LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMP Film |
by Rob Rector |
Once in a while a film comes along that will forever be burned in the annals of cinematic history, not so much for it's content, but for the legend that surrounds it.
Henry and June, starring Uma Thurman, may not have been an altogether scintillating epic, but it will be remembered as the first film to be released under the NC-17 rating. Likewise, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was the weakest of the trilogy, but it's violence ushered in the PG-13 rating. This month, we can add The Brown Bunny to the canon of films that have caused commotion before being screened in a single theater in the U.S. Here is a little Bunny background. Vincent Gallo, an eccentric fringe actor/musician/model/ artist, has always charted his own course on screen. He is probably remembered to the indie film set for directing and starring in Buffalo 66 with Christina Ricci. He's got that Kerouac edge that gives him popularity with the Boho crowd (though his role as a breakdancer in the hard-to-find flick Graffiti Rock may make devotees think twice about his street cred). Fed up with Hollywood, he set out to make a film on his own terms, using his own money and essentially performing every task behind the scenes, from director to composer to make-up. The result is The Brown Bunny. According to its website, The Brown Bunny is..."the story of one man's tragic loss of the love of his life. He is Bud Clay. And he races motorcycles. He rides in the 250cc Formula II class of road racing. Round and round he goes, repeating laps over and over until the race is over. The story begins with Bud racing in New Hampshire. Bud's next race is in California in five Days. And so his journey begins across America. And everyday Bud is haunted by the same memories of the last time he saw his true love. Bud will do anything to make those memories disappear. And every day he tries to find a new love. Making outrageous requests of women to come with him on his trip and then leaving them behind after they've agreed. He can't replace Daisy, the only girl he's ever loved and the only girl he will ever love. But every day he tries." Or, it's a big load of crap, according to Roger Ebert. The film originally screened at last year's Cannes Film Festival and, according to the Hollywood Reporter, "seldom has any competition film at Cannes been treated to such a hostile reception as The Brown Bunny." Screen International said that it was "the worst-rated competition film ever to be judged by Screen International's critics' jury," and the London Daily Telegraph called it "staggeringly self-indulgent." Ebert also joined the choir. He also interviewed Gallo where the director apologized for and disowned the movie. Gallo fired back that "The only thing I am sorry about is putting a curse on Roger Ebert's colon," Gallo said. "If a fat pig like Roger Ebert doesn't like my movie then I'm sorry for him." Ebert's retort was that he wasn't too worried about the curse. "I had a colonoscopy once, and they let me watch it on TV. It was more entertaining than The Brown Bunny." And paraphrasing Winston Churchill, Ebert concluded, "It is true that I am fat, but one day I will be thin, and he will still be the director of The Brown Bunny." But the fun does not end there! Chloe Sevigny was apparently dropped by the William Morris Agency after the film's release, apparently claiming that the sex scene in the film would ruin the 29-year-old's screen career and wanted nothing more to do with her (remember, she did get her start in the drug-and-sex fueled Kids). But the Bunny keeps hopping! Community leaders in Los Angeles were apparently up in arms last month after a giant poster was "erected" in Hollywood showing Sevigny performing oral sex on co-star Vincent Gallo (a scene which is said to occupy about 10 minutes of the film). The 60-foot poster has appeared on Sunset Boulevard next to the exclusive Chateau Marmont Hotel. Sevigny recently defended the film's use of graphic sex: "There are a lot of misconceptions about the film. Most of the people who have been writing about it haven't even seen the film. When people do see it, they will realize that the sex in the movie is not in any way gratuitous, that it is a truly heartbreaking movie. I am proud of it." Audience will be able to find out on August 28, when it is released in the U.S. Meanwhile, you can check out the trailer, or various clips of the film online at the following sites: www.1000films.com (to view the French trailer); www.cinemovies.fr (for a Quicktime trailer); www.moviecentre.net for Media Player; and www.ultimatedvd.orgfor various trailers and clips. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 14, No. 12 August 27, 2004 |