The Big Picture Issue 9

contents

THE SENSATIONAL SEQUEL TO

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

Issue Nine. July/August 2010 Features

FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE

04 | Spotlight Genre Junction: The Road Movie and Journeys of Self Discovery

24

14 | Art & Film Everything is Illuminated: The Photographs of Eva and Tony Worobiec 24 | Widescreen Cities of Hope: The Cube Cinema's Haiti Kids Kino Project

15 TBC

30 | 1000 Words Life Fast , Die Young: Young: Bonnie and Clyde and the Birth of New Hollywood

IN CINEMAS AUGUST 27 THEGIRL.CO.UK

Regulars 04 | Reel World The Straight Story

) s e r u t c i p y n o s / s u c r i c k r a p y s e t

r e v o c

34 | On Location Route 66, USA 38 | Screengem 1970 Dodge Challenger 42 | Parting Shot Soul Glow 44 | Competition Picture This 46 | Listings A roundup of this issue's featured lms

30

r u o c (

s e c e i p y s a e e v i f e g a m i

18 | One Sheet On The Road

‘You're just like your brother. Ignorant, an uneducated hillbilly, except the only special thing about you is your peculiar ideas about love-making, which is no love-making at all.' Bonnie Parker

The Big Picture ISSN 1759-0922 © 2010 intellect Ltd. Published by Intellect Ltd. The Mill, Parnall Road. Bristol BS16 3JG / www.intellectbooks.com Editorial oce Tel. 0117 9589910 / E: [email protected] Publisher Masoud Yazdani Senior Editor & Design GabrielSolomons EditorScott Jordan Harris Contributors Jez Conolly, Nicholas Page, Emma Simmonds, Daniel Steadman, Scott Jordan Harris, Marko Martin Wilkinson, Tony and Eva Worobiec, Gabriel Solomons Special thanks to John Letham, Sara Carlsson and all at Park Circus, Jelena Stanovnik, Michael Pierce at Curzon Cinemas and Gabriel Swartland at City Screen Please send all email enquiries to: [email protected]/ www.thebigpicturemagazine.com  The Big Picture magazine is published six times a year

Published by

intellect | Produced in partnership with

www.parkcircus.com July/August 2010 July/August 2010

3

below richard farnsworth as alvin straight

reel world film beyond the borders of the screen

when frail 73 year old

elling it Straight Alvin Straight’s unusual road trip inspired an unusual road movie, which in turn inspired many unusual admirers. n e i l m i t c h e l l climbs aboard his Flymo to investigate.

Aln dpn th wdom of h yar to tho h mt along th way, and  hmlf touchd by th kndn of trangr. gofurther go further

4 www www.thebigpicturemagazine .thebigpicturemagazine .com

Alvin Straight drove his 1966 John Deere riding mower the 300 miles between Laurens, Iowa and Mount Zion, Wisconsin Wisconsin – to visit his estranged and equally ailing brother – he can hardly have imagined that one o cinema's most unlikely pairings, The Walt Disney Company and David Lynch, would later immortalise his journey on the big screen. News o his trip spread locally beore reaching the national press and fnally Hollywood. Lynch made Alvin's trip the basis or his own take on the road movie; chance encounters, the visual power o the American landscape and a journey as much internal as physical are given a genteel, humorous and poignant spin. Travelling at a top speed o 5mph, Alvin dispenses the wisdom o his years to those

he meets along the way, and is himsel touched by the kindness o strangers. In his fnal role, Richard Farnsworth was nominated or Best Actor at the Oscars or his portrayal o the stubborn and troubled old man who comes to realise the importance o amily, orgiveness and reconciliation. Since Alvin passed away, the Preserve the Straight House Committee has organised, amongst other things, a sixand-a-hal mile lawnmower ride to raise restoration unds and to honour their town’s most amous son. Tourists have been spotted visiting Alvin's residence and the Internet throws up the occasional blog in honour o trips made along the route he took. Other riding mower and tractor charity undrais undraising ing trips occur around the world, rom the UK to New Zealand, and, whether they were inspired by him or not, they certainly bare the hallmark o Alvin Straight’s nowlegendary road trip. [tbp]

[B ] The Preserve the Straight House Committee online: http://tinyurl.com/2umgqsw July/August 2010 July/August 2010

5

below richard farnsworth as alvin straight


when frail 73 year old

elling it Straight Alvin Straight’s unusual road trip inspired an unusual road movie, which in turn inspired many unusual admirers. n e i l m i t c h e l l climbs aboard his Flymo to investigate.

Aln dpn th wdom of h yar to tho h mt along th way, and  hmlf touchd by th kndn of trangr. gofurther go further

Y

he meets along the way, and is himsel touched by the kindness o strangers. In his fnal role, Richard Farnsworth was nominated or Best Actor at the Oscars or his portrayal o the stubborn and troubled old man who comes to realise the importance o amily, orgiveness and reconciliation. Since Alvin passed away, the Preserve the Straight House Committee has organised, amongst other things, a sixand-a-hal mile lawnmower ride to raise restoration unds and to honour their town’s most amous son. Tourists have been spotted visiting Alvin's residence and the Internet throws up the occasional blog in honour o trips made along the route he took. Other riding mower and tractor charity undrais undraising ing trips occur around the world, rom the UK to New Zealand, and, whether they were inspired by him or not, they certainly bare the hallmark o Alvin Straight’s nowlegendary road trip. [tbp]

[B ] The Preserve the Straight House Committee online: http://tinyurl.com/2umgqsw

4 www www.thebigpicturemagazine .thebigpicturemagazine .com

cover feAture

Alvin Straight drove his 1966 John Deere riding mower the 300 miles between Laurens, Iowa and Mount Zion, Wisconsin Wisconsin – to visit his estranged and equally ailing brother – he can hardly have imagined that one o cinema's most unlikely pairings, The Walt Disney Company and David Lynch, would later immortalise his journey on the big screen. News o his trip spread locally beore reaching the national press and fnally Hollywood. Lynch made Alvin's trip the basis or his own take on the road movie; chance encounters, the visual power o the American landscape and a journey as much internal as physical are given a genteel, humorous and poignant spin. Travelling at a top speed o 5mph, Alvin dispenses the wisdom o his years to those

July/August 2010 July/August 2010

5

left karen black and jack nicholson below jack nicholson is a long way from home

spotlight cinema's thematic strands

Although we follow BoBBy’s journey ‘BAck home’ with the Aim of fAmily reconciliAtion, it Becomes AppArent just how stuck he is wherever he is. Five eAs Piees (1970) Dir. Bob Rafelson

Part drama, part probing character study and part road movie, Five Easy Pieces ocuses on Bobby Eroica Dupea (Jack Nicholson) who, once a promising pianist rom an auent amily o classical musicians, is now living a nomadic existence, wandering rom motel to motel, working as an oil rigger, with his waitress girlriend Rayette Dipesto (Karen Black) permanently in tow. When he learns his ather is very ill, he has to return to his previous lie.

Genre Junction While the road movie is an iconic genre in itself, it is often used as just one ingredient in a potent genre cocktail. j e z c o n o l l y examines six road movies that are more than just road movies.

The road in Five Easy Pieces is symbolic o emotional uncertainty. Although we ollow Bobby’s journey ‘back home’ with the aim o amily reconciliation, it becomes apparent just how stuck he is wherever he is – be it in his dead-end Caliornian blue collar existence or back at his wealthy Seattle home. Bobby may be on the move but he is caught in a rootless, existential drit. The flm ends on an ambiguous note that leaves Bobby much as we frst ound him: lost, homeless and conused.

Five Easy Pieces is back in UK cinemas rom 13 August. For more details see page 46.

Images Courtesy Park Circus / Sony Pictures

6 www. www.thebigpicturemagazine thebigpicturemagazine .com


7

cover feAture Y

left karen black and jack nicholson below jack nicholson is a long way from home

spotlight cinema's thematic strands

Although we follow BoBBy’s journey ‘BAck home’ with the Aim of fAmily reconciliAtion, it Becomes AppArent just how stuck he is wherever he is. Five eAs Piees (1970) Dir. Bob Rafelson

Part drama, part probing character study and part road movie, Five Easy Pieces ocuses on Bobby Eroica Dupea (Jack Nicholson) who, once a promising pianist rom an auent amily o classical musicians, is now living a nomadic existence, wandering rom motel to motel, working as an oil rigger, with his waitress girlriend Rayette Dipesto (Karen Black) permanently in tow. When he learns his ather is very ill, he has to return to his previous lie.

Genre Junction While the road movie is an iconic genre in itself, it is often used as just one ingredient in a potent genre cocktail. j e z c o n o l l y examines six road movies that are more than just road movies.

The road in Five Easy Pieces is symbolic o emotional uncertainty. Although we ollow Bobby’s journey ‘back home’ with the aim o amily reconciliation, it becomes apparent just how stuck he is wherever he is – be it in his dead-end Caliornian blue collar existence or back at his wealthy Seattle home. Bobby may be on the move but he is caught in a rootless, existential drit. The flm ends on an ambiguous note that leaves Bobby much as we frst ound him: lost, homeless and conused.

Five Easy Pieces is back in UK cinemas rom 13 August. For more details see page 46.

Images Courtesy Park Circus / Sony Pictures



7

spotlight genre junction

Kobal (2)

’ s opening detour ’s

De (1945) Dir. Edgar G. Ulmer

 u Mamá ambién

u th prm and formalt of th road mo lo trangl to fu grtty ocal commnt and a comngof-ag x comdy comdy..


  MAMá AMié (2001) Dir. Alfonso Cuarón Having seen o their girlriends, who are travelling in Europe, two young Mexicans – Julio (Gael García Bernal) and Tenoch (Diego Luna) – are stuck or something to do or the rest o the summer; they decide on a road trip to fnd the mythical beach known as ‘Heaven’s Mouth’. At a amily wedding they meet Luisa (Maribel Verdú), an older woman rom Spain, who surprisingly agrees to accompany them on their trip. The boys compete to seduce the more experienced Luisa, whose presence brings out both the best and the worst in them. They learn things about each that they never knew, despite having been best riends or years, and as their journey progresses, all three companions fnd themselves conronted with their innermost demons and desires. Y Tu Mamá También uses the premise and ormalities o the road movie love triangle to use gritty social comment and a coming-o-age sex comedy.

A second-rate pianist, Al Roberts (Tom Neal), is hitchhiking in pursuit o his singer girlriend, Sue (Claudia Drake), who has ed the sleazy club-land o New York to fnd ame in Hollywood. Roberts is picked up by a man named Haskell (Edmund McDonald), with a pill-popping habit and some nasty scratches on his hand. Haskell promptly dies at the wheel, panicking Roberts into assuming Haskell’s identity so as not to be blamed or the ‘murder’. Soon ater, he picks up another hitcher, Vera (Ann Savage), the emme atale who inicted Haskell’s scratches and who now tries to blackmail Roberts. A brilliant synthesis o flm noir and road movie, Detour ’s ’s opening credits, looking backwards down the highway, oreshadow the flm’s atalistic sense o entrapment. Since we cannot see where we are going, these pre-narrative shots emphasize how the road haunts the destination in the road movie, just as the past in flm noir haunts the uture.

credits, looking BAckwArds down the highwAy, foreshAdow the film’s fAtAlistic sense of entrApment. ➜

above left ana lopeZ mercado and friends opposite tom neal and ann savage


9


Kobal (2)

’ s opening detour ’s credits, looking BAckwArds down the highwAy, foreshAdow the film’s fAtAlistic sense of entrApment.

De (1945) Dir. Edgar G. Ulmer

 u Mamá ambién

u th prm and formalt of th road mo lo trangl to fu grtty ocal commnt and a comngof-ag x comdy comdy..

  MAMá AMié (2001) Dir. Alfonso Cuarón Having seen o their girlriends, who are travelling in Europe, two young Mexicans – Julio (Gael García Bernal) and Tenoch (Diego Luna) – are stuck or something to do or the rest o the summer; they decide on a road trip to fnd the mythical beach known as ‘Heaven’s Mouth’. At a amily wedding they meet Luisa (Maribel Verdú), an older woman rom Spain, who surprisingly agrees to accompany them on their trip. The boys compete to seduce the more experienced Luisa, whose presence brings out both the best and the worst in them. They learn things about each that they never knew, despite having been best riends or years, and as their journey progresses, all three companions fnd themselves conronted with their innermost demons and desires. Y Tu Mamá También uses the premise and ormalities o the road movie love triangle to use gritty social comment and a coming-o-age sex comedy.

