It is my unpleasant duty to report that Sanctum, which maybe could have been kind of fun, is, as a cinematic experience, in Orson Welles’ word, “unrewarding.” My review for MSN Movies is here.
I post the above not-quite-pulse-pounding image from the film in order to pose something of an inside-baseball question: is it just me, or is actor Ioan Gruffudd (in the foreground, with Rhys Wakefield in fuzzy focus) starting to look like a movie star version of celebrated indie entrepreneur John Sloss? Almost makes me wanna “put together” a “project” or something. A blogger can dream, can’t he?
Also at MSN Movies, I stay out past my bedtime and can’t get a word in with Greta Gerwig, with whom I was once acquainted socially, on the set of the remake of Arthur. With a bunch of other journalists, which is why the piece contains quotes you may have already seen. I know you’re never supposed to say never, again, and all that, but, you know…
Glenn, the “Frozen Peas Spot” is a great favorite with my sons, who have laughed along with Welles’ growing exasperation for a decade now on car trips. It reaches an early peak with this immortal comment: “Find me a way to start a sentence by emphasizing the word ‘in’ and I’ll go down on you.”
Indeed, Kent. I’m also very fond of the dark intonation of “Him. Your FRIEND.” And, of course, “That’s bad copy!” is immortal, and unfortunately too frequently useful.
Are you two excited and/or apprehensive about “The Other Side Of The Wind?”
“ ‘Crumb-crisp coating’…ooh, ‘crumb-crisp’ – that’s tough.”
Chris O., what exactly do you mean? Has another announcement been made? I haven’t heard anything. There have been so many attempts to get the film finished, circulated, incorporated in a documentary or some combination thereof that I will believe it when it actually happens.
Just this Guardian article that came out last week:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/jan/23/orson-welles-last-film-release
Has the same thing been said many times before (including the tease “we’ll know in a few weeks”)? The “raw footage” concern is interesting and I’m curious to know more.
I saw the announcement for this, too. I guess Gary Graver has been showing 20-odd minutes of this in different settings over the years, but I never thought there was enough workable footage for the work to be even remotely feature-length. Mo’ deets?
Of course, apropos the good doctor, I always think of John Candy’s peerless Welles on the promo for SCTV’s Liberace Xmas Special, sprechtsimmin’: “Good King Wenceslas looked out/On the Fest of Stephen/The snow laid roundabout/Deep, and crisp…and crunchy…‘Crunchy’? Did I say ‘crunchy’? I’m sorry, Lee…It’s the crew! I could never do Shakespeare with you people!”
“What is it you want, in the *depths* of your ignorance?” That, and the immortal “I’ll go down on you” are obviously the clear winners, but I’ve also always liked “It’s full of things that are only correct because they’re *grammatical*”, because Welles is getting into a distinction there that’s lost on too many people.
And I’m with Kent regarding THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND. I feel like Bogdanavich was saying the same stuff about 8 years ago. When reliable people start to confirm that they’ve seen it, then I’ll begin to believe.
ROOMMATE POWER.
Minka. Michalka. Meester.
Of course not one movie blog I read is talking about this movie.
So what if it wasn’t screened. Why wouldn’t a Wells or Turan or Poland go out and see it on their own dime?
LOOK AT THEM. Three of the hottest women ever all shiny in Screen Gems lighting, guaranteed #1 Movie this weekend. No one’s reviewing it.
MICHALKA POWER.
Now go get your fucking tire dealership, Lex POWER.
Wow, Lex. Oliver C REALLY doesn’t like you.
But lemme tell you: I am FEELING you on this whole “Roommate” business. You can just ask my MSN Movies editor (or you COULD ask, if I deigned to put you in touch with him, which there’s really no need for me to do), who would tell you how thoroughly disappointed I was to learn there were no screenings. And I TOTALLY would have been willing to go on my own dime, and write it up, had not circumstances thrown various monkey wrenches into my schedule all week. God knows it would have been a more useful and pleasurable expenditure of time this morning than sitting around waiting for a FedEx package while getting into a pissing match on Twitter turned out to be.
I may yet go see it this weekend. Or maybe buy a bootleg DVD from the lady who trolls up and down Court Street selling such items. I am actually eager to check it out, as they say.
Chris O., first of all I’m assuming you’ve seen the stuff that Welles screened during the AFI tribute, which is on YouTube. And I think there’s some other stuff on ONE-MAN BAND. All of it is dazzling.
The film does exist in some assembled form minus the last shot, which Peter B would presumably execute. But exactly what that form is and the degree to which it conforms to what Welles would have made is up for debate. And the material is tricky on so many different levels. At a certain point, there was a thought that the movie would remain unfinished and live within a documentary about the story of its lengthy gestation, its seizure by the French courts as a contested asset of the Iranian government after the Islamic revolution, and its final liberation. Over the years, there have been many, many attempts, involving Graver, Oja Kodar, Bogdanovich, Joe McBride and others (including (Stefan Droessler). At this point, even if the Shah’s daughter and Kodar come to an agreement, Beatrice Welles and her “lawyer” will undoubtedly step in put the squeeze on whoever comes forward with financing.
James, that’s one of my all-time favorite SCTV bits. “I’m sorry, Lee – no money is worth this.” (As he grabs a turkey leg while storming off.)
Thanks, Kent. I have seen the YouTube clips, but did not know that about a possible documentary where the film could be embedded. That alone (and, of course, all the possibilities therein) is an intriguing idea. But it sounds like there are more parties to contend with and satisfy than, say, those regarding Beatles rights. I assume announcements and articles such as the one I posted from the Guardian happen every once in a while to get the buzz going and the ball rolling as it were, whether true progress is made or not. Here’s hoping, though.
Speaking of “IN July”, I always thought the following was just glorious. God bless Maurice LaMarche and his obsession with that outtake.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlXEC8kcbqc