hut effeeti\e .Uit'kr um/ Nit/tr t4) would not old) go on to weep the hoardx at the 1988
RaHie aw ardx with /.\/II(1/' hut would eome eloxer than an}one hefore her to hankrupting the might} (‘olumhia xtudio h_\ making a eoined} muxieal xo witlexx that exen aging xtarx \Varren Beatt) and l)u.xtin lloffman eould not xa\ e it from ho\ offiee annihilation.
.-\nd there'x more. What ahout .-\rthur l’enn. I hear )ou er_\‘.’ He i.x reprexented at the lill‘l“ thix war h_\ hi.x fantaxtie 1075 pri\ate diek fliek .Vielil Horn (7). .xtarring (iene llaeknian. a film that prox ed to he the high water mark for l’enn. li\er_\thing elxe that followed wax the work of a man who had lo.xt .xpirit and faith in the poxxihilitiex of great einema. ()r legendary faxhion photographer .lerr_\ Sehat/herg. a man ,xo dixturhed h)’ the poor reeeption hix underrated features The Set/Helium aft/(w [man and llomjrxm‘lt/e Row reeeiVed Statexide that he eontinued making low hudget filmx and
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enxured that the) were onl_\' releaxed in liurope the .xtill hax quite a following in liranee. henee hi.x heing ealled to he a memher of the ('annex
_iur_\ in 200—1). .‘\litl finally. there ix Miehael
Ritehie (Sin/Iv. 8) who. after the aw'exome. \‘ie‘ititixl}' maintained thriller l’rimt' ('11! and e\eellent Redford \‘ehiele 'l'ln' ('um/t't/utv wax offered the world. He delivered tip the ho.\' ofliee gotle with [Ii/1U HM/ .Vt'u'x Bt'urx. tinl} to w ateh hi.x eareer dixxolx‘e into mediocrit} h} the late l‘)t\’()x with turkeyx ’I'ln' (in/(fen ('lii/t/ and Heir/i Urn. Ritchie .xadl) died in 200] of proxtate eaneer ha\ing xpent. weirdl} tittingl}. the laxt xex‘en _\'earx lix'ing in the liouxe where .\lat‘il_\ n Monroe oVerdoxed/wax murdered.
A lot of thoxe who have tilinx featured here did however heeome major playerx — (ieorge A Romero and John (‘arpenter fought hi/arre illnexxex and phohiax to eonxtantly pla} with the templatex of their earl). peeuliar hrandx of horror. John (E .-\\'ild.xen made a perxonal
fortune following a tt‘ajeetot'} that led from .\lar\ixt dialeetie in Sure l/lt' 'li'ur'r «Hi to working elaxx maehixmo in /\)U(',\\ and on to xpiritual hullxhit in Rum/v Kit/1 l,arr} ('ohen xtill w ritex the xmartext exploitation xeriptx around: l’eter l-‘onda ix. well. l’eter l-onda: and Walter Hill fotight hix own inner repuhlieanixm to direet and produee genuinel} interexting \ariationx on the w extern ineluding (inn/1mm and lust .llun .S'Ium/mu.
So what doex an} of thix tell tix'.’ 'lliat life ix long and talent ix fragile.’ 'lihat _\ou lime to he a geek or a reaetionar} to xttl'\ he in lloll_\wood'.’ No. it tellx tix that thoxe who do not have a maxter plan Ltlwa}x make the greatext art.
They Might Be Giants: Other Voices from the New American Cinema continues with The Hired Hand, Filmhouse, 17 Aug, 5pm, £5.50 (£4.20).
‘ ‘ . ; .- x THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 41