A second-rate pianist, Al Roberts (Tom Neal), is hitchhiking in pursuit o his singer girlriend, Sue (Claudia Drake), who has ed the sleazy club-land o New York to fnd ame in Hollywood. Roberts is picked up by a man named Haskell (Edmund McDonald), with a pill-popping habit and some nasty scratches on his hand. Haskell promptly dies at the wheel, panicking Roberts into assuming Haskell’s identity so as not to be blamed or the ‘murder’. Soon ater, he picks up another hitcher, Vera (Ann Savage), the emme atale who inicted Haskell’s scratches and who now tries to blackmail Roberts. A brilliant synthesis o flm noir and road movie, Detour ’s ’s opening credits, looking backwards down the highway, oreshadow the flm’s atalistic sense o entrapment. Since we cannot see where we are going, these pre-narrative shots emphasize how the road haunts the destination in the road movie, just as the past in flm noir haunts the uture.

➜

above left ana lopeZ mercado and friends opposite tom neal and ann savage



Kobal (2)

9


Fe es / eD LiHs (2004)

He HiHe (1986) Dir. Robert Harmon

Dir. Cédric Kahn Ignoring his mother’s advice not to pick up strangers, Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) picks up more than he bargained or when he stops to give a lit to a psychotic driter by the name o Ryder (Rutger Hauer). Nothing can stop Ryder playing his evil mind games; he usually murders the drivers with whom he hitches lits but, when Jim decides to eject him rom the car, Ryder engages him in a deadly game o tit or tat on the Texas highways. Both thriller and road movie, The Hitcher is a claustrophobic, neo-noir, loss-o-innocence, homoerotic, paranoid western strapped into the back seat with Hitchcock at the wheel. Hauer’s perormance emphasizes the isolation o the road and serves to reinvent the maniac-at-large strand o chiller by transplanting the threat into the most confned o spaces: the passenger seat o Halsey’s car. Watch out or some fnger-licking Texan French ries.


he Hitcher  a

clautrophobc, nonor,, lo-of-nnocnc, nor homorotc, paranod wtrn trappd nto th back at wth Htchcock at th whl. above jean-pierre darroussin

Kahn crat an unnrng fuon of road mo and europan xtntal drama... by hftng th locaton of smnon’ nol from th .s. eat oat to th orth eat of Franc.

Adapted rom the novel by Georges Simenon, Red Lights stars Jean-Pierre Darroussin as Antoine, an insurance clerk married to Helene (Carole Bouquet), a beautiul and successul lawyer. On the hottest day o the year, the bickering couple decides to take a road trip across France in order to pick up their holidaying children. Already uelled by alcohol, Antoine makes requent stops to take a nip or two o whisky, and eventually returns to his car to fnd that Helene has decided to go on by train. However, when he rushes to the next stop to try and catch her, she cannot be ound. An extraordinary search ensues. Kahn creates an unnerving usion o road movie and European existential drama, and one that arguably also sets out to make a point about the ‘Americanization’ o French culture by shiting the location o Simenon’s novel rom the U.S. East Coast to the North East o France.


11

Kobal (2)


Fe es / eD LiHs (2004)

He HiHe (1986) Dir. Robert Harmon

Dir. Cédric Kahn Ignoring his mother’s advice not to pick up strangers, Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) picks up more than he bargained or when he stops to give a lit to a psychotic driter by the name o Ryder (Rutger Hauer). Nothing can stop Ryder playing his evil mind games; he usually murders the drivers with whom he hitches lits but, when Jim decides to eject him rom the car, Ryder engages him in a deadly game o tit or tat on the Texas highways. Both thriller and road movie, The Hitcher is a claustrophobic, neo-noir, loss-o-innocence, homoerotic, paranoid western strapped into the back seat with Hitchcock at the wheel. Hauer’s perormance emphasizes the isolation o the road and serves to reinvent the maniac-at-large strand o chiller by transplanting the threat into the most confned o spaces: the passenger seat o Halsey’s car. Watch out or some fnger-licking Texan French ries.

he Hitcher  a

clautrophobc, nonor,, lo-of-nnocnc, nor homorotc, paranod wtrn trappd nto th back at wth Htchcock at th whl. above jean-pierre darroussin

Kahn crat an unnrng fuon of road mo and europan xtntal drama... by hftng th locaton of smnon’ nol from th .s. eat oat to th orth eat of Franc.


Adapted rom the novel by Georges Simenon, Red Lights stars Jean-Pierre Darroussin as Antoine, an insurance clerk married to Helene (Carole Bouquet), a beautiul and successul lawyer. On the hottest day o the year, the bickering couple decides to take a road trip across France in order to pick up their holidaying children. Already uelled by alcohol, Antoine makes requent stops to take a nip or two o whisky, and eventually returns to his car to fnd that Helene has decided to go on by train. However, when he rushes to the next stop to try and catch her, she cannot be ound. An extraordinary search ensues. Kahn creates an unnerving usion o road movie and European existential drama, and one that arguably also sets out to make a point about the ‘Americanization’ o French culture by shiting the location o Simenon’s novel rom the U.S. East Coast to the North East o France.


11

spotlight cinema's thematic strands l a b o K

AD  siAPe (1962) Dir. Victor Schertzinger

the minimAl roAd trip plot provides crosBy And hope with plenty of excuses for their requisite songs And Ad-liBBed gAgs.

The frst in the popular series o ‘Road to…’ movies – starring Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, with Dorothy Lamour as the love interest – Road To Singapore eatured Bing and Bob as Josh and Ace, a pair o pals who run o to Singapore to escape orced marriages. The boys are determined never to bother with women again until they run into Lamour, a sarong-wearing dancer suering through a relationship with a bullying musical partner. Josh and Ace rescue her and fght with each other or her hand as they try to elude a wacky variety o pursuers. Besides spoofng the action adventure and romance genres, the ‘Road to…’ movies are a parody o Hollywood itsel, with a sprinkling o reerences to other actors and the occasional swipe at Paramount Pictures. Despite its title, this is a comedy frst, a musical second and a road movie third. The minimal road trip plot provides Crosby and Hope with plenty o excuses or their requisite songs and ad-libbed gags. [tbp]

left dorothy lamour, bing crosby & bob hope

also see...

[B ] Road Movies Media Resource: www.lib.berkeley.edu [B ] The Road Movie Book edited by


Steve Cohan and Ina Rae Hark [B] 100 Road Movies: BFI Screen Guides by Jason ood July/August 2010 July/August 2010

13

spotlight cinema's thematic strands l a b o K

AD  siAPe (1962) Dir. Victor Schertzinger

the minimAl roAd trip plot provides crosBy And hope with plenty of excuses for their requisite songs And Ad-liBBed gAgs.

The frst in the popular series o ‘Road to…’ movies – starring Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, with Dorothy Lamour as the love interest – Road To Singapore eatured Bing and Bob as Josh and Ace, a pair o pals who run o to Singapore to escape orced marriages. The boys are determined never to bother with women again until they run into Lamour, a sarong-wearing dancer suering through a relationship with a bullying musical partner. Josh and Ace rescue her and fght with each other or her hand as they try to elude a wacky variety o pursuers. Besides spoofng the action adventure and romance genres, the ‘Road to…’ movies are a parody o Hollywood itsel, with a sprinkling o reerences to other actors and the occasional swipe at Paramount Pictures. Despite its title, this is a comedy frst, a musical second and a road movie third. The minimal road trip plot provides Crosby and Hope with plenty o excuses or their requisite songs and ad-libbed gags. [tbp]

left dorothy lamour, bing crosby & bob hope

also see...

[B ] Road Movies Media Resource: www.lib.berkeley.edu [B ] The Road Movie Book edited by

Steve Cohan and Ina Rae Hark [B] 100 Road Movies: BFI Screen Guides by Jason ood



Art&film

13

Neon lit cinemas epitomised the American dream of the 1950s and 1960s - and while much of it is now faded glamour - photographers Tony and Eva Worobiec still see it as a celebration of small-town America.

visual art inspired by film

All words and pictures by t o n y

and eva worobiec

★

o

o

j


The Cliftex Cinema Clifton, Texas 'The Cliftex Cinema is apparently the longest continuously running cinema (since 1912) in the whole of Texas (if not the U.S). It's amazing, as it is such a small town. When we were there it was undergoing refurbishment, but the owner and his daughter altered the signing to make it look as if it was open, then put on the lights for us. This time it attracted an old guy in a Stetson who was passing in his white Cadillac, and we managed to capture him at the (empty) box oce. Unfortunately we didn't have the presence of mind to get him to park his Cadillac in front of the theatre!'

jThe Washita

Cordell, Oklahoma 'The Washita is a lovingly-restored movie theatre in the small town of Cordell, Oklahoma (population about 2900). In order to ensure that we had an uninterrupted external view, the owner stood in the middle of the road and directed the minimal passing trac round us. When we eventually nished, we were not allowed to go without taking an enormous bucket of popcorn with us.'

➜


15

Art&film

Neon lit cinemas epitomised the American dream of the 1950s and 1960s - and while much of it is now faded glamour - photographers Tony and Eva Worobiec still see it as a celebration of small-town America.

visual art inspired by film

All words and pictures by t o n y

and eva worobiec

★

o

o

j

The Cliftex Cinema Clifton, Texas 'The Cliftex Cinema is apparently the longest continuously running cinema (since 1912) in the whole of Texas (if not the U.S). It's amazing, as it is such a small town. When we were there it was undergoing refurbishment, but the owner and his daughter altered the signing to make it look as if it was open, then put on the lights for us. This time it attracted an old guy in a Stetson who was passing in his white Cadillac, and we managed to capture him at the (empty) box oce. Unfortunately we didn't have the presence of mind to get him to park his Cadillac in front of the theatre!'

jThe Washita

Cordell, Oklahoma 'The Washita is a lovingly-restored movie theatre in the small town of Cordell, Oklahoma (population about 2900). In order to ensure that we had an uninterrupted external view, the owner stood in the middle of the road and directed the minimal passing trac round us. When we eventually nished, we were not allowed to go without taking an enormous bucket of popcorn with us.'


➜


15

Art & film icons of the highwAy

The Fox Taft, California We didn't meet the owners of The Fox but were nevertheless given access to photograph it. It's a good illustration of a small town cinema which truly comes alive at night once the illuminations come on. As we have gradually gone from mainly medium format cameras to digital SLRs, we've been able to use zoom lenses which can take us into the neon detail on the marquee, as can be seen with The Fox. Previously for close-ups we would have to stand in the middle of a road and risk being run over or, more truthfully, be delayed by a curious car-load of teenagers wondering what on earth we were doing. There were times when we felt as if we were caught up in a scene from an old movie such as American Grati!

The Rogue Theatre Grants Pass, Oregon 'At the Rogue Theatre I had to work around a guy who I assumed to be one of the stagehands for the act performing that evening – I even met him in the green room later. Only when we were invited to stay for the gig later that evening did it emerge that he was Joe Bonamassa, probably the best blues/rock guitarist around! He was incredibly modest and unassuming.'

seemore... see more...


'hr wr tm whn w wr takng pctur that w flt a f w wr caught up n a cn from an old mo lk American grafti .' .'

[B ] Icons of the Highway: A Celebration of Small-town America by Tony and va orobiec July/August 2010 July/August 2010

17

Art & film icons of the highwAy

The Fox Taft, California We didn't meet the owners of The Fox but were nevertheless given access to photograph it. It's a good illustration of a small town cinema which truly comes alive at night once the illuminations come on. As we have gradually gone from mainly medium format cameras to digital SLRs, we've been able to use zoom lenses which can take us into the neon detail on the marquee, as can be seen with The Fox. Previously for close-ups we would have to stand in the middle of a road and risk being run over or, more truthfully, be delayed by a curious car-load of teenagers wondering what on earth we were doing. There were times when we felt as if we were caught up in a scene from an old movie such as American Grati!

The Rogue Theatre Grants Pass, Oregon 'At the Rogue Theatre I had to work around a guy who I assumed to be one of the stagehands for the act performing that evening – I even met him in the green room later. Only when we were invited to stay for the gig later that evening did it emerge that he was Joe Bonamassa, probably the best blues/rock guitarist around! He was incredibly modest and unassuming.'

seemore... see more...


