Film 3

Written by Hein Adamson

Long, squarely blocked, static shots, a sparse soundtrack with whole conversations set against a background of whirring fans, and distant traffic; the pitch less gestalt of mundane city-life. No action, no fast talking, no quick cuts; the tempo, steady and unrushed, is the key, the ‘in’; it says, “Slow down, no one is going anywhere, so be still, just allow yourself to see and inhabit this space, with these people. For a little while…”

Our story begins in the Brooklyn Cigar Co., a tobacconist owned and operated by Auggie (Harvey Keitel), a spot which serves the dual purposes of amicable conversation and cozy loitering, commerce seemingly a secondary consideration. Auggie knows his customers by taste and temperament and they know him. He and the Brooklyn Cigar Co. are fixtures of the neighborhood. Enter Paul (William Hurt), a reclusive writer, recently widowed of his pregnant wife; come to buy something to smoke.  The 2 men greet each other warmly, by name and as they go through motions of transaction they get to talking, Auggie has picked up a little piece of trivia that he knows Paul will enjoy, Paul leans in over the counter, attentive, they talk, they smile. Paul leaves. 

While crossing a busy street on his way home, the writer, his thoughts arrested perhaps by a story he is working on, or by the cigar he is lighting as he walks, is nearly hit by a truck. Enter Rashid (Harold Perrineau), who tackles the writer to safety. After some convincing, Rashid allows the writer stick him for a meal. As the 2 talk over lunch, we see that Rashid is an eloquent, intelligent, refined young man, but is obviously dissembling and misdirecting when Paul asks him about himself. The writer; grateful for his life, enjoying the boy’s company, and convinced that he is probably in some sort of trouble, offers to put Rashid up at his place for a couple of days.

We spend some time with these 2 in Paul’s modest apartment; a bachelor’s flat with an alcove containing small a writing desk and a main space with bed, sparse and mismatched furniture, and not a spot of wall visible for all the shelves lined with books. They talk about books, about writing, about this and that… Paul is wistful, mellow if not melancholy, and funny. He knows books and he knows writers and he knows anecdotes, Rashid is thoroughly engaged, and the easy, unrushed conversion goes on. After a day or 2, Rashid leaves.

We follow him as he makes a long trek from New York, via foot and occasional hitchhiked ride, slogging patiently through miles of sweltering heat. He comes to an isolated fuel station that looks as though it was converted from an old farmhouse. He sits looking at it for hours from across the narrow country highway. The man attending the station has an awkward curved hook-like prosthesis instead of a left hand. He notices Rashid, but ignores him and goes about his less than brisk business as long as his patience allows. Finally, frustrated by the frank examination from a distance of the young stranger, crosses the silent road to confront the boy. Enter Cyrus (Forest Whitaker).

The stage is set and we have been introduced to most the main cast of characters this tale; a formidable ensemble and my favourite performance from each of the actors in the movie’s starring rolls, although my opinion on this matter is likely skewed by my deep love for this movie. “Smoke”, released in 1995, was written, at the friendly urging of director Wayne Wang, by acclaimed novelist Paul Auster and was the first movie he wrote.  (He has said in interviews that he enjoyed the process of film making a great deal and would go on to write more scripts and even direct.)

Much of the story is propelled by Rashid’s presence in the lives of the characters. He saves Paul the writer’s life, he gets a job in Auggie the tobacconist’s shop and through innocent neglect nearly ruins the biggest business deal of Auggie’s life and nearly costs him his life savings.

Fatherhood is a strong theme that runs through the movie. Each of the characters confronts fatherhood after a fashion; Cyrus the hook-handed country fuel station owner is Rashid’s father. Who abandoned his infant son after losing his wife in the same car accident that took his hand, and must now answer his son’s grief. Auggie may or may not be father to the daughter of an old fling, Ruby (played to perfection by Stockard Channing) who appears impromptu after years of silence. He never finds out whether the now teenage girl is his daughter or not, but we do see that he handles the situation with kindness and aplomb. In strange but very natural turn, there is even a moment where Rashid fulfills the role of father to Paul, a much older man.

Another theme that emerges is story. The film is story full of little stories and story tellers. The movie ends, as it begins, with someone telling a story. The story is great, the themes, as far as I am able to pick them up, are great. But the movie really shines when it slows down. The smoking in the movie acts as a sort of framing device, when the characters light up, a space opens up, wherein the narrative comes to a near halt, a little window of time in which there is nothing to do and nowhere to go, all there is to do is be, and smoke a smoke.

 These are the moments where we get to know the characters; we get to simply be with them, observe their gestures and movement, hear the stories.

There is a scene in which Paul visits Auggie’s apartment and Auggie shows the writer a photo album filled with pictures taken in of the Brooklyn Cigar Co. Photographs of the same intersection and the same time of day, every day, for years and years. “They’re all the same,” says Paul. “It’s just one little corner of the world, but things take place there just like everywhere else.” Paul pages through album after album, finally Auggie says, “You’ll never get it if you don’t slow down my friend.” “But they’re all the same,” says Paul.

