First, let me assure the reader that I’m not embarking on a remake of Dennis Hopper’s great work. It is the Citizen Kane of foreigners misbehaving in Latin America films, and cannot be improved. Nevertheless I think the heading is appropriate. Your correspondent isn’t getting any younger; in fact he will turn 70 this year. Raising funds for independent feature films is increasingly challenging. So the film I’m aiming to make in October may well be My Last Movie. In any case, I’m calling the Kickstarter campaign that. With luck, maybe some of Dennis’ genius and inspiration will wash our way.
The Kickstarter link is here. It goes live on June 15.
Speaking of The Last Movie, my documentary about the making of that film is now viewable on Rumble. It’s already on various disks, I know, but this is a somewhat longer version, which includes the “behind the scenes” footage shot by John Phillip Law. Also available for your viewing pleasure is the complete feature Three Businessmen, which Tod Davies and I shot in Liverpool and other places at the end of the twentieth century. The film hasn’t had a US distributor since the demise of Anchor Bay: it’s a pretty good picture, I think, so here’s an opportunity for American viewers to watch it. I’m one of the actors; my co-star is the amazing Miguel Sandoval.
I’ve also been busy making commentaries for other films: I just did one of the Kino Lorber release of Navajo Joe (did you know Corbucci and deLaurentis wanted Marlon Brando to star in it?), plus two video intros, one for Slap the Monster on the Front Page (a Gian Maria Volonte political thriller directed by Bellocchio in 1972) and the other for the third episode of the Red Peony Gambler series, directed by Tai Kato. Supporting film literacy, one blu-ray at a time!
But my day job, as I may have mentioned, is writing and directing features. And that’s what the new Kickstarter campaign will aim to do: raise funds for a feature film based on a famous work of literature, which deals with the value of dead people’s names. The campaign will spring to life once I’ve made the little video, and I’ll report more then.
UPDATE — the little video is done, and the Kickstarter campaign goes live in two days’ time. I know that these aren’t the best of times, but if you can back the project, please do! You’ll make a drooling old man very happy. And speaking of olden times in Almería, someone has located the Pogues’ version of The Good, The Bad & The Ugly and put in online. You can watch it here.
Musically it feels a little thin (what do I know about music? Nothing. But I miss the big choral whumps! of the Morricone and Hugo Montenegro versions). Still, it’s nice to see the Pogues and Strummer and Courtney – all of us so young and lively! – having a maniacally good time in the desert in 1986.
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