'hr wr tm whn w wr takng pctur that w flt a f w wr caught up n a cn from an old mo lk American grafti .' .'

[B ] Icons of the Highway: A Celebration of Small-town America by Tony and va orobiec July/August 2010 July/August 2010

17


19

one sheet d e c o n s t r u c t i ng ng f i l m p o s t e r s

On Te Road Ever since celebrated writer Jack Kerouac wrote his most memorable work, road trips have been commonplace in American movies and the posters they inspire. n i c h o l a s p a g e looks at four very different examples, courtesy of e Reel Poster Gallery, London. just like the indomitable

stretch of asphalt known these days as Route 66, American road movies have been a prominent feature of the country’s cinematic landscape for decades now. From stopoff diners to vast, wind-swept wind-swept plains, the road movie has always been an effective way to show off the United States – or, at least, several of them – as well as some of the country’s most iconic

automobiles.The road trip has also become a way to show characters leading some kind of personal odyssey, and has thus come to represent a basic form of escapism to which many can relate. In Dennis Hopper’s Easy Rider (1969), it was motorbikes rather than cars propelling the characters across the country, and two personal odysseys rather than just one. This intriguing poster was created by acclaimed

Czechoslovakian artist and Czechoslovakian designer Josef Vyletal (1940– 1989), and features one of the lm’s stars, Peter Fonda, standing in front of a mirage of images that represent his hazy road-tripping experience. A renowned painter of surreal imagery (hence the horseheaded man seen in the poster), Vyletal Vyletal was forced to add a black cloud here to obscure the U.S. ag on the back of Fonda’s jacket.

easy rider / beZstarostna jiZda (1969)original (1969) original cZechoslovakian / art by josef vyletal ➜

gofurther... go further...

www.reelposter.com [B ] Josef Vyletal: Painter of Death by Rostislav Sarvas


one sheet d e c o n s t r u c t i ng ng f i l m p o s t e r s

On Te Road Ever since celebrated writer Jack Kerouac wrote his most memorable work, road trips have been commonplace in American movies and the posters they inspire. n i c h o l a s p a g e looks at four very different examples, courtesy of e Reel Poster Gallery, London. just like the indomitable

stretch of asphalt known these days as Route 66, American road movies have been a prominent feature of the country’s cinematic landscape for decades now. From stopoff diners to vast, wind-swept wind-swept plains, the road movie has always been an effective way to show off the United States – or, at least, several of them – as well as some of the country’s most iconic

automobiles.The road trip has also become a way to show characters leading some kind of personal odyssey, and has thus come to represent a basic form of escapism to which many can relate. In Dennis Hopper’s Easy Rider (1969), it was motorbikes rather than cars propelling the characters across the country, and two personal odysseys rather than just one. This intriguing poster was created by acclaimed

Czechoslovakian artist and Czechoslovakian designer Josef Vyletal (1940– 1989), and features one of the lm’s stars, Peter Fonda, standing in front of a mirage of images that represent his hazy road-tripping experience. A renowned painter of surreal imagery (hence the horseheaded man seen in the poster), Vyletal Vyletal was forced to add a black cloud here to obscure the U.S. ag on the back of Fonda’s jacket.

easy rider / beZstarostna jiZda (1969)original (1969) original cZechoslovakian / art by josef vyletal ➜

gofurther... go further...

www.reelposter.com [B ] Josef Vyletal: Painter of Death by Rostislav Sarvas



European artists were providing their part o the world with much more striking and abstract movie-related artwork, poster design in the West was moving in a dierent direction. Here, creativity gave way to marketing, so that while posters were still being drawn and painted by human hands, they were more obviously selling a product. This British poster or Robert Stevenson’s The Love Bug (1968) illustrates the approach rather well: note the clear eaturing o all the flm’s characters and, perhaps more importantly, its champion Volkswagen Volkswag en Beetle. Also note the prevailing use o tag-lines. while eastern

Another successul approach to marketing movies in the

West, especially where mature audiences were involved, has long been to ocus on sex appeal. This U.S. one-sheet or Peter Collinson’s Minidriven caper movie The Italian Job (1969), starring Michael Caine, shows just how much skin and leather one can get away with showing on a single poster. Soon enough, with the evolution o computers and graphic-editing sotware, single artists were replaced by entire design and marketing companies, where movie posters were created by the click o a mouse rather than the stroke o a paintbrush. This U.S. poster or Ridley Scott’s Thelma & Louise (1991) can be attributed to Intralink Film Graphic Design. [tbp]

19

Whl eatrn europan artt wr prodng thr part of th world wth much mor trkng and abtract morlatd artwork, potr dgn n th Wt wa mong n a dffrnt drcton. (opposite)the italian job (1969) original us / artist unknown (above) the love bug (1968) original british / artist unknown


21

European artists were providing their part o the world with much more striking and abstract movie-related artwork, poster design in the West was moving in a dierent direction. Here, creativity gave way to marketing, so that while posters were still being drawn and painted by human hands, they were more obviously selling a product. This British poster or Robert Stevenson’s The Love Bug (1968) illustrates the approach rather well: note the clear eaturing o all the flm’s characters and, perhaps more importantly, its champion Volkswagen Volkswag en Beetle. Also note the prevailing use o tag-lines. while eastern

Another successul approach to marketing movies in the

West, especially where mature audiences were involved, has long been to ocus on sex appeal. This U.S. one-sheet or Peter Collinson’s Minidriven caper movie The Italian Job (1969), starring Michael Caine, shows just how much skin and leather one can get away with showing on a single poster. Soon enough, with the evolution o computers and graphic-editing sotware, single artists were replaced by entire design and marketing companies, where movie posters were created by the click o a mouse rather than the stroke o a paintbrush. This U.S. poster or Ridley Scott’s Thelma & Louise (1991) can be attributed to Intralink Film Graphic Design. [tbp]

Whl eatrn europan artt wr prodng thr part of th world wth much mor trkng and abtract morlatd artwork, potr dgn n th Wt wa mong n a dffrnt drcton. (opposite)the italian job (1969) original us / artist unknown (above) the love bug (1968) original british / artist unknown


Directory of

WorlD cinema Directory of WorlD cinema: australia & neW ZealanD This ambitious new volume from Intellect offers an in-depth and exciting look at the cinema produced in Australia and New Zealand since the turn of the twentieth century. Though the two nations share cultural and economic connections,, their lm industries remain marked by differences of scale, as connections well as levels of government involvement and funding. Through discussion of prominent genres and themes, proles of directors, and comprehensive reviews of signicant titles, this user-frie user-friendly ndly guide explores the diversity and distinctivenesss of lms from Australia and New Zealand including Whale Rider , distinctivenes The Piano and Wolf Creek . k n i l a r t n i y b k r o w t r a / s u l a n i g i r o ) 1 9 9 1 ( e s i u o l & a m l e h t


Visit the website to  nd out more about Intellect’s Directory project and explore the volume for free

WW W . WorlDcinemaDirectory.or g The Directory of World Cinema: Japan and Directory of World Cinema: American Independent are Independent are now available. Forthcoming volumes include Directory of World Cinema: Russia.

21

Directory of

WorlD cinema Directory of WorlD cinema: australia & neW ZealanD This ambitious new volume from Intellect offers an in-depth and exciting look at the cinema produced in Australia and New Zealand since the turn of the twentieth century. Though the two nations share cultural and economic connections,, their lm industries remain marked by differences of scale, as connections well as levels of government involvement and funding. Through discussion of prominent genres and themes, proles of directors, and comprehensive reviews of signicant titles, this user-frie user-friendly ndly guide explores the diversity and distinctivenesss of lms from Australia and New Zealand including Whale Rider , distinctivenes The Piano and Wolf Creek . k n i l a r t n i y b k r o w t r a / s u l a n i g i r o ) 1 9 9 1 ( e s i u o l

Visit the website to  nd out more about Intellect’s Directory project and explore the volume for free

WW W . WorlDcinemaDirectory.or g The Directory of World Cinema: Japan and Directory of World Cinema: American Independent are Independent are now available. Forthcoming volumes include Directory of World Cinema: Russia.

& a m l e h t


widescreen

This photo was taken at our very rst screening. After the fund raising, getting the kit together and the long journey it was really exciting for everyone in the team to realise that the idea we’d come up with in the UK actually worked in Haiti. The crowd here are watching Cheik Doucouré’s Le Ballon D’Or a lm from Guinea made in 1995 about a village boy who wants to become the best football player in Africa. Each night before the main feature lm we’d also play several international children’s short lms. j

film in a wider context

o Cities of Hope 24 www. www.thebigpicturemagazine thebigpicturemagazine .com

Six months after the devastating earthquake that tore the country to pieces, m a r k o w i l k i n s o n reects on a lm initiative set up by Bristol's Cube Cinema that sought to bring a glimmer of hope to Haiti's displaced children. w  p  m w

n 12 January the Haiti earthquake killed 250,000 people, and overnight let a million people homeless. A week later there was a meeting held at the Cube Cinema in Bristol, a radical volunteer run cinema and arts space, to discuss what we could do to oer solidarity to the Haitian people. Rather than donate to a aceless NGO we wanted to take some direct action. Out o the meeting came the concept o the Haiti Kids Kino Project – a mobile outdoor children’s cinema that would travel around camps, tent cities, schools and hospitals providing un, entertainment and eeding children’s imaginations, plus oering temporary childcare or parents and carers – at least or a ew evenings. There would also be children’s video workshops where kids in Haiti and the UK could make and exchange messages and ‘video postcards’ – videos about their lives and environments. From the beginning we wanted the project to be defned specifcally as a cultural exchange rather than an aid project. Six weeks later I was stepping o a bus in Portau-Prince with ellow Cube volunteer David Fitzsimons,

struggling with heavy luggage that included a projector, a laptop, a generator and a portable sound system. The small but incredibly ocused Haiti Kids Kino team had raised the money or the project by putting on undraising flms and gigs at the Cube, and calling or donations rom the cinema’s members and riends. Our frst show in Haiti was on a Friday night in a camp on some wasteland in Cité Soleil, the most notorious neighbourhood o Port-auPrince, with an audience o about 300 children and adults. The reaction was more than we could have hoped or with the audience singing and clapping along to the theme tune o Aardman Animation’s Shaun the Sheep, and cheering and roaring with laughter at Le Ballon d’Or , a eature flm rom Guinea about a village boy who wants to become the best ootballer in Arica. We’d brought with us a collection o the best international internation al children’ children’ss shorts and eature flms we could assemble. Within the team we had the programming experience o Kari Nygård who runs the Cube Nanoplex children’s cinema, and outside help came rom several guest curators, including flm critic Mark Cousins, whose

The longer we stayed the more friends the Kids Kino made and the more the cinema expanded. This is Stanley and Luxon of the great Haitian comedy troupe Les Rescapés doing a performance for kids and parents before one of our shows at a camp in Delmas 33. The company’s motto “Les Rescapés ont tout perdu, sauf leur humour!” (“The Rescapés have lost everything, except their sense of humour”) is literally true since the earthquake – Stanley and Luxon are living in tents in another camp not far from this one. Les Rescapés have made several short lms which we screened many times. k

From th bgnnng w wantd th projct to b dnd pccally a a cultural xchang rathr than an ad projct.


