Tuesday, 5 September 2000

The final day of the Telluride Film Festival. Sigh.

It's kind of like the last day of summer camp. Everyone's had a good time and we all know that school is about to start again. It's a funny thing about this festival. All anyone seems to be able to talk about is how surprisingly happy the whole experience was for them.

My morning started a little late (which didn't keep me from delivering this column a day late). I went off to the Labor Day Picnic, where they served steak from Omaha, ice cream from Haagen-Daz and water from Ralph Lauren. I didn't take the requisite amount of time for schmoozing because I decided that I would go see Quills again, for the first time at the festival. The alternative was Shadow of the Vampire, which I had also already seen.

And you know what? I liked the film even more the second time around. I don't know about you, but when I see a great film a second time or on cable or whatever, there is a certain thrill as I anticipate scenes and moments and get surprised by new things that I had not perceived before. In this case, the screen was bigger, the score was louder and the crowd was rocking. Phil Kaufman introduced the film and mentioned, as he had in an earlier private conversation, that he got this script from Fox Searchlight in the midst of the Clinton sex scandal and that he saw a connective tissue. That added yet another interesting perspective, even though I have a feeling that Kaufman and I have very different opinions about Clinton's character. Or maybe not. One of the remarkable things about the movie is that the Marquis de Sade is not given many breaks regarding his less attractive side and I was even more aware this time around about how abused his prose is in the screenplay. Suddenly, I was getting a feel for the idea that the film defends all artistic endeavors and the public's right to connect with whatever level of art which they choose. An interesting message coming from a guy, Kaufman, who is considered by many a bit of an artistic elitist, especially in recent years. But that, again, speaks to why I love this movie. It is, I believe, accessible from all sides. Sade is entertaining. The sex in this film is really sexy at times. And the depth of meaning, especially in today's society, is powerful.

Anyway, I'll move on, as I know that many of you are probably a little frustrated by not having access to this movie right now. Another movie that you really want to see or will really, really want to see one of these days is Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. As it turned out, it too was on my schedule for the last day. It was kind of my own little "Best of" fest, having seen both films before. However, even more than Quills, seeing Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon on a big screen and--this is the coolest part--outdoors, made it an infinitely better experience. And I already liked the movie a whole lot.

Seeing the film on my little VCD player (an Asian equivalent of DVD) allowed me to appreciate the beauty of the film and the remarkable elegance of the fight scenes. Seeing the film on a big screen, uninterrupted by stops on the Great Tour of China, was breathtaking. Chow Yun-Fat's presence in the film grew for me by miles. Somehow, in the VCD experience, I missed an entire segment that balanced out the romantic portion of the film. Only now do I understand the weaving of two great love stories into the fighting sequences. The movie is not just a mixture of arthouse aesthetics and a karate movie. It is a masterful, epic romantic tale that shows a truly remarkable respect for women. Marketed properly, there is not a girl out there who's gone to Bring It On who will not see Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. This is easily the grrrrl film of the year, even supplanting Girlfight. Don't get me wrong. Girlfight is terrific and is a great movie for young women. But CT/HD is a masterful exploration of female roles that crosses boundaries of age and class. These women are not suffering the oppression of their world. They are women who make choices out of true passion. Prices are paid, lives are lost, love is found and threatened. CT/HD is the whole bite.

Commercially speaking, I think Quills is a $40 million movie that can make $100 million with the big Oscar® push. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is probably too much of a kick flick for the Academy (outside of a sure bet nomination for cinematographer Peter Pau and a shot at Best Director for Ang Lee), but it has a real chance to be a $100 million movie right out of the box. This is a film that can reach virtually every audience. I even think that older folks will excuse all the fighting and enjoy the film. Even if they make it into The Matrix come Oscar time. I don't think there is any question that CT/HD will be the biggest box office smash to come out of Telluride 2000. And you can bet that I'll be going back again in Toronto.

"Drunken Horses & A ROTD on the Wyler Silent"