Directed by Julian Schnabel and written by Schnabel, Jean-Claude Carriere, and Louise Kugelberg, At Eternity’s Gate is the story about the final years of painter Vincent van Gogh. Based on theories by van Gogh biographers Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith, the film dramatizes the events of van Gogh’s final years as well as his eventual death as the painter struggles to get attention and recognition for his work as van Gogh is portrayed by Willem Dafoe. Also starring Mads Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Mathieu Almaric, Emmanuelle Seigner, Oscar Isaac, and Niels Arestrup. At Eternity’s Gate is a rapturous and riveting film from Julian Schnabel.
Set during the final two years of the life of Vincent van Gogh, the film follows the painter as he struggles to make a name for himself while wanting to express himself artistically as well as questioning himself about his art and the divine. It’s a film with a simple premise yet it doesn’t play into a straightforward approach expected in films about real figures. Instead, it is a study of a man trying to find himself through his art as he also begins to question his being and worth as an artist and as a man while he would meet various people in his journey. The film’s script by Julian Schnabel, Louise Kugelberg, and Jean-Claude Carriere follows van Gogh in that journey where he often walks around landscapes in France as he would often paint what he sees as those who would see his paintings are convinced that he’s no good. Upon meeting the artist Paul Gauguin (Oscar Isaac) in Paris as they both share their thoughts on art, van Gogh goes to Arles in the South of France to find inspiration in the landscape but is ridiculed by some locals for his aesthetics while a visit from Gauguin only adds to his emotional turmoil.
The film’s second half revolves around the events in which van Gogh had cut off his left ear as the narrative also feature voiceover narration from van Gogh through letters he would write to his brother Theo (Rupert Friend) who would fund his art. It is at this time that van Gogh would be sent to an asylum as he ponders about his art and such but also the beauty of nature and the divine. Even as he would continue to paint to the day he dies as the script also showcases the man’s delusions and episodes of mental illness as well as ideas of what might’ve happened on the day of his death.
Schnabel’s direction is definitely dream-like in some of the imagery he creates as he would also shoot the film on actual locations in Arles as well as additional locations in Bouches-du-Rhone, and Auvers-sur-Oise in France. Schnabel’s usage of the wide and medium shots add to the beauty that van Gogh was seeking but also something that is almost indescribable in trying to find the actual look of it which is why he paints fast. The attention to detail in the painting as well as what van Gogh sees adds to the beauty while some of the framing that Schnabel creates in the medium shots do match up to some of the paintings that van Gogh has created. Even in the close-ups as it help play into the sense of despair and torment that van Gogh endures with Schnabel often shooting scenes with hand-held cameras where the camera often glides or gets a point-of-view shot of van Gogh walking. The usage of the hand-held cameras would also play into the wonders of nature and the surroundings that van Gogh would encounter.
Also serving as editor with co-writer Louise Kugelberg, Schnabel’s usage of jump-cuts and dissolves add to some of the film’s emotional moments as well as play into van Gogh’s troubled mental state. Notably in scenes during the third act where van Gogh is in an asylum as it returns to the film’s opening scene where it is shown in a different context. It adds to this sense of despair and uncertainty in van Gogh where he meets a sympathetic priest (Mads Mikkelsen) who gets a look at one of his paintings and does express his opinion yet doesn’t think that van Gogh is a terrible painter. The third act also has Schnabel play into things that play into events relating to his work including a sketchbook that would be lost until 2016 and what happened to him on the day he died. Yet, Schnabel showcases a man that is driven by the beauty of his surroundings and hoping to capture it the way he and possibly God sees it. Overall, Schnabel crafts an intoxicating and enchanting film about the final years in the life of Vincent van Gogh.
Cinematographer Benoit Delhomme does incredible work with the film’s cinematography as its usage of lush colors and dream-like photography add to the films’ beauty as well as its usage of blurry lenses and some black-and-white shots that showcases the depths of van Gogh’s psyche. Production designer Stephane Cressend, with set decorators Sonia Gloaguen and Cecile Vatelot plus art director Loic Chavanon, does brilliant work with the look of the places that van Gogh would go to and stay at as well as a tavern he would frequent at and the asylum where he spent some time during his illness. Costume designer Karen Muller Serreau does fantastic work with the ragged clothes that van Gogh wears as well as some of the clothes the other characters wear.
Special makeup effects artist Jean-Christophe Spadaccini and special effects makeup designer Mark Wotton do terrific work with the look of a few characters including van Gogh after he had cut off his left ear. Visual effects supervisor Arthur Lemaitre does nice work with the visual effects as it is largely minimal in presenting van Gogh without his left ear and a few bits of set dressing. Sound editor Thomas Desjonqueres does excellent work with the film’s sound in the way it repeats lines of dialogues to play into van Gogh’s delusions as well as capturing natural sounds as it is a highlight of the film. The film’s music by Tatiana Lisovskaya is amazing for its lush and somber piano sonatas and low-key orchestral touches that play into the film’s melancholic tone as well as the sense of wonderment that van Gogh endures.