25

widescreen

This photo was taken at our very rst screening. After the fund raising, getting the kit together and the long journey it was really exciting for everyone in the team to realise that the idea we’d come up with in the UK actually worked in Haiti. The crowd here are watching Cheik Doucouré’s Le Ballon D’Or a lm from Guinea made in 1995 about a village boy who wants to become the best football player in Africa. Each night before the main feature lm we’d also play several international children’s short lms. j

film in a wider context

o Cities of Hope

Six months after the devastating earthquake that tore the country to pieces, m a r k o w i l k i n s o n reects on a lm initiative set up by Bristol's Cube Cinema that sought to bring a glimmer of hope to Haiti's displaced children. w  p  m w

n 12 January the Haiti earthquake killed 250,000 people, and overnight let a million people homeless. A week later there was a meeting held at the Cube Cinema in Bristol, a radical volunteer run cinema and arts space, to discuss what we could do to oer solidarity to the Haitian people. Rather than donate to a aceless NGO we wanted to take some direct action. Out o the meeting came the concept o the Haiti Kids Kino Project – a mobile outdoor children’s cinema that would travel around camps, tent cities, schools and hospitals providing un, entertainment and eeding children’s imaginations, plus oering temporary childcare or parents and carers – at least or a ew evenings. There would also be children’s video workshops where kids in Haiti and the UK could make and exchange messages and ‘video postcards’ – videos about their lives and environments. From the beginning we wanted the project to be defned specifcally as a cultural exchange rather than an aid project. Six weeks later I was stepping o a bus in Portau-Prince with ellow Cube volunteer David Fitzsimons,

struggling with heavy luggage that included a projector, a laptop, a generator and a portable sound system. The small but incredibly ocused Haiti Kids Kino team had raised the money or the project by putting on undraising flms and gigs at the Cube, and calling or donations rom the cinema’s members and riends. Our frst show in Haiti was on a Friday night in a camp on some wasteland in Cité Soleil, the most notorious neighbourhood o Port-auPrince, with an audience o about 300 children and adults. The reaction was more than we could have hoped or with the audience singing and clapping along to the theme tune o Aardman Animation’s Shaun the Sheep, and cheering and roaring with laughter at Le Ballon d’Or , a eature flm rom Guinea about a village boy who wants to become the best ootballer in Arica. We’d brought with us a collection o the best international internation al children’ children’ss shorts and eature flms we could assemble. Within the team we had the programming experience o Kari Nygård who runs the Cube Nanoplex children’s cinema, and outside help came rom several guest curators, including flm critic Mark Cousins, whose

The longer we stayed the more friends the Kids Kino made and the more the cinema expanded. This is Stanley and Luxon of the great Haitian comedy troupe Les Rescapés doing a performance for kids and parents before one of our shows at a camp in Delmas 33. The company’s motto “Les Rescapés ont tout perdu, sauf leur humour!” (“The Rescapés have lost everything, except their sense of humour”) is literally true since the earthquake – Stanley and Luxon are living in tents in another camp not far from this one. Les Rescapés have made several short lms which we screened many times. k

From th bgnnng w wantd th projct to b dnd pccally a a cultural xchang rathr than an ad projct.



25

widescreen hAit kids kino project

Kids around the pick up truck at a camp on the grounds of l’Athlétique in Cité Soleil. Although Cité Soleil is a neighbourhood with a bad reputation and we were constantly warned about it, we never encountered problems there and the audiences were denitely amongst the most fun and appreciative we had. In fact in six weeks of screenings all over Port au Prince we didn’t have one piece of equipment go missing. L’Athlétique d’Haiti is a sports club set up by Haitian activist Boby Duval to give sports training, education and nutrition to young people in the area. j

Kids dancing k Very quickly we noticed what a powerful reaction any music in the lms got from our audience. Incidental and end credit music would have the whole crowd clapping and singing along. Youssou N’dour’s theme to Kirikou et la Sorcière was a particular favourite. Out of this the idea for the children’s disco evolved and soon became a regular feature before the evening’s lms. In fact the whole Kids Kino rapidly expanded to become a bigger social experience including music and dancing, live comedy performances by Les Rescapés and video interviews with the audience.

26 www. www.thebigpicturemagazine.com www.thebigpicturemagazine thebigpicturemagazine .com

W rgularly aw popl lng n brutally harh condton, but what truck u wa th ncrdbl trngth and kndn of ordnary Hatan.

brilliant The First Movie was inspirational to the project. Although there are virtually no children’s flms in Kreyol (the Haitian language), Kreyol shares a lot o words with French so the children could understand our French language versions o The Jungle Book, My Neighbour Totoro, Wallace and Gromit , Disney’s Robin Hood and the Kirikou flms. One exception which became a frm audience avourite was Ti Sentaniz, a Kreyol language animation based on a monologue by Haitian poet Maurice Sixto about a little orphan girl working as an unpaid domestic servant, a situation that a quarter o a million Haitian children are currently in. During the next 40 days we travelled around Port-auPrince in our hired pick-up truck with team members, 18-year-old translator, Jhon, and our driver, Sergo. In all, the Kids Kino did 22 screenings in eleven locations to an audience that totalled about 5600 people. We regularly saw people living in brutally harsh conditions, but what struck us was the incredible strength and kindness o ordinary Haitians. Because there is so little unctioning inrastructure in Haiti, people have had to create a society built on mutual help and support between riends, neighbours and extended amily – and the disaster only seems to have made these bonds stronger. This isn’t the story that gets told by the international media, which oten appears to only be interested in sensationalist stories o violence and tragedy. Several o the members o the project including mysel are flmmakers and artists, and there was a real curiosity amongst us to investigate i flm could have a real benefcial eect on people’s lives. Living in a media saturated environment like the UK its easy to eel that video, TV and flm are having a deadening, atomizing eect on our existence existence rather than enriching it. To see the delight

This is a children’s video workshop we ran in Leogane, the town that was closest to the epicenter of the earthquake. We’ve just watched footage on the laptop that the kids had shot the previous afternoon and Klina, in the purple top, is making a drawing of what she wanted to video that day ( a motorbike and a house). Before we left the UK we did workshops with Bristol children getting them to lm messages for Haiti which we then projected at our screenings. k

a flm like The Red Balloon can cause in children (and adults) in a situation where the cinematic experience is a rare treat makes you realise what a beautiul and powerul medium flm still is. Our last screenings beore returning to the UK were our nights at a big camp called Tapis Vert back in Cité Soleil. Unlike the smaller camps we’d visited there wasn’t an obviously established tight-knit community in place – instead there were a lot o displaced people rom dierent neighbourhoods who didn’t know each other. Over the our days we stayed we could eel a sense o social celebration build around the cinema – until it started to eel like a estival. During the aternoon we would put on a kids disco and record interviews with children that we would play as part o the evening’s programme o flms. I t dawned on us that something exciting was starting to happen that we hadn’t expected – around the Kids Kino a new community was getting to know itsel and celebrating itsel. [tbp]

When it wasn’t practical to do structured children’s video workshops, where children could make their own lms, we would interview children in the afternoon, edit them quickly on the laptop, then play them between the lms that night. Here Euskine is saying hi to his mum and friends in the audience. Because of mobile phone technology children are already familiar with video capturing and it caused a lot of excitement and hilarity in the audience to see people they knew projected on the big screen. j

Setting up would often become a spectator event in its own right. After watching us do it once, the children would have the process memorised and help out the next day. We stayed at this camp, Tapis Vert in Cité Soleil, for four nights and it turned into a mini-festival. On the Sunday afternoon the kids’ disco transformed into a full on rave when a local teenager got us to play his cd of Haitian hip hop over the soundsystem. k

o  th dlght a lm lk he ed alloon can cau n chldrn (and adult) n a tuaton whr th cnmatc xprnc  a rar trat mak you ral what a bautful and powrful mdum lm tll .

The Haiti Kids Kino Project is returning to Port-au-Prince in the autumn with two new teams. If you would like to donate or nd out more information there is a website at tinyurl.com/38paax4


27

widescreen hAit kids kino project

Kids around the pick up truck at a camp on the grounds of l’Athlétique in Cité Soleil. Although Cité Soleil is a neighbourhood with a bad reputation and we were constantly warned about it, we never encountered problems there and the audiences were denitely amongst the most fun and appreciative we had. In fact in six weeks of screenings all over Port au Prince we didn’t have one piece of equipment go missing. L’Athlétique d’Haiti is a sports club set up by Haitian activist Boby Duval to give sports training, education and nutrition to young people in the area. j

Kids dancing k Very quickly we noticed what a powerful reaction any music in the lms got from our audience. Incidental and end credit music would have the whole crowd clapping and singing along. Youssou N’dour’s theme to Kirikou et la Sorcière was a particular favourite. Out of this the idea for the children’s disco evolved and soon became a regular feature before the evening’s lms. In fact the whole Kids Kino rapidly expanded to become a bigger social experience including music and dancing, live comedy performances by Les Rescapés and video interviews with the audience.

W rgularly aw popl lng n brutally harh condton, but what truck u wa th ncrdbl trngth and kndn of ordnary Hatan.

brilliant The First Movie was inspirational to the project. Although there are virtually no children’s flms in Kreyol (the Haitian language), Kreyol shares a lot o words with French so the children could understand our French language versions o The Jungle Book, My Neighbour Totoro, Wallace and Gromit , Disney’s Robin Hood and the Kirikou flms. One exception which became a frm audience avourite was Ti Sentaniz, a Kreyol language animation based on a monologue by Haitian poet Maurice Sixto about a little orphan girl working as an unpaid domestic servant, a situation that a quarter o a million Haitian children are currently in. During the next 40 days we travelled around Port-auPrince in our hired pick-up truck with team members, 18-year-old translator, Jhon, and our driver, Sergo. In all, the Kids Kino did 22 screenings in eleven locations to an audience that totalled about 5600 people. We regularly saw people living in brutally harsh conditions, but what struck us was the incredible strength and kindness o ordinary Haitians. Because there is so little unctioning inrastructure in Haiti, people have had to create a society built on mutual help and support between riends, neighbours and extended amily – and the disaster only seems to have made these bonds stronger. This isn’t the story that gets told by the international media, which oten appears to only be interested in sensationalist stories o violence and tragedy. Several o the members o the project including mysel are flmmakers and artists, and there was a real curiosity amongst us to investigate i flm could have a real benefcial eect on people’s lives. Living in a media saturated environment like the UK its easy to eel that video, TV and flm are having a deadening, atomizing eect on our existence existence rather than enriching it. To see the delight

This is a children’s video workshop we ran in Leogane, the town that was closest to the epicenter of the earthquake. We’ve just watched footage on the laptop that the kids had shot the previous afternoon and Klina, in the purple top, is making a drawing of what she wanted to video that day ( a motorbike and a house). Before we left the UK we did workshops with Bristol children getting them to lm messages for Haiti which we then projected at our screenings. k

a flm like The Red Balloon can cause in children (and adults) in a situation where the cinematic experience is a rare treat makes you realise what a beautiul and powerul medium flm still is. Our last screenings beore returning to the UK were our nights at a big camp called Tapis Vert back in Cité Soleil. Unlike the smaller camps we’d visited there wasn’t an obviously established tight-knit community in place – instead there were a lot o displaced people rom dierent neighbourhoods who didn’t know each other. Over the our days we stayed we could eel a sense o social celebration build around the cinema – until it started to eel like a estival. During the aternoon we would put on a kids disco and record interviews with children that we would play as part o the evening’s programme o flms. I t dawned on us that something exciting was starting to happen that we hadn’t expected – around the Kids Kino a new community was getting to know itsel and celebrating itsel. [tbp]

When it wasn’t practical to do structured children’s video workshops, where children could make their own lms, we would interview children in the afternoon, edit them quickly on the laptop, then play them between the lms that night. Here Euskine is saying hi to his mum and friends in the audience. Because of mobile phone technology children are already familiar with video capturing and it caused a lot of excitement and hilarity in the audience to see people they knew projected on the big screen. j

Setting up would often become a spectator event in its own right. After watching us do it once, the children would have the process memorised and help out the next day. We stayed at this camp, Tapis Vert in Cité Soleil, for four nights and it turned into a mini-festival. On the Sunday afternoon the kids’ disco transformed into a full on rave when a local teenager got us to play his cd of Haitian hip hop over the soundsystem. k

o  th dlght a lm lk he ed alloon can cau n chldrn (and adult) n a tuaton whr th cnmatc xprnc  a rar trat mak you ral what a bautful and powrful mdum lm tll .

