I had the privilege of seeing a pristine 35mm print of Less Than Zero at BAM. What I didn't know was that the film's cinematographer, Ed Lachman, was going to be there for a Q&A. And when I heard this, I actually gasped and wasn't sure what to do with myself. He took the mic and was effortlessly cool and mentioned how the film was completely butchered by producer, Jon Avnet (who he wouldn't mention by name). He explained how the producers actually took Marek Kanievska's cut of the film away from him and made their own. They removed tons of drugs and sex and tacked on things to make the characters more likable. He mentioned that he shot an amazing scene with Clay fingering Blair under the table at the Christmas eve dinner. After he mentioned it, I actually noticed some hand movements going on in the long shot during that scene. It was a cheap thrill. He mentioned that he shot a really long scene with the Red Hot Chili Peppers performing. And that was completely cut. He mentioned that Clay was originally more like the Clay in the book. He mentioned that the film score, which he hates, was completely different and more "European." Okay. So he doesn't seem to like the movie very much. He finishes his introduction and sits down. And I nearly orgasm once I see this fucking print. I really have no words. Less Than Zero is a beautiful film, but I really wasn't ready for seeing it like this. What shocked me most was Andrew McCarthy's ass shot at the beginning. It seems so fleeting on the DVD, but it's totes in your face in 35mm. Anyway, blah blah blah. I start feeling tense as the film is coming to an end. And then, the shot comes. And as expected, I lost it. I stupidly sat in the middle of the theater and realized the back would have been easier to hide in. I cover my face as best I can as I slouch into my seat and just cry and cry and cry and cry. And I felt so fucking stupid. But whatever. The film ends. Hipster #1 asks (the cinematographer!?!) a question about Robert Downey Jr. and what he was like. And then an okay guy asked a good question about what his favorite shot was. And then Ed Lachman went on about how everyone talks about Robert Downey Jr. and his drug problems, but he thought Andrew McCarthy had a much bigger problem that most people weren't aware of. I thought that was weird. And then he went off on how Jamie Gertz never really acted after the film, but that's not true at all. Bitch was in Sibling Rivalry, The Boyfriend School, Twister, Keeping Up With The Steins, and some CBS sitcom. He said how she left Hollywood and moved back to Chicago and got married and was real religious and her father was a rabbi or cantor. I didn't care to correct him. And then I actually raised my hand and asked a question that I've wanted the answer to for years. I profess my love for the shot in question and ask how it was done. Because it's unlike any shot I've ever seen. And in 1987, to create a shot like this... I just can't even imagine. He said it was done with a helicopter around the time that the gyro stabilizer thing was invented. And I thought that's what it was, but I think because the technology was in it's infancy, the end result is one of the most unusual and perfect moments ever captured on film. And then he continued to explain that the shot was even better than what's in the final cut. The shot actually continues into the car and then pulls back out far enough that eventually the car disappears. But instead, Jon Avnet FORCED Marek Kanievska to tack on that awful ending that's completely random and poorly written. This makes me want to kill Jon Avnet, who has since gone on to become a terrible director. I mean, I seriously need this shot, but it will most likely never exist because the director's cut is gone and this is such a terrible thing. Anyway, it's now been a bunch of hours since I left the theater and I can't shake the entire experience. I feel like the nerdiest film fuck on the planet right now. Ed Lachman is such a genius, and here I am focusing on a film that I don't think he likes very much. He did mention his favorite shot in the movie. And I hadn't noticed it until I saw it this evening, but it's absolutely beautiful. But again, sadly, the shot was cut short and it's only on screen for a fraction of a second. It's really unbelievable to me that all the tampering that went on during the production isn't a well known story. I think everyone just assumed that Hollywood made a sucky version of a good book. And that would be true, but there's a good movie lost in the "sucky" version, which I don't think is so much "sucky" as it is completely removed from the source material. Anyway....
0 comments:
Post a Comment