The film’s wonderful cast feature some notable small roles and appearances from Anne Consigny as a schoolteacher who is disgusted by what van Gogh is painting, Louis Garrel as the voice of an article by an art critic, Lolita Chammah as a young woman van Gogh meets at the film’s beginning, Vincent Perez as an art gallery director, Amira Casar as Theo’s wife Johanna van Gogh-Bonger, Vladimir Consigny as an asylum doctor, and Niels Arestrup as a madman van Gogh converses with at the asylum about insanity. Mads Mikkelsen is superb in his one-scene performance as a priest who converses with Van Gogh about art and the divine as it is a low-key performance from Mikkelsen who provides a sense of warmth to the character. Mathieu Almaric is fantastic in his small role as Dr. Paul Gachet as a man who is a subject of one of van Gogh’s paintings as well as be someone who would be with him on the last day of van Gogh’s life.
Emmanuelle Seigner is excellent in a dual role as the woman from Arles who becomes a subject of one of Van Gogh’s paintings as she would give him a place to stay while other role as Madam Ginoux is brief as the woman who would unknowingly have van Gogh’s sketchbook and put in a place that she would forget about. Oscar Isaac is brilliant as Paul Gauguin as an artist who shares van Gogh’s ideas about aesthetics yet becomes baffled by what van Gogh is trying to find through art believing that van Gogh would never get any attention. Rupert Friend is amazing as van Gogh’s brother Theo as a man who is also funds van Gogh’s work as he becomes concerned about his brother’s emotional and mental well-being. Finally, there’s Willem Dafoe in a performance for the ages as Vincent van Gogh as this tormented artist who is trying to create art that means something while dealing with rejection, criticism, and himself as Dafoe play into this man’s struggle as well as wanting to create something that he believes is closer to what God would see as it is a towering performance from Dafoe.
At Eternity’s Gate is an outstanding film from Julian Schnabel that features a career-defining performance from Willem Dafoe as Vincent van Gogh. Along with its ensemble cast, Benoit Delhomme’s ravishing cinematography, Tatiana Lisovskaya’s somber score, and its exploration of an artist trying to create art that is divine. The film is an unconventional yet enthralling film that doesn’t play into the traditional schematics of a bio-pic in favor of studying a man trying to capture nature at its most pure. In the end, At Eternity’s Gate is a magnificent film from Julian Schnabel.
Julian Schnabel Films: Basquiat - Before Night Falls - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - Lou Reed-Berlin: Live at St. Ann's Warehouse - Miral
Related: (Lust for Life) – (Vincent & Theo) – (Dreams (1990 film)) – (Loving Vincent) - The Auteurs #43: Julian Schnabel
© thevoid99 2020
Directed by Laurie Anderson, Heart of a Dog is a documentary film of sorts in which avant-garde performance artist Laurie Anderson creates a film about her rat terrier dog named Lolabelle while reflecting on life and death including the passing of her dog as well as others in her life. Presented in a reflective yet imaginative fashion, the film is an unconventional film that plays into Anderson looking into her childhood as well as the love she has for her dog. The result is a fascinating and touching film from Laurie Anderson.
Set largely in post-9/11 New York, the film revolves around Laurie Anderson’s relationship with her pet rat terrier named Lolabelle whom she had adopted and love until its death in 2011. Presented in a mixture of super 8mm film from Anderson’s childhood, old camera footage when Lolabelle was alive and in her prime, and a mixture of drawing and animations by Anderson. The film play into Anderson’s relationship with the dog and what Lolabelle was able to do in her final years with the aid of Lolabelle’s trainer Elisabeth Weiss. Especially as Lolabelle learned to paint and also play keyboards where the dog would give a few concerts despite becoming blind. Since Anderson is a Buddhist, she also talks about how grief is presented where Anderson would also talk about the death of her mother whom she admits to have a strained relationship with.
The film would also have these unique scenes where Anderson talks about parts of her own childhood including a time where she injured her back when she tried to do a flip off of a diving board. Some of it is told with humor but also with a sense of sadness as it relate to the loss that Anderson experiences that includes a glimpse of her husband in the legendary musician Lou Reed who died in 2013 as the film is dedicated to him. With the aid of co-cinematographers Toshiaki Ozawa and Joshua Zucker-Pluda, Anderson would do some of her own shooting as it relates to what dogs see as well as look into post-9/11 New York City where everyone is being filmed to play Anderson’s own view about the craziness and paranoia that occurs with everyone being surveyed. With the aid of editors Melody London and Katherine Nolfi in compiling some of the Super 8mm film stock as well as some of the video footage Anderson was able to get as it plays into the dark aspects of the modern world.
Sound mixing by Skip Lievsay, Mario McNulty, and Paul Urmson help play into what dogs hear but also in the way some of the voices are mixed during Anderson’s narration. The film’s music largely consists of score pieces by Anderson that is played with her violin and some ambient textures while the film ends with a song by Lou Reed.
Heart of a Dog is a remarkable film from Laurie Anderson. While it is a very strange and unconventional documentary film, it is still an engaging film that explores loss as well as how special pets are to people. In the end, Heart of a Dog is a marvelous film from Laurie Anderson.
© thevoid99 2016
While he first gained fame as an artist, Julian Schnabel did use his work as an artist to create films that explored not just individuals who created their own brand of art. He also made films that played into characters that defied the conventions of art in many ways while having to tackle all sorts of trials and tribulations. While Schnabel’s approach to filmmaking maybe different from others as he comes from the world of the artist, he has managed to become of cinema’s most intriguing filmmakers with only a handful of films under his belt so far.
