Well my Cine friends, this has definitely been a major cultural week for your friendly neighbourhood culture-vulture. I've been to a movie, a one-night only event, and a discussion at TIFF and all three really rocked!
In order of attendance, I saw DARREN ARONOFSKY'S BLACK SWAN, attended a special evening with my hero STEPHEN SONDHEIM, who recently turned 80 and I attended an amazing discussion about STANLEY KUBRICK'S masterpiece 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY with fx wunderkind DOUGLAS TRUMBULL.
So let's begin:
I was supposed to see ARONOFSKY'S BLACK SWAN @ TIFF but I committed the cardinal rule of fest goers and slept in that day. I was assured by my buddy who did see it that it was definitely worth seeing and of course had loved his PI and REQUIEM FOR A DREAM (the less said about his THE FOUNTAIN the better).
Well my friend was right it was amazing. First of all one has to mention the bravura turn of NATALIE PORTMAN in the titular role. She is in almost every scene and she is amazing. She is ably supported by VINCENT CASSEL MILA KUNIS and BARBARA HERSHEY.
The film has been described as a remake of DARIO ARGENTO'S SUSPIRIA and that ain't a bad description of it. There are also echoes of REPULSION THE RED SHOES and ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD but just like all of ARONOFSKY'S ouevre it is wholly original as well.
Working once again with his gifted d.o.p. MATTHEW LABATIQUE he brings some startling imagery to the screen which is both disturbing and daring. Every film he makes is startlingly original and this film is no exception. See it.
On to the next event...
Now, this was truly a special event. It was an evening with my favourite composer STEPHEN SONDHEIM on the occasion of the publication of his new book FINISHING THE HAT and his 80Th birthday.
It was just an exceptional evening composed simply of SONDHEIM discussing his career and it was absolutely riveting. He is the only one left from the golden age of Broadway and he had some great anecdotes of the people he's worked with all legends: HAMMERSTEIN BERNSTEIN PRINCE STYNE LAURENTS LAPINE ROBBINS GELBART SHEVELOVE the list goes on and on.
He is a true legend and probably one of the wisest and wittiest men I have ever encountered. He is a true original. He told a great story how A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM was not working on its out-of-town tryout. The reason was because the audience did not know that this was a ''low'' comedy and so weren't sure how to react to it. It was JEROME ROBBINS who suggested to SONDHEIM, that he add a song as prologue to the show and so COMEDY TONIGHT, and a comedy smash was born.
He gave us a unique look at his creative genius and it was magical.
Lastly - but not leastly I attended a discussion with DOUGLAS TRUMBULL, who talked about his huge contribution to KUBRICK'S 2001.
He told us that the entire fim was Sui generis. There was no CGI back in 1968 and so it was all basically done by hand.
He showed us some fascinating docs on the making of the film and some insight into that reclusive elusive genius known as STANLEY KUBRICK.
It gave me a new appreciation of the film. He explained how all the sets were self-lit and so could be shot from any angle. I was riveted.
Until next time my Cine Pals,
T.T.F.N.
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