, 1985) on August 12. All are at 6:30pm.

Screen on the Green
Screen on the Green concludes its summer outdoor series in August with The Yearling (Clarence Brown, 1946) on August 5 and Viva Las Vegas (George Sidney, 1964) on August 12. All start at sunset on the grounds of the National Monument.

National Museum of Natural History
More films about Mongolia are shown in August, with Mongolia on the Edge of Time (1999) on August 23 at noon and A Steppe Ahead (1999) at 12:30pm; and The Cowboy in Mongolia (1989) on August 30 at noon. Other films are The Architecture of Mud (1999) about Yemen on August 9 at noon, and Eyeball to Eyeball (12000) about giant squid on August 16 at noon.

Previous Storyboards

July, 2002
June, 2002
May, 2002
April, 2002
March, 2002
February, 2002
January, 2002
December, 2001
November, 2001
October, 2001
September, 2001
August, 2001
July, 2001
June, 2001
May, 2001
April, 2001
March, 2001
February, 2001
January, 2001
December,2000
November, 2000