Born in the Brooklyn boroughs of New York City in 1952, Julian Schnabel was from a family where his mother Esta was the president religious organization of Women’s Zionist in the Brooklyn section in the late 1940s as she later left with her husband and the young Julian to Brownsville, Texas where he was a young boy. It was in this small Texan town where Schnabel learned about the world of art and surfing as he would receive a B.F.A. at the University of Houston where he was later admitted to the Whitney Museum of American Art for its study program in the early 1970s. It was around this time that Schnabel became part of the city’s seedy culture as he would frequent the club/restaurant Max’s Kansas City where the likes of Lou Reed and David Bowie hung out at as he would develop his work as an artist.
More can be read here at Cinema Axis.
© thevoid99 2015
Directed by Julian Schnabel and written by Rula Jebreal that is based on her own novel, Miral is the story of a young girl who is raised at an orphanage as she later grows into a woman as she tries to find understanding amidst the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The film is a dramatic account into a young who was raised and taught by Hussein Hind as her attempts to teach Palestinian refugees has her wondering about the realities of the world as the titular character is played by Freida Pinto. Also starring Hiam Abbass, Yasmine Al Masri, Ruba Jebreal, Alexander Siddig, Willem Dafoe, Stella Schnabel, Omar Metwally, and Vanessa Redgrave. Miral is a compelling yet flawed film from Julian Schnabel.
The film is based on Rula Jerbreal’s own accounts as she was raised in the famed Dar Al-Tifel institute that brought in Palestinian girls who didn’t have a home. The film isn’t just about the founding of the institute by Hussein Hind (Hiam Abbass) but also the young girl who would come to this institute as she would be raised and taught by Hind until she encounters the realities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during the First Intifada. It’s a film where the girl named Miral would come of age during that period as she wants to help any Palestinian resistance group in fighting the Israelis but is also torn with the need to continue Hind’s ideas of education and negotiation for a peaceful resolution. The film’s screenplay does have this odd structure where it starts off with how Hind founded the Dar Al-Tifel institute in the aftermath of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War as well as who Miral’s mother was.
The first act begins with Hind’s funeral as it would cut into events preceding the moment she began this institute where it was by accident as she wanted to help out. Even as she gets the help of an American friend named Eddie (Willem Dafoe) who would help her gain some political connections to ensure the safety of her institute. The story then moves into the Six Day War period where it revolves around a woman named Nadia (Yasmine Al Masri) who would spend six months in prison for slapping a woman on the bus as she would marry a man named Jamal (Alexander Siddig) and have a daughter named Miral. Yet, the sense of shame in Nadia’s life would lead to her death as Jamal sends Miral to the institute as he is unable to take care of her though he’s a good father. The film’s second half is about Miral as she copes with not just the realities of what is happening outside of the institute but also the need to fight back against the Israelis in what is a very complicated situation.
While it’s a film that showcases what the Palestinians were going through as Miral would become prejudiced towards Israelis. It’s not an anti-Israeli film but rather a portrait of what a young woman is dealing with as she would involve herself into actions that can be defined as terrorism. The film’s second half has Miral fall for a Palestinian rebel leader named Hani (Omar Metwally) who wants to fight against the Israelis but also wants a peaceful solution as he would steer Miral into ideas that has her hating the Israelis. Yet, her own encounters with the violence as well as other events that complicate things force her to find a way to deal with what she’s learned. Though the script does get clunky in Miral’s development, it does play into the growth that Miral would go into as she tries to maintain the guidance of her mentor.
Julian Schnabel’s direction is quite stylish but only in its look and presentation as he aims for something that is close to a cinema verite style. Especially as he was able to shoot on location in Israel in its many cities like Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, and other locations near Palestinian states. Much of it would have Schnabel utilize a lot of hand-held cameras and strange camera angles to play into the drama though the film starts and ends with Hussein’s funeral as it indicates how important she was to Miral. Schnabel would go for a lot of simplistic compositions as well as lots of medium shots and close-ups plus a few wide shots. Even as it plays to the sense of chaos that is emerging that Miral would encounter during a scene where she and her schoolmates go to a refugee camp to teach children as they’re forced to watch a house be destroyed.
It’s among these key moments in the film that is quite powerful as it plays into Miral’s development though some of the film’s violent moments are quite minimal as Schnabel would use stock footage and newspaper clippings to help tell the story. Even as he would use these moments to play into certain moments in time as well as the various wars between Israel and Arab nations. All of which would have Miral encounter these events as well as moments that those she is connected with would endure. Even as she would gain some understanding about how peace works and why it’s so hard to achieve. Overall, Schnabel creates a very captivating yet uneven film about a woman coming of age as a Palestinian in Israel.
Cinematographer Eric Gautier does excellent work with the film‘s very colorful cinematography as it features a very vibrant and colorful look to some of the film‘s daytime scenes while going for low-key and naturalistic lights for the scenes set at night. Editor Juliette Welfling does amazing work with the editing as it is very stylized with its approach to jump-cuts, montages, and in the way it uses stock footage to help tell the story. Production designer Yoel Herzberg and art director Nir Alba do brilliant work with the look of the homes that Miral and her father lived in as well as some of the parts of the institute. Costume designer Walid Mawed does nice work with the costumes as it’s mostly straightforward to play in the look of the 1980s for its second half along with stylish clothes for its first half.
Visual effects supervisor Stephane Dittoo does terrific work for some of the film‘s minimal visual effects as it relates to the small violent moments that occur in the film. Sound editor Adam Wolny does superb work with the sound to convey some of the sounds of chaos as well as sparse elements in the film‘s quieter moments. The film’s music by Olivier Daviaud is exquisite for its use of somber strings to play into the sense of tragedy and drama while music supervisors Julian Schnabel, Rebecca Delannet, and Astrid Gomez-Montoya create a soundtrack filled with classical pieces as well as cuts by Pete Townshend, Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed, Ennio Morricone and Gillo Pontecorvo, A.R. Rahman, and Tom Waits.
