OH BOY.. This blog is wonky. My theatre reviews are easier to maintain. I don't why.
So.. I'm composing on line, which may be problematic.. or not..
The Linwood Dunn Theater at the Mary Pickford Center on Vine in Hollywood is a nice little room with about 286 seats. State of the art projection. The security is a little overboard, but when paranoia and fear strike, we accommodate them as best we can.
The Danish Girl will more than likely be up for Best Picture for the Oscars this year, with Tom Hooper and Eddie Redmayne on board to at least have nods as well. The Q and A with Eddie and Tom was delightful. The interviewer must have introduced himself, but I did not take note. He was the very model of what a good interviewer must be. Knowledgeable but not smarmy. He was informed, but allowed the guests to talk about the film, which is the best way to allow an interview to go. Surprisingly, the questions from the audience were smart and not self serving as they often are when actors stand to tout themselves and sometimes don't get to an actual question.
What impressed me most was that the film, based on real life characters, Einer and Gerda Wegener (Redmayne and Alicia Vikander), was really beautiful. Einer was a Danish landscape painter and Gerda painted figures. She came to prominence after painting her husband as he transitioned to become "Lily Elbe."
One story that director Hooper shared was of really wanting the actual paintings that Gerda made of Lily.. and herself... for the film. He was determined until it was pointed out that Gerda's Lily was not Eddie Redmayne! They settled for copies in the style of Gerda.
The sincerity and authenticity of the actor and the director made the Q and A come to life. Over twelve years in the making, Hooper working on it for seven, the film coincides with the recent popular attention to Caitlyn Jenner and the growing interest in transsexual/transgender people who have been in the shadows for a long time. In particular, Redmayne's discussion of his studying for his role and the arc of how she emerged after years of feeling confused is enlightening.
Asked for personal anecdotes about the making of the film, Hooper told of seeing the first rushes with his editor, Melanie Oliver, who has worked with him from his beginnings as a director. There is a Jack Russell Terrier in the film who clatters all over the place and in at least one scene steals the show. Hooper asked Ms Oliver what she thought of the first day's work. She paused and said, "the dog was terrific!"
I had a problem with being taken out of the story a little with Ms Vikander's wigs. I forgave the hair on "Lily" because we watch the couple choose her hair, a short auburn bob. However, with Alicia's close ups, the wig she wore was very obvious. Redmayne as Einer may have had some hair help, too, but it was either his own or an excellent piece.
Comparing the films that will doubtless be up for awards this year will be like the old apples and oranges routine. Ditto with performances. Leonardo DiCaprio's turn in The Revenant is brutal physically and the story is a rough one. Redmayne as Lily has a totally different struggle in the 1920's Europe with gorgeous scenery in Denmark, Paris and Germany. The cinematography category will be a battle!
Finally, the scents that permeated the Linwood Dunn were pretty distracting.. again.. and all I can offer is for those who are felled by body enhancements might consider a pomander or just a gasmask. I used my scarf to filter out the older women in front of me, the swarthy guy across the aisle and the cute Asian women next to me. I don't get ill like some folks do, but it's really distracting to have one's senses so invaded. .
Take a bath, people! Douse yourself later... after the screening! Okay?
Happy Solstice! I start a new art project on Tuesday!
Michael Sheehan
12/20/15
