GARREL LOVES POVERTY AS ONLY THE MIDDLE CLASS CAN
Wild innocence
As Philippe Garrel’s Regular Lovers finally reaches Scottish screens, Tony McKibbin offers a cut out and keep guide to ‘the Rimbaud of French cinema’.
Nico There are tnuses. and then there is what the French call an ‘actricc I'c‘lic‘ltc‘ r a director‘s kc}
actor: Monica \’itti l‘or .-\ntonioni. Anna Karina l'or
(iodard. Stephane Audran l'or (‘hahrol 'l'hroat)
chanteuse and sometime \'el\'et l'nderground singer
.\'ico was (iarrel‘s long-term lox'cr. She appeared in his experimental 7(ls lilms ~ Lu ('l't'ulrir'r’ uilr‘ru'un' (1972). (’u uirer' pussr‘ l l‘)75l and Le llei'r't'uu (lr' ('l‘_\‘.\'lrll (l‘)7ol. I.ong alter they split up. (iarrcl told their stor_\ in .l'eurt'iuls plus lu guilun' ll‘Nl l. and more ilIIllsl\'CI_\‘ in l.(' rem (lr’ lu null l WOO) in which the central character Visits the graVe of his ex—w ile in Berlin. As in .l'r'ulwuls. it was Nico‘s real graVe that was used.
Heroin .»\ l‘ormer heroin addict. (iarrel‘s films are studded with references to the drug. In lelll‘s Suuruge luum'r'm'e. a _\'oung l'ilmmaker wants to make an anti—drugs l'ilms. and the onl} wa_\ he can l’und his project is by drug running. In his latest. Regular LUH'I'S (pictured). alter the failure ol‘ the Ma} 1968 riots. the characters retreat to a wealth)‘ l‘riend‘s house and lose themselves in drugs.
Light ‘.»\|l _\ou need is a lace and a blank wall‘. Visconti once said. .\'o l’ilmmaker hc.ie\es in the power ol’ the face more than (Barrel. Most of the interiors in his films look spartan. partl} because Garrel refuses to light a scene in a way that soc‘l;tll_\‘ locates the characters.
Family Most of (iarrel's l‘ilms concern notions of
family. In Regular Lovers. there is a great scene in which he uses his son Louis. his father Maurice and
l.ouis‘ real-lite mother Brigitte S}.
Intimacy (iarrcl has alwa)s insisted he’s a lilmmaker ol' the Le“. hut actuall} seems more interested in his characters. attempts at low and communication than a general political purpose. llis liltns. director ()li\ ier Assa_\'as ottce said. are like ‘messages in a bottle". Sound It‘s thought that 90‘; ill mainstream lilm sound is recorded alter the e\ent. (iarrel's raw soundtracks suggest most til it has been caught on location. and minimall) rendered. lt gixes the lilms both a sense ol‘ authenticit} and at‘lilicialit}.
John Cale l‘ormerl} ol‘ the \'cl\et l'nderground. ('ale has composed music for numeroUs (iarrel lilms including I.(’ t'r'lll (/(' lu null. llis quiet piano pieces ne\er pro\ide comentional cue music in a (iarrel
lilm. instead rel’lccting some inexplicable element til
a character's soul.
Zanzibar (iarrel was one ol~ a group ol (ills dandies who took ol‘l~ to '/.an/ibar in l‘)(i.\’-o‘). got mashed tip and tnade experimental lilms with mone} supplied h} heiress S}|\ina Boissonnas. These films were rediseosered and screened at the l(‘.'\ in Spring 2002. Suicide “Suicide is the radical decision e\emplilied'. (iarrel insists. Man} of his lilms locus on the subject. Poverty (iarrel loxes the nobilit} ol poxert} as onl} the French middle class can. Ile once said 'the lilm ol' mine _\ou jttst saw was made for the cost ol' that Volkswagen ox'er there.'
Regular Lovers is at Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Fri 8-Wed 13 Sep only. See review, page 42.
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THE BEST FILM & DVD RELEASES
* The Fallen Idol In preparation for the re-release of Carol Reed's brilliant Odd Man Out. why don't you treat yourself to this consumately made 1948 thriller of misconception and childhood perceptions. See review, page 45. Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Fri 8—Mon l 7 Sep.
* Three Times Hou Hsiao- hsien's marvellous time travelling roman a clef triptych. and follow up to Cafe Lumiere. gets a long overdue outing. See Big Picture. page 13. GET, Glasgow from Fri 8—Mon 7 I Sep only.
* Regular Lovers Hypnotic and challenging meditation of love and revolution from one of the French New Wave's forgotten soldiers. See preview. left and review, page 42. Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Fri 8—Wed 73 Sep.
* The Black Dahlia Brian De Palma's flawed but solidly interesting adaptation of James Ellroy's book. General release from Fri 15 Sep.
* The Wicker Man Neil Labute's intriguing remake of Scottish horror. See review, page 43. General release from Fri 15 Sep.
3|: If . . . Lindsay's Anderson‘s masterful 1968 classic of boarding schools and revolution gets a big screen outing as part of a short Lindsay Anderson season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Fri 8—Mon 7 7 Sep only.
it The Long Good Friday Fantastic 25th anniversary edition DVD of the greatest British gangster flick ever made that's chock-a-block with extras. Out Mon 78 Sep (Anchor Bay).
* I Am Curious Yellow/I Am Curious Blue DVD re- release of classic Swedish art house porno. Seminal and unforgettable. Out now (2ND).
: ,rfi THE LIST 41