LOS ANGELES ITALIA FEST HIGHLIGHTS!

Angelica Huston and Franco Nero

The 9^th annual Los Angeles, Italia Fest opened on Sunday, February 23^rd, and closed Saturday night, March 1^st.  Held, as always, at the Chinese 6 Theatres at the Hollywood and Highland Center, in the heart of Hollywood, the yearly celebration of film, fashion and art attracts fans and stars, especially those with an Italian background, or an interest in Italian cinema.

With the Oscars being awarded last night, it’s worth noting that among attendees were Best Director nominees David O. Russell and Martin Scorcese; Best Adapted Screenplay nominee Steve Coogan for PHILOMENA; Best Score nominee Alexandre Desplat for PHILOMENA; and Bono, who sings the Best Song-nominated Ordinary Love in MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM.  Al Pacino and Keith Carradine were there as well.

Joe Mantegna with an Italian beauty 

On Sunday night’s Red Carpet, I badgered unsuspecting celebrities about western movies, especially their own.  Joe Mantegna is the Chairman of Los Angeles Italia, and hasn’t done a western since THE THREE AMIGOS.  I asked him when he was going to do another.  “When they ask me.”  I asked him what his favorite westerns are.  “THE WILD BUNCH.  And THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN.” 

Mark Canton

I asked producer Mark Canton when he was going to do a western.  “When I’m done with the easterns .  I’m shooting my new TV series, called POWER, for STARZ in New York now.  But in a way, the new ‘300’ has the spirit of westerns, and that’ll be out March 7, so we’re very excited.  I don’t shy away from anything, but it has to be the right script and the right material. ”

Alexandre Desplat

I asked composer Alexandre Desplat whose music he listens to for pleasure. “Quincy Jones.  Debussy.  Many things.”  I asked him if he had any favorites among composers of Western scores.  “For Western movies?  Yes.  Bruce Boughton’s score for SILVERADO I think is fantastic.  I think Elmer Bernstein’s MAGNIFICENT SEVEN.  John William’s MISSOURI BREAKS.”

Franco Nero

I was particularly excited to see Franco Nero, and to quiz him about the soon-to-be-filmed DJANGO LIVES!, where he’ll portray his original character living in early 20^th century L.A., working as a technical advisor on silent westerns, and getting into trouble.  He gave me his charming, enigmatic smile, but wouldn’t talk about the movie.  I think, like so many of us, he’s superstitious about discussing things that haven’t happened yet, though he has signed a letter of intent to the project.   Also starring in the film will be Nero’s co-star from the wonderful Sergio Corbucci western LOS COMPANEROS, Tomas Milian!

Also attending the Fest was actress Angelica Huston, seen at the top with Nero.  Her father, the great John Huston, discovered Nero, and cast him as Abel in THE BIBLE.  The original DJANGO came shortly after.     

Eli Roth

HOSTEL and HOSTEL 2 writer-director Eli Roth had plenty to say about Italian horror (no surprise) and westerns, even before he reached me in line.

ELI ROTH:  I’m happy to come out and support Italian cinema.  I grew up on Italian movies.  I think (Jesse Franco’s) DEMONS was the first one I saw; Italian horror was the most important form of horror.  First I went for American horror, which I became obsessed with. Then I saw Italian horror, which blew my mind.  I was very much influenced by Italian horror from the ‘70s through the ‘80s.  And I’m here to support David O. Russell, who’s a friend.  We’re writing a movie together.  It’s called THE HIVE, and nobody’s read it except me and David.  We’re working on it now. 

LADY NEXT TO ME:  What Italian films have influenced you the most?

ELI ROTH:  CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST by Ruggero Deodato; huge influence.  ZOMBIE 2 by Lucio Fulci – where a zombie fights a shark, one of the greatest movies ever.  And SUSPIRIA, by Dario Argento.  That movie blew my mind.  There were no rules – it was like being in some beautiful, fantastic dream.  And so it taught me that not everything had to add up; you can make abstract horror movies.   Doesn’t have to be so rigid and so linear, so plot driven.  It can be operatic and stylish.  Huge influences, all three of those.

LADY NEXT TO ME:  What’s the difference between Italian horror films and American horror films?