The Haiti Kids Kino Project is returning to Port-au-Prince in the autumn with two new teams. If you would like to donate or nd out more information there is a website at tinyurl.com/38paax4

26 www. www.thebigpicturemagazine.com www.thebigpicturemagazine thebigpicturemagazine .com



Stranger than Fiction: Stieg LarSSon and the MiLLenniuM triLogy Have reports of the cult writer's death been greatly exaggerated? j e z c o n o l l y gets in close. a i c p  m p

It cannot be denied that a good deal o the interest that surrounds the internationally successul ‘Millennium Trilogy’ o books by Stieg Larsson, as well as the current flm adaptations, is due to the premature death o the author and the subsequent conspiracy theories that have arisen. Practically unknown outside o Sweden prior to the book releases, Larsson was widely admired in his homeland or his stance against extremist groups and as a result received many death threats. When he died in 2004 at the age o 50, many speculated that what was deemed a massive heart attack was, in truth, murder. Poisoning


was rumoured. Larsson’s sixty-a-day cigarette habit was almost certainly the cause o his death but, as can oten be the case, there was little public appetite or medical assessments when a suitably clandestine plot against his lie could be entertained. The act that the narrative o his novels deals in part with the risks taken by an investigative journalist in his attempt to uncover corruption at the heart o the country’s orthodoxy only served to intensiy the belie that the consequences o Larsson’s own journalistic research had led to his premature demise. Larsson’s own story has

been careully woven into a marketing mythology. His death presented his publishers, Norstedts, and their international partners with both a challenge and an opportunity; with no author to interview, to present at book shop readings or market through media appearances, Norstedts invested over a million Swedish crowns in promoting advance copies, building a detailed website about Larsson and the book series, and working with advertising companies to maintain the ocus o the launch on word o mouth, ensuring that the question marks over the author’s death were allowed to linger, and thereby provide readers with the sense that clues to Larsson’s ate may be traceable in the text. Bloggers were the frst to pick up on this and consequently the reputation o the series rose rapidly. Exposure became more prominent, enough to make The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo the frst novel by a Swedish writer to debut at number our on The New York Times bestseller’s list. The interest has not lessened in the time since the books were frst published. Barely a week passes still without some new sales record being broken somewhere in the world. The flm versions have gone on to win awards and smash box ofce records around Europe. When Larsson died, he let behind the two sequels to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Tattoo, plus an unfnished manuscript or another on his laptop. He did not, however, leave behind a will, which means that under Swedish law, Larsson's longterm partner, Eva Gabrielsson, has no recourse to Larsson’s now-substantial estate. While the money sits in the hands o

Larsson's ather and brother, Gabrielsson is trying to change the law in Sweden so that unmarried partners can pursue an inheritance in court. With the success o the Swedish-made flms – Niels Arden Oplev’s Swedish version o Dragon Tattoo ranked as the world’s second biggest earning independent flm o 2009 just behind Slumdog Millionaire – and heavy hints that David Fincher is set to convert at least the frst novel into an English language movie, possibly starring Daniel Craig, Larsson's estate is set air to get a whole lot bigger. It remains to be seen whether a U.S. flm version can retain the ingredients that have made the home grown flms stand out or international audiences. They possess an unfltered characteristic, bringing viewers starkly and oten brutally to the centre o the story in ways that most Hollywood thrillers ail to. They are also especially aithul to the original texts on which they have been based. The careul viral word o mouth campaign that has jumped rom print to flm has tapped into Larsson’s devoted an ollowing, converting the readership into viewers very succ essully. The rapid release o parts two and three in cinemas will surely keep this momentum going. What o the incomplete ourth instalment? Will it see the light o day? Can we expect a flm version? Larsson’s blood relatives, who currently own the rights, reportedly don't want to see it published, and Gabrielsson won't comment. She plans to commit her opinions on this and many other things to a memoir she's writing about her experiences. When this book comes out, it will only add to the ascination with Larsson. ‘People still whisper about the mysterious

27

‘W know that [foul play]  not th ca, but t add to th drama and mytry of who h wa and what h dd: th juggrnaut that  now th Mllnnum trlogy trlogy.’.’

(top) noomi rapace as lisbeth salander (above) michael nyQvist as mikael blomkvist

circumstances surrounding his death,’ says publicist Paul Bogaards, reerring to the conspiracy theories that have circulated since Larsson passed away. ‘We know that [o ul play] is not the case, but it adds to the drama and mystery o who he was and what he did: the juggernaut that is now the Millennium trilogy.’ [tbp] The Girl who Played with Fire is in UK cinemas rom 14 August.


29


Stranger than Fiction: Stieg LarSSon and the MiLLenniuM triLogy Have reports of the cult writer's death been greatly exaggerated? j e z c o n o l l y gets in close. a i c p  m p

It cannot be denied that a good deal o the interest that surrounds the internationally successul ‘Millennium Trilogy’ o books by Stieg Larsson, as well as the current flm adaptations, is due to the premature death o the author and the subsequent conspiracy theories that have arisen. Practically unknown outside o Sweden prior to the book releases, Larsson was widely admired in his homeland or his stance against extremist groups and as a result received many death threats. When he died in 2004 at the age o 50, many speculated that what was deemed a massive heart attack was, in truth, murder. Poisoning

was rumoured. Larsson’s sixty-a-day cigarette habit was almost certainly the cause o his death but, as can oten be the case, there was little public appetite or medical assessments when a suitably clandestine plot against his lie could be entertained. The act that the narrative o his novels deals in part with the risks taken by an investigative journalist in his attempt to uncover corruption at the heart o the country’s orthodoxy only served to intensiy the belie that the consequences o Larsson’s own journalistic research had led to his premature demise. Larsson’s own story has

been careully woven into a marketing mythology. His death presented his publishers, Norstedts, and their international partners with both a challenge and an opportunity; with no author to interview, to present at book shop readings or market through media appearances, Norstedts invested over a million Swedish crowns in promoting advance copies, building a detailed website about Larsson and the book series, and working with advertising companies to maintain the ocus o the launch on word o mouth, ensuring that the question marks over the author’s death were allowed to linger, and thereby provide readers with the sense that clues to Larsson’s ate may be traceable in the text. Bloggers were the frst to pick up on this and consequently the reputation o the series rose rapidly. Exposure became more prominent, enough to make The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo the frst novel by a Swedish writer to debut at number our on The New York Times bestseller’s list. The interest has not lessened in the time since the books were frst published. Barely a week passes still without some new sales record being broken somewhere in the world. The flm versions have gone on to win awards and smash box ofce records around Europe. When Larsson died, he let behind the two sequels to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Tattoo, plus an unfnished manuscript or another on his laptop. He did not, however, leave behind a will, which means that under Swedish law, Larsson's longterm partner, Eva Gabrielsson, has no recourse to Larsson’s now-substantial estate. While the money sits in the hands o

Larsson's ather and brother, Gabrielsson is trying to change the law in Sweden so that unmarried partners can pursue an inheritance in court. With the success o the Swedish-made flms – Niels Arden Oplev’s Swedish version o Dragon Tattoo ranked as the world’s second biggest earning independent flm o 2009 just behind Slumdog Millionaire – and heavy hints that David Fincher is set to convert at least the frst novel into an English language movie, possibly starring Daniel Craig, Larsson's estate is set air to get a whole lot bigger. It remains to be seen whether a U.S. flm version can retain the ingredients that have made the home grown flms stand out or international audiences. They possess an unfltered characteristic, bringing viewers starkly and oten brutally to the centre o the story in ways that most Hollywood thrillers ail to. They are also especially aithul to the original texts on which they have been based. The careul viral word o mouth campaign that has jumped rom print to flm has tapped into Larsson’s devoted an ollowing, converting the readership into viewers very succ essully. The rapid release o parts two and three in cinemas will surely keep this momentum going. What o the incomplete ourth instalment? Will it see the light o day? Can we expect a flm version? Larsson’s blood relatives, who currently own the rights, reportedly don't want to see it published, and Gabrielsson won't comment. She plans to commit her opinions on this and many other things to a memoir she's writing about her experiences. When this book comes out, it will only add to the ascination with Larsson. ‘People still whisper about the mysterious

‘W know that [foul play]  not th ca, but t add to th drama and mytry of who h wa and what h dd: th juggrnaut that  now th Mllnnum trlogy trlogy.’.’

(top) noomi rapace as lisbeth salander (above) michael nyQvist as mikael blomkvist


circumstances surrounding his death,’ says publicist Paul Bogaards, reerring to the conspiracy theories that have circulated since Larsson passed away. ‘We know that [o ul play] is not the case, but it adds to the drama and mystery o who he was and what he did: the juggernaut that is now the Millennium trilogy.’ [tbp] The Girl who Played with Fire is in UK cinemas rom 14 August.


29

no film made in the second

Bonnie and Clyde brought

unprecedented sex, violence and vitality to the screen, and became the catalyst for Hollywood’s Second Golden Age. s c o t t j o r d a n h a r r i s hops up on its running board.

Live fast 1000 words moments that changed cinema forever

die young Bonnie and Clyde and the Birth of New Hollywood

left faye dunnaway and warren beatty as the titular anti-heroes above the end of the road


hal o the twentieth century proved as pronounced a turning point or American movies as 1967’s Bonnie and Clyde. Many o those people important to the project (Warren Beatty, Robert Towne, Faye Dunaway, Gene Hackman, Dede Allen, etc.) would later make many o the most radical and eective flms o the New Hollywood era (Reds, The Godfather, Chinatown, Network, The French Connection, Dog Day Afternoon ) But, monumental as those specifc flms are, they are ar less signifcant than the impact Bonnie and Clyde had upon U.S. cinema in general. As with practically all moments that changed flm – or, indeed, anything – orever, Bonnie and Clyde could perhaps have been predicted. The sexual and social liberation o the 1960s, paired with souring o American optimism brought about by the mounting horror o the Vietnam War, meant that the mood or such a movie had been spreading or several years. Equally, while Bonnie and Clyde’s style – most obviously its rapid and abrupt editing – may have appeared entirely original to audiences un-versed in international cinema, it was appropriated rom the French New Wave and marked an almost inevitable importation o some o the movement’s values. (The inuence o Francois Truaut and JeanLuc Godard, and particularly o the latter’s A bout de soufé, is evident rom quite literally the flm’s frst seconds to quite literally its last). But, while the elements o Bonnie and Clyde were already oating in the cinematic atmosphere, it took a special crew o flmmakers to combine them into an urgent and entertaining masterpiece that sparked vast and ir reversible change in American flm. Bonnie and Clyde took an obviously European style and paired it with an unmistakably American story; it took advantage o receding prudery and presented an unpleasant


31

➜

no film made in the second

Bonnie and Clyde brought

unprecedented sex, violence and vitality to the screen, and became the catalyst for Hollywood’s Second Golden Age. s c o t t j o r d a n h a r r i s hops up on its running board.

Live fast 1000 words moments that changed cinema forever

die young Bonnie and Clyde and the Birth of New Hollywood

left faye dunnaway and warren beatty as the titular anti-heroes above the end of the road

hal o the twentieth century proved as pronounced a turning point or American movies as 1967’s Bonnie and Clyde. Many o those people important to the project (Warren Beatty, Robert Towne, Faye Dunaway, Gene Hackman, Dede Allen, etc.) would later make many o the most radical and eective flms o the New Hollywood era (Reds, The Godfather, Chinatown, Network, The French Connection, Dog Day Afternoon ) But, monumental as those specifc flms are, they are ar less signifcant than the impact Bonnie and Clyde had upon U.S. cinema in general. As with practically all moments that changed flm – or, indeed, anything – orever, Bonnie and Clyde could perhaps have been predicted. The sexual and social liberation o the 1960s, paired with souring o American optimism brought about by the mounting horror o the Vietnam War, meant that the mood or such a movie had been spreading or several years. Equally, while Bonnie and Clyde’s style – most obviously its rapid and abrupt editing – may have appeared entirely original to audiences un-versed in international cinema, it was appropriated rom the French New Wave and marked an almost inevitable importation o some o the movement’s values. (The inuence o Francois Truaut and JeanLuc Godard, and particularly o the latter’s A bout de soufé, is evident rom quite literally the flm’s frst seconds to quite literally its last). But, while the elements o Bonnie and Clyde were already oating in the cinematic atmosphere, it took a special crew o flmmakers to combine them into an urgent and entertaining masterpiece that sparked vast and ir reversible change in American flm. Bonnie and Clyde took an obviously European style and paired it with an unmistakably American story; it took advantage o receding prudery and presented an unpleasant



left the getaway below left william holden in the wild bunch

1000 words Bonnie And clyde

portrait o societal decay. The result was a work that did not seem ahead o its time, but absolutely o its time: it made the flms with which it shared cinemas seem listless and suddenly outdated. Bonnie and Clyde’s most obvious departure rom flmic norms was the insistence o its director, Arthur Penn, upon deying the convention that an image o a gun being fred and its bullet hitting its human target be separated by a cut. (Think o the classic shootout in westerns. Typically, a gunslinger draws and fres in one shot; there is then a cut, and the victim o the shooting is seen clutching the injured area and collapsing). In Bonnie and Clyde, we see characters – including Faye Dunaway’s beautiul and ragile Bonnie – shot onscreen as we would see them shot in lie; the impact, on them and us, un-cushioned by any editorial sleight o scissors. Producer-star Warren Beatty’s original idea that the flm be shot in black and white would have robbed it o its colour both literally and fguratively. Here, or once, was blood that was red and prouse, that was not hidden by the sel-censorship o the flmmaker, and could not be