“They’re all the same, but each is different. You’ve got your bright mornings and your dark mornings. You’ve got your summer light and your autumn light. You’ve got your week days and your week-ends. You’ve got your people in overcoats and galoshes, you’ve got your people in t-shirts and shorts. Sometimes the same people sometimes different ones. Sometimes the different ones become the same and the same ones disappear. The Earth revolves around the sun and every day the light from the sun hits the earth at a different angle,” says Auggie.

A long pause, some puffing, some contemplation. “Slow down huh?” says Paul. “That’s what I recommend,” says Auggie. “You know how its… Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow… Time creeps on its petty pace.

There is the heart of the movie right there. Watch it and watch it again.

GET THE MOVIE HERE

Written by Annette Adamson

The Fisher King is a comedy drama by director Terry Giliam, produced in 1991. Jack Lucas (Jeff Bridges) is a radio “shock jock” in New York City. One day he takes a call from a listener who feels sad about being rejected by a woman in a “yuppie” restaurant. Jack tells the caller to put it out of his mind; that he’ll never fit in with that set. Later that day, Jack hears on the news that there was a mass shooting at the “yuppie” restaurant, and the caller from earlier that day was the shooter.

Jack blames himself for the man’s unraveling. Three years later, he is no longer on the radio and is terribly depressed and drinking hard. He lives with a video store owner called Anne (Mercedes Ruehl), working in her store part-time. One night Jack picks a fight with her and tells her that he is only with her for the sex. Anne storms out and Jack also leaves, bottle in hand, so that he can continue drinking. He is mistaken for a bum and he ends up under a bridge contemplating suicide, when he is attacked by some teenagers. The assault is interrupted by a vagrant (Robin Williams) wielding a bow and arrow and this knight, along with his retinue of bums scare the teenagers away. Drunk and confused, Jack ends up spending the night in the homeless man’s basement dwelling.

The next morning the bum introduces himself as “Parry”, a knight on a sacred quest to find the Holy Grail which, he is convinced, resides in a billionaire’s home on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Parry is convinced that Jack was sent to help him. Jack bluntly refuses to help and he leaves. On his way out, he comes across the owner of the building, who allows Parry to live in the basement. He tells Jack that Parry was a professor in medieval studies and had an apartment in the building with his wife, until she was murdered in the shootout at the “yuppie” restaurant 3 years prior. After his wife’s death, he went into a catatonic state. After he came out of it, he was “Parry”. Feeling responsible, Jack decides to help Parry, hoping that it will ease his guilt. Later that day, Parry dragged Jack to see a girl called Lydia (Amanda Plummer), on whom Parry has a crush. He opens up and tells Jack about his feelings for her when he has a hallucination of a terrifying medieval red knight chasing him and flees.

Later as both men lay the great lawn of Central Park, Parry narrates the story of the Fisher King, who once possessed, then lost the Grail and was feeling very old and depressed. The king is saved by a passing fool who gave him a drink of water out of the Holy Grail. On hearing the tale, Jack realises that he needs to help Parry, in order save himself.

With the help of Anne, Jack arranges for Lydia to come with them to a double-date dinner. Jack and Anne clean Parry up; dress him in a nice suit and off they go to a Chinese restaurant for dinner. The matchmaking is a great success. Later that night Parry walks Lydia home and convinces her of his love. Just then, the terrifying red knight appears again. Beyond terrified, he flees again and ends up under the Manhattan bridge, where he is brutally attacked by the same teenagers that attacked Jack.

Meanwhile, Jack feels good for a change, feels that he has done his duty to Parry, feels confident and ready to go back on radio. He coldly discards Anne which breaks her heart. On the same day, he receives news that Parry is comatose in a sanatorium. Desperate, Jack breaks into the billionaire’s home and steals the Grail, which discovers is really just a golf trophy. He returns to the sanatorium, “Grail” in hand and places in catatonic Parry’s hands, which awakens him. For the first time, Parry talks about the death of his wife. The next day Lydia visits Parry at the hospital, finds his bed empty but finds him leading his fellow patients in a hearty rendition of “How About You.” Parry rushes to her and embraces her with such love and joy. Seeing this, Jack realises what he had in Anne, begs for her forgiveness and they are reconciled.

The Fisher King is probably among my top ten favorites films of all time. The cast is phenomenal, each one of the actors delivers flawless performance throughout. The characters are very well-rounded and interesting.

An outstanding scene for me was the dinner at the Chinese restaurant on Parry and Lydia’s first date. It is funny and infinitely endearing. Their antics with the food are hilarious and the two vibe so well with each other. Later that night Parry walks Lydia home and declares his love for her in a way that would render any woman utterly defenseless. But as he opens his heart, he catches glimpses of his wife’s murder, the memory that he has blocked out completely. As he catches the glimpse of what happened, the terrifying red knight appears.

Another beautiful scene was the very busy train station, where Parry follows and watches Lydia from among the anonymous the crowd. In Parry’s eyes of love, all the people in the station begin to dance to lovely music and warm lighting.

The film touches on so many facets of life, pathos, tragedy, love, guilt, humor, failure, success, dreams and nightmares.