ELI ROTH: The Italian horror films, they came from the spaghetti westerns.  And in the American westerns they never had on-screen violence.  The old fifties movies, somebody’d get shot, and they’d fall down.  You couldn’t show blood in the movies.  You couldn’t show blood onscreen in America.  The Italians didn’t know those rules existed, so they started doing all these on-screen blood shots.  Which then, with Sam Peckinpah, Scorcese, it kind of filtered its way into late ‘60s, early ‘70s American cinema.  But then the Giallo films, the Italian crime films, became the ‘80s slasher films.  They’ve kind of mirrored each other, but the Italians have always pushed it further.  There was this incredible golden age, when Italy was making so many movies in the 1970s and ‘80s, and of course that’s changed now.  Economically, in Italy, they don’t have the same output.  But I just love films of that period.  I think they have an energy and a violence about them, that just anything can happen. 

HENRY:  When are you going to make a western?

ELI ROTH: I don’t know.  I’d have to have a great idea for a western.  I love westerns, but I don’t have an 

idea for a western I want to direct. 

HENRY:  Do you have favorite westerns?

ELI ROTH:  Yeah.  FOUR OF THE APOCALYPSE by Lucio Fulci, one of my favorites; a really incredible film.  And SHANE, and THE SEARCHERS.

Vera and Giuliano Gemma at 2013's Fest

The previous two Fests that I attended gave considerable time to the spaghetti western, but there was very little this time.  Sadly, the one Eurowestern-related screening was in tribute to Giuliano Gemma, who died in October, following a car accident outside of Rome.  Starting out in films as a stuntman, he became ‘Montgomery Wood’ and starred in several spaghetti westerns as Ringo, and later played Arizona Colt.  After a long career in major European movies, his final role was as the hotel manager in Woody Allen’s TO ROME WITH LOVE. 

His daughters, Vera and Giuliana Gemma, directed a documentary about their father, AN ITALIAN IN THE WORLD, which was screened on Sunday afternoon.  Last year, Giuliano attended the Fest, when the documentary was first shown, and I had a chance to speak with him.  I asked him which of his Westerns are his favorites.  “You know, I made about seventeen Westerns, but I don’t know the titles in English.  A PISTOL FOR RINGO, THE RETURN OF RINGO.”

“I was just watching ARIZONA COLT last night.  That’s a delightful picture.”

“Ahh…nice!”

“How do you like your daughter’s documentary?”

“She made a good work; it just brings about twenty years of my filmography.   We have to do a second part.”

“And when are you going to do another western?”

“Ahh…the Western, it is finished.  We don’t have the opportunity.  But maybe Tarantino will call me – why not?!”  

On Monday night, Mike Malloy’s documentary, EUROCRIME: THE ITALIAN COP & GANGSTER FILMS THAT RULED THE ‘70S, was greeted with thunderous applause by an enthusiastic crowd.  Mike is one of the producers behind the amazing no-buget western THE SCARLET WORM if you missed my review, here is the link: http://henryswesternroundup.blogspot.com/2013/04/cowboy-festival-brings-deadwood-prom.html

Leonard Mann, Fred Williamson, Mike Malloy

The wonderfully entertaining and informative film traces the largely overlooked (in America) history of the European films that started out imitating DIRTY HARRY and THE GODFATHER, and created a genre of their own.  Among the interview subjects were spaghetti western stars Franco Nero, Henry Silva and Richard Harrison, and blaxsploitation western star Fred Williamson.  Joining Malloy, producer of the upcoming Franco Nero starrer DJANGO LIVES! were Franco Nero, Fred Williamson and Leonard Mann. 

That was it for western fans at the Fest.  Hopefully next year’s event will have more for us!

THAT’S A WRAP!

Well, I’ve got a few other items I was working on, but they’ll have to wait until next week.  

Happy Trails,

Henry

All Original Contents Copyright March 2014 by Henry C. Parke – All Rights Reserved

HEATHENS AND THIEVES Hit the Screen Today!

HEATHENS AND THIEVES – a film review

I have nothing against big budgets, and I have high hopes for upcoming films like DJANGO UNCHAINED and THE LONE RANGER.  But I’ve noticed over the past couple of years that some of the best Westerns I’ve seen have been made with modest budgets, but a lot of heart, a respect for authenticity, and an understanding of what can be accomplished with the money they’ve got. 