The casting by Yael Aviv is great is it features notable small roles from Makram Khoury as politician who would help Hind with the founding of the institution, Shredi Jabarin as Miral’s cousin Ali, Stella Schnabel as Ali’s Jewish girlfriend Lisa, Ruba Blal as Nadia’s cellmate who is given three life sentences for a bombing in a movie theater, Yolanda El Karam as the young Miral, and Vanessa Redgrave in a small yet wonderful performance as Bertha Spafford as a party host that Hind would meet early in the film. Willem Dafoe is superb as Eddie Spafford as a U.S. military officer who helps Hind with creating the institute and to ensure that she would be safe. Yasmine Al Masri is terrific as Miral’s mother Nadia as a woman who is shamed and humiliated as she copes with the guilt she carries that would lead to her own death.
Omar Metwally is excellent as Hani as a Palestinian resistance leader who is trying to find ways to deal with the Israelis as well as eventually coming to the realization that peace needs to happen. Alexander Siddig is amazing as Miral’s father Jamal as a man who tries to raise her as he later copes with her rebellion as he tries to steer her in the right path with Hind’s help. Hiam Abbass is incredible as Hussein Hind as a Palestinian woman who created an orphanage and institute to protect young children as she would also be a mentor to Miral to teach her the ways to a peaceful resolution. Finally, there’s Freida Pinto in a remarkable performance as the titular character as a young woman who is awakened by the realities of her surroundings as she struggles to wanting to fight as well as instill Hind’s teachings as it’s a very complex and eerie performance from Pinto.
Despite its uneven and messy narrative, Miral is still a worthwhile film from Julian Schnabel. Armed with a great cast as well as a unique perspective from the Palestinian side in the Israeli-Palestine conflict, it’s a film that isn’t afraid to ask questions but also with wanting to create understanding in a very complicated situation. In the end, Miral is a stellar film from Julian Schnabel.
Julian Schnabel Films: Basquiat - Before Night Falls - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - Berlin: Live at St. Ann's Warehouse - At Eternity's Gate - The Auteur #43: Julian Schnabel
© thevoid99 2015
Directed by Julian Schnabel, Berlin: Live at St. Ann’s Warehouse is a concert film held during five nights in 2006 where Lou Reed performs his 1973 album in its entirety. The film features Reed performing his album in its entirety for the very first time as it is considered one of his finest work despite its harsh reception upon the album’s initial release. Joined by a live band that includes the album’s producer Bob Ezrin conducting an orchestra as well as Antony Hegarty and Sharon Jones singing backing vocals and an appearance by Emmanuelle Seigner in film clips shot by Lola Schnabel. The result is a wondrous and enchanting film from Julian Schnabel.
In 1973, Lou Reed released his third solo album Berlin which was considered a daring release for the artist for the man who was a founding member of the seminal 1960s underground art-rock band the Velvet Underground. Yet, the album was not well received critically upon its initial release as it also did poorly on a commercial level where audiences were expecting another Transformers that Reed did previously that spawned the hit Walk on the Wild Side. Over the years, the album would gain a reputation as one of Reed’s finest works as the concert film has him playing the album in its entirety for the very first time in a series of five concerts held in December of 2006 at Brooklyn’s St. Ann’s Warehouse. Augmented by longtime band members in drummer Tony “Thunder” Smith and bassist Fernando Saunders, Reed is also joined by guitarist Steve Hunter who played on the original album while that album’s producer Bob Ezrin serves as a conductor.
The film opens with an introduction by Julian Schnabel about how much the film means to him as he would introduce the show as it would feature these exotic super-8mm films in the background of stage where Emmanuelle Seigner plays the character of Caroline. Also performing with Reed and his band are keyboardist/pianist Rupert Christie, the Brooklyn Children’s Choir, a string quartet, a small brass section, and special backing vocals from Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons and Sharon King of Sharon King and the Dap-Kings. Schnabel and cinematographer Ellen Kuras would go for something that is intimate while getting very few perspective shots from the audience in favor of capturing the performance and what the album could unveil from a visual perspective through Lola Schnabel’s 8mm film footage.
With its use of close-ups and medium shots as well as a few wide shots, Schnabel maintains that intimacy into the performance where it’s not about anything that is wild or comical. Instead, Reed keeps things forward while it is clear that he’s glancing at his lyrics for some of the songs which isn’t a bad thing. At the same time, he lets some of the other musicians to shine in the performances as Schnabel uses a lot of close-ups for those moments along with stylish editing by Benjamin Flaherty who would do amazing work in using super-imposed dissolves for the 8mm footage in some of the songs that are performed. With the help of sound mixer John Harris and re-recording mixer Tony Valonte, Schnabel makes sure that things do sound great in terms of how powerful the songs are as the encore includes a duet between Reed and Hegarty for the Velvet Underground song Candy Says plus a couple of others in the encore such as Rock Minuet and another Velvet Underground song in Sweet Jane to close the show.
