Review: "The Help" (opens Aug 10 -- US and UK)

Viola Davis in "The Help" photo courtesy of Dreamworks ©2011

review by Michael Orton

copyright 2011 ImageProviders

All Rights Reserved

At the Sundance Film Festival this past January, a memorable appearance by Harry Belafonte offered the young filmmakers in attendance a personal understanding of his involvement in the civil rights movement of the 1960s, and of his fervent desire that above anything else, they be society's radicals (his emphasis). Citing the Works Progress Administration and the work of Dorthea Lange and Ben Shahn, he described artists as "the caretakers of truth," and perhaps even guardians of our culture and that "radical thought is the energy of the Universe."

Harry Belafonte (right) "sitting"

Belafonte told those assembled that day that he felt he had been "fortunate to interface with the harbingers of radical thinking," people like Eleanor Roosevelt and Paul Robeson. "The power of art is not to portray life as it is, but life as it should be..." but he also warned, "To be a radical is to be an outcast. We definitely paid a price."

These themes multiply the force and effect of the Tate Taylor film version of Kathryn Stockett's 2009 debut novel, "The Help," a story set in and about Jackson, Mississippi and the Jim Crow south. With breakout performances by Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis (note that several Oscar nominations are predicted, here), and with Stockett's author adequately played by ingenue Emma Stone, the film also contains a stunningly appropriate cameo by none other than Cicely Tyson herself. When Ms. Tyson takes the screen, one feels as though history has indeed come alive. Allison Janney offers a welcome presence as part of Jackson Mississippi's plantation establishment and Sissy Spacek's unabashed comic relief allows the overarching social tension to be almost welcome.

(l to r) Bryce Dallas Howard, Sissy Spacek and Octavia Spencer in "The Help"

America in the sixties included television's "Andy Griffith Show" for those privileged enough to have "Ozzie and Harriet" and "Leave It to Beaver" memories of their childhood. Memorable for some but not for all during that convulsive time of our nation's history. Ironically, one of the most caustic characters in the story is very well delivered by Bryce Dallas Howard a generation after her father (director Ron Howard) was Andy Griffiths' cherubic "Opie" in the Mayberry series of the sixties. In "The Help," white hot performances including a revelatory soliloquy, delivered with piercing effect by Ms. Davis, help us truly understand that those famous years were not idyllic for everyone who lived through them. This is the transcendent effect of "The Help," and one that will definitely be recognized during Oscar's upcoming "For Your Consideration" season beginning in just six months. (Perhaps it is significant to note here that the nation's general election will occur only eight months after the Oscars are awarded this coming March).

And after viewing and feeling this story, which forcefully reminds us of how far we've come as a nation, one might conclude that as strenuous and painful as it was, the effort of Harry Belafonte, Martin Luther King and those other harbingers of radical thinking, was just The Help we needed.

"The Help" a DreamWorks release of a Reliance Big Entertainment feature

from the novel by Kathryn Stockett

screenplay by Tate Taylor

directed by Tate Taylor

IMDB info here

The Prize Worthy Disturbance Continues

The Sundance Film Festival, Park City --

When these films were announced and screened, a couple of things came to mind. For those who have seen the 1984 Oscar-winning feature "The Killing Fields," about the life of Dith Pran, you'll understand what is meant by the expression "art that disturbs." This year's lauded Sundance entries "Restrepo" and "Enemies of the People" also have much in common with Picasso's monochromatic cubist canvas known simply as "Guernica."

Picasso's "Guernica," 1937

In 1937, as part of a protest of Franco's complicity with Hitler in the extermination of a Basque village in northern Spain, Picasso sent the painting to Spain's pavilion at the World Expo in Paris. An unapologetic denouncement of the atrocities that had occurred when Franco agreed to allow Hitler's airpower to test the effectiveness of "carpet bombing," Guernica now hangs in the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid. Disturbing then and disturbing now. When one walks into the hall which displays "Guernica," its size immediately imposes its eventual impact. The canvas measures almost 26 feet wide and is 11 feet in height and was created at a time well before anamorphic aspect ratios were conceived for film.

Much has been and will be written about Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington's Afghanistan war documentary named after a fallen U.S. medic, Juan "Doc" Restrepo, who was also memorialized when the Forward Operating Firebase where most of the action occurs was named for him as well. In the first moments of the film, we witness Doc bleed out while being evacuated from the front in a futile attempt to save his bullet-riddled life. Sufficient to say here that Junger and his producer Tim Hetherington were able to get footage that almost killed them several times and allows viewers to understand the war in a very personal way. This film is not for the squeamish. It is shocking and stark and beautifully horrific.

