Experimental Film experiences

This year I went to films about film and the film industry. I wish I had picked some with narrative - but the film festival is about seeing what you won't ever see in theatres. If i'm right and they are picked up by theatres then I can see those anytime and eventually on Netflix. These are usually movies with stars in them - like the first movie they let me see for free, "The Man Who Saw Infinity" with Dev Patel and Jeremy Irons. That was being released nationally by the end of that week.

Today was a day of experimental choices that will probably never be seen again. In the first film I saw, the director wasn't sure if the film was finished and asked the audience their opinion. The film was called Escapes. I couldn't really tell what the movie was about by the description but I enjoy film biography documentaries which use a lot of archive film. Program description: Two cowboy villains in some black-and-white Western from the 1950s or early 1960s stand at a bar, debating whether or not to skedaddle out of town. The one on the right is a handsome, tall drink of water and the scene is an introduction to Hampton Fancher in Michael Almereyda's lively portrait of the actor/director/producer/screenwriter, executive produced by Wes Anderson. Though best known as the mind behind the legendary cult film Blade Runner, Fancher has whirled through a life full of plenty more tricky situations, close calls and other brushes with fate. From running away to Spain on a freighter while a young teen in hopes of becoming a flamenco dancer to forging a career as a guest star on classic series like Bonanza and Perry Mason to romancing an array of women, Fancher's destiny has been to live large. While Fancher spins his fascinating stories, Almereyda (Experimenter, SFIFF 2015) fills the screen with footage from his appearances and a host of other archival material to illustrate a biography so colorful it could easily be the invention of a Hollywood screenwriter. —Pam Grady

Of course the first thing that sticks out is Wes Anderson one of my favorite writers/directors. He recently did the Grand Budapest Hotel. The second thing I noted was the film Blade Runner, which I have heard is a cult classic film and I wanted to know more about it. What the movie was about was a biography of B-movie or character actor Hampton Fancher who seems to have by luck written Blade Runner against his will and it became a hit. It also seems by luck that he knew someone who wanted to do a biographical film on him. It also is lucky that the director met Wes Anderson and he decided to fund this film. I googled Wes Anderson and director Michael Almereyda and it seems they were both at the Rome Film Festival last year in September so I wonder if that is where they met. There is no Wes Anderson Charm in this movie. Not at all and it had the very last small part about how Blade Runner became a film.

Hampton Fancher is the brunette in the picture above to the right. He was a character actor guest acting in about 50 random tv shows and maybe a few films. The one they featured the most was a role on Bonanza. This documentary was filmed in a unique method where Hampton would speak about his life especially his significant relationships. Instead of viewing him, the topic of the conversation would be played out in pieces of the actor's film and his girlfriends' point of view from their films. He would say something like, I was angry and there would be a clip of him in a TV show with an angry expression. Or if he was having a fight with a girlfriend, there would be a clip of that girlfriend in a dramatic scene. Teri Garr (who later won an Academy Award for supporting actress in Tootsie) and Barbara Hershey were both girlfriends in the 60's or 70's that influenced his early career decisions. He became best friends with Brian Kelly who was the stud park ranger on the TV show Flipper.They womanized Hollywood and he talked about always competing with him for women and losing. During their friendship they were out motorcycle riding and Brian was right in front of him. His motorcycle slid and hit him in a part of his head which caused some brain damage and paralysis to his right hand side. He won a legal settlement of $750,000, but the severe impairment cost him his on-camera career. When he was down to his last few thousand dollars he didn't know what to do and Hampton advised him to option a sci-fi book that he thought had potential. Brian invested and no one wanted it so he talked Hampton into doing the screenplay after he said no numerous times. The movie turned into the hit Blade Runner. That's the straight plot, but it wound around and took a long time to get there.

Some interview stories that were not that interesting and could have been edited. Sometimes Hampton would start a conversation and then say, oh I'm not going to continue that story. Well, why wasn't that edited out? There were some interesting things about him that were just covered briefly with typed lines and a date on a black screen. Especially interesting was a time where he ran away to Spain hoping to become a Flamenco dancer. I was wondering why the movie was really heavy with his guest roles on TV shows in the 60's and 70's. So, I asked the question to the director how he was able to find the archival footage? He replied that one can find almost anything on YouTube. I responded, Seriously? I think it made the director uneasy and he said, well there was something that we researched from a German source and we looked for a newspaper clipping about a plane crash. I felt kind of bad for my slight laugh and saying 'seriously?' but it was what I was most interested in regarding this type of movie and in biographical films in general. Also the things that are available on YouTube are the older clips from the 60's. There weren't clips about Blade Runner which would have been much more interesting, but I don't think that would be as easily available. So I felt kind of cheated that he made the easier movie with a lot of free content and not the later life for which is why he is really remembered and famous.

I'm too tired to talk about the second feature. I'll do it later, but then it will be out of order and be listed before this one. Oh well. Bon soire.