MY VIEWING DIARY: PART NINE

"Lenny" (1974)

Since he spent most of his career as a dancer and highly inventive choreographer for the stage, Bob Fosse did not have much of an opportunity to leave behind an extensive body of work once he decided to focus on film making. A driven workaholic combined with an unhealthy lifestyle, Fosse died of a heart attack by the age of sixty. 

He was an incredibly gifted director yet would only make five feature films; the movie adaptation of the stage musical-comedy, "Sweet Charity" (Fosse's film debut which he had also directed and choreographed the original Broadway show); "Cabaret", another adaptation of a Broadway musical which would win eight Academy Awards (including Best Director for Fosse); "All That Jazz", the semi-autobiographical musical-drama that was nominated for nine Oscars and won four; "Star 80", a fact-based drama on the tragic murder of Playboy playmate, Dorothy Stratten and "Lenny" which was the only film by Fosse I had not yet seen. 

This stylish bio-pic examines the life and career of Lenny Bruce, a New York comedian in the 1960's who would challenge the obscenity laws on what could be said on stage, ultimately paying a high price for his defiance. Dustin Hoffman (in one of his greatest screen performances) play Bruce, a Jewish comic who struggles trying to do the standard comedy routine. He falls hard for a stripper named Honey Harlow (Valerie Perrine, who won the Best Actress Award at the 1975 Cannes Film Festival), who he calls his "Shiksa goddess" and they marry quickly. After the couple moves to Los Angeles, Bruce begins to riff on stage invovling subjects that are not usually discussed in public with language that some considered highly inappropriate. And while he would achieve great success and popularity, Bruce would be arrested frequently for charges of obscenity. This was also when he and his wife would become severely addicted to drugs, causing them to suffer marital issues and additional legal problems.

What makes "Lenny" particularly intriguing was how Fosse assembled the film, shooting in exquisite black & white (with cinematography by Bruce Surtees) and using a non-linear story structure which was not commonly done at the time, particularly with American films. "Lenny" only highlights key moments in the chaotic life and controversial routines of the comedian, not giving us a complete picture of his importance as a historical figure. This film does reveal that while his motivations may have been self-serving and short-sighted at the time, Bruce's legal challenges for his First Amendment rights would help open the door for all performers to express themselves uncensored without fear of criminal indictment.

"The Opposite Sex" (1956)

"The Opposite Sex" is based on Clare Boothe Luce's 1936 play, "The Women" which was adapted in to a delightfully camp comedy in 1939. But this inert remake isn't much fun, having awkwardly been turned in to a musical set in the world of the theater and the physical presence of men is featured prominently throughout the film. With their attempt to open up the story, the director, David Miller and writing team of Fay and Michael Kanin has made a conventional 1950's Metrocolor rom-com with the significant altering of the structure and tone of the story not helping matters. 

The casting also leaves a lot to be desired with bland MGM musical star, June Allyson playing Kay Hilliard, a former popular nightclub performer who gave it all up for love, marriage and family. But when Kay's frenemy, Sylvia Fowler (Dolores Gray) hears the gossip that Kay's husband, Steven (Leslie Nielsen), a producer of an upcoming Broadway musical, is having an affair with a dancer in the show, Crystal Allen (Joan Collins, struggling with a wobbly American accent), she can't wait to spread this dirt. It's not long before this news reaches Kay and while she still loves her husband, sadly heads off to Reno to end her marriage. During her stay at a ranch for divorcees run by the butch, Lucy (Charlotte Greenwood), Kay befriends fellow soon-to-be-single-again gals, Gloria Dell (Ann Miller) and the Countess Lavaliere (Agnes Moorehead), avoids a clumsy seduction by the ranch hand, Buck (Jeff Richards) and has to deal with Sylvia who arrives to end her own marriage. And when Kay discovers that Crystal is being unfaithful to Steven, she decides to try and win her ex-husband back. 

That this "contemporary" version (which also features Ann Sheridan and Joan Blondell) manages to feel even more dated today than the original eighty-one year old film is actually quite a feat. And although the musical numbers fit organically in to the show-business setting, these lame songs and garish production fail to ignite any magical sparks.

"Lady of Burlesque" (1943)

"Lady of Burlesque" is a silly, musical-comedy-mystery caper about some strippers who are being strangled to death while on the job with their own g-strings. Based on the aptly titled book, "The G-String Murders", allegedly written by the world-famous strip-tease artist, Gypsy Rose Lee whose colorful life would be the basis of the classic stage musical (and later movie), "Gypsy". The only reason to even consider watching this low-budget hooey is for the dazzling star presence of Barbara Stanwyck. The actress gives her all singing, dancing and displaying her expert comedy chops but it is all sadly wasted here. 

