Julie Christie at SBFF
Julie Christie's visit last night to the Santa Barbara Film Festival was pleasant enough. Cheerful at times. It could have been wonderful if her on-stage chat with Leonard Maltin had upgraded into a Charlie Rose Show-type exchange, but that wasn't in the script. Christie obviously dislikes "campaigning" and being fawned over, but she was a good sport about watching film clips and trading memories. But she clearly has a lot more on her mind. Has she been on Rose's show? If not, it should happen.
Leonard Maltin, Julie Chirstie SBFF director Roger Durling backstage after last night's event
Maltin didn't touch a hilarious political comment Christie made about President Bush early on. Talking about the amazing era that began with her birth in 1941, she said, "Who would have thought we'd end up today being led by an elite, priveleged monkey?" A stimulating back-and-forth could have ensued about the current political campaign, the Iraq War, global warming and whatnot, but Maltin responded with one of those frozen-in-place smiles that he uses when things have taken a wrong or awkward turn, and in three or four seconds time they were talking about Billy Liar, Darling and director John Schlesinger.
The evening's biggest boner was the decision by clipmaster Paul Fagen to include a clip from Christie's all-time worst film, Demon Seed ('77). When Maltin mentioned this Donald Cammell sci-fier, Christie literally convulsed and went "ugh!" Fagen does all the SBFF tribute reels, but anyone who would select a scene from the godawful Demon Seed and ignore the beautiful final scene she shares with Warren Beatty in Heaven Can Wait, as Fagen's reel did last night, doesn't "get it."
Verdict: Fagen is a good cutter and politically dug-in with the studios and the publicists, but he obviously doesn't love and understand the best movies the way he could and should.
At one point Christie was talking about the great Richard Lester, who directed her in the superb Petulia ('68), and she said to Maltin, "What was the boat movie? The one with the people on the ship and the bombs in the steel barrels and all that?" Maltin didn't answer so I shouted out from the my second-row seat, "Juggernaut!" (Santa Barbara blogger Craig Smith reported in his column today that it was SBFF director Roger Durling who shouted out the title of the 1974 Lester film.)
My photos of the Christie event are substandard. I could say I was unlucky or had a lousy seat or need a better camera or whatever, but the fact is I just blew it. Her light brown hair fell in curly tendrils upon her face, slightly obscuring her eyes and cheekbones. But she's very inner-lit. She didn't like what she was compelled to do last night, but she gave it hell.
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on January 26, 2008 at 9:55 AM
comment #1
York "Budd" Durden
says ...
Durling looks like this kid I used to beat up. Ah, the warmth of such memories...
Posted by York "Budd" Durden
at January 26, 2008 11:49 AM
comment #2
D.Z.
says ...
So Cloverfield bombed already. That would've been ok, if it was due to Rambo; but it's pathetic being fourth after "Meet The Spartans". http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117979685.html?categoryid=13&cs=1
Posted by D.Z.
at January 26, 2008 11:52 AM
comment #3
christian
says ...
It would be great to hear Rose talk all over Christie.
Good call on JUGGERNAUT.
Posted by christian
at January 26, 2008 11:57 AM
comment #4
Larry
says ...
You think Charlie Rose is an upgrade? The guy's the worst interviewer on television. He interrupts his guests, puts words in their mouths, fails to ask follow-up questions, and spends most of the time trying to impress viewers with how smart he is.
Meanwhile, thanks goodness Maltin stuck to movies. Christie is a fine actress, but politically she's always been a knee-jerk leftist. Do you really want an interview about her career to devolve into mindless shots like "Who would thought we'd end up today being led by an elite, priveleged monkey?" That kind of preview tells you if you go down the political path you're not going to get an serious discussion. Meanwhile, you've got one of the great screen presences of our lifetimes up there with a rare chance to discuss movies, and her life--two subjects she actually knows something about. But no, Wells would rather here a warmed over Bill Maher routine.
Posted by Larry
at January 26, 2008 11:58 AM
comment #5
Larry
says ...
Make that "have a warmed over," not "here" (or even "hear").
Posted by Larry
at January 26, 2008 12:01 PM
comment #6
George Prager
says ...
"Who would thought we'd end up today being led by an elite, priveleged monkey?"
How is that not serious? She was being serious and he is, in fact, an elite, privileged monkey and if the shoe fits, why is she not entitled to her opinion? Anyway, I agree that Charlie Rose is not an upgrade, he would be drooling all over her, laughing idiotically like Larry King interviewing Don Rickles at any mild quip, like the Joker without make-up.
Posted by George Prager
at January 26, 2008 12:14 PM
comment #7
MAGGA
says ...
Hillary Clinton is the Joker without make-up. And someone should do a youtube clip cross-cutting her laughter with Haley Joel Osments in A.I.
Posted by MAGGA
at January 26, 2008 12:26 PM
comment #8
MickTravis
says ...
I can't defend Rose's bad interviewing habits, but he frequently gets great guests and gives them a commercial-free block of time to chat.
His good shows are great -- Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" interview, film critics roundtables, Wes & P.T. Anderson and the Coen Bros are frequent guests, Don Rickles recently did an hour that I liked better than that overrated HBO doc.
Oh, and that time Eli Cash melted down at Rose's table was great!
Posted by MickTravis
at January 26, 2008 1:40 PM
comment #9
btwnproductions
says ...
Sorry, haters, but DEMON SEED is a quite interesting film, and Christie excellent in a demanding part, whatever her disdain. Fagen's instincts as a cinephile were correct. (Face it; in the HEAVEN CAN WAIT to AWAY FROM HER period, with three to four year gaps between roles, how much else is there that is truly exceptional besides AFTERGLOW?)
Posted by btwnproductions
at January 26, 2008 3:23 PM
comment #10
D.Z.
says ...
btwn: Oh, for a sec, I thought you meant that Uwe Boll film.
Posted by D.Z.
at January 26, 2008 4:34 PM
comment #11
T. S. Idiot
says ...
DEMON SEED is an intelligent, sci-fi thriller, and JC gives one of her best performances. She has little of interest to do in HEAVEN CAN WAIT.
Posted by T. S. Idiot
at January 26, 2008 5:15 PM
comment #12
BurmaShave
says ...
Still with Chimpy McHitler? That's all she has? I'm pretty sure an elite monkey would have done a better job by the way, since the laws of the jungle would have gotten Cheney and Rumsfeld's faces torn off a long time ago.
Posted by BurmaShave
at January 27, 2008 2:38 AM
comment #13
ThermosDay
says ...
Leonard Maltin seems like a nice person, but as an interviewer, he's an ass.
And Jeffrey, you need a close friend to tell you nobody's interested in what you think of Hillary Clinton.
Posted by ThermosDay
at January 27, 2008 3:31 PM
comment #14
sarkmbt
says ...
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all set free, and are grateful to you for the favor."
"Who are the Munchkins?" inquired Dorothy.
"They are the people who live in this land of the East
where the Wicked Witch ruled."
"Are you a Munchkin?" asked D
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at March 26, 2010 12:22 AM