"Enemies of the People" chronicles the efforts of Thet Sambath to infiltrate and expose the lives of Pol Pot's cronies who systematically exterminated millions of Camodians in the 1970s. The film documents his 10-year effort to get close to, document and then expose the men and women responsible for a generation of youth in Cambodia who were orphaned by the Khmer Rouge. The film picks up where "The Killing Fields" left off.

Yes, this kind of art is disturbing, but still very necessary. Artists who make paintings of World War II Spain, songwriters and performers who include lyrics exposing social injustice in Nigeria, and filmmakers who bring atrocities into our minds to expose those responsible, are owed our time and our attention if not our gratitude for the sacrifices they've made to create such a prize worthy disturbance in an otherwise comfortable society.

"Restrepo" - Grand Jury Prize Winner, Documentary - Sundance 2010
"Enemies of the People" - World Cinema Special Jury Prize, Documentary - Sundance 2010

more information on Sundance 2010 awards here.

Hot at Sundance 2010

The Sundance Film Festival, Park City --

A Word on Tickets and Wait Lists, etc.

If you are in the Park City area and approached by a person who is willing to sell you tickets to a coveted and hard-to-get screening, be sure to check the venue, since there are many in metropolitan Utah but not all in/around Park City. Some are downtown SLC, some are even north of Salt Lake in Ogden which might take more than an hour to get to by private auto depending on conditions. As most know, several screens are peppered around Park City itself, and with parking and shuttle service kind of like Manhattan-in-Utah during the festival, it's not always easy to find and get to the screening of choice if you’re a newcomer. There's more cab service this year and even with a direct route, like your mother told you, it's best to be aware and plan ahead and wear your galoshes. This year you even had to beware of vampire fans which your mother said nothing about.

About “heat” and its conspiring cousin, “buzz:”

The former implies serious box office or audience potential waiting to ignite, and the latter is word-of-mouth promotion. Buzz leads to heat and thus eventual combu$tion. A very large contingent of attenders this year was assembled in the ether via YouTube, Twitter, and online fanzines. (See what we mean by fractured distribution channels?) I know, I know, I didn't have to explain that to you but maybe your mother is reading this.

SundanceTwentyTen People:

Yesterday there was a large reception hosted by the Utah Office of Tourism (Utah has one of the best online resource divisions in U.S. govt) headed by the venerable Leigh Von Der Esch, the premiere plankholder in Utah's film industry. Prior to taking the reins of the tourism department for "Utah: Life Elevated" and the "Best Snow on Earth," as well as for several Utah's national and state parks, etc., Leigh ran the Utah Film Commission for several of the state's governors and the commission is still under Leigh's uber-competent purview. If you have a Utah shoot to plan or locations to scout, Leigh is your go-to person with a modest staff that is eager and capable. (Note: Do NOT expect her to fix your crew's moving violations or parking tickets, since you will need to be courteous and responsible while in Utah as anywhere else). If you've been working with Leigh for as long as we have, you understand all of the above.

John Cooper, the new Sundance executive director. From Los Angeles and with significant prior experience, he's brought the festival back to its focus on independent film. Sundance is not about making the famous more famous, it’s about the recognition of talking/moving picture art, innovation and collaboration. This year there are “little Sundance” venues in several other cities in the U.S. concurrent with the Park City festival. Enough said.

Genaro Molina of the L.A. Times. A great shooter with a great eye at SundanceTwentyTen. A moveable and visual feast.

I mentioned in a previous post here that by far, the greatest online buzz surrounded ingénue Kristen Stewart who appears in two features presented at Sundance 2010, “The Runaways” and “Welcome to the Rileys.” If you have a Twitter account and search the hashtags "Sundance" or "Stewdance", you’ll find her fans there and since these Twilight vampires are all over the world, they don’t disappear with the break of day. Hey, vampires need love too and they're using the Twitterstream to give it to you right in the neck.

~grin~

As has been widely reported, Bill Gates attended Sundance 2010, danced (!) during at least one of the afterparties and helped to promote the ideals behind the documentary on public schools in America called “Waiting for Superman.” ("in America's public schools, all children are left behind.") The man whom Tom Brokaw has called "this generation's Thomas Edison" came to Utah to play and create some heat of his own.