Stanwyck plays Dixie Daisy, a new attraction at the Old Opera, a New York burlesque theater on 42nd Street. The crowd loves her and she also captures the attention of Biff Brannigan (Michael O'Shea), a comedian at the club. Daisy, who has found that comedians are better with jokes than romance, is not interested. During a raid of the theater, someone tries to strangle Dixie but she escapes her attacker. However, another dancer, Lolita La Verne (Victoria Faust) is not so lucky, ending up dead with her undergarment wrapped around her neck. After another performer has been murdered, we have plenty of possible suspects yet there never seems to be much of an urgent concern to capture the killer. Even though someone that they all work with is, um, killing their fellow co-workers and the bodies are piling up in the theater yet the show continues to go on. 

"Lady of Burlesque" is set in a world where scantily-clad ladies seductively remove what little items of clothing they have on. Yet there isn't much skin to be seen here. That is because the Hays Code was in full effect, making sure nothing objectionable ever made it on to the the big screen. So William A. Wellman (the director behind the first Oscar winner for Best Picture, "Wings" and the first version of "A Star Is Born" in 1937) winds up having to rely on uninspired musical numbers and routine comedy skits to move the story along. As the film aims for wanting to be viewed as titilating, harmless fun, "Lady of Burlesque" is actually unsettling and a little ghoulish. Oh, and forget about the mystery. This is one of those who-dun-it where there are never any actual clues dropped and everything is explained with a lengthy conversation at the end.

CHADWICK BOSEMAN (1976 - 2020)

I am still trying to recover from the shocking news that the actor, Chadwick Boseman, who will probably be best remembered for playing the lead in "Black Panther", one of the most successful super-hero films of all-time, had passed away on August 28th at the young age of forty-three. The gifted actor had been privately dealing with colon cancer for the last four years yet amazingly still continued to work steadily throughout treatment. Boseman was recently seen in Spike Lee's Vietnam War drama, "Da 5 Bloods" on Netflix in June and will make his final screen appearance in an adaption of August Wilson's play, "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" due out later this year on Netflix.

Born and raised in Anderson, SC, Boseman had been drawn to writing for the theater and performing since high school. He attended college at Howard University and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in directing. One of his teachers was actress, Phylicia Rashad, who would later became a mentor to him. After he graduated, Boseman moved to Brooklyn, working a variety of jobs including an acting instructor in Harlem before deciding to try his luck in Los Angeles.

He quickly earned roles in episodes of several television series including that staple for all aspiring actors, "Law & Order". Boseman also continued to write plays during this time, with one script, "Deep Azure" was performed in Chicago. The actor's major breakthrough was playing baseball great, Jackie Robinson who broke through the color barrier in the film,"42" in 2013. Boseman's mesmerizing performance helped him capture the attention of Hollywood and he would take on the roles of two more important figures in African-American history; as the "Godfather of Soul", James Brown in the musical bio-pic, "Get On Up" and in "Marshall" where he played Thurgood Marshall, a young lawyer on his first case before he would later go on to become the first African-American Supreme Court Justice.

But it would be Black Panther, the Marvel super-hero from the African nation of Wakanda where the actor would make the biggest impact. Boseman played the character in four feature films with his first appearance in "Captain America: Civil War" in 2016, in the two-part, "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame" and with "Black Panther" in 2018. While the film was expected to do very well, "Black Panther" went way beyond anyone expectations. The film made an incredible $1.3 billion worldwide, breaking numerous box office records while becoming the ninth-highest-grossing film of all time. "Black Panther" was also critically acclaimed with it receiving many awards including seven Academy Award nominations (which included Best Picture, a first for any comic-book movie) and would win three.

Although he did not have the opportunity to make many films, what Mr. Boseman was able to accomplish in such a short period of time is still quite impressive. He has left behind a collection of wide-ranging, important roles that displayed his strong desire to showcase and celebrate the African-American experience through fictional and non-fictional cinematic works. As a truly inspirational and brilliant performer, his passing is an incredible loss. The artistry of Chadwick Boseman will be greatly missed.

HELMUT NEWTON: THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (2020)

 

Directed by Gero von Boehm

Available to stream now on VOD

I always loved the work of Helmut Newton, a photographer who was best known for creating highly stylized images (often erotically charged, mostly of women)  that transported us to fantastic worlds that allude to intriguing stories. Yet some viewed these same photos as offensive, disturbing and misogynistic. The documentary, "Helmut Newton: The Bad and The Beautiful" from director, Gero von Boehm, does touch on this dichotomy over the photographer and his transgressive vision but the film remains largely a celebratory affair of his life and career.

