Double DVD Delight In Two New Discs
High in the hills of Sicily, villagers have an expression they use whenever someone attempts to discuss the style of Italian filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni. "Grandma was slow, but she was old," a villager interrupts, usually in Italian. "What's Antonioni's excuse?" Then, everyone in the community laughs, and they all gather for a raucous lynching of the Antonioni admirer.
Yes, L'Avventura (which translates to The Adventure), Antonioni's classic breakthrough film given the Criterion treatment on a new double-disc set, is slow. Very slow. Like Jimmy Stewart popping Valium and reading aloud Proust's Remembrance of Things Past. The story unfolds slowly, when at all, and the director emphasizes atmosphere rather than narrative. The frustration of a contemporary American viewer, weaned on quick editing and irony over mood, is understandable.
However, even the cultured French disdained the film on its release in 1960. The audience at Cannes would shout "Cut!" in the middle of the frequent long-take, static shots. Only a petition from influential filmmakers and critics and the Palme D'Or award from the Cannes jury could atone for the chorus of boos cast and crew heard at the premiere. Anxious to see the movie yet? Put down your hands film students and art-house snobs. Give the rest of the class a chance.
Perhaps the film isn't to everyone's taste, but, if given a chance, it can be to everyone's interest. The film starts with the disappearance of a bored, dissatisfied woman in the middle of a yachting trip with her leisure-class friends. Her boyfriend and best friend set out to find her, but they soon become distracted from the search. Instead of focusing on the literal "adventure" referred to in the title, Antonioni turns his and our attention to the sexual and moral adventure undertaken by the characters. Man, tormented by identity confusion and an inability to communicate, suffers under the restraints of an outdated morality. Recent films like Tomb Raider and The Animal also touch upon this theme but neither have the ability to eloquently express this modern condition in Italian.
Actually, the significance of L'Avventura lies in its transformation of cinematic language. According to the DVD's excellent and enlightening commentary track by film historian Gene Youngblood, Antonioni used images not as symbols but as metonyms not as representation of something else but as a part standing for its whole. Visuals expressed the inner life of characters to an unprecedented extent as well. Stanley Kubrick was certainly affected by this revolution in style, and everyone who has followed has felt at least an indirect influence.
The second disc illustrates why this influence should be lasting. Jack Nicholson reads a couple of Antonioni essays, which are among the most scholarly ever written by a filmmaker. They reveal keen insight and clear intent, a careful carving of style to match a sophisticated philosophy. Even more interesting, though, is the response from the always-entertaining Nicholson. He recounts a story or two that humanizes the intimidating intellectual, and he points out inconsistencies between what the director wrote and how he acted on the set of their excellent collaboration, The Passenger. The hour-long documentary on the filmmaker and his films also contributes to a better understanding, although Antonioni would be the first to declare the futility of understanding the art through the artist and vice versa.
The special features are an essential addition to L'Avventura like they would be to no other film. For while the film plays like a novel, the extras are its critical supplement surrounding literature that contributes to a thorough interpretation of a work that often defies interpretation. That sounds too much like schoolwork, doesn't it? It's challenging, it's cerebral and yes, it's slow, but it's never a chore. The art of Michelangelo Antonioni requires consideration and patience, but more than anything, L'Avventura demands a sense of adventure.
Josh Beaty
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On its independently produced surface, Chillicothe (pronounced "Chill-i-Coth-ee") is nothing special. A group of friends in Tulsa, Okla., have reached that point in their post-college years when they're looking to settle down and start a family.
Led by the amiable Wade (writer-director Todd Edwards), the group is suddenly shaken as each buddy slowly begins the wedding march. Transported to a world where his friends are finding soulmates, Wade begins to question what his life is all about and his place in the world. In other words, what needs to happen so that he can finally grow up. Should he go back to school? Should he quit his job? Should he move out of his apartment? Should he sell his used Beastie Boys CD for food money?
What makes Chillicothe a special experience is that Edwards takes these conventional indie film cues of struggling young adults (some of them are even filmmakers) and their search for love, and he makes it shine a little brighter. He gives the film a serious dose of intelligence. The script is incredibly sharp and funny. Whether poking fun at favorite pop-culture icons or just at one another, the characters of Chillicothe are likely to keep you laughing and quoting lines for the indefinite future.
The newly released DVD serves the film well. Featured on the disc is an insightful behind-the-scenes documentary, featuring interviews with the cast and crew. Included are clips from previous Edwards family films, and the amount of talent and deft showcased by Todd at such an early age helps one establish why Chillicothe has such a polished feel for an indie feature debut. Also included is a wonderful audio commentary track featuring Todd and his brother (one of the film's actor-producers) Cory. The two relay your typical DVD anecdotes about shooting schedules and set trouble, but there's more.
This is one of the better audio commentaries to come along, as it seems to be done by DVD fans. It's as if these two film buffs who happen to be the filmmakers took what we all hate about DVD commentary tracks and threw it all out. In other words, there is very little rambling, very much insight and a ton of truly interesting stories about how this amazing film was put together on no budget.
More than just a chance to support independent filmmaking, seeing Chillicothe will be a rare viewing experience. How often can you say you've seen a film with no hype, no stars, no budget, no marketing, no studio money and walked away loving it? Here's your chance to witness what a select few already have, and realize why those select few are happier people because of it.
Matt Dentler
Chillicothe is available to rent at your local Hollywood Video store.
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