The Valerie Project

The Museum of Modern Art, New York City, NY
October 28, 2007

Bizarre construct of film screening and live music performance, The Valerie Project is one of the most beautiful experiences I have had in a long time and if I could go back and see it every week I would die happy.

The Film:
From the moment I saw Czech film Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (Valerie a tyden divu, 1970), it catapulted itself up into the list of my favorite movies. It is is magical, beautiful, erotic, sad, and transformative. And, in my opinion, absolutely perfect. I flat out refuse to say anything about the plot, other than that it is about the young Valerie and a very surreal week where she realizes her family is not what they seem. In the style of horror influenced “adult” fairy-tales like Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural and The Company of Wolves, Valerie is the queen of them all. Directed by Jaromil Jires and based on surrealist Czech writer Vítezslav Nezval’s book of the same name, this is a one of kind, new-wave, surrealist experience. The film is available on Region 1 in a serviceable release by Facets, but it was also finally re-released in by Second Run. It comes with a much needed new digital transfer, new subtitles and a really cool booklet that includes an essay by my friend Joseph from Exhumed Films/Diabolik DVD.

The Music:
The Valerie Project’s band doesn’t really have an independent name; rather they are a collective of ten musicians from the Philadelphia area. Fronted by Greg Weeks, the members are from such Philly bands as Espers, Fern Knight, and Fursaxa. Though the musicians seem to consider themselves indie and/or folk, the Valerie soundtrack is none of these things. With strange and seemingly organic sounds, Weeks and his companions forged the music of Valerie out of cellos, flutes, harps, a variety of bells, subtle female vocals, and more conventional electric instruments. It is a beautiful soundtrack to accompany a beautiful film and I think Weeks was successful in every way with this composition. There is a touch of classical, folk, actual soundtrack style sounds and a big dollop of the surreal. The CD and double LP were released by Drag City.

The Performance:
I had seen Valerie once before at the International House in Philadelphia, but the Museum of Modern Art’s production put that screening to shame. The music was crisper, louder, and in a more acoustically appropriate venue. The print of was flown in especially from the Czech Republic and looked brand new. The only thing I can complain about is the audience. The theater was packed and many people were standing, but the New York audience was definitely not as receptive to The Valerie Project or as captivated by the film as the Philadelphia audience. Some of the people around me laughed uncomfortably during more surreal parts of the film, which I found idiotic and immature. There was also a good deal of whispering and cell phone checking. What gives, New York? There was also a crowded after party featuring free food, drinks, and music, as well as a lovely numbered print by Tracy Nakayama whose artwork graces the posters, flyers, and CDs.

I hope I get to see this again at some point!

THE TEMPTATION OF ST. TONY

Veiko Ounpuu, 2009
Starring: Taavi Eelmaa, Ravshana Kurkova, Tiina Tauraite, Sten Ljunggren, Denis Lavant

Phua Tonu kiusamine is an impressive, difficult to classify and difficult to fathom Estonian film, though it is technically a Swedish-Finnish-Estonian co-production. It is Veiko Ounpuu's sophomore directorial effort and was also penned by the award winning director. Tony or Tonu (Taavi Eelmaa) is a middle class, middle age, mid-level manager. He wears a suit, has proper manners and proper morality, drives a nice car that seems to be the center of his existence, and is otherwise utterly boring. Due to a series of comically absurd events, he finds a pile of severed human hands in the forest and everything changes. He inadvertently finds himself questioning life and morality, which leads him to a number of unexpected places.

I saw this wonderful film at the Danger After Dark fest in Philly and left the theater in a complete daze. Did I love it? Did I hate it? How could I get my brain to start functioning again? It's rare for me to not make a snap decision about a film. Usually, as was the case with Antichrist, if I leave the theater thinking about a film for three or four days non-stop, it means that even if I can't distinguish whether or not I like the film, it is probably a successful work of cinema. This morning I woke up pretty sure that The Temptation of St. Tony is a masterpiece, if a somewhat flawed one.

It could loosely be described as a black comedy, but that really doesn't do it justice. There are elements of the surreal and the absurd. The film is beautifully shot and has a definite Tarkovsky influence. Almost more a series of tableaux than a cohesively narrative film, the stark, lovely scenes lead Tony further downward into a spiral of confusion and questioning. In a strange way, it also reminds me of Pasolini's Teorema. Both films openly sneer at bourgeois life and morality, both deal with the difficulty of religious and spiritual searching in a modern, capitalist age, and both have troubling, ambiguous endings.