31

avoided by the eyes o the audience. The ‘Bonnie and Clyde eect’ altered not only the flms Hollywood was willing to make, but also those it was willing to honour as its best work. Although Clyde did not win its year’s Academy Award or Best Picture, it was heavily nominated at the ceremony. (From ten nominations or nine awards, it won twice; Estelle Parsons took Best Supporting Actress and Burnett Guey Best Cinematography). Its inuence on the ideas o Oscar voters, however, is evidenced not by the Academy Awards it won, but by the shit in the kinds o flms that won in subsequent years. A couple o years beore Bonnie and Clyde, the uy amily musicals My Fair Lady and The Sound of Music had back-to-back wins or Best Picture. A couple o years ater it, the top Oscar went to Midnight Cowboy, a tragic X-rated drama about a penniless male prostitute and his crippled companion. What’s more, this began a

Image courtesy leclisse.wordpress.com

onnie and lyde ’ ’ mot

obou dpartur from lmc norm wa th ntnc of t drctor drctor,, Arthur Pnn, upon dfyng th connton that an mag of a gun bng rd and t bullt httng t human targt b paratd by a cut.

decade that brought Best Picture wins or explicitly adult-themed flms – like The Godfather Parts I and II , One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and The Deer Hunter – that simply would not have been made pre-Bonnie and Clyde. This is not to imply that the flm only inspired change by bringing about major studio eatures that were suddenly gritty and newly grubby: its anti-establishment sensibility inspired flms ar soter than it; Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid being the best example. Nor was its impact elt only at the top o American movies. That same anti-establishment sensibility, combined with the flm’s pioneering representati representation on o violence, created the conditions or the explosion o exploitation pictures in the 1970s, and or Blaxploitation in particular. (The inuence o Penn’s picture on the most inuential o Blaxploitation flms, Sweet Sweetback’s Badassss Song , is obvious and unrelenting). Furthermore, the flm’s overt expressions o sexuality (a key subplot ollows Bonnie’s attempts to cure Clyde o impotence; a key scene shows oral sex) were crucial in leading to the adjustment in attitudes that briey moved pornography into the American mainstream. The sexual rustration that gives Bonnie and Clyde much o its charge (and is practically its frst concern: the opening scene shows a naked Bonnie lying alone and thumping

L U P R O L L U P, R O L her bed with undisguised rustration) was ully released in hardcore classics like 1972’s Deep Throat and Behind the Green Door and 1973’s The Devil in Miss Jones. What makes Bonnie and Clyde an important flm now, rather than simply a flm that was important then, is that it remains utterly untarnished. Bonnie and Clyde is one o the greatest triumphs o American moviemaking, a flm vivid and thrilling and unny and rightening and entirely unorgettable. unorgettable. It is a cliché to write o a flm ‘that still eels resh’ decades ater it was made (and, in this case, decades ater it opened pathways down which other flms went ar urther than it did) but sometimes clichés are unavoidable. No matter how oten we watch it, or how aware we are o its inuence, Bonnie and Clyde still shocks us with the excitement o the undiscovered. So many o the movie’s merits are summed up in its last minutes. Bonnie and Clyde’s fnal, horrendously violent and intensely sexual sequence was the reerence point or James Caan’s classic death scene in The Godfather , and the inspiration or the aesthetic that quickly created The Wild Bunch and went onto inuence all screen violence thereater. Subsequently, it remains one o the most important scenes in cinema: a perectly appropriate climax to one o the most important flms in the world. [tbp]

S U M M E R HE TH IN T

C I N E M RA L D

W O S E E T H E C I T Y E C T H E G T A V I N G

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O F F I C X O . U K B O X G. U . O R G T. O G F T W.. G W W W

SUMMER SUNDA Y S

W hat be in the sunshine than w ith an ar thouse classic at th the e GFT? So sit back , r ela x a x and en j jo oy y tthe best fi film lms s of f tthe past 30 y ear s back k o on th the e big scr een, as chosen by y G GFT’s Facebook k a and Tw itter r f f r rien i ends. W ith f av our ites su c h a s Am A melie, T r r ai ai n sp spo ot t t i in g , A All ll Abou t M t M y y M M oth the er and T hr ee C olo lou u r r s: B lue th the er e r eally ly iis no ex cuse f or r n not joinin ing g us!

tte ter r w w ay y tto cool of f a f af ter r a Film Season: a la laz zy y S Sunday

Rithy Pahn 13 to 29 June 2010

FRIENDS AND FA MILY Y T TICKET DEAL

W e’r e of fer fby er Alliance ing any ing Supported Fransaise Glasgow and y 4 4 tick etsde for fo r £ £20 f or r e ev er y y scre ree ening in our r S Summer r S Sunday s pro Culturesfrance. rog gr amme. All tick ets must be bou ght in one tr ansactio ion n eit ith her r o onlin ine e or r a at box x o off ice ice. En j jo oy !

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[B] Read asy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll Generation Changed


Hollywood by Peter Biskind

BOX OFFICE 0141 332 6535 BUY ONLINE Glasgow FilmTICKETS Theatre (known as GFT) is a WWW.GFT.ORG.UK charity registered in Scotland, No SCO05932

➜

left the getaway below left william holden in the wild bunch

1000 words Bonnie And clyde

portrait o societal decay. The result was a work that did not seem ahead o its time, but absolutely o its time: it made the flms with which it shared cinemas seem listless and suddenly outdated. Bonnie and Clyde’s most obvious departure rom flmic norms was the insistence o its director, Arthur Penn, upon deying the convention that an image o a gun being fred and its bullet hitting its human target be separated by a cut. (Think o the classic shootout in westerns. Typically, a gunslinger draws and fres in one shot; there is then a cut, and the victim o the shooting is seen clutching the injured area and collapsing). In Bonnie and Clyde, we see characters – including Faye Dunaway’s beautiul and ragile Bonnie – shot onscreen as we would see them shot in lie; the impact, on them and us, un-cushioned by any editorial sleight o scissors. Producer-star Warren Beatty’s original idea that the flm be shot in black and white would have robbed it o its colour both literally and fguratively. Here, or once, was blood that was red and prouse, that was not hidden by the sel-censorship o the flmmaker, and could not be

avoided by the eyes o the audience. The ‘Bonnie and Clyde eect’ altered not only the flms Hollywood was willing to make, but also those it was willing to honour as its best work. Although Clyde did not win its year’s Academy Award or Best Picture, it was heavily nominated at the ceremony. (From ten nominations or nine awards, it won twice; Estelle Parsons took Best Supporting Actress and Burnett Guey Best Cinematography). Its inuence on the ideas o Oscar voters, however, is evidenced not by the Academy Awards it won, but by the shit in the kinds o flms that won in subsequent years. A couple o years beore Bonnie and Clyde, the uy amily musicals My Fair Lady and The Sound of Music had back-to-back wins or Best Picture. A couple o years ater it, the top Oscar went to Midnight Cowboy, a tragic X-rated drama about a penniless male prostitute and his crippled companion. What’s more, this began a

Image courtesy leclisse.wordpress.com

onnie and lyde ’ ’ mot

obou dpartur from lmc norm wa th ntnc of t drctor drctor,, Arthur Pnn, upon dfyng th connton that an mag of a gun bng rd and t bullt httng t human targt b paratd by a cut.

decade that brought Best Picture wins or explicitly adult-themed flms – like The Godfather Parts I and II , One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and The Deer Hunter – that simply would not have been made pre-Bonnie and Clyde. This is not to imply that the flm only inspired change by bringing about major studio eatures that were suddenly gritty and newly grubby: its anti-establishment sensibility inspired flms ar soter than it; Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid being the best example. Nor was its impact elt only at the top o American movies. That same anti-establishment sensibility, combined with the flm’s pioneering representati representation on o violence, created the conditions or the explosion o exploitation pictures in the 1970s, and or Blaxploitation in particular. (The inuence o Penn’s picture on the most inuential o Blaxploitation flms, Sweet Sweetback’s Badassss Song , is obvious and unrelenting). Furthermore, the flm’s overt expressions o sexuality (a key subplot ollows Bonnie’s attempts to cure Clyde o impotence; a key scene shows oral sex) were crucial in leading to the adjustment in attitudes that briey moved pornography into the American mainstream. The sexual rustration that gives Bonnie and Clyde much o its charge (and is practically its frst concern: the opening scene shows a naked Bonnie lying alone and thumping

L U P R O L L U P, R O L her bed with undisguised rustration) was ully released in hardcore classics like 1972’s Deep Throat and Behind the Green Door and 1973’s The Devil in Miss Jones. What makes Bonnie and Clyde an important flm now, rather than simply a flm that was important then, is that it remains utterly untarnished. Bonnie and Clyde is one o the greatest triumphs o American moviemaking, a flm vivid and thrilling and unny and rightening and entirely unorgettable. unorgettable. It is a cliché to write o a flm ‘that still eels resh’ decades ater it was made (and, in this case, decades ater it opened pathways down which other flms went ar urther than it did) but sometimes clichés are unavoidable. No matter how oten we watch it, or how aware we are o its inuence, Bonnie and Clyde still shocks us with the excitement o the undiscovered. So many o the movie’s merits are summed up in its last minutes. Bonnie and Clyde’s fnal, horrendously violent and intensely sexual sequence was the reerence point or James Caan’s classic death scene in The Godfather , and the inspiration or the aesthetic that quickly created The Wild Bunch and went onto inuence all screen violence thereater. Subsequently, it remains one o the most important scenes in cinema: a perectly appropriate climax to one o the most important flms in the world. [tbp]

S U M M E R HE TH IN T

C I N E M RA L D

W O S E E T H E C I T Y E C T H E G T V A I N G

EA W I T H O U T L E

F I L MS T F A T EA G R E S LS A L EA D E T D T I C K E T

C O L D B E E R A MS EA I C E C R E

S ! US U MA R V E L L O MA

A T R E EA T H E M T F I L M W F AS G O W LA G L T G A L L A T 5 35 5 3 65 2 6 3 3 2 1 3 0 1 4 1 E 0 E

O F F I C X O . U K B O X G. U . O R G T. O G F T W.. G W W W

SUMMER SUNDA Y S

W hat be in the sunshine than w ith an ar thouse classic at th the e GFT? So sit back , r ela x a x and en j jo oy y tthe best fi film lms s of f tthe past 30 y ear s back k o on th the e big scr een, as chosen by y G GFT’s Facebook k a a nd Tw itter r f f r rien i ends. W ith f av our ites su ch as Am A melie, T r r ai ai n sp spo ot t t i in g , A All ll Abou t M t M y y M M oth the er and T hr ee C olo lou u r r s: B lue th the er e r eally ly iis no ex cuse f or r n not joinin ing g us!

tte ter r w w ay y tto cool of f a f af ter r a Film Season: a la laz zy y S Sunday

Rithy Pahn 13 to 29 June 2010

FRIENDS AND FA MILY Y T TICKET DEAL

W e’r e of fer fby er Alliance ing any ing Supported Fransaise Glasgow and y 4 4 tick etsde for fo r £ £20 f or r e ev er y y scre ree ening in our r S Summer r S Sunday s pro Culturesfrance. rog gr amme. All tick ets must be bou ght in one tr ansactio ion n eit ith her r o onlin ine e or r a at box x o off ice ice. En j jo oy !

GLASGOW FILM THEATRE

go further...

[B] Read asy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll Generation Changed

BOX OFFICE 0141 332 6535

Hollywood by Peter Biskind

BUY ONLINE Glasgow FilmTICKETS Theatre (known as GFT) is a WWW.GFT.ORG.UK charity registered in Scotland, No SCO05932


opposite alberto closas below lucia bosé

on locAtion the places that make the movies

e 66

Cutting straight through the heart of America, Route 66 is a man-made wonder that has become synonymous with the idea of travel and triumph. n i c h o l a s p a g e takes a brief road trip down this lengthy memory lane.

