Telluride. Wrap-up.

Unlike other events large and small, Telluride has a number of qualities of distinction that sets it apart from other film festivals. First and foremost, attendees have no idea what will be presented until the start of the fest. Second, and perhaps more importantly, the picturesque location of the venues in the San Juan mountains of Colorado requires a certain earnest dedication to even get to the event (not uncommonly, visitors fly into either Denver or Albuquerque and make a roughly seven-hour drive). Third and key amongst all reasons, the festival has the incomparable co-directors Tom Luddy and Bill Pence, which makes the first reason a rather minor gamble (thanks to their combined able efforts and the work of an assortment of resident curators, such as Peter Sellars and Gary Meyer) and the second reason worth the adventure (particularly in my case, although I would recommend a certain suspicion of any directions provided by Mapquest). With only four days of screenings, the 32nd Telluride Film Festival had little time to make good on its enormous reputation. After all, it's the event that literally put Telluride on the map. Fortunately for all involved, the festival easily exceeded expectations, creating a true destination for cineastes. In the parlance of movie-blurb speak, "If you only attend one festival this year, make it Telluride."

For those that failed to make the pilgrimage, what follows is an ersatz alphabetical assesment of a handful of films eventually due to appear (or not) at a theatre near you.

Army of Shadows. Jean-Pierre Melville's little-seen classic gets the Rialto treatment (in other words, it's shortly headed back to cinemas in selected cities). A great counterpoint to The Conformist, the great Lino Ventura and his Army take on the French occupation in the legendary writer/director's third-to-last picture and one of the finest films about the Resistance.

Bee Season. Not having read the Myla Goldberg novel of the same name on which this movie is based, I must trust the comments from others that some of the charm of the source is missing in the adaptation. Something is missing, certainly. Scott McGehee and David Siegel stretch their sophomore slump into their third feature; a misfire from beginning to end.

Brokeback Mountain - Destined to be known in some parts as Bareback Mountain, one would find it difficult to fault the performances of its two leads, Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal. However, the plodding script and thinly sketched secondary characters derail an otherwise tender, if frustrating, tale.

Caché. Hidden, as it could be translated and, like many Michael Haneke titles, allows for multiple meetings. Dealing thematically with issues of the past that folks would rather keep unknown, the director pushes the usual buttons. A family is terrorized and, while it's no Funny Games, it cleverly plays with notions of class and culpability.

Capote. It might be difficult to recall that there was a time, not so long ago, when multiple murders were uncommon. The superb Capote captures this time and the most famous crime of the era, as captured in the book (and, later, film) In Cold Blood and recreated for this film on the origins of said book. Well-played throughout and anchored by Philip Seymour Hoffman's remarkable spot-on portrayal of Truman Capote.

The Child. This Palme d'Or winner from the Dardenne brothers follows Bruno, a petty criminal who believes that "only fuckers work." His girlfriend Sonia has just given birth to the titular infant and this change in lifestyle (or lack thereof) provides enough catalyst to careen these misfits to their necessary redemptive and emotionally rewarding end.

A Cottage on Dartmoor. In this special screening by way of Pordenone (itself a pilgrimage-worthy event), Anthony Asquith deftly proves that there was more to British thrillers of the silent era than Alfred Hitchcock. Influenced by equal parts Russian Constructivism and German Expressionism, this Cottage deserves to be inhabited by others.

Johanna. Avoid this so-called Jeanne d'Arc-inspired (hardly) pseudo-opera at all costs.

Les Ponts des Arts. One of the great discoveries of the festival was this fantastic film from last year, presented as part of a "complete works of" presentation for Eugene Green (together with his debut Toutes les nuits, the follow-up Le Monde vivant and the short Le Nom de feu). Words alone could not begin to describe the brilliant, baroque melding of Bresson, Rohmer and Ruiz yet wholly unlike anything you've ever seen before.

The President's Last Bang. While little is ever written outside of South Korea about the stunning assasination of Park Chung-hee, this inspired Lim Sang-soo film tells the wild tale of the dictator's demise. Packing the action and humor of a Hong Kong film, Bang steers an entertaining ride from the first moment to the, well, last.

The Spirit of the Beehive. Don DeLillo selected, as guest director, three films from the 1970s including this Victor Erice masterpiece. Beehive explores the resonating effects of a chance screening of James Whale's Frankenstein on a young girl in Spain, providing a starting point for issues of alienation and acceptance. Thankfully, an eventual Criterion release is promised.

Three Times. Hou Hsiao-hsien's latest stars Chang Chen and Shu Qi in three stories in three time periods and three roles respectively. HHH starts well, stumbles in the middle and falls at the end. Even still, it's an immensely watchable work from a director whose worst moments are generally better than the best of others.

While it is impossible to see everything, I admit some disappointment in missing Breakfast on Pluto, Walk the Line, Paradise Now and Conversations With Other Women, all recommended after-the-fact by other audience members and all I will seemingly have an opportunity to see elsewhere. More importantly, I'm disappointed that other festivals snatched up The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes, Princess Racoon and Good Night, and Good Luck, among others. This film business is an illness that simply will not let up.

Posted by dwhudson at September 9, 2005 12:12 PM