3 jours, 3 euros...
It has been quite awhile since I watched film so intensively. Last time could be back in Edinburgh (twice a week, once in Cameo on Wenesday afternoons for 1 pound and once in The Film House on Friday afternoons for 3 pounds). Before it would be in the film festivals in Hong Kong, when I collected film tickets like a kid collecting candies.
Today I was deeply in love with 'Let's Get Lost', a love letter from Bruce to Chet.
I have always liked Chet Baker. Love his soft, innocent and almost fragile voice, love his trumpet, love the persona he carries; it is true that he is like James Dean, although I have never liked James Dean more than an icon that I know.
Yesterday, with pure luck, I found this beautiful documentary made by the celebrated photographer Bruce Weber called 'Let's Get Lost' about Chet Baker. I was quite surprised to see the old Chet, like everyone else perhaps, dried by age and drugs and probably years of frustration, so closely being presented on screen. His face is terribly old, yet his voice is like a child's. He is still so soft when he speaks and sings. So soft and fragile that makes you want to cry.
I heard about his drugs and his love stories. He is too good-looking to be faithful, to be tied up. They always are, the good looking boys; yet he is open about wanting to be free without wing. That is so much like James Dean, and also so much like Leslie Cheung, especially in the film made by Wong Kar Wai, 'Days of being Wild'. With these beautiful boys, you can only love them, and not to hate them.
The film was beautifully made: black and white, personal and dream-like. The worst thing is that I missed the last 10 minutes of the film, and I will try to redeem myself tomorrow by dropping by the cinema and begged for seeing the last 10 minutes (I may just sneek in). It is haunting me, the last thing I saw on the screen was Chet playing and singing 'Almost Blue' in front of a disappointing crowd. Life is so disappointing, he must be thinking; and yet, he tried to be free, and finally he fell out of the window from his hotel room in Amsterdam.
Being as lucky as I am, I saw 'The Dark Knight' afterwards. It simply blown me away.
Yes, it's mainstreem; Yes, it's hollywood. But it blown me away. The story, the acting, the casting, the directing, the cinematography, the music, the sound effect...all perfect for the film for being Batman. It is simly amazing! And so much hypes about Ledger's tragic death and the joker he played brilliantly, it is indeed brilliant! He is electrifying! The opening sequence with the bank robbery was so well-done it draws you into the film with the right mood wanting for more. And every main actors are well casted, and they just all done a perfect job.
Someone may think the film is a bit too long: 2 hours and 50 minutes. But I was so happy that it is long: How did we get to this point when a film so fantasticly done is too long for being 2 hours and 50 minutes? Why have our patience gone to? I can stay much longer if it continues to evolve so perfectly.
The third film I saw was 'Prince of the City' by Sidney Lumet (1981). It was 3 hours long, and it was intense from the begining to the end. It was great film-making and story telling. They are doing this theme on the director at the GRAND ACTION cinema right now, and maybe I will check out the other film of his 'The Verdict' before I take off for Sete.
How great the last 2 days had been!
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