Day: March 20, 2025

Following Thursday evening’s 7:15 pm screening of Jessica Palud’s Being Maria at the Quad, HE was 100% prepared to get into the whole Being Maria vs. Last Tango in Paris vs. Bernardo Bertolucci accuracy dispute.

I was cranked and ready to go into my shpiel about the content of the original Last Tango shooting script and how a sizable portion of the sexual assault scene was on the page, etc.

But the ginger-haired moderator of the Being Maria discussion restricted participation to herself, costar Matt Dillon (who plays Marlon Brando) and producer Marielle Digou. No questions from the schmoes!

After it ended I caught up with the moderator (didn’t catch her name) and asked why questions weren’t permitted. “I don’t know,” she replied, adding “Are you going to blog about this?” I wasn’t sure what she meant but I said, “I already have.”

I later told her about the original shooting draft, etc. She said she’s also read the original Tango script but she was mistaken — she’s actually read a published dialogue transcript of the 1972 film.

I also buttonholed Dillon, who was loose and cool, and asked if he had read the original script and he said nope. I explained about the sexual assault scene, etc. I also told him I thought his Brando performance was first-rate, which it is.

I recorded almost everything. I’ll upload the mp3 when I get around to it. Probably late Friday.

I’ve just seen the newly restored version of Frank Perry‘s Play It As It Lays (’72), and I’m fairly certain I was the only one in the theatre (Film Forum, room #4) who noticed that the film has a 1.66:1 aspect ratio. It’s very clearly masked on the sides to produce that particular rectangular shape — slightly boxier and certainly a bit taller than 1.85.

This is a highly unusual shape for an American-produced feature of that era. Certain European and British films made in the early to mid ’70s (Stanley Kubrick‘s Barry Lyndon, John Schlesinger‘s Sunday Bloody Sunday) were intended to be shown in 1.66, but things were different in the States. Beginning in 1953 the hard and fast rule on this side of the Atlantic was to shoot and project in 1.85. (The obvious exception being films that were shot in Scope or 2.39:1.)

I don’t know precisely when 1.66 was all but totally phased out in this country, but I know it’s quite the rarity these days. 1.66:1 is still HE’s all-time favorite aspect ratio.

Full respect and a fond farewell for poor Mr. Hauser, who’s left the earth at age 77. I did a phone interview with Hauser when I was writing the Cannon press kit for Tough Guys Don’t Dance back in ’87…good man, witty, kind soul.

That makes a huge difference. I had thought all along that this loose adaptation of Thomas Pynchon‘s Vineland was set in the ’80s, but no….it’s apparently set in the horrific 2020s.

That said, it’s very easy to generate intrigue with automatic rifle fire.

This newbie contains moments of excellent, crossed-sword disagreement between Mr. Maher and Don Lemon. I’m on a bouncy, lurching Metro North commuter train, but…this is a long one but a good one.

And all the pisshounds who routinely put me down when I post stuff that I haven’t organically generated on my own….all the “This Heavy Doc” and “Clemmy” shitheads who do almost nothing but spew acidic turdballs…they can all take a walk. Truly rotten people…no respect, nothing but disdain.

Click here to jump past HE Sink-In

A profoundly emotional thank you to the relatively few supporters who’ve collectively donated $3300 and change (not counting the Venmo deposits) to HE’s 2025 Venice Film Festival Fund. One fine fellow in England dropped in $1200 this morning…amazing!  Love, kinship, brotherly comfort.  I’m all choked up.

Blessed as my situation obviously is, I’d still like to see if I can generate another $3500 in order to afford the Cannes Film Festival, which is only eight weeks away. If it can’t happen, fine….not the end of the world. But maybe I can get there…who knows? 

THREE DAYS AGO:  HE’s 2025 GoFundMe pitch, which is primarily about raising enough scratch to attend the 2025 Venice Film Festival, is up and rolling. Going a bit slower than last year’s pitch, but the feeling is real.

I’m just reminding the open-hearted, fair-minded contingent that I’m no longer paywalling this site, and that the content is entirely free and wide open, and this is the only pitch I’m making. $25 or $50….whatever’s affