As inflatable stars arrive in Manhattan ready for their Macy’s close-up, one of the biggest stars in the history of film won’t be at the parade — she’ll be at the IFC Center. Tonight, Stranger Than Fiction will feature its penultimate screening, Marlene, a revival of the 1984 documentary about the reclusive film star Marlene Dietrich, directed by Maximilian Schell, an actor who appeared with Dietrich in Judgment at Nuremberg.
Presented by John Walter, the director of How to Draw A Bunny and Theater of War, Marlene is partly the story of Dietrich and partly the story of Schell’s dogged pursuit of a reluctant subject. Despite their friendship, the notoriously private star turned down his interview requests over and over again. After much pleading, Dietrich finally agreed to an interview but with one non-negotiable condition — Schell could not record her face.
I recently spoke with Walter… Read the...
Presented by John Walter, the director of How to Draw A Bunny and Theater of War, Marlene is partly the story of Dietrich and partly the story of Schell’s dogged pursuit of a reluctant subject. Despite their friendship, the notoriously private star turned down his interview requests over and over again. After much pleading, Dietrich finally agreed to an interview but with one non-negotiable condition — Schell could not record her face.
I recently spoke with Walter… Read the...
- 11/23/2010
- by Mary Anderson Casavant
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Since part of the mission of Stranger Than Fiction is to promote “lost gems,” it should come as no surprise that programmer Thom Powers would choose to screen Dziga Vertov’s Man With A Movie Camera, a little seen (outside of film schools) Soviet classic that has had a profound influence on everything from Jean-Luc Godard to car commercials. A mish-mash of documentary material and visual effects, Man With a Movie Camera is a rapidly edited documentary experiment — and perhaps the world’s first music video. Last night’s screening featured a modern score arranged by John Walter, an editor and filmmaker whose 2002 film, How to Draw a Bunny, never quite got the attention it deserved. Walter’s score is impressive — his atmospheric sampling...
- 5/26/2010
- by Mary Anderson Casavant
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
'Art School,' Zwigoff draw Buscemi role
Steve Buscemi will appear in an uncredited cameo in Terry Zwigoff's upcoming feature Art School Confidential, set to star John Malkovich. In addition, Anjelica Huston is being sought for a leading role. Mr. Mudd, the production company run by Malkovich, Lianne Halfon and Russell Smith, is producing through its first-look deal with United Artists. Chase Bailey also will produce. UA's Sara Rose and Danny Rosett will oversee for the studio. Art School reunites Zwigoff, who directed Ghost World, with Ghost's producers as well as its writer, Dan Clowes. Art School is based on Clowes' satirical novel of the same name. The book, which takes a poke at the cult of celebrity, follows an undercover cop who poses as an artist until he realizes that being a pretend felon or, better still, a supposed killer, will get him even more acclaim. Mr. Mudd's credits include Alan Taylor's Kill the Poor, the documentary How to Draw a Bunny, the Malkovich-directed The Dancer Upstairs and the Thora Birch-Scarlett Johansson Ghost World, released by UA. Buscemi is repped by Endeavor. Malkovich is repped by CAA. Huston is repped by ICM.
- 5/5/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Blackwell's Palm has plan for 'Evil'
NEW YORK -- Continuing ar recent buying streak, Palm Pictures -- the indie film banner run by Island Records founder Chris Blackwell -- has sealed a deal to acquire all domestic rights to seminal French mystery helmer Claude Chabrol's Flower of Evil. Evil stars Nathalie Baye and Benoit Magimel in the story of the Charpin-Vasseurs, one of the most well-respected upper-middle-class families in Bordeaux. The family's picture-perfect image is shattered when murder occurs, and Chabrol's film retraces the family members' actions in the two weeks leading up to the crime. The film -- which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival this year -- was produced by Marin Karmitz and co-penned by Chabrol, Caroline Eliacheff and Louise L. Lambrichs. Palm is planning a fall rollout. The deal was negotiated for Palm by David Koh, head of acquisitions and production, and theatrical distribution head Ryan Werner. Florence Stern, head of sales for French indie banner MK2, repped the film. Palm has recently made a spate of acquisitions, including Dagur Kari's critically acclaimed debut Noi Albinoi, John Walter's Sundance Film Festival Jury Prize winner How to Draw a Bunny and Olivier Assayas' thriller Demonlover, starring Connie Nielsen, Chloe Sevigny and Gina Gershon.
- 4/11/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Arthouse draws 'Bunny' rights
NEW YORK -- Chris Blackwell's Palm Pictures has acquired all North American and U.K. rights to John Walter's documentary How to Draw a Bunny, with plans to roll out the project through Palm's new fine arts label, Arthouse Films. Palm also snapped up Caribbean rights as part of the pact. Centering on artist and Andy Warhol contemporary Ray Johnson, Bunny was produced by Andrew Moore. The film features interviews with Johnson's contemporaries, including Christo, Chuck Close, Roy Lichtenstein, Judith Malin and James Rosenquist. Bunny was awarded a jury prize at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival and is nominated for a 2003 IFP Spirit Award for best docu. The deal was negotiated by Palm head of acquisitions and production David Koh along with Arthouse general manager Jose Martinez. The filmmakers were repped through production outfit Mr. Mudd's Lianne Halfon.
- 3/20/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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