Youth Without Youth
November 21st, 2007
I had a strange dream last night about Romania and Malta, India and Switzerland. In my dream, Francis Ford Coppola had made a new movie, something about an old man who is hit by lightning and grows a new set of teeth. He collects roses and languages and Bruno Ganz was there, too. He owned a German-made tape recorder, for which he apologized. A beautiful woman spoke in tongues and changed her name and lived in a cave for a thousand years. In Walter Murch’s hands, close-ups of cigarette smoke turned into drifting clouds illuminated by the full moon. Mad Nazi scientists electrocuted horses, and I couldn’t remember if I left the third rose in a safe deposit box or inside a shattered mirror. There was never enough time. By the seaside, I made promises and broke them, but all of my friends were at the Cafe Select.
I know, I know — there’s nothing duller than listening to other people’s dreams. And yet… the shared fantasy Coppola created from Mircea Eliade’s novella weaves a strange magic, mysterious, playful, philosophical, and loopy with romance. I’d like to hold on to that gossamer enchantment for just a little while longer, privately, before it’s time to take out the stainless steel critical apparatus and cut this one open. Check back for a proper review before the opening on December 14. With Tim Roth and Alexandra Maria Lara.
Youth Without Youth. Francis Ford Coppola, 2007. ****
The trailer:
Nosferatu the Vampyre
October 31st, 2006
I haven’t gotten to the making of Nosferatu yet in Kinski’s autobiography, but if I had to guess I’d say that he’ll be bragging about his affair with Adjani, the costume designer, three underage extras and a nun before he gets sick, detained, committed, and into fist fights with Herzog. “Nachts ficken wir und prügeln uns.” Casting Kinski as Max Schreck was a no-brainer; I’m wondering who should play the creature in an updated 2006 version. Sacha Baron Cohen? Here’s my short film, and a clip of Herzog and Kinski during the shoot. A moody and faithful homage.
Nosferatu the Vampyre. Werner Herzog, 1979. ****