Berlin: Live at St. Ann’s Warehouse is an exquisitely rich and compelling concert film from Julian Schnabel that features a mesmerizing performance from the late Lou Reed. Fans of Reed will no doubt want to see this as well as get the chance to hear Berlin be performed in its entirety as it’s presented by a fan/friend who manages to make it more than just a concert film. In the end, Berlin: Live at St. Ann’s Warehouse is a remarkable film from Julian Schnabel.
Julian Schnabel Films: Basquiat - Before Night Falls - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - Miral - At Eternity's Gate - The Auteur #43: Julian Schnabel
© thevoid99 2015
Based on Reinaldo Arenas’ biography, Before Night Falls is the story about the life of the Cuban poet/novelist who was openly gay at a time when the political situation in Cuba was tense as homosexuality was considered very taboo. Directed by Julian Schnabel and screenplay by Schnabel, Cunningham O’Keefe, and Lazaro Gomez Carriles, the film is an exploration on the life of a man who would have a profound view of the world as he would write his experiences in and out of Cuba through his work as he is played by Javier Bardem. Also starring Olivier Martinez, Hector Babenco, Andrea Di Stefano, Santiago Magill, Michael Wincott, Sean Penn, and Johnny Depp. Before Night Falls is a ravishing and mesmerizing film from Julian Schnabel.
The film explores the life and works of Reinaldo Arenas through key periods in his life from coming of age during the Cuban Revolution to being a dissident over his homosexuality which would lead to his exile on the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. Told largely through Arenas’ own work and his poetry, the film showcases the events that would drive Arenas to write as well as his encounters with people and political situations that would inspire him. The film is told in different parts of his life from his childhood and desire to join the Revolution in its final days as well as key events that would get him attention for his writing as well as controversy as the Cuban government believe his writing his counter-revolutionary. The film’s screenplay plays into these events including a time during the 1970s were Arenas would become a fugitive over accusations of child molestation as he would be in prison which would inspire to write his most famous novel.
The script also plays into Arenas’ encounters with men that would drive his homosexuality as well as meet the film’s co-writer Lazaro Gomez Carriles (Olivier Martinez) who would be Arenas’ partner in Arenas’ final years. The use of voice-over narration plays into a reflective tone in Arenas’ view of his life in those times while his poetry and text from his own novels would add to the narration. Much of it would play into Arenas’ growing awareness of his homosexuality where it was very taboo during the early years of the Fidel Castro-led regime in Cuba. Even as homosexuality was seen as subversive with ideas of capitalism which was frowned upon though Arenas would counter those claims as false. By the time the film reaches its third act, it does become less reflective where Arenas adjust to his new life but also in the illness that would eventually claim his life.
Julian Schnabel’s direction is very stylish for the way he presents the film with not just some unique camera angles but also with evocative images that play into a sense of visual poetry that is in line with Arenas’ words. Though the film is shot largely on location in Mexico as Cuba, it does feel like a place that was once idyllic in its landscapes in the woods and old cities that were once full of life. Even amidst this sense of political chaos that would surround Arenas as Schanbel uses old footage of Cuba during its Revolution and at a time when Castro came into power. Schnabel definitely aims for this mix of cinema verite and stylish camera work to play into Arenas’ life from his time in the beach with his gay friends where they would hustle as well as Arenas in his surroundings in the forest where crane shots and all sorts of things are used to play into the beauty of those locations.
The direction also plays into these moments where Arenas talks about how to identify gays in 1960s Cuba as well as endure attempts to get his work published outside of Cuba as his writing succumbs to censorship. Especially as he is misidentified as a child molester in the mid-1970s by a couple of youths who had stolen his things. There are intimate moments that play into Arenas’ stay in prison such as the isolation cell he is in as it’s mixed with elements of fantasy and reality to play into what he is thinking about. Once the film arrives in New York City, it sorts of starts off as a documentary film until the drama into Arenas’ ailing health starts to arrive where the film does return to a more reflective tone as it plays into Arenas’ sense of longing for Cuba and the similarities it had in the way he looks at New York City. Overall, Schnabel crafts a very intoxicating and rapturous film about the life of a gay yet brave writer.
Cinematographers Xavier Perez Grobet and Guillermo Rosas do brilliant work with the film‘s lush and colorful cinematography with its high emphasis on green and natural colors for the scenes set at the forest along with stylish lights and filters for scenes at night while using low-key lights for some of the film‘s interiors. Editor Michael Berenbaum does amazing work with the editing in its usage of jump-cuts, montages, and stock footage to play into the sense of style as well as rhythmic cuts to match the tone of Arenas‘ narration of his work. Production designer Salvador Parra, with set decorator Laurie Friedman and art director Antonio Muno-Hierro, does fantastic work with the set pieces from the look of some of the interior buildings including the interrogation room that Arenas would be in as well as the apartment he would have in New York City. Costume designer Maria Estela Fernandez does excellent work with the costumes from the clothes that were worn in the 1960s including the stuff gay men wore as well as the tight pants and stylish shirts of the 70s they would wear to get themselves out of Cuba.
Makeup designer Ana Lozano does nice work with the look of Arenas throughout the years including his ailing look in the late 1980s where he loses bits of his hair and color in his face. Visual effects supervisor Randall Balsmeyer does terrific work with some of the film‘s minimal visual effects which is often served as set-dressing for the scenes in Cuba as well as the opening shot of the scene in New York City. Sound editor Robert Hein does superb work with the sound from the way some of the music on location is played along with the prison scenes as well as the intimate moments in New York City. The film’s music by Carter Burwell is phenomenal for its soaring and lush orchestral music to play into the drama while its soundtrack that is assembled by music supervisors Susan Jacobs and Olatz Lopez Garmendia features some original score pieces by Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson plus an array of Cuban music and some ambient-based score music by Popol Vuh.