SundanceTwentyTen Places:

We were all crowded out of the Bing Bar due to Bill Gates and his entourage. The Bing Bar (a private venue for a-list festival goers) was also new to Sundance and Park City's Main Street. It will likely be gone after the festival just like Bill.

The slopes. It's worth mentioning again that if you like to ski or board, the slopes around Park City are almost empty during the film festival. Stay in downtown SLC, take a shuttle to any of the Park City resorts and enjoy the Best Snow on Earth without fearing long lines or vampires who are undoubtedly trying for another Kristen Stewart sighting. Snowmobile tours are organized in the nearby town of Daniels (among other places) on the way to the airport in Heber where all of the G3s are parked. Bring your own heat or faux fur.

New Frontier on Main. Across Main Street from The Egyptian Theatre and down one level are Sundance 2010's "New Frontier" exhibits. One is an motion image installation called the "global warming survival kit") which requires night vision glasses to see. It is not easily found, so ask around. Then there's "The Cloud Mirror" which features a concept called "augmented reality" and was used with advertisers in a recent edition of Esquire magazine. It's a mind-blowing concept presented by a tireless man with a flamin' mohawk named Eric Gradman. (full disclosure: Gradman is a fellow USC grad). Do not miss either of these. If Steichen or Steiglitz were around Park City this week, you'd find them here without a doubt and probably wearing mohawks.

Sundance Documentaries on Fire

Restrepo: Sebastian Junger embedded in Afghanistan. If you come to it at the film festival, no problem, but how will war get to you in your living room with surround sound? We don’t know but it will and in his own, very potent way, Junger is this century's Edward R. Murrow and Ernie Pyle. Check upcoming channel and DVD release announcements. (Not on fire, but with the same distribution concern is The Pat Tillman Story. Sometweep suggested that Disney option Tillman for air on ESPN since the story largely began with an NFL career and then a life cut short). If we were still in the era of double features at the "movies," we’d suggest adding The Hurt Locker, which is neither at Sundance nor a documentary but will be nominated in Oscar’s Best Picture category in a few weeks, just watch and see. (ffwd to 31:32 for Kathryn Bigelow's Charlie Rose interview here).

A Small Act: The way meaningful connections can be made in a connected world. Again, finding a wide audience in the fragmented and digital age may be daunting but should still happen. I think these two people were united here at SundanceTwentyTen. This is the ultimate connection in the information age in a story that should be cloned by everyone. Pay It Forward came to life.

Smash His Camera: Because Roger Ebert tweeted this past Sunday that Ron Galella (one of the original papparazzi) is "a vermin, parasite, stalker and a national treasure." Here, art imitates life imitating art and stalking celebrities. This week, Galella is stalked at Sundance by a new generation of shooters. This is like video feedback in the conceptual sense. Point a video camera at its own monitor and you'll get the idea. #mindblownconcept

The b/w still photo of Galella wearing a football helmet while stalking Brando (who had previously knocked Galella's teeth out) is a classic.

Sundance Dramas on Fire

Get Low:

(…to be cont. off to a screening)

All copyright 2010 Michael Orton, all rights reserved

Sundance Sunshine Sunday

The Sundance Film Festival, Park City --

The weather broke for the better, and the women's feet were a little bit warmer. But someone should tell them that this is the MOUNTAINS of America's west, not Manhattan or Los Angeles with their stylin' non-utilitarian footwear. Hadta work the morning, so now I'm relaxing and planning my screening sched for the rest of the week.

Best kept secret from the locals?? (Shhhh, but there's no one on the mountain or in the halfpipe. Absolutely the best time to snowboard at the Park City resorts, 'cause everyone in town is searching for a tribe or a fire to tell stories around)

When I teased a young Tilda Swinton handler that Conan O'Brian wanted to cast her in his autobio-pic, (true joke!) the young Yalie said, "It was on the interview Q sheet, but it didn't quite fit the tone." With judgement like that, the guy has a real career ahead of him.

I'll offer some of my own reviews and photos tomorrow, (HotAtSundance, for what that's worth) but you could virtually attend the fest by hashtag and YouTube, where many of the films can be downloaded for a fee. The film production and distribution business is in monumental revision with the proliferation of NewMedia. In 2010, everyone has a personal brand.

next: PrimalScreen, New Frontiers, yada, yada, yada...

