April 1, 2014
I watch a lot of movies and, while I pay some attention to ratings and reviews, I can like them for any number of reasons, not necessarily related to the usual criteria. There are actors who I’ll happily watch in anything. If the film is beautifully shot, I don’t much care if it’s considered a great movie overall. If it’s pretty, I’ll watch it, for locale or style, or for the writing, well-reviewed or not.
I’ve seen 2 lately, one a documentary, one a tale of a period in a young woman’s life, both among the best I’ve seen in a long time, both about friendship and how friendships are rarely in balance, how one of the participants always seems to carry the load, whether they know it or not.
About a week ago I watched ‘Shepard and Dark’, the story of the very long friendship between Sam Shepard, writer and movie actor, and his long-time pal, Johnny Dark, who works in a deli in Deming, New Mexico. For the travelers reading this, it’s worth watching for the glimpses of New Mexico, north and south, a strong presence that seems almost as important in the story as the characters.
Sam Shepard has been one of my very favorites forever, both for his writing, for instance ‘Fool for Love’ and ‘Paris, Texas’, and for his very sexy presence in others’ movies, ‘Days of Heaven’, ‘Resurrection”, the list is long, and in ‘August, Osage County’ which is out on DVD next Tuesday, April 8th. He’s generally cast as the strong silent westerner, not always pleasant, and I was very interested in getting a glimpse of the real guy when I learned about ’Shepard & Dark’.
I think we learn what’s good about a person, and also where they might be wanting, when they’re observed in the role of friend, either real or in fiction. Neither Sam nor Johnny disappoint, as friends and as interesting individuals separate from the friendship. I plan to get it back from Netflix for another look.
Last night I watched ‘Frances Ha’. I’d found it online among the new DVD’s recently acquired by my local library and put in a request. A big deal has been made of the fact that the recent ‘Nebraska’ was shot in black & white, like it’s a radical thing. But if you’ve been reading here this week, you know I love b&w photography and so, I figure, if b&w was good enough for Alfred Hitchcok, indeed I believe ‘Notorious’ would be ruined by color, why not now? ‘Frances Ha’ is in black & white’ and it succeeded so thoroughly that I can’t imagine it any other way.
It’s the story of a 20-something dancer in New York City and the people around her, her friends, and how she depends on them and assumptions she makes, some of which are true and some, she finds, are not. All very ordinary, except it’s a far from ordinary movie because of the extraordinary performance of Greta Gerwig as Frances. It’s another case of wondering whether it’s Frances we’re watching or have we stepped into the real life of Greta, so true is the performance. I cannot recommend it enough.
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