Thursday, March 19, 1998
Festival celebrates outbreak of daring films in the 1970s
FILM: Santa Barbara leaves the surfboards behind to go for the
glitz
By Lonnie Harris
Daily Bruin Contributor
Though it is located a scant 100 miles north of the geographic
center of the film industry, the city of Santa Barbara is not often
associated with the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. Whereas
Tinseltown is commonly thought of as the point around which
celebrities and gala premieres orbit, Santa Barbara is mainly
content with its reputation as a quiet beachside resort, where
surfing is a more likely pastime than composing a screenplay.
But for the past two weekends, all of this changed, when the
city of Santa Barbara hosted its 13th Annual International Film
Festival. Bringing in new films from over 20 different countries,
the festival is quickly becoming one of the nation’s largest and
most prestigious showcases for independent and foreign films.
As with any event in the film world, the Santa Barbara Film
Festival was overrun with celebrity appearances during its two week
tenure in the city’s small but pleasant downtown area. Anyone
walking down Cabrillo or Carrallo Street was likely to spot at
least one recognizable face, from Sinbad to Pierce Brosnan. Many
were there to speak about their latest projects, and some were
there just for the chance to soak up some sun and see a few new
movies.
The theme of this year’s festival was "The Magnificent 70s."
According to the festival’s artistic director Renee Missel, this
theme was "inspired by film critic Charles Champlin and his book
‘Hollywood’s Revolutionary Decade: Charles Champlin reviews the
films of the ’70s.’"
Champlin himself made many appearances during the 10 days, and
took these opportunities to discuss the importance of this decade
to the history of filmmaking. According to Champlin, the 1970s was
the most radical and experimental decade in American Cinema, mainly
due to the abolition of the restrictive Hays Code for film
censorship in 1968. Once movies could include more adult material,
including sexual references, drug-abuse themes and even
homo-eroticism, a new generation of daring filmmakers stepped into
the spotlight and produced vibrant, original works.
One of these filmmakers was John Schlesinger, who screened his
1969 Academy Award-winning masterpiece "Midnight Cowboy" for the
festival in the exclusive Riviera Theater. After the film,
Schlesinger, in a staged interview with Champlin, discussed the
benefits of being a filmmaker working during the ’70s.
"Movies like ‘Midnight Cowboy’ can never be made today, at least
not by a major studio," Schlesinger said. "We should celebrate good
films, and this year there have been a lot. Movies such as ‘Good
Will Hunting,’ ‘L.A. Confidential’ and ‘Ice Storm’ elevate the
industry from all this studio garbage."
Other 1970s talents who were honored in Santa Barbara included
screenwriter Robert Towne (for his screenplay of Roman Polanski’s
1974 classic "Chinatown") and Julie Christie (for her acting in the
1971 Robert Altman work "McCabe and Mrs. Miller").
The festival, in addition to recognizing the work of 1970s
filmmakers, included salutes to actress Jodie Foster and actor Bob
Hoskins on separate occasions. Foster was presented with the Modern
Master Award, followed by a screening of her Academy-Award winning
performance in "Silence of the Lambs." Hoskins held a large Q&A
session following a screening of his newest film,
"TwentyFourSeven," which is set for release later this year.
The majority of events during the festival were not, however,
ceremonies. Instead, over 80 new movies were screened for both the
press and the general public. The theaters located along Santa
Barbara’s large commercial State Street were overflowing with
excited local residents and press from all over the nation, waiting
anxiously to get a sneak peak of some new films before they arrive
in theaters nationwide.
Some of the more notable projects premiered at the festival were
John Sayles’ new movie, "Men With Guns" (the director’s first film
entirely in Spanish), Richard Linklater’s ("Dazed and Confused" and
"Slacker") nonfiction western "The Newton Boys" and "The Wonderful
Ice Cream Suit." This last film is notable both for its all-star
(and almost entirely Latino cast) as well as its screenwriter,
science-fiction auteur Ray Bradbury.
Bradbury himself, along with the film’s stars Joe Mantegna and
Clifton Gonzalez Gonzalez, appeared after the screening to discuss
working on this project. All were glad that they could finally make
a film that would appeal both to children and adults, and which
could also find a broader audience for Latino performers.
"Working on this film has been one of the best experiences of my
life," Bradbury says. "I was honored to be able to work with such a
fine group of actors and make a film of such high caliber."
In addition to these major projects, the festival also featured
documentaries and shorts. Michael Moore, whose first documentary
"Roger & Me" won him both instant notoriety and an Academy
Award, presented his latest feature "The Big One" to a sell-out
crowd on Saturday night. The film mainly follows his new book
"Downsize This!" and tells the unfortunate stories of people who
have been subject to corporate downsizing.
Among the many shorts screened over the 10-day period in the
Fiesta Theater, in the middle of the massive State Street complex,
were "Hamburger Helper" from director Greg Webb and "Culture" from
directors Josh Gordon and Will Speck. These and other short films
explored such diverse topics as politics, love, war and annoying
secretaries.
By the time the Festival ended late Sunday, with a screening of
the Tom-Cruise-produced film about runner Steve Prefontaine,
"Without Limits," hundreds of films had benefited from the
exposure. For films which may never had been screened for large
crowds, this was the perfect chance to gain mass appeal. As well,
for other films which are likely to do quite well at the box
office, the festival provided a head start for the spring
season.
As the sun set on the picturesque Santa Barbara coastline, some
of the event’s attendees and organizers took time to reflect upon
the event which had ruled the city for two weeks. Most of the
event’s organizers felt that this was an especially good year for
filmmaking, and that this was reflected in the event.
"There are a couple of films here at the festival that have been
very touching and meaningful for me," critic Champlin says.
"Sometimes, the excellence of art is as moving as what exactly that
art is talking about, and this was especially true of most of the
films I saw here in Santa Barbara."