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SCENE BY SCENE PREVIEW Todd Haynes
A retrospective, when the director's only got three full-length films in the can? Surely that's a bit like a
teenager‘s autobiography. But Todd _, - _V
Haynes has already made a significant impact on world filmmaking with his work 'so far.
Poison helped establish the buzz around the Queer Cinema movement at the turn of the'SOs: [Safe] is one of American
independent cinema’s most chilling 4 ' ‘_' visions of a Worldout of synch'With
its inhabitants: and Velvet
Goldmine. which opens this year’s Film Festival. treats glam rock not-as . a kitsch jamboree but a
phenomenon that radically challenged British society in the 70$. 7 Add to this his delightful short Dottie Gets Spanked and the
banned Karen Carpenter biog Superstar ~ with its Barbie doll ‘actors
in. the dudes: Todd Haynes visits
Edinburgh
' serious criticism of ‘wholesome‘
America - and a body of work emerged” «delivery tacklesquestions of
identity in an inventive manner.
mam. singer Michael Stipe, the_.ex",'_,,i' or Velvet Goldmine. is i
a fan. “Todd has all the qualities'l admire it! 106$“? .ambitiOn. great intellect and humour. interest in potentially. “fringe” topics. and the ability .
”' to combine all this and take it to a large" audience'in an entertaining way. He provokes and is defiant. while entertaining and challenging his audience. That is almost singular in today's filmg'culture.‘
Praise indeed. And a clear indication
that. during his Scene By Scene
dissection of Velvet Goldmine. Haynes will have more to talk about than how cool it was to have Placebo covering T-Rex on the film‘s soundtrack.
And as for that 'three film retrospective point: in 1975, Edinburgh held a retrospective of a relative unknowhwith'only four films to his name, who then went on and won the Palme D'Or at Cannes the following year. His name? Martin Scorsese. Remember where you heard it first. (Alan Morrison) a Todd Haynes Scene 8y Scene, FilmhouSe 1, Tue 18, 7pm, £9.50 (£4).
Divorce Iranian Style
As cinema-verite, Kim Longinotto and Ziba Mir-Hosseini's documentary is more the latter than the former. Joanna Rosenthall's deadpan, understated narration brings a BBC 2 educational programme instantly to mind, as she voices us through the stories of three woman attempting the tricky negotiation of divorce in strictly Islamic courts. But for all the interest generated by location, the dilemmas faced by the participants seem to resemble those of all divorcees — money, children and discovering the ugly side of those we had formerly loved. (Steve Cramer)
a Divorce Iranian Sty/e, Fi/mhouse 3, Wed 79, 6pm; Fi/mhouse 2, Fri 27, 5.30pm; Fi/mhouse 2, Thu 27, 3.30pm; Glasgow Film Theatre, Sat 29, 5.45pm, £6.50 ([4).
Modulations
Ten years after the dance music explosion, Lara Lee's documentary examines where house and techno came from. More interested in the music than the social revolution - although their interdependence is clearly acknowledged — the film attempts to chart the way electronic music has modulated from one form to
the next during this century. The talking heads are ever-present, with only a couple spouting pretentious twaddle; but the graphics are superb. Lee has an eye for the ironic but lets the film lose momentum and also fails to explain the music's most basic forms. Ultimately, it is of more specialist than general appeal. (Thom Dibdin)
e Modulations, Fi/mhouse 2, Wed 19, 10.30pm, Glasgow Film Theatre, Sat 22, 5.45pm, £6.50 (£4).
Moon Over Broadway
ii? a is
If you can shine on the Great White Way, as Damon Runyon no doubt said, you can damn well shine anywhere. Documentors of Dylan and Woodstock, Pennebaker and Hegedus follow a Broadway farce from pre- production through rehearsals and rewrites to first night and . . . well, that would be telling. Will the writer cope as the cast insist on ‘interpreting' his dialogue? How soon before the director has his first conniption? What will the critics think? A film about a play about a film, which is about as postmodern as one gets without resort to a time machine. An amusing peek into luwie-land. (Rodger Evans)
a Moon Over Broadway, Cameo 3, Mon 1?, 10pm; Cameo 3, Mon 24, 10pm, £6.50 (£4).
)Nin _ urprl_se ' _ Film Tickets
The lights go down . . .
the audience holds its breath . . . the opening titles roll . . .
is it the one you’ve been waiting for?
The 'Surprise Movie’ at the Edinburgh International Film Festival is one of the top attractions of the entire fortnight. This year’s event, presented in association with The List, takes place at the ABC Cinema on Lothian Road on Friday 28 August. As ever, it's likely to be a sell-out. Only Film Festival Director Lizzie Francke knows what’s in the projector, so even we can't give you any hints.
In past years, however, those venturing into the cinematic unknown have thrilled to the fast-lipped, bullet-ripping frenzy of Pulp Fiction, the cult-driven cool of Smoke and the sheer retro-noir perfection of LA. Confidential. John Travolta, Bruce Willis, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, William Hurt, Kim Basinger, Kevin Spacey — not a bad crowd to hang out with. This year’s screening is guaranteed to be in the same class — an as-yet-unreleased hot item that won't be seen by regular audiences until much later in the year.
Become the envy of your friends by being the first to solve the Festival's best kept secret. We have ten pairs of tickets for the screening up for grabs. All you have to do is answer this simple question:
Which film opened LAST YEAR'S Edinburgh International Film Festival?
Send your answers on a postcard by
Thursday 20 August to: wwgukcfi SURPRISE COMP I~rr;r::;:‘o~it The LiSt' FESTIVAL
14 High Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1TE.
13-20 Aug 1998 tnsusns