Let the Festival Begin

The Sundance Film Festival, Park City -

Back to the business of independent filmmaking and distribution. Okay, but the fringes are still mostly Hollywood even if that is more of a concept than a place. Look for more here after I get on station Monday.

First impressions: The amount of Stewdance* people here is astounding. They're as thick as flies. (*These are the fans of Kristen Stewart of Twilight fame, as she is appearing in Sunday night's "The Runaways," the dramatic interpretation of Joan Jett's career which also stars Dakota Fanning. I believe that Joan Jett and the Blackhearts will be appearing at Harry O's that night as well). Get your rock on at Sundance.

Sightings of the majormost abound!! Marisa Tomai arrives with Orlando Bloom?? (Was that by design?) as someone just said, "Sundance, blah, blah, blah... Redford this, snow that."

~grin~

Such a Beautiful Truth

Jane Campion’s “Bright Star,” released in the U.S. by Apparition
by Michael Orton, all rights reserved

Throughout his brief life, the British poet John Keats was in pursuit of his own restless, creative soul. He abandoned his studies and a promising career in medicine to devote what would become of the rest of his days to creating and publishing poetry which would reach far past his mere twenty-five years. In Jane Campion’s filmed version of his inspiring affection (aptly portrayed by Ben Wishaw) for Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish, of “Stop-Loss” and her Australian repertoire) Keats has been afforded a place in the annals of cinema to compliment his significant, though posthumous, literary acclaim.

Ben Wishaw and Abbie Cornich in Jane Campion's "Bright Star"

With a nomination for the Palm d’Or at Cannes, the year’s Oscar nominations should also include Ms. Campion, (as writer and/or director) Ms. Cornich (actress in a leading role) and perhaps the lenswork of young Greg Fraser, a native of Melbourne who has illuminated and recorded the talent like a twenty-first century Vermeer. The film's score by Mark Bradshaw is appropriately spartan and a compliment, beginning with the opening strains of a cello combined with Mr. Fraser's detailed photography, welcoming us into 19th century life. Not since the lush textures of Merchant-Ivory have period audiences been given such high art. There will even be some audience acclaim for a housecat whose onscreen performance nearly upstages the human talent in more than one scene, becoming props in more than one sense of that word.

Indisputable Comeback

What Ms. Campion’s screenwriting and directing has achieved, using the Andrew Motion biography and Keats’ own letters as her foundation, is the indisputable comeback of her career. Since her Academy Award for 1993’s “The Piano,” her feature work has been largely underwhelming and often difficult to find. Now with her dialogue framing the poetic essence of love and transcendent creativity, New Zealand’s premiere writer/director accurately shows her audience how Keats discovered, defended and profoundly understood that there is a “holiness to the heart’s affection.” Even beyond that, she has offered and defended Keats’ own confusion about love and its yearnings before discovering inspiration from the intelligent affections of Fanny Brawne. (Keats’ letters have recently been re-published in the U.S. by Penguin Books in a co-marketing effort with BBC Films and Screen Australia).

This story also has ample creative tension, deftly illustrated in the relationship of Keats with his patron and collaborator Charles Armitage Brown (Paul Schneider). In Campion’s cinematic construct, the literature may unfold over “Ode to a Nightingale” but the love existing between the two men is eventually eclipsed by the poet’s burgeoning enchantment with Fanny Brawne and Keats' consumptive disease. For these reasons and more, the richness and scope of “Bright Star” shouldn’t be the province of poetry lovers only. Even though period costume dramas such as this lack luster at the box office, the brilliance of this “Bright Star” may yet be appreciated by young audiences attracted to stars like Wishaw and Cornich. Since the film is devoid of prurient or sensuous detail and will undoubtedly carry a PG-13 MPAA rating, it allows the simple elegance and charm of this love story amidst regency life to prevail. Those drawn to the tragic mortality that's found in the Twilight series of vampire romance can now truly understand that “a thing of beauty is a joy forever…”

ed note: Mr. Orton found it necessary to confront another projectionist when the screening sponsors began their poetry discussion and the credit sequence's soundtrack was muted. Appealing to the good manners of the contemporary poets thus assembled (which included the state's poet laureate), audiences like this one are pleased to discover that in addition to the remaining music track, they are favored by Mr. Wisham's reading of "Ode to a Nightingale," one of Keats' most enduring works.