He was born Helmut Neustädter in 1920 to a wealthy family who owned a button factory in Berlin. But with the rise of fascism and the Nazi party, the Neustädters, who were Jewish, would end up losing their business and be forced to flee out of the country with the family settling in Argentina.

Newton developed an interest in photography as a child and would apprentice with Else Neuländer (a talented photographer who was known professionally as Yva) at twelve. She would become a great influence on the young Newton, introducing him to the commercial possibilities of photography. As Yva was also Jewish, her fate was not as fortunate as Newton's and would end up perishing in a concentration camp sometime during the war.

When he turned eighteen, Newton went off in to the world with his camera and arrived in Australia where he would meet another woman who would impact his career. June Browne, an actress and model, entered his life during a photo shoot and they married not long after that. She would become his muse, art director, editor, curator and even became a photographer herself, using the alias, "Alice Springs".

As his reputation grew as a fashion photographer, Newton's first major contract was with British Vogue and would soon go to work with all editions of Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and Playboy. Newton's fashion work was unusual at the time as he exclusively used black & white photography and increasingly pushed the boundaries of taste by creating pictorials that featured an assertive sexuality, fetishistic scenes and nudity. His models wore bold, dramatic make-up and almost always appeared expressionless, giving off an icy and aloof demeanor.

From previous interviews with the photographer in this film, Newton comes across as good-natured, playful and serene. This was in stark contrast to the dark, hard-edged, glacial glamour he would produce with many of his more memorable photos. Beautiful women were always the main focus and he even states that men were usually just background or accessories in his pictures. Watching footage of Newton at work, he was very precise in his approach, knowing exactly how he wanted the outcome of the image to be seen, no matter the brief discomfort of the model.

The director von Boehm, who has had an extensive career making documentaries in his native Germany, keeps the focus of "The Bad and The Beautiful" on the creation and enduring impact of Newton's craft. While the film does explore the photographer's childhood and family, there is no deep psychological evaluation of his life. Newton dismisses the idea that the vivid imagery of Nazi propaganda might have shaped his aesthetic or how the trauma of being Jewish during the war may have served as some inspiration to his art.

There is very little critical examination of Newton's photography in the film. The only moment we see is a clip from some French television talk show where Newton and writer, Susan Sontag are guests. Newton states that he loves women and defends his work as an appreciation to them. And as the feminist activist admits that he does seem like a perfectly nice man, she firmly believes that Newton's photos are derogatory and very harmful to women.

Some of the more famous faces who posed in front of Newton's camera are assembled to discuss their experiences. We have models, Nadja Auermann, Claudia Schiffer and performers, Isabella Rossellini, Grace Jones, Marianne Faithfull and Charlotte Rampling (who are all formidable personalities) reveal, in various ways, how they were well aware of the potential of sexism and exploitation while working with the photographer. Yet they all found Newton endearing and he made them feel very comfortable to do whatever he asked of them.

Newton had his first heart attack in 1970 which may have slowed him down but certainly did not count him out. He would eventually do less magazine work and devote more time on portraiture and fine art studies. The Newtons would spend the winter in Los Angeles, always staying at the Chateau Marmont, the famed hotel of the rich and fabulous on the Sunset Strip. It is believed that Newton had a heart attack while driving away from the hotel in 2004, crashing in to a wall and passing away at the age of eighty-three.

It doesn't seem likely that an editor of a fashion magazine would be brave enough to publish Newton's work today or that contemporary models and actresses would be willing to participate in such graphically sexual photo shoots. "Helmut Newton: The Bad and The Beautiful" is a rather conventional look at a wildly provocative artist. Yet the film successfully points out that Newton still remains a compelling influence in fashion, art and photography. People may not agree on whether he was a seductive saint or perverted sinner but the complicated responses to his work is one of the reasons why Newton continues to fascinate and excite. 

2020 OUTFEST FILM FESTIVAL

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to create havoc and cause disruptions across the globe, this has forced most film festivals to either postpone or cancel their events. However, I am very happy and thrilled to report that the 38th edition of the Outfest Film Festival will still be taking place. 

While Outfest usually happens in July, this year the festival will take place from August 20th through 30th and will largely be a VOD event. There will be over 160 films presented (including 35 world premieres), conversations with filmmakers & performers and live events that will be able to be viewed anywhere in the U.S. But the entire fest will not be virtual. A series of drive-in screenings with "Outfest LA Under the Stars" will be held at Malibu's Calamigos Ranch.