The casting by Monica Nordhaus is incredible as it includes notable small roles from Olatz Lopez Garmendia as Arenas’ mother, Pedro Armendiaz Jr. as Arenas’ grandfather, Vito Maria Schnabel as the teenage Arenas, Diego Luna as a friend of the young Arenas, Sean Penn as a farmer who would accompany the teenage Arenas to a town where Castro and his rebels were, Francisco Gattorno and Marisol Padilla Sanchez as a couple of publishers who would bring Arenas’ writing to Europe, Michael Wincott as a mentor of Arenas who would encourage him to write, Najwa Nimri as the mentor’s wife, and Hector Babenco in a terrific performance as Virgillo Pinera who would help broaden Arenas’ view on literature by giving him books by great authors in order to become a better writer. Andrea di Stefano is excellent as one of Arenas’ early lovers Pepe Malas while Santiago Magill is superb as another of Arenas’ gay friends in Tomas Diego.
Johnny Depp is brilliant in a dual role as a prison drag queen named Bon Bon who would help try to get Arenas out of prison while being a far more sinister character in Lt. Victor in a chilling interrogation scene. Olivier Martinez is fantastic as Lazaro Gomez Carriles whom Arenas would meet at one point in the 1960s only to reconnect with him in the 1970s where Carriles aspires to be a writer and later becomes Arenas’ partner and caretaker. Finally, there’s Javier Bardem in a tremendous performance as Reinaldo Arenas as this very gifted poet who sees the world around him as he creates poems and novels to express his feelings while coping with the Castro regime as it’s a performance full of charm and humor but also a melancholia as it’s one of Bardem’s great performances.
Before Night Falls is a remarkable film from Julian Schnabel that features a truly sensational performance from Javier Bardem. The film isn’t just a unique portrait into one of the most captivating writers of the 20th Century but also a look into a man trying to maintain his identity in a troubled and complicated world. In the end, Before Night Falls is an outstanding film Julian Schnabel.
Julian Schnabel Films: Basquiat - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - Berlin: Live at St. Ann’s Warehouse - Miral - At Eternity's Gate - The Auteurs #43: Julian Schnabel
© thevoid99 2015
Based on the memoir of Jean-Dominique Bauby, Le scaphandre et le papillon (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) is the story about the famed editor of Elle magazine who suffered a stroke at the age of 43 where he would become paralyzed as the only part of his body that moves is his left eye as he would tell his own story from that eye. Directed by Julian Schnabel and screenplay by Ronald Harwood, the film is an unconventional bio-pic as Mathieu Almaric plays the role of Bauby from the man who had a charmed life as he later succumbs to paralysis as he copes with the remaining days of his life. Also starring Emmanuelle Seigner, Marie-Josee Croze, Anne Consigny, Isaach de Bankole, and Max von Sydow. Le scaphandre et le papillon is a majestic yet rapturous film from Julian Schnabel.
In 1995 at the age of 43 while driving with his son, Jean-Dominique Bauby suffers a stroke as he wakes up three weeks later realizing he is paralyzed as the only thing he can see and feel is from his left eye. Throughout the course of the film, Bauby would use his eye to communicate with the help of a kind nurse in Henrietta (Marie-Josee Croze) through a series of letters that are used frequently where Bauby would write his memoir with the help of an editor in Claude (Anne Consigny) as he would reflect on his own life as well as his own life with his ex-girlfriend Celine Desmoulins (Emmanuelle Seigner) and their three children. Bauby also talks about the day of his stroke and his meeting with his father (Max von Sydow) as he begins to contemplate about the days he has left in his own life.
Ronald Harwood’s screenplay definitely plays with a back-and-forth narrative structure of sorts since it is told largely from Bauby’s perspective about the life he had as well as the life he is having as a paralyzed man. Much of it would involve aspects of what Bauby did as well as his frustrations of having to live where his left eye is the only thing that is working as he thinks about sex and football. The film’s title serves as a metaphor for the life that Bauby is in as it would appear in a series of surrealistic things that are playing in his head including things that aren’t from his time as Harwood uses a lot of voice-over narration to play into Bauby and his struggles. Even as he reveals flaws into who he is as a person as he is someone that is very selfish and sleeps around with various woman as he even fantasizes about the women who are helping him. Upon knowing that he’s got a limited amount of time, the self-reflective approach to the narrative not only helps Bauby but display someone who is trying to find some kind of redemption as the script allows him to do that.
Julian Schnabel’s direction is truly mesmerizing for the way he shoots nearly half of the film from Bauby’s perspective as if the camera is playing the role of Bauby’s left eye. There’s elements of hand-held cameras with blurry edges to play into that idea that the camera is Bauby where it shows an idea of how he is feeling and how he is coping with being paralyzed. Scenes shot outside of the eye has this sense of style in the way Schnabel he shoots photo shoots as well as scenes on the beach where Bauby is surrounded by his children. The scenes involving Bauby and his father are among the most intimate and powerful to showcase this relationship that is quite unique as they’re both going through some form of illness. Schnabel’s approach to metaphoric images are entrancing as it plays to some of the surreal elements in the film yet they do make sense into what Bauby is dealing with as he is a man coping with death and aspect of his own charmed but troubled life. Even as Schnabel creates compositions and framing devices to play into the man’s final days as it showcases the kind of life that Bauby had and how he refused to die without making some kind of difference. Overall, Schnabel creates a very enthralling yet intoxicating film about a man dealing with death as the only part in his body with any sense of life is his left eye.
Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski does incredible work with the film‘s cinematography from the usage of colors and lights for the scenes shot from the perspective of the eye with some scratchy blurs and images to some of the interior/exterior scenes including the use of gorgeous colors and lights for a sequence at Lourdes where Bauby is intrigued by elements of spirituality. Editor Juliette Welfing does amazing work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts as well as creating a few montages and other stylistic cuts to play into Bauby‘s dizzying life. Production designers Michel Eric and Laurent Ott do brilliant work with the look of the hospital room and its hallways including some very mesmerizing scenes of shops at the city of Lourdes.
Costume designer Olivier Beriot does nice work with the costumes from the casual clothes of the main characters to some period clothing presented in a few surrealistic scenes in Bauby‘s head. Sound editor Francis Wargnier, with mixer Dominique Gaborieau and recordist Jean-Paul Mugel, does fantastic work with the sound to create textures into Bauby‘s narration as well as what he might be hearing in his head along with some of the atmosphere in the locations. The film’s music by Paul Cantelon is wonderful as it’s mostly low-key with its plaintive piano score to play into the different moods of the film while Schnabel supervises the film’s soundtrack that features music from the Velvet Underground, Tom Waits, U2, Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros, Charles Trenet, Emmanuelle Seigner with Ultra, and the Dirtbombs.
The film’s phenomenal ensemble cast includes some notable appearances from Lenny Kravitz as himself in a photo shoot, photographer Jean-Baptiste Mondino, Michael Wincott, Jean-Pierre Cassel in a dual role as a Lourdes vendor and a friend of Bauby, Elvis Polanski as a young Bauby, Gerard Watkins as a doctor, Marina Hands as Bauby’s Lourdes’ date Josephine, Niels Arestrup and Isaach de Bankole as friends of Bauby who visits him, Agathe de La Fontaine as his mistress Ines, Olata Lopez Garmendia as a therapist, Patrick Chenais as the doctor who would tell Bauby his condition, Emma de Caunes in a fantasy version of Empress Eugenie, and as the trio of Bauby’s children with Desmoulins, there’s Theo Sampaio, Fiorella Campanella, and Talina Boyaci. Max von Sydow is brilliant as Bauby’s father as a man who hopes for his son to go into a better path as he also copes with his own stroke.
Emmanuelle Seigner is excellent as Bauby’s ex-girlfriend Celine Desmoulins who is the mother of his three children as she reconnects with him in the wake of his illness as she provides the reasons for him to be faithful. Anne Consigny is amazing as Claude who would help Bauby write his memoir as he is intrigued by her beauty. Marie-Josee Croze is fantastic as the nurse Henriette Durand who would be the one to communicate with him through an alphabet system that she would perfect as she would help others in communicating with him. Finally, there’s Mathieu Almaric in a magnificent performance as Jean-Dominique Bauby as he brings a sense of cool and charm to the man in his prime as well as a selfishness and confusion. When he’s paralyzed, Almaric maintains a restraint to his role where he uses his own left eye to do the performance as it’s just astonishing to watch.
Le scaphandre et le papillon is an outstanding film from Julian Schnabel as it features a phenomenal performance from Mathieu Almaric as Jean-Dominique Bauby. Along with a great supporting cast, some amazing technical work from Janusz Kaminski and Juliette Welfing, Ronald Harwood’s screenplay, and a mesmerizing soundtrack. The film is definitely very unconventional in terms of its presentation as well as creating something that feels very engaging in a way a man deals with mortality. In the end, Le scaphandre et le papillon is a tremendously powerful film from Julian Schnabel.
Julian Schnabel Films: Basquiat - Before Night Falls - Berlin: Live at St. Ann’s Warehouse - Miral - At Eternity's Gate - The Auteurs #43: Julian Schnabel
© thevoid99 2014
Written and directed by Julian Schnabel from various stories by Michael Thomas Holman, Lech J. Majewski and John F. Bowe, Basquiat is the story on the life of the famed post-modernist painter Jean-Michel Basquiat who rose to fame in the 1980s with his take on painting and art. The film is an exploration into Basquiat’s desire to make art as well as growing disdain towards the middle class as he is played by Jeffrey Wright. Also starring Dennis Hopper, Claire Forlani, Gary Oldman, Benicio del Toro, Michael Wincott, Parker Posey, and David Bowie as Andy Warhol. Basquiat is a mesmerizing yet exhilarating film from Julian Schnabel.
The film is a bio-pic of sorts about the famed street artist Jean-Michel Basquiat who came from the world of graffiti art in the late 1970s to become one of the most revered post-modernist painters of the 1980s New York City art scene until his death at the age of 27 of a drug overdose in 1988. Yet, what writer/director Julian Schnabel does is create a film where a young man rises up from the streets to the get attention of many only to struggle with fame as well as the need to rise above many including the middle class who saw him as a sellout. It’s a film that does play into that rise and fall scenario but it’s more about the idea of being an artist and having to struggle with all of the temptations of fame.
