The Dead
Directed by John Huston
I just watched the films Wise Blood and Under the Volcano, both directed by John Huston in the twilight of his career, both released in the Criterion collection in the last year. Although flawed, these films present a youthful courage unknown to directors of a certain age, exceptions going out to Kubrick and, recently, Coppola. It seems Huston possessed a long-term fascination with difficult book-to-film adaptations. The latter films each came from novels claimed impossible to make into motion pictures and with his final film, Huston attempted yet another. Considered one of the greatest short stories ever written, James Joyce’s “The Dead” recounts a wintertime party in Ireland where issues of nationality, domesticity, and gender relations lurk under the surface. Huston’s adaptation which stars his own daughter Angelica remains imprisoned in VHS format. Even the few images I have seen from the film suggest powerful cinematography with a rich texture of browns, dark reds, creating a moody atmosphere which I suspect may only be justified on DVD or Blu-ray. Along with any visual qualities which demand a Criterion release, I find it inconceivable to think that the final work from the director of The Maltese Falcon, The African Queen, and Asphalt Jungle has been left out in the cold. The film begs to become the third part of the trilogy of Huston’s twilight films on Criterion. Two words: Do it.
The Rain People
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
I don’t know too much about this one. What I do know: The Rain People bridges the gap between two early Coppola films (the Corman-produced Dementia 13 and the musical Finian’s Rainbow) and the glory days of his career when he directed The Godfather and The Conversation. I also know that this is a road movie (common to late sixties, early seventies film) and stars Shirley Knight as a woman on the run from responsibility and James Caan as an ex-footballer named Killer. They meet and somewhere along the line, a young pre-MASH, pre-THX 1138 comes into play. Coppola fascinates me. He began with small films like this one, moved into Hollywood heaven with his classics till he reached its heart of darkness with Apocalypse Now, hung around making little-known misses until he finally stopped directing for years, and now he has returned with exciting, flawed films that feel more like student films at times than anything. To me, he is the only director of a generation including Spielberg, Scorsese, Lucas and others, who retained his ability to make so-called personal cinema and did not fall helplessly enslaved into big-budget thinking. Where does that leave The Rain People? Well, I feel it belongs on Criterion as a testament to the beginning of one of our most unique filmmakers. Whether it works or falls into hippie-road movie death, give it a chance Criterion. And while you’re at it, include George Lucas’ making of the film as a special feature.
The Last Movie
Directed by Dennis Hopper
To quote imdb.com:
“After the success of Easy Rider (1969), Universal Studios hit upon the idea to let young filmmakers make "semi-independent" films for low budgets in hopes of generating similar profits. The idea was to make five movies for low budgets (one million dollars or less), not interfere in the filmmaking process, and give the directors final cut. The other movies were: The Hired Hand (1971), Taking Off (1971), Silent Running (1972), American Graffiti (1973) [and the Last Movie (1971)].”
The hype over Dennis Hopper’s sophomore effort and career disaster (sending him into a run of good, but low-profile projects like the crime films Colors and The Hot Spot) has long since died and only lives through those lucky to have seen and remember it, as well as young film buffs who wonder where Easy Rider success led its director. The film’s plot alone spurs curiosity: a stunt man is killed on a movie set in Peru, leading one of its other crew (Hopper) to go AWOL, and the village plunders into the obscurity of real and artificial violence. I have always seen Criterion as the perfect company working for two purposes. The first is to put classics not previously released or re-mastered on DVD and Blu-ray. The second is to venture into the world of rare, uncommon, and lost films which might not always work, but are nevertheless splendid entertainment and often contain more insight than masterpieces. Having read and heard very little about The Last Movie, my instincts tell me that the film would not only be a perfect fit for Criterion, but such a release would certainly regenerate discussion about the film and Hopper’s career.
With films like the relatively obscure Robert Redford-skiing-picture Downhill Racer getting a Criterion release later this year, I certainly can hope for my wishes to come true. For now, I’ll have to wait.
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