The centerpiece selections of this year's Outfest includes the U.S. Centerpiece from writer/director, Emma Seligman with "Shiva Baby" about a young bisexual Jewish woman (whose family is sitting shiva following a death) unexpectedly forced to juggle her relationships between both her ex-girlfriend and her sugar daddy; "Monsoon", the International Centerpiece selection from writer/director, Hong Khaou and stars Henry Golding ("Crazy, Rich Asians") who plays a British-Vietnamese man that returns to his birth country for the first time since his family escaped during the Vietnam War and falls for an American man whose father had fought in the war; "Keyboard Fantasies: The Beverly Glenn-Copeland Story", the Documentary Centerpiece which looks at the recently discovered Black, trans musician, now in his 70's, who is embarking on a new phase of his career; and the Breakthrough Centerpiece, "The Obituary Of Tunde Johnson" about a Los Angeles Black teen who starts off his day coming out to his understanding parents. But by the end of the day, Tunde has been shot to death by the LAPD. However, Tunde then wakes up, restarting the day over and over in a time loop.





There will be an All-Access Pass that will be available at a low price which will allow you to view most of the fest ("Outfest LA Under the Stars" will be available at a separate price). Films will be released daily and remain available for seventy-two hours. The pass will also include a one-year subscription to Outfest Now, the new LGBTQ streaming destination. 

Passes will be available to purchase on Friday, August 14th. For the entire film guide and additional information, please click below:

2020 Outfest Film Festival

And here are a few trailer highlights of films that will be screened during the fest:

ALAN PARKER (1944 - 2020)

The acclaimed British filmmaker, Alan Parker passed away on July 31st at the age of seventy-six following a lengthy illness. He was one of cinema’s most versatile directors as he successfully covered several genres throughout his career with an emphasis on music oriented films. 

Born into a working-class family in North London, Parker never displayed any interest of ever pursuing a career in cinema growing up. He actually gravitated towards science while in school and got a job in advertising after graduation, thinking that the field might be a good way to meet girls. Parker started in the mail room before eventually moving on to writing copy which he loved. Parker went on to direct television commercials and this lead to him working for an agency where he would meet David Puttnam and Alan Marshall, a team that would later produce many of his early feature films.

By 1970, Parker joined Marshall to start a company to make commercials and would become one of Britain's most successful ad agencies. Parker had his first screenplay, "Melody" produced in 1971 and directed several short films before he was asked to direct an episode of a BBC anthology series, "Play for Today" in 1975. This lead to Parker making his feature film debut the following year with "Bugsy Malone", a decidedly odd American gangster musical-comedy that featured an all-child cast playing adults. The film starred Jodie Foster and Scott Baio and was met, not surprisingly, with mixed reviews.

But there was no denying Parker's potential talent and he would go on to get the opportunity to direct a film that would completely change the course of his career. "Midnight Express" was based on an American, Billy Hayes and his real-life account of being sentenced to thirty years in a Turkish prison for trying to smuggle out hashish and how he managed to escape. Parker would receive one of the film's six Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and "Midnight Express" won two: Oliver Stone would win for Best Adapted Screenplay (which was his first script) and "the Father of Disco", Giorgio Moroder took home the Best Original Score Oscar. 

Other highlights from Parker's filmography include "Shoot The Moon", a box-office failure when released in 1982 but this family drama starring Albert Finney and Diane Keaton has gone on to become a revered classic; "Pink Floyd: The Wall", a musical based on the rock band's 1979 album; the 1987 psychological horror film, "Angel Heart" that featured Mickey Rourke, Lisa Bonet and Robert De Niro; "Mississippi Burning", the controversial 1988 crime thriller loosely based on the 1964 murders of three civil rights' workers in Mississippi that went on to receive seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director and won for it's cinematography; "The Commitments" a 1991 feel-good, musical comedy about a group of Dublin working-class youth who form a soul band; a big-screen adaption of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's stage musical, "Evita" which starred Madonna (who won a Golden Globe for her performance) and one of my all-time favorite movies, "Fame" from 1980, a musical-drama about students attending the High School of Performing Arts in New York City.

The last feature Parker directed was in 2003 with "The Life of David Gale" which starred Kevin Spacey as a college professor and activist against capital punishment who ends up on death row after being convicted for the murder of a fellow activist. The drama (that also features Kate Winslet and Laura Linney) received harsh reviews and was a box-office flop. Parker would officially retire from film making in 2015.

Parker did not really direct that many movies over his almost thirty year career yet looking over all of the fourteen feature films he had directed, it was quite clear that he was far more interested in quality than quantity. He was a natural storyteller who put a lot of time and thought in to each film he made. And even if they didn't always turn out as well as he may have planned, the work of Alan Parker was reliably introspective, heartfelt and entertaining.