He APes F WAH (1940) Dir. John Ford USA, 128 minutes Starring Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, John Carradine


Beore becoming the backdrop or many a memorable road trip, Route 66 was the main path or poor Dust Bowl migrants in the 1930s. Director John Ford highlights this in The Grapes of Wrath (1940), which was adapted rom John Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prizewinning novel o the same name. The flm stars Henry Fonda as Tom Joad, an ex-convict and head o a desperate Oklahoma amily, who lose their arm during the Great Depression and are orced to move across America to Caliornia in order to fnd work.


35

➜

opposite alberto closas below lucia bosé


e 66

Cutting straight through the heart of America, Route 66 is a man-made wonder that has become synonymous with the idea of travel and triumph. n i c h o l a s p a g e takes a brief road trip down this lengthy memory lane.

He APes F WAH (1940) Dir. John Ford USA, 128 minutes Starring Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, John Carradine

Beore becoming the backdrop or many a memorable road trip, Route 66 was the main path or poor Dust Bowl migrants in the 1930s. Director John Ford highlights this in The Grapes of Wrath (1940), which was adapted rom John Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prizewinning novel o the same name. The flm stars Henry Fonda as Tom Joad, an ex-convict and head o a desperate Oklahoma amily, who lose their arm during the Great Depression and are orced to move across America to Caliornia in order to fnd work.



Pee-Wee's i ADvee (1985) Dir. Tim Burton USA, 90 minutes Starring Paul Reubens, Elizabeth Daily, Mark Holton


clockwise from below two lane blacktop kalifornia pee wee's big adventure

35

W-LAe LAKP (1971) Dir. Monte Hellman USA, 102 minutes Starring James Taylor, Warren Oates, Dennis Wilson Despite not being a commercial success when frst released, Two-Lane o-Lane Blacktop director Monte Hellman’s road movie Tw (1971) is these days considered a cult classic. Featuring a gruelling race across the southwest between a ’55 Chevy and a ’70 GTO, the flm stars James Taylor and Dennis Wilson as an unnamed driver and mechanic. Ater pitting their grey Chevy against many unworthy opponents, they meet Warren Oates’ GTO and set o on a race towards Washington with the winner set to take home both cars.

Marking the debut o acclaimed director Tim Burton, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985) sees actor Paul Reubens reprise his popular stand-up character o odd man-child Pee-wee, whose tranquil yet bizarre home lie is interrupted when his prize red bicycle is stolen. Ater initially suspecting that a particularly mean neighbour is the thie, Pee-wee then turns to a psychic to help him. From here, he sets o on a trip across America in search o his lost bike, encountering many equally strange and wonderul characters.

KALiFiA (1993) Dir. Dominic Sena USA, 117 minutes Starring Brad Pitt, David Duchovny, Juliette Lewis

Music-video director Dominic Sena’s debut flm, Kalifornia (1993), eatures Michelle Forbes and David Duchovny as a photographer-writer couple who plan to road trip their way across the USA to Caliornia, creating a book about known serial killer sites in the progress. In order to share on travel expenses, they invite along another couple played by Brad Pitt and Juliette Lewis. What What starts as an amicable journey soon turns into a nightmare, as the young researchers begin to realise just how close they are to their serial killer topic.


go further...

[FILM ] Cars (John Lasseter, 2006)

[B ] Route 66: An American Bad Dream (Stefan luge, 2004) [FILM ] The Blues Brothers (John Landis, 1980) July/August 2010 July/August 2010

37

➜

Pee-Wee's i ADvee (1985)

on locAtion

Dir. Tim Burton USA, 90 minutes Starring Paul Reubens, Elizabeth Daily, Mark Holton

the places that make the movies

clockwise from below two lane blacktop kalifornia pee wee's big adventure

W-LAe LAKP (1971) Dir. Monte Hellman USA, 102 minutes Starring James Taylor, Warren Oates, Dennis Wilson Despite not being a commercial success when frst released, Two-Lane o-Lane Blacktop director Monte Hellman’s road movie Tw (1971) is these days considered a cult classic. Featuring a gruelling race across the southwest between a ’55 Chevy and a ’70 GTO, the flm stars James Taylor and Dennis Wilson as an unnamed driver and mechanic. Ater pitting their grey Chevy against many unworthy opponents, they meet Warren Oates’ GTO and set o on a race towards Washington with the winner set to take home both cars.

Marking the debut o acclaimed director Tim Burton, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985) sees actor Paul Reubens reprise his popular stand-up character o odd man-child Pee-wee, whose tranquil yet bizarre home lie is interrupted when his prize red bicycle is stolen. Ater initially suspecting that a particularly mean neighbour is the thie, Pee-wee then turns to a psychic to help him. From here, he sets o on a trip across America in search o his lost bike, encountering many equally strange and wonderul characters.

KALiFiA (1993) Dir. Dominic Sena USA, 117 minutes Starring Brad Pitt, David Duchovny, Juliette Lewis

Music-video director Dominic Sena’s debut flm, Kalifornia (1993), eatures Michelle Forbes and David Duchovny as a photographer-writer couple who plan to road trip their way across the USA to Caliornia, creating a book about known serial killer sites in the progress. In order to share on travel expenses, they invite along another couple played by Brad Pitt and Juliette Lewis. What What starts as an amicable journey soon turns into a nightmare, as the young researchers begin to realise just how close they are to their serial killer topic.

go further...

[FILM ] Cars (John Lasseter, 2006)

[B ] Route 66: An American Bad Dream (Stefan luge, 2004) [FILM ] The Blues Brothers (John Landis, 1980)



37

screengem evocative objects onscreen

Casually chosen by a producer returning a favour, this four-wheeled mean machine was the souped-up star of a 70s classic beloved by B-movie enthusiasts and pertrolheads alike. d a n i e l s t e a d m a n slides behind the wheel.



1970

Dodge Challenger Vanishing Point (1971)

the dodge challenger

is the kind o car that unmistakeably evokes its era. Although Richard C. Sarafan’s nihilistic 1971 road movie has no shortage o period detail – jive-talking soul brothers; killer olk/ unk soundtrack; almighty Woodstock hangover – nothing locates us more frmly in the swinging Seventies than the muscular cool o the Challenger. The 1970 model’s cult status was achieved largely by accident when Fox executive Richard Zanuck decided to repay years o cut-price Chrysler rentals by making his next picture a pretty straightorward commercial or the company, with the latest Dodge as the ocal point. As with any great sell, the reveal is slow. Minutes o run-time elapse, deep in the Nevada dusk, beore the object hurtling across the lonesome highways takes shape. As night becomes day, a police chopper descends on a speeding suspect. As it closes in, flmmaker and viewer unite in leering at the automobile: the characteristic white body; the sleek, compact rame; the thunderous, stirring engine roar. Mysteriously watched by pirate DJ Super Soul – who describes it as a ‘soul machine’ – the Challenger mirrors the unknowable cool o its driver, Kowalski (Barry Newman). Here, the road isn’t a cheap metaphor or a romantic escape: it’s a bleak and heartless reality. Ater loss, dishonour and injustice, Kowalski’s journey is an aront to everything and a solution to nothing. Like its driver, the Challenger intrigues without ostentation and inspires without explanation. [tbp]

kobal

seemore see more


Bullitt (Peter Yates, 1968) / The Blues Brothers (John Landis, 1980) / Death Proof (Tarantino, 2007) July/August 2010 July/August 2010

39

screengem evocative objects onscreen

Casually chosen by a producer returning a favour, this four-wheeled mean machine was the souped-up star of a 70s classic beloved by B-movie enthusiasts and pertrolheads alike. d a n i e l s t e a d m a n slides behind the wheel.



1970

Dodge Challenger Vanishing Point (1971)

the dodge challenger

is the kind o car that unmistakeably evokes its era. Although Richard C. Sarafan’s nihilistic 1971 road movie has no shortage o period detail – jive-talking soul brothers; killer olk/ unk soundtrack; almighty Woodstock hangover – nothing locates us more frmly in the swinging Seventies than the muscular cool o the Challenger. The 1970 model’s cult status was achieved largely by accident when Fox executive Richard Zanuck decided to repay years o cut-price Chrysler rentals by making his next picture a pretty straightorward commercial or the company, with the latest Dodge as the ocal point. As with any great sell, the reveal is slow. Minutes o run-time elapse, deep in the Nevada dusk, beore the object hurtling across the lonesome highways takes shape. As night becomes day, a police chopper descends on a speeding suspect. As it closes in, flmmaker and viewer unite in leering at the automobile: the characteristic white body; the sleek, compact rame; the thunderous, stirring engine roar. Mysteriously watched by pirate DJ Super Soul – who describes it as a ‘soul machine’ – the Challenger mirrors the unknowable cool o its driver, Kowalski (Barry Newman). Here, the road isn’t a cheap metaphor or a romantic escape: it’s a bleak and heartless reality. Ater loss, dishonour and injustice, Kowalski’s journey is an aront to everything and a solution to nothing. Like its driver, the Challenger intrigues without ostentation and inspires without explanation. [tbp]

kobal

seemore see more

Bullitt (Peter Yates, 1968) / The Blues Brothers (John Landis, 1980) / Death Proof (Tarantino, 2007)



39

Intellect Bs & Jnals publishers of original thinking thinking | www.inte www.intellectbooks.com llectbooks.com

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Do you have an original idea the world simply needs to know about? We are here to support your ideas and get them published. To send us yournewbookor journalproposals, pleasedownloada questionnaire re from: www.intellectbooks.com ectbooks.com

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The Danish Diects 2 Dialogues on the New Danish Fiction Cinema

Stdies in Easten Epean Cinema

Edited by Mette Hjort, Eva Novrup Redvall and Eva Joerholt

Principal Editor: John Cunningham Associate Editor: Ewa Mazierska

ISBN 9781841502717 Paperback | £14.95

ISSN 2040350X 2 issues per volume

Over the last two decades or so, the New Danish Cinema has established itself as an important source of cinematic renewal and innovation,, and as a model for how small, innovation minor or peripheral cinemas can survive in an industry dominated by Global Hollywood. Following in the footsteps of criticallyacclaimedThe acclaimed The Danish Directors (also published by Intellect Intellect),), The Danish Directors 2 provides a practitioner’s perspective on the social, cultural, and economic milieus in which Danish film-makers have been able to develop their practice, and to thrive.

In the years since the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the political changes of 1989–90, there has been a growing interest in the cinemas of the former countries of the Eastern bloc. Studies in Eastern European Cinema provides a dynamic and innovative discursive discursive focus for this growing community of scholars, and covers all aspects of film culture including production,distribution,consumptionand analysis.

The Film Paintings f David Lynch Challenging Film Theory

Cinema and Landscape Film, Nation and Cultural Geography

By Allister Mactaggart

Edited by Graeme Harper and Jonathan Rayner

ISBN 9781841503325 Paperback | £14.95

New Iish Stytelles Narrative Strategies in Film

Dn’t L Nw British Cinema in the 1970s

By Díóg O’Connell

Edited by Paul Newland

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NEW 2011 JourNALS

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Jnal f Afican Cinemas

JnalfScandinavianCinema

ISSN 20403526 2 issues per volume


17549221 2 issues per volume


Intellect Bs & Jnals publishers of original thinking thinking | www.inte www.intellectbooks.com llectbooks.com

NEW Book

Do you have an original idea the world simply needs to know about? We are here to support your ideas and get them published. To send us yournewbookor journalproposals, pleasedownloada questionnaire re from: www.intellectbooks.com ectbooks.com

To view our catalogue or order our books and journals visit: www.intellectbs.cm Intellect, The Mill, Parnall Road, Fishponds,Bristol,BS163JG. Tel: +44 (0) 117 9589910 Fax: +44 (0) 117 9589911

The Danish Diects 2 Dialogues on the New Danish Fiction Cinema

Stdies in Easten Epean Cinema

Edited by Mette Hjort, Eva Novrup Redvall and Eva Joerholt

Principal Editor: John Cunningham Associate Editor: Ewa Mazierska

ISBN 9781841502717 Paperback | £14.95

ISSN 2040350X 2 issues per volume

Over the last two decades or so, the New Danish Cinema has established itself as an important source of cinematic renewal and innovation,, and as a model for how small, innovation minor or peripheral cinemas can survive in an industry dominated by Global Hollywood. Following in the footsteps of criticallyacclaimedThe acclaimed The Danish Directors (also published by Intellect Intellect),), The Danish Directors 2 provides a practitioner’s perspective on the social, cultural, and economic milieus in which Danish film-makers have been able to develop their practice, and to thrive.