Such a film is HEATHENS AND THIEVES, a noir-ish, suspense Western written by John Douglas Sinclair and co-directed by Sinclair and Megan Peterson.  A pair of men on the run – whether they’ve escaped from prison or simply from enemies is never quite clear – find themselves near a farm, recently bought by a ‘Chinaman,’ where, it is rumored, gold stolen en route to a bank is hidden, perhaps without the Chinaman’s knowledge.  Bill, the more experienced and brash of the two (Richard Doyle), is all for charging in and demanding the gold.  His less violent partner Saul (Andrew Simpson), offers to go in alone, looking for work, to see if he can gain their confidence and locate the treasure.  The man, Zen Hui (Boyuen) is skeptical; his wife, Kun Hai Hui (Gwendoline Yeo) is even more so, but Saul eventually worms his way into their trust. 

But talk has spread about the gold, and that night the most disreputable collection of treasure-hunting scoundrels since THE MALTESE FALCON – bandits, lawmen of various agencies, representatives of the wronged bank – descend upon the farmer, his wife and their tiny baby, and Saul is forced to decide where his loyalties must lie.  With the coming of daylight, many gold-seekers will be disappointed, and many more will be dead. 

Rather than opening up the story, the filmmakers have, after a forest and a saloon scene, isolated the characters at the farm-house, letting the claustrophobia help create the tension as relationships are made and broken.  It’s like THE DESPERATE HOURS if you couldn’t be sure who to root for. 

HEATHENS AND THIEVES is an exciting and satisfying Western suspenser that packs plenty of gunplay, makes excellent use of locations, and has a horse-stampede the likes of which, for sheer numbers, you haven’t seen in years.   Sinclair’s wise script is strong in the plotting, and amusing in subtle ways – like when Saul plays husband versus wife to get hired, and when he’s pleased to maneuver his way into a breakfast invitation, only to find out what they eat for breakfast.  More importantly, the characters are rounded and varied, and like real people, there is more to each of them than meets the eye.  There is not a false note in the entire cast of characters or actors.  Particular standouts are the beautiful Gwendoline Yeo from BROKEN TRAIL; Richard Doyle as Saul’s exuberantly untrustworthy partner; and Andrew Simpson as Saul, an actor with virtually no previous screen credits, who must carry most of the picture, and does so with startling skill. 

And because the villain must be worthy of a hero, special attention must be given to Don Swayze, in the plumb role of Col. Sherman Rutherford, late of the Union Army, currently represented the wounded party, i.e., the bank.  It’s a bravura performance that nears the edge but never goes over-the-top, and because so few bad guys truly know they are bad guys, he is particularly enjoyable trying to justify to himself and others the terrible things he does.  Also noteworthy is Michael Robert Brandon as Moses.  If Sidney Greenstreet made fat sinister, Brandon makes baldness creepy. 

No film is perfect, and here and there are story points that are a bit of a stretch, and there were times when the long night seemed a little too long.  It runs 110 minutes, and might be a little better at 100.  But overall the film is extremely satisfying, and the direction by Sinclair and Peterson is excellent – with nothing to suggest that it was not the work of a single vision.

Of particular note is the cinematography by Pyongson Yim, shooting with a Red 1 camera.  With so much of the story taking place indoors at night, the look is crucial.  The flat and artificial lighting of TV Westerns of the 1960s gave way to the ‘realistic’ but hideously dark lighting of so many later Westerns, where you simply can’t distinguish characters or make out what’s going on.  Yim sometimes leans towards noir-ish shadows, but she always allows enough light to make the scenes understandable.  Without calling attention to itself, much of her composition is original and stunning.  Together with the production design by Kyle Peterson, art direction by Erica Headley and Abigail Potter and costuming by Elaine Montalvo, this films visuals establish a beauty and reality that you accept without question.