Even as there are those who are exploiting him while there are others who are just drawn to him like Andy Warhol who becomes a mentor of sorts for Basquiat. While the script does use that scenario, it is also a character study of sorts in how Basquiat does things as an artist as an act of rebellion only to lose himself in a world of commerce and admiration. It all plays into this high-octane world of art as everyone wants a piece of him yet there are those like the esteemed art critic Rene Ricard (Michael Wincott) who felt betrayed by Basquiat as well as old friends of him who aren’t interested in that high-class world of New York City art.
Schnabel’s direction is quite simple in terms of compositions but it has elements of style in the way it plays into the world of New York City art with its galleries and presentation which is exciting at times but also has this air of elitism. There are elements of styles that includes footage of a surfer on a wave that Basquiat often sees in the sky as it plays into Ricard’s article as he talks about Van Gogh and how a new generation of art enthusiasts must not have another one since Van Gogh in his lifetime only sold one painting. Yet, what would happen if Van Gogh was discovered in his prime and would gain fame as these are some of the questions that Schnabel asks. Even as he uses art to help tell the story where it would emphasize many of Basquiat’s struggles with it as he isn’t just seen as a major African-American who breaks into the art world but someone who is redefining the idea of what art is.
While the film doesn’t feature any actual art of Basquiat due to rights issues, Schnabel and artist Greg Bogin do create paintings and such that play into the style that Basquiat would define. Since the film is shot on location in New York City, it does play as a character in the film where it has this mixture of high-society and high culture where everyone who is anyone can participate but there’s also an element of street culture that Basquiat is from. It adds to the dramatic conflict that is prevalent in the film as it’s third act plays into Basquiat’s own descent as he tries to find answers through many including Warhol who is convinced that Basquiat is a much better artist. Yet, it’s not enough to help the young artist who would cope with drug addiction as Schnabel brings in elements of surrealism as well as a story that plays into everything that Basquiat would endure as a famous artist. Overall, Schnabel creates a very stylish yet captivating film about the young life of Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Cinematographer Ron Fortunato does excellent work with the film‘s very naturalistic photography for the exterior scenes in New York as well as some unique lighting for some interior scenes as well as scenes set at night. Editor Michael Berenbaum does brilliant work with the editing with its stylish usages of dissolves and jump-cuts to play into Basquiat‘s unconventional approach towards art. Production designer Dan Leigh, set decorator Susan Bode and art director C.J. Simpson, do superb work with the look of the apartments and studios that Basquiat would live and work at as well as the galleries where his art is often in display.
Costume John A. Dunn does nice work with the costumes from the posh clothes of some of the people in the world of art to the dresses that some of the women wear. Sound editor Ira Spiegel does terrific work with the sound as it‘s mostly low-key to play into the sense of silence in how some create paintings as well as scenes where Basquiat tries to play music with his band. The film’s music by John Cale and Julian Schnabel is wonderful as it‘s very low-key with its emphasis on piano and guitar-based music while music supervisor Susan Jacobs creates a dazzling soundtrack that features music by the Rolling Stones, Public Image Ltd., David Bowie, Tom Waits, the Pogues, Bill Laswell, Them, Iggy Pop, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, and many others.
The casting by Sheila Jaffe and Georgianna Walken is fantastic as it features some notable appearances from Vincent Gallo as an artist, Sam Rockwell as a street thug, Michael Badalucco as a deli counterman, Willem Dafoe as an electrician early in the film, Courtney Love as a woman Basquiat would have a tryst with, Tatum O’Neal as a rich woman looking to buy one of Basquiat’s paintings, and Christopher Walken as a journalist who interviews Basquiat as he tries to understand the meaning of his work. Elina Lowensohn is terrific as the art enthusiast Annina Nosei who wants to expose Basquiat to the art world while Parker Posey is wonderful as the art gallery director who would help expose Basquiat to the public. Dennis Hopper is excellent as the art dealer Bruno Bischofberger who would become the agent that would make Basquiat rich as he is also friend of Andy Warhol. Benicio del Toro is amazing as Basquiat’s friend Benny who is part of Basquiat’s circle early on as he tries to cope with his friend’s success and how it’s changed him.
Gary Oldman is superb as the artist Milo who is a friend of Basquiat as he tries to help him cope with fame. Claire Forlani is brilliant as Gina as Basquiat’s girlfriend from the early 80s who also desires to be an artist as she also tries to cope with his sudden fame and changing attitude. Michael Wincott is incredible as Rene Ricard as the famed art critic/poet who discovers Basquiat as he presents him to the world only to feel betrayed. David Bowie is phenomenal as Andy Warhol as Bowie manages to convey many of the quirks and voice mannerisms of the famed pop artist as it is definitely Warhol coming back to life. Finally, there’s Jeffrey Wright in a remarkable performance as Jean-Michel Basquiat as this brilliant artist who would change the landscape of art as he copes with fame and later being admired as Wright bring a charisma and energy to the character.
Basquiat is a tremendously rich film from Julian Schnabel that features a marvelous performance from Jeffrey Wright as the late street artist. Featuring a brilliant soundtrack, compelling ideas on art and commerce, and a supporting cast that includes David Bowie as Andy Warhol. It’s a film that explores the life of one of the finest artists of the 20th Century and the dichotomy he would fact that became the source of his work as an artist. In the end, Basquiat is a majestic and evocative film from Julian Schnabel.
Julian Schnabel Films: Before Night Falls - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - Berlin: Live at St. Ann’s Warehouse - Miral - At Eternity's Gate - The Auteurs #43: Julian Schnabel
© thevoid99 2014