In the years since the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the political changes of 1989–90, there has been a growing interest in the cinemas of the former countries of the Eastern bloc. Studies in Eastern European Cinema provides a dynamic and innovative discursive discursive focus for this growing community of scholars, and covers all aspects of film culture including production,distribution,consumptionand analysis.

The Film Paintings f David Lynch Challenging Film Theory

Cinema and Landscape Film, Nation and Cultural Geography

By Allister Mactaggart

Edited by Graeme Harper and Jonathan Rayner

ISBN 9781841503325 Paperback | £14.95

New Iish Stytelles Narrative Strategies in Film

Dn’t L Nw British Cinema in the 1970s

By Díóg O’Connell

Edited by Paul Newland

ISBN 9781841503127 Paperback | £14.95

ISBN 9781841503202 Paperback | £19.95

ISBN 9781841503097 Paperback | £14.95

NEW 2011 JourNALS

NEW 2011 JourNALS

Tansnatinal Cinemas

Sht Film Stdies

Jnal f Afican Cinemas

JnalfScandinavianCinema



17549221 2 issues per volume


pArting shot imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

curiosity-fuelled folly

has driven narratives throughout the history o cinema. The gaga-noir Kiss Me Deadly (Aldrich, 1955) draws explicitly rom, and alludes to, the mythical story o the unortunate Pandora. Pandora. Despite repeated warnings, the villainous Gabrielle (Gaby Rodgers) is unable to resist the impulse to open the valuable, glowing case o which she has seized charge – with explosive consequence consequences. s. In one o its many moments o meta-magnifcence, Pulp Fiction (Tarantino, 1994) aectionately appropriates Kiss Me Deadly ’s illuminated case, reinventing it as its own ‘MacGufn’. Leaving aside the gun battle that accompanies its retrieval, the case’s contents are reworked as something undoubtedly more benign and yet utterly mysterious, encouraging multiple

soul gLow Cinema has repeatedly re-imagined the myth of Pandora’s Box in the form of an ominous glow emanating from a case or trunk. e m m a s i m m o n d s lifts the lid. interpretations o what they may be. Amongst the most interesting theories posited is that the briecase contains crime overlord Marcellus Wallace’s soul – a possibility perhaps suggested by the plaster across the back o his neck, placed as i a terribly neat extraction has taken place. Ten years earlier, the deliciously deranged, sci-f oddity Repo Man (Cox, 1984) placed its glowing matter inside the boot o a Chevy Malibu driven by a maniacal scientist pursued by psychotic government agents, UFO nuts and uber-competitive repo men. All that remains o the frst curious customer to witness the lethal, possibly extraterrestrial, cargo are his boots let smoking on the highway. [tbp]

Dpt rpatd warnng, th llanou abrll (aby odgr)  unabl to rt th mpul to opn th aluabl, glowng ca... clockwise from left kiss me deadly / pulp fiction / repo man



43

pArting shot imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

soul gLow

curiosity-fuelled folly

has driven narratives throughout the history o cinema. The gaga-noir Kiss Me Deadly (Aldrich, 1955) draws explicitly rom, and alludes to, the mythical story o the unortunate Pandora. Pandora. Despite repeated warnings, the villainous Gabrielle (Gaby Rodgers) is unable to resist the impulse to open the valuable, glowing case o which she has seized charge – with explosive consequence consequences. s. In one o its many moments o meta-magnifcence, Pulp Fiction (Tarantino, 1994) aectionately appropriates Kiss Me Deadly ’s illuminated case, reinventing it as its own ‘MacGufn’. Leaving aside the gun battle that accompanies its retrieval, the case’s contents are reworked as something undoubtedly more benign and yet utterly mysterious, encouraging multiple

Cinema has repeatedly re-imagined the myth of Pandora’s Box in the form of an ominous glow emanating from a case or trunk. e m m a s i m m o n d s lifts the lid. interpretations o what they may be. Amongst the most interesting theories posited is that the briecase contains crime overlord Marcellus Wallace’s soul – a possibility perhaps suggested by the plaster across the back o his neck, placed as i a terribly neat extraction has taken place. Ten years earlier, the deliciously deranged, sci-f oddity Repo Man (Cox, 1984) placed its glowing matter inside the boot o a Chevy Malibu driven by a maniacal scientist pursued by psychotic government agents, UFO nuts and uber-competitive repo men. All that remains o the frst curious customer to witness the lethal, possibly extraterrestrial, cargo are his boots let smoking on the highway. [tbp]

Dpt rpatd warnng, th llanou abrll (aby odgr)  unabl to rt th mpul to opn th aluabl, glowng ca... clockwise from left kiss me deadly / pulp fiction / repo man



competition

Picture his

43

Backpages

Go Further www.thebigpicturemagazine.com

Getting involved with...

   would you like to contribute to The Big Picture magazine? We’re always on the lookout or enthusiastic lm-lovers with a passion and fair or the written word. So, i this sounds like you, then simply send us a ew examples o your writing along with a short personal bio to:

download issues you may have missed

A complete back issue archive Print issues o The Big Picture get snapped up pretty ast, so i you missed out - simply visit the downloads section o the website to catch up on all content rom past issues.

Gabriel Solomons, Senior Editor [email protected]

whAt? Y

Name the lm, director and lead actor (above) for a chance to win a copy of an intellect lm book of your choice. To see what’s available, visit the intellect website to view all recent and past titles: w w w . i n t e l l e c t b o o k s . c o m

join the big picture family

when? Y

email answers to: [email protected] DADLI FOR RIS: 21 AS, 2010


The writing’s on the wall

read our latest articles

Read some o the nest writing on lm by our growing team o ridiculously talented contributors, with regular posts satiating even the most avid o lm-lovingappetites.

visit: www.thebigpicturemagazine.com


45

competition

Backpages

Picture his

Go Further www.thebigpicturemagazine.com

Getting involved with...

   would you like to contribute to The Big Picture magazine? We’re always on the lookout or enthusiastic lm-lovers with a passion and fair or the written word. So, i this sounds like you, then simply send us a ew examples o your writing along with a short personal bio to:

download issues you may have missed

A complete back issue archive Print issues o The Big Picture get snapped up pretty ast, so i you missed out - simply visit the downloads section o the website to catch up on all content rom past issues.

Gabriel Solomons, Senior Editor [email protected]

whAt? Y

Name the lm, director and lead actor (above) for a chance to win a copy of an intellect lm book of your choice. To see what’s available, visit the intellect website to view all recent and past titles: w w w . i n t e l l e c t b o o k s . c o m

join the big picture family

when? Y

The writing’s on the wall

email answers to: [email protected]

read our latest articles

DADLI FOR RIS: 21 AS, 2010

visit: www.thebigpicturemagazine.com


Backpages

Film Index

Back in Cinemas

So you’ve read about the lms, now go watch ‘em!

Putting the movies back where they belong...

The Girl who Played with Fire (2010) Dir. Daniel Alfredson

This edition o The Big Picture has been produced in partnership with Park Circus, who are committed to bringing classic lms back to the big screen.

g

see page 4/5

Five asy Pieces (1970) Dir. Bob Rafelson g

see page 6/7

Y Tu Mamá También (2001) Dir. Alfonso Cuarón g

see page 8

Detour (1945) dgar G. Ulmer g

see page 9

The Hitcher (1986) Dir. Robert Harmon g

see page 10

Feux Rouges (2004) Dir. Cédric ahn g

see page 11

Road to Singapore (1940) Dir. Victor Schertzinger g

see page 12/13

asy Rider (1969) Dir. Dennis Hopper g

see page 19

The Italian Job (1969) Dir. Peter Collinson g

see page 20

The Love Bug (1968) Dir. Robert Stevenson g

see page 21

Thelma and Louise (1991) Dirs. Ridley Scott g

see page 22

Read some o the nest writing on lm by our growing team o ridiculously talented contributors, with regular posts satiating even the most avid o lm-lovingappetites.

The Straight Story (1999) Dir. David Lynch g

see page 28/29

Bonnie and Clyde (1967) Dir. Arthur Penn g

see page 30/31

The ild Bunch (1969) Dir. Sam Peckinpah g

see page 32

The Grapes of rath (1940) Dir. John Ford g

see page 36

alifornia (1993) Dir. Dominic Sena g

see page 36

Two Lane Blacktop (1971) Dir. Monte Hellman g

see page 37

Vanishing Point (1971) Dir. Richard C. Saraan g

see page 38/39

iss Me Deadly (1955) Dir. Robert Aldrich g

see page 43

Repo Man (1984) Dir. Alex Cox g

the big picture issue 10 available 15 september 2010

coming soon

Director Bob Raelson's seminal portrait o a disaected America, Five Easy Pieces, will be back in cinemas this summer. With career-dening perormances rom its cast members Jack Nicholson and Karen Black, and an impressive soundtrack including Tammy Wynette's hit 'Stand By Your Man', this cult classic was originally released in 1970 to huge critical acclaim.

see page 42

Pulp Fiction (1994) Dir. Quentin Tarantino g

coming soon

see page 34

Pee-ee's Big Adventure (1985) Dir. Tim Burton g

coming soon

see page 43

In celebration o its 40th Anniversary, Five Easy Pieces has been extensively restored by Sony Pictures and will re-released rom 13 August at BFI Southbank, Filmhouse Edinburgh, Irish Film Institute and selected cinemas. More details o cinema screenings o these and other classic movies rom the Par k Circus catalogue can be accessed via: www.backincinemas.com

    The views and opinions o all texts, including editorial and regular columns, are those o the authors and do not necessarily represent or refect those o the editors or publishers.



45

Backpages

Film Index

Back in Cinemas

So you’ve read about the lms, now go watch ‘em!

Putting the movies back where they belong...

The Girl who Played with Fire (2010) Dir. Daniel Alfredson

This edition o The Big Picture has been produced in partnership with Park Circus, who are committed to bringing classic lms back to the big screen.

g

see page 4/5

Five asy Pieces (1970) Dir. Bob Rafelson g

see page 6/7

Y Tu Mamá También (2001) Dir. Alfonso Cuarón g

see page 8

Detour (1945) dgar G. Ulmer g

see page 9

The Hitcher (1986) Dir. Robert Harmon g

see page 10

Feux Rouges (2004) Dir. Cédric ahn g

see page 11

Road to Singapore (1940) Dir. Victor Schertzinger g

see page 12/13

asy Rider (1969) Dir. Dennis Hopper g

see page 19

The Italian Job (1969) Dir. Peter Collinson g

see page 20

The Love Bug (1968) Dir. Robert Stevenson g

see page 21

Thelma and Louise (1991) Dirs. Ridley Scott g

see page 22

The Straight Story (1999) Dir. David Lynch g

see page 28/29

Bonnie and Clyde (1967) Dir. Arthur Penn g

see page 30/31

The ild Bunch (1969) Dir. Sam Peckinpah g

see page 32

The Grapes of rath (1940) Dir. John Ford g

see page 36

alifornia (1993) Dir. Dominic Sena g

see page 36

Two Lane Blacktop (1971) Dir. Monte Hellman g

see page 37

Vanishing Point (1971) Dir. Richard C. Saraan g

see page 38/39

iss Me Deadly (1955) Dir. Robert Aldrich g

see page 43

Repo Man (1984) Dir. Alex Cox g

the big picture issue 10 available 15 september 2010

coming soon

Director Bob Raelson's seminal portrait o a disaected America, Five Easy Pieces, will be back in cinemas this summer. With career-dening perormances rom its cast members Jack Nicholson and Karen Black, and an impressive soundtrack including Tammy Wynette's hit 'Stand By Your Man', this cult classic was originally released in 1970 to huge critical acclaim.

see page 42

Pulp Fiction (1994) Dir. Quentin Tarantino g

coming soon

see page 34

Pee-ee's Big Adventure (1985) Dir. Tim Burton g

coming soon

see page 43

In celebration o its 40th Anniversary, Five Easy Pieces has been extensively restored by Sony Pictures and will re-released rom 13 August at BFI Southbank, Filmhouse Edinburgh, Irish Film Institute and selected cinemas. More details o cinema screenings o these and other classic movies rom the Par k Circus catalogue can be accessed via: www.backincinemas.com

    The views and opinions o all texts, including editorial and regular columns, are those o the authors and do not necessarily represent or refect those o the editors or publishers.


The Big Picture Issue 9

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