And the good news is, you may be able to see HEATHENS AND THIEVES right now.  Starting today, July 1^st,  Phase 4 will begin a limited cable VOD release via Cox, Cablevision, Comcast, and Insight, and it will be released much more broadly in November.  And if you’re going to be in Los Angeles on Wednesday, July 11^th, you can see it on the big screen, as part of DOWNTOWN FILM FESTIVAL L.A..  It’s showing at 7:30 at Regal Cinemas L.A. Live Stadium, and you can learn more, and buy tickets, here: http://www.tugg.com/events/show/816#.T-dgjHBboX4

Incidentally, I interviewed writer/co-director John Sinclair today, and will be featuring the interview in the Round-up shortly.

STAMPS HONOR GREAT AMERICAN FILM DIRECTORS

With surprisingly little fanfare, on May 23^rd, the U.S. Postal Service issued a series of four stamps honoring great American movie directors.  Frank Capra, John Ford, Billy Wilder and John Huston were the very worthy men chosen, and it is a testament to the ‘melting-pot’ theory of American society to note that of the four, only two were born in the United States: John Huston, in Nevada, Missouri; and John Ford in Cape Elizabeth, Maine (why did I think he was born in Ireland?).  Frank Capra was born in Sicily, and Billy Wilder was born in Austria-Hungary (now Poland). 

Though both Capra and Wilder both came to the U.S. speaking little or no English, they both quickly became masters of the American vernacular, and while neither man ever made a Western, their contributions to American film, comedy and drama, cannot be overstated.  John Ford’s contribution to Westerns is legendary, from STAGCOACH to THE SEARCHERS to THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE, and so many more.  John Huston’s period and modern Westerns include THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JUDGE ROY BEAN, TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (writing and directing Oscar), THE MISFITS, THE UNFORGIVEN, and THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE.

Each stamp features a portrait of the filmmaker, and a vignette from one of his most famous works: Ford’s shows John Wayne walking away through the doorway at the end of THE SEARCHERS, Capra’s shows Claudette Colbert teaching Clark Gable how to stop a car without using her thumb from IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT, Wilder’s features Marilyn Monroe with her ukulele from SOME LIKE IT HOT, and Huston’s shows Humphrey Bogart examining ‘The stuff that dreams are made of,’ from THE MALTESE FALCON.

BUDD BOETTICHER FEST AT UCLA/BILLY WILDER JULY-AUGUST

From July 13^th through August 12^th, the UCLA Film & Television Archive and the Hugh M. Hefner Classic American Film Program present seven Budd Boetticher double-bills featuring many of his finest Westerns and gangster films.  Prominent are the films from the Ranown cycle, produced by the Randolph Scott and Harry Joe Brown company, starring Scott, and considered by many to be the best series of Westerns ever made.   While much is rightly made of the Boetticher/Scott collaboration, it should be remembered that it was a three-man collaboration: Burt Kennedy, later a successful director in his own right, wrote four of the six screenplays, and they are clearly the strongest films of the group.

The double bills are as follows: July 13^th Seven Men from Now (1956);
Decision at Sundown (1957) , July 14^th The Tall T (1957);
Buchanan Rides Alone (1958), July 21^st  Ride Lonesome (1959);
Comanche Station (1960), July 22^nd Bullfighter and the Lady (1951);
My Kingdom for... (1985), July 29^th Horizons West (1952);
The Man from the Alamo (1953), August 6^th The Killer is Loose (1956);
The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond (1960), and August 12^th Escape in the Fog (1945);
Behind Locked Doors (1948).  Learn more, and order tickets, here: http://www.cinema.ucla.edu/events/2012-07-13/ride-lonesome-films-budd-boetticher

‘PETER FORD – A LITTLE PRINCE’ ACADEMY RUN IN NOHO

 Alexander Roman’s fascinating 40 minute documentary about Peter Ford, son of Hollywood stars Glenn Ford and Eleanor Powell, will run at Laemmle 7 North Hollywood from Friday, June 29th thr...ough Thursday July 5th, to qualify for Oscar consideration. Read my write-up of the film here: http://www.henryswesternroundup.blogspot.com/2012/03/national-cowboy-museum-names-wrangler.html Read my review of Peter Ford’s book, GLENN FORD: A LIFE, here: http://henryswesternroundup.blogspot.com/2011/12/bad-blood-spills-in-kentucky.html

The showings are at 12:50 pm every day, the tickets are $8, and on Sat., June 30 and Sunday July 1, Roman and Ford will be present for a Q&A.