In every character we see development and a growing understanding of the human journey. Jack, the cold and arrogant “yuppie” that looks down on humanity and especially folks that were struggling. He has a complete turnabout. Parry, a bum, half crazy and raggedy, is restored to the wonderful self he was before the tragic shootout.

common one might say. I used to look down on women like that, wondering what makes them take such crap from disrespecting men; realising later in my life that these women are wonderful wife-material, these women love their men so well, being lovers and mothers to their men. I want to take a moment to talk about Anne, Jack’s girlfriend. She is a little rough around the edges,

Lydia, like so many of us, feels out of place, mediocre and inadequate. This leads to isolation, tired of being used by men for one-night stands and then rejected. Lydia is also wife-material, forever grateful and surprised to find such a beautiful love in Parry.

The moral of the story for me, is that no matter how buckled, bent and broken we may be, Divinity exists within one and all and that for no-one is it too late or impossible to change and to overcome, and to realize that there are treasures in us all that simply needs to be honed. Love transforms all.

GET THE MOVIE HERE

Written by Annette Adamson

 

Seven Years in Tibet, the 1997 epic film that runs for 140 minutes, directed by Jean-Jaques Anaud,  remains riveting throughout. The story commences in 1939 just before the outbreak of World War 2. The film is historically accurate and tells the story of Heinrich Harrer (Brad Pitt), an extremely arrogant, aloof and stubborn young Austrian mountain climber, a gold medalist and a national hero, that joins a team of mountain climbers that are attempting to climb the almost impossible to scale Himalayan Peak of Nanga Parbat, the ninth highest mountain in the world. He leaves behind his very pregnant wife as he is not really interested in being a parent.

 

While climbing, war breaks out and they are interred in, and finally escape in 1944, from a British prisoner of war camp. Harrer and his German associate Peter Aufschnaiter (David Thewlis) separate from the rest of the climbers. They decide to not go home to Austria until the war is over and decide instead to make their way through Tibet. During their travels on foot, the difference in their characters is glaringly obvious. Heinrich is arrogant and vain whereas Peter is a humble unassuming man. They are at loggerheads initially, but as Peter starts to point out Heinrich’s selfish and arrogant actions, Heinrich slowly and grudgingly begins to see his own selfish and self-centered actions. Heinrich saves Peter’s life when Peter breaks his ankle. 

 

After an exceedingly treacherous and challenging journey, they reach the holy Tibetan city of Lhasa which is forbidden to strangers. There Heinrich meets the young religious leader of Tibet, the 14 year old Dalai Lama (Jamyang Jamtsho Wangechuk) named Kundun. The boy is eager to learn of the outside world from Heinrich and so he befriends the arrogant Austrian. 

 

Peter falls in love with a Tibetan tailor, Pema Lhaki (Lhakpa Tsamchoe), and she falls in love with Peter’s humility. It’s a pleasant surprise to see a Hollywood film where women aren’t treated as objects and are allowed to be full complex characters such as the lovely Pema Lhaki.

 

A very deep and loving, yet refreshingly unsentimental relationship develops between the young Dalai Lama and the Austrian. The Dalai Lama becomes the instrument of spiritual transformation for Heinrich in two ways. Firstly, by standing proxy for Heinrich’s own son that was born while he was climbing and traveling and whom he had left in Austria, thereby prompting Heinrich to contemplate on what he had left behind and possibly lost. Secondly, the Dalai Lama shows him that he doesn’t know everything and that he still has a lot to learn. He teaches Heinrich the value of humility and affection.

 

The film is shot in Argentina and Canada, as stand-ins for Tibet, however there is wonderful footage of the Himalayas, surreptitiously acquired by the filmmakers – a stunning backdrop of breathtaking snow-capped mountains. We see Heinrich and Peter traverse some of the most beautiful landscapes captured on film. The entire film is exceedingly beautiful – the costumes, the religious ceremonies, and the music make for a visual spectacle.

 

Although Brad Pitt is infinitely watchable, from time to time he falters in his Austrian accent. He does however convince as the initial arrogant character and also as the transformed person – gentle, full of fun and compassionate. I feel that Pitt was cast more for his star status than his suitability as this character. 

 

David Thewlis, a grossly underrated actor, delivered a flawless performance and although it is the story of Heinrich, I would have liked a little more development and involvement of Peter and also of the boy Kundun, the Dalai Lama.

 

The film beautifully communicates the pacifistic, sweet soul of the Buddhist faith and its most ardent practitioners. The film also touches on the Chinese invasion of Tibet that years later, forced the Dalai Lama to flee from Tibet to India.

 

 

The heart of the story is the unbelievable spiritual transformation of Heinrich Harrer from narcissist to loving empath, in the presence of an enlightened master such as the Dalai Lama, as is the case with many other enlightened masters that come to this earth, compelled only by their compassion for us lost and confused humans. It is a story of hope that the worst among us also carry within us, the seed of Divinity and of all-potential, and that thanks to the love of the Wise Ones, we can all connect with and become the divine and loving beings that we all are in our truest being.

 

A film worth seeing absolutely.

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