Ebertfest 2008, Day 3

Seen: Friday, April 25, 2008
The following films played on day three of Ebertfest 2008:

Underworld (1927)
If pressed to say which are my two favorite silent films, Charlie Chaplin's City Lights (1931) would probably top the list, but directly on its heels would be Josef von Sternberg's phenomenal gangster pic--also known as the first movie of the gangster genre--Underworld (1927). I honestly didn't believe that it would even make the program for Ebert's festival of underrated and overlooked films, for what cinephile has either dismissed or been left unaware of such a wonderful film? Well, no one, is the answer. As Ebert believes (and I think he's right), silent films are simply overlooked in general by contemporary audiences. So von Sternberg's film was picked as the annual silent screening, but the flickering sound of the projector was hardly the only sound reverberating through the Virginia Theater, enter: The Alloy Orchestra. Live musical accompaniment made a film that is already so smartly built that its series of visuals double as built-in sound cues, even better. In fact, Underworld, which I have seen at least a handful of times, was practically a whole new and enriched film. The sound accompaniment made such a difference in maintaining the story's tone and flow, it actually felt like a longer movie--not tediously so, just more fleshed out and engaging. I love to watch von Sternberg films, and I love to watch Underworld even more; this was simply the best experience seeing any of the above.

The Real Dirt on Farmer John (2005)
If ever you need a pick-me-up, find joy in the story of Illinois farmer and hippie, John Peterson. His heart is as large as that beautiful, organically grown cabbage he's got his arms around at left, seriously. The documentary follows Peterson's plight to save his farm that has been in his family since (if memory serves) before he was even born. Bright super 8mm home movie reels are woven with present day digital footage to narrate the personal story of his mother's life and death, the dismantling of his land in years past when financial times were tough, and shocking stories of his bewildered country neighbors who perpetuated rumors that murderous black magic took place on John's plot of land (you never knew what those nutty long-hairs where up to in those days, I guess!) But mostly, it's an inspiring, hopeful story couched in the organic food movement that only in recent years has gained a lot of commercial steam. Plus John is such a lovable dude, honest and forthwith and impassioned about his quiet everyday life, it's not presumptuous to say his story makes you feel glad that you are alive.

This is what happens at Ebertfest!

Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985)
Ah, and the grand finale for the day! We marveled over writer-director-Hollywood legend Paul Schrader's Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters. It comes post-Taxi Driver and post-Raging Bull, at a time in cinema history that is frowned upon as the era of the bloated blockbuster. That may only partially be true, using Mishima as the definitive case study for the kind of experimental story structure and visual aesthetics employed during the 1980s. The story is a story within a story within a story--the novel, a stage play, and the filmed frame around it all--embellished with sets that simply glow, and a musical score from Philip Glass that haunts me to this day. Schrader was there and I like how he speaks, thoughtful sentences strewn with swears. I don't mean that only in a provocative way either, it's just that there is an amazing energy to how Schrader articulates himself and those choice four letter words are just part and parcel of his individuality. He injects a sense of reality to the conversation, trimming all the fat and self-inflated B.S. you can often easily get from Hollywood directors. The print of the film we saw was Schrader's own. For me, this was the most personal events of Ebertfest, partially because I sat a few feet away from the writer of my favorite American movie (Taxi Driver, 1976), though mostly because I saw a new movie pumped full of magic, wonder and fear--to fall in love at the theater! Mishima is the newest addition to my long best-of list.


Read more about Ebertfest Day 3 as it happened live at Scarlett Cinema!