DJANGO CLIPS TO PREVIEW AT COMIC-COM

On Saturday night, July 14th, Quentin Tarantino will host a DJANGO UNCHAINED panel in Hall H. There will be clips, and there will be cast members on the panel, but no names have been announced yet!

TV WESTERNS ALL OVER THE DIAL!

More and more, classic TV Westerns are available all over the TV universe, but they tend to be on small networks that are easy to miss. Of course, ENCORE WESTERNSis the best continuous source of such programming, and has been for years. Currently they run LAWMAN, WAGON TRAIN, HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL, RAWHIDE, GUNSMOKE, THE REBEL, and MARSHALL DILLON, which is the syndication title for the original half-hour GUNSMOKE, and starting Monday they're bringing back BONANZA.

RFD-TV is currently showing THE ROY ROGERS SHOW, first at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, Pacific Time, then repeated several times a week. They show a Roy feature every Tuesday as well, with repeats -- check your local listings.

INSP-TVshows THE BIG VALLEY Monday through Saturday,LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE seven days a week, DR. QUINN: MEDICINE WOMANon weekdays, and BONANZA on Saturdays.


WHT runs DANIEL BOONE on weekdays from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m., Pacific Time. They often show western films on the weekend, but the schedule is sporadic.


TVLAND has dropped GUNSMOKE after all these years, but still shows four episodes of BONANZA every weekday.

For those of you who watch TV with an antenna, there are at least a couple of channels that exist between the standard numbers – largely unavailable on cable or satellite systems – that provide Western fare. ANTENNA TV is currently running RIN TIN TIN, HERE COME THE BRIDES, and IRON HORSE.


THE AUTRY NATIONAL CENTER

Built by cowboy actor, singer, baseball and TV entrepeneur Gene Autry, and designed by the Disney Imagineering team, the Autry is a world-class museum housing a fascinating collection of items related to the fact, fiction, film, history and art of the American West. In addition to their permenant galleries (to which new items are frequently added), they have temporary shows. The Autry has many special programs every week -- sometimes several in a day. To check their daily calendar, CLICK HERE. And they always have gold panning for kids every weekend. For directions, hours, admission prices, and all other information, CLICK HERE.


HOLLYWOOD HERITAGE MUSEUM

Across the street from the Hollywood Bowl, this building, once the headquarters of Lasky-Famous Players (later Paramount Pictures) was the original DeMille Barn, where Cecil B. DeMille made the first Hollywood western, The Squaw Man. They have a permanent display of movie props, documents and other items related to early, especially silent, film production. They also have occasional special programs. 2100 Highland Ave.,L.A. CA 323-874-2276. Thursday – Sunday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. $5 for adults, $3 for senior, $1 for children.

WELLS FARGO HISTORY MUSEUM

This small but entertaining museum gives a detailed history of Wells Fargo when the name suggested stage-coaches rather than ATMS. There’s a historically accurate reproduction of an agent’s office, an original Concord Coach, and other historical displays. Open Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Admission is free. 213-253-7166.333 S. Grand Street,L.A. CA.

TCM FANATIC - WESTERN NOW ONLINE!

That's right, the segment I was interviewed for is now viewable here:

IT'S BEEN AN EXTENDED BIRTHDAY WEEK FOR ME

Here I am, trying to pick up a gal at Knott's Berry Farm

I've managed to stretch my birthday to about two weeks of celebration, between being taken to Knotts, being taken to Glen Campbell at the Hollywood Bowl, with gifts and cake in between.  It's been a largely Roy Rogers-themed time for me, between catching up on several of the RFD episodes, seeing SAN FERNANDO VALLEY at the Andres Pico Adobe (more about that next week), and finally getting to see Roy's last movie, MACINTOSH ANDT.J. (don't know where my wife found that for me!)  Best of all, I've had some time to work on my own screenplays -- I can't leave everything in Tarantino's hands! Hope you're having a great summer!

Happy Trails,

Henry

All Original Contents Copyright July 2012 by Henry C. Parke -- All Rights Reserved