If I had to pick, I have three favorite things about this film. First, the performances are tremendous. In a lot of ways they are very physically grueling and require a certain amount of stiffness and awkwardness with a layer of roiling emotion underneath. Second, I love a director who's not afraid of stillness. In this way, Ounpuu is like Haneke. He doesn't beat us over the head with soundtrack or dialogue. He gives Tony time to be quiet. My third favorite thing is the incredible range of emotion in the film itself. It goes from moments of the mundane, the absurd, the comic, the pathetic, the depressing, and, most impressively, to some truly creepy and disturbing moments. The ending scenes at the hellish club, Das Goldene Seitaltern (The Golden Age), verge on terrifying. Sten Ljunggren, a Swedish actor using German dialogue, casts a particularly memorable impression.

Supposedly The Temptation of St. Tony will be released on region 1 dvd in January of 2011. I can't wait to see it again. You can keep up with the film at its webpage, which is available both in Estonian and English.

Edit: Here's the DVD!

Side note: When I was preparing to write this review I realized I knew very little about Estonia, which is apparently a magical place. It borders Finland and is similar in language and culture. To me the language sounds a lot like Elvish. The country is full of lakes, borders the Baltic Sea, has a temperate climate, and lots of snow. It is considered multinational. Since the Middle Ages a lot of other European countries have had their hands in Estonian government, namely Rome and Sweden. The country was hit hard by World War II and ranks as the largest percentage of casualties in Europe. It was occupied by Germany and later by the Soviets. Incidentally, Estonia currently takes part in what they call "e-government." Voting for elections is done ON THE INTERNET. The income level is rated high by the EU and the economy is steadily growing. The population is low, supposedly the smallest in the EU. Apparently they are also big on freedom of religion, women in government, freedom of the press, arts, education, and barbecuing in the summer. I'm moving to Estonia. Your lesson is over. See you soon - I mean, head aega!

HISTOIRES EXTRAORDINARIES aka SPIRITS OF THE DEAD

Federico Fellini, Louis Malle, Roger Vadim, 1968
Starring: Jane Fonda, Peter Fonda, Terence Stamp, Brigitte Bardot, Alain Delon

Back in the age of horror anthology films that were actually good, this one blows them all away in a very special and magical way. It isn’t really scary like Tales from the Crypt or Black Sabbath, but it straddles the line between Gothic spectacle, horror anthology and avant garde European cinema. Not only does it have a roster of all-star directors and cinematographers, the budgets were relatively high and the three films are centered around international stars. Though there was mixed critical reception, I don’t think anyone can argue that Fellini’s “Toby Dammit” is not an amazing piece of cinema.

The three films are all based on tales by Edgar Allen Poe: Fellni’s “Toby Dammit” is inspired by "Never Bet the Devil Your Head," Malle adapts "William Wilson," and Vadim tackles "Metzengerstein." The original French title is also taken from Baudelaire’s translation of one of Poe’s poems.

The first film, Vadim’s “Metzengerstein,” stars Bridgit and Peter Fonda. They’re in love and it’s kind of creepy -- if you didn't know, they're siblings -- but in “Metzengerstein” they appear as neighboring, warring royalty. The young, debauched Countess is rescued from a jam by the icy Count and she becomes obsessed with him. When he doesn't immediately return her affections, she gets revenge by burning down a stable full of his beloved horses. He dies trying to save his horses and his favorite horse, though completely wild, survives. The Countess transfers her love to the horse, taming and spending all of her time with the animal. She also finds an old tapestry depicting a similar horse and becomes obsessed with restoring it. Because this is a Poe story, we know it can’t have a happy ending. Especially not when the main character transfers her forbidden love onto an animal.

This opulent, beautiful film greatly benefits from the inclusion of Jane Fonda. Her presence is probably due to the fact that “Metzengerstein” was tacked onto the end of Barbarella's filming schedule. If I had to rank the three stories, I would say this rates second place. The elaborate set and beautiful star give it a leg up, as well as the undercurrent of sexual obsession, extreme hedonism and unrequited love. What makes the Countess's character remotely compelling is that fact that she is a woman used to getting everything wants. When she alone destroys the one thing she really desires, she has to live with the consequences.

Next is Malle's "William Wilson," starring the BEAUTIFUL Alain Delon. For those of you who haven't read the story, it is a pretty common theme in early horror fiction/film: the diabolical double. In this case the young William Wilson has everything going for him. He's successful, charismatic and seems to get what he wants in life. Unfortunately, but probably as a result of this, he has a cruel streak a mile wide. Before he can do any serious damage to his objects of malice, his double appears and stops him in his tracks. As soon as he realizes who the intrusive stranger is, he disappears. As his frustration mounts, the double becomes increasingly involved in his life. When he decides to take action, I don't think anyone will be surprised by the results. Though I consider it the weakest entry in the trilogy, it's still an entertaining way to pass the time.

