SFIFF: Four more days.

Four more days. Still a chance to see the Leth/Trier collaboration The Five Obstructions or the similarly disjointed (and Danish) Reconstruction. Still an opportunity to catch the riveting Grimm (starring the great Carmello Gomez) and the fantastic Doppelganger (in its North American premiere). Of course, there's plenty that has played and gone. For those readers outside of our neighborhood (the majority of you), here (in brief) is what you missed.

Documentary filmmaker Jon Else received his well-deserved Persistence of Vision award, entertaining the audience with tales of virtually every project between The Day After Trinity (which screened at the event) and his latest film-in-progress, a revisiting of the Oppenheimer topic by way of the development of the latest (certain to be fantastic) opera from composer John Adams and director Peter Sellars. Else gracefully received this "pointiest" of his awards without mention of festival Executive Director Roxanne Messina Captor's mispronunciation of his name - twice. How Else (pardon the pun) would it be pronounced? Expect an interview with Jon Else on the GreenCine main site around the release of his wonderful Sing Faster, coming to DVD in late-June from Docurama.

Tom Luddy generously introduced the dual Alloy Orchestra performances (for The General and Dans la Nuit), stating (to paraphrase) that it would be an unforgettable night at the movies. Some in the audience chuckled at the sentiment and yet, true enough, visiting journalist Jay Kuehner (of the great film magazine Cinema Scope said (to further paraphrase) that he felt Buster Keaton's performance really transcended the ages. He half-expected to see Buster outside the theater at the end of the screening - his portrayal seemed so alive and contemporary. As for French actor/director Charles Vanel's Dans la Nuit, while it might not be the major rediscovery that was suggested, it was still immensely enjoyable (in spite of its "twist within a twist within a predictable twist" plot).

Regardless, some of the best new films in the festival hail from our friends in France. From the wonderful That Day (and an appearance from charming star Elsa Zylberstein, who reported repeatedly how this was the worst organized festival she's ever attended); Rohmer's mannered-yet-compelling Triple Agent (in which, curiously enough, the "true story" part of the narrative is introduced in the final minutes of the film); the absolutely fantastic Since Otar Left (definitely the best debut film of SFIFF and worthy of some sort of recognition or, at the very least, US distribution); even the lovely-to-look-at Investigation into the Invisible World (though the Icelandic subjects grew tiresome and there are enough unsubstantiated ramblings to grow on this skeptic's nerves). Coincidence?

Of the revivals not already mentioned, it seems a shame that Milos Forman's Taking Off is so little-seen. A fantastic performance from Buck Henry as a repressed middle-class father in New York and the great Lynn Carlin (of Faces fame) as his wife (along with an appearance by Kathy "Bobo" Bates in her first role), the film is a spot-on critical assessment of early-1970s American culture. Adjacent in importance (as well as alphabetically in the program), the otherwise unknown Temptress of a Thousand Faces (from Five Fingers of Death director Cheng Chang-ho) deserves a renewed long life on the art house circuit, midnight movie or not. Sadly, they don't make movies like that anymore.

Wednesday brings the Golden Gate Awards ceremony and, accordingly, a few brief words about the winners will follow on Thursday (along with my "five point plan" to fix the festival). In the meantime, sincere thanks are again extended to the already acknowledged (and justifiably so) exceptionally helpful Jason O'Mahony; a particular gratitude is owed to Brent Hall for a pair of last-minute tickets to the Trinity screening; praise is also due, as always, to Tim Etheridge and special recognition is necessary for the amazing woman that holds it all together, Hilary Hart. The programmers generally grace the spotlight, introducing the films and so forth, but these are the people (along with their compatriots in Guest Services) behind the scenes who are rarely mentioned for their essential contributions. There would be no festival without them.

Posted by dwhudson at April 26, 2004 1:19 PM