The real money-maker in the set, as I believe I've already mentioned, is Fellini's "Toby Dammit." Wow. I mean, wow. Forty minutes of PURE JOY. Terence Stamp, almost as beautiful as Alain Delon, but more appealing because he seems to have more personality, nails it as Toby Dammit, an internationally successful actor who comes to Rome to make a film in exchange for a Ferrari. And, apparently, to have an encounter with the devil in the form of a little girl with a bouncing ball. When his drinking spins out of control at various press events and award shows, Toby is desperate to flee the city in his Ferrari, a move that doesn't go particularly well. All the roads seem to lead to dead ends and all the bridges are closed. Will he escape? Is he being prevented from leaving the city or is it all in his deteriorating mind?

I know everyone already appreciates the fact that Fellini is awesome, but... yeah. I don't know if anyone does a Poe film festival, but in my imagination this happens at least twice a year in some city I don't live in, though Philadelphia would be an ideal place. "Toby Dammit" would be an ideal headline.

Check out the simple DVD from Homevision. It's technically out of print, but plenty of people are selling it online.

HENRY & JUNE

Philip Kaufman, 1990
Starring: Maria de Medeiros, Uma Thurman, Richard E. Grant, Kevin Spacey

Written, directed and produced by Philip Kaufman, Henry & June is based on the diaries of Anais Nin, specifically the section about her life in Paris during the early '30s with writer Henry Miller and his wife June. Though she was happily married to her husband Hugo, Nin carried on an intense, long lasting affair with Miller that has become quite historically famous since the posthumous publication of her diaries. The sections about her relationship with Miller were published in an abridged volume known as Henry and June.

The film mostly follows the plot of this book. While in Paris with Hugo in '31, the restless Nin has just published her first book, an analysis of the work of D.H. Lawrence, and is looking for more out of life. She meets the American writer Henry Miller, who has been sent to Paris by his wife, June, to continue writing and further his contacts. Though they initially connect as writers, Miller is soon responsible for Nin's sexual awakening. They begin a passionate relationship under her husband's nose. When June briefly arrives in town, Nin falls in love with her as everyone seems to, but June's destructiveness eventually takes a toll on Miller and Nin's relationship, which inevitably crumbles.

This is a relatively faithful adaptation of Nin's book. It skims over certain plot elements, like Nin's other affairs during this period and her important relationship with her psychiatrist, but I understand this is necessary for the film's already lengthy time limit. There's a good chance it will be confusing for those who haven't read the book when Kaufman glosses over these other relationships, but overall it is easy to follow. My biggest complaint is that it changes the ending of the book. Nin and Miller's relationship faded with time, but I can see how producers would be unhappy with the lack of drama in that ending.

I was anxious about seeing this film. I love Anais Nin and I love Henry Miller. I also love literary erotica and films that explore the subject, so I had high expectations. My biggest complaint is that the film was rated NC-17, but I have no idea why. It simply isn't that sexual or that graphic. I think most of the problem is that it's an American film. While today there certainly more sexually explorative works (think Short Bus), in 1990 the only place you could see explicit sex in the US was in porn. While Nin was a writer of graphic erotica and Miller's books were frequently banned on obscenity charges, I think the film could have pushed the limits of erotica a lot further. Henry Miller, for one, probably would have been bored by it.

The casting was successful. Maria de Medeiros, a Portugese actress many of you will likely remember from her role as Butch's French girlfriend in Pulp Fiction, stars as Anais Nin. Her performance and casting is probably the strongest, which is fortunate because she's the focus of the film. She looks remarkably like Nin as well. Fred Ward looks weird with a bald cap and is kind of a bland Miller. I can't really imagine who I would want to play Miller as he's such a complex character, both in Nin's journals and as a real man. I think it would be a challenge to find someone with Miller's blend of intelligence and highly charged erotic energy, but who is not particularly handsome.

Though Uma Thurman is well cast as the beautiful, deceitful June, her voice/accent made me find her about 50% less sexually appealing than June is supposed to be. They had her deepen her already low-pitched voice and add an unfortunate Brooklyn accent. Richard E. Grant, one of my favorite actors, was also skewered with a terrible American accent. Shame.

I like Philip Kaufman. He makes the mistake of writing his own films a lot of the time, but he's taken some daring chances. After doing the successful remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, he directed The Right Stuff, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, and Quills. None of these are immediately accessible films -- and often have a heavy emphasis on erotica -- but I like his style. He's slated to direct an HBO film about the relationship between Hemingway and Martha Gellhom.

Over all I was disappointed in Henry & June. As I already said, I was bored by the erotic elements. The plot was messy and unfocused, though there are certainly worse faults to have in a production. The set and costumes were lovely and '30s Paris looks beautiful. I only recommend it if you're interested in either of the writers, though I would definitely recommend any of their books over this film. There's a bare bones DVD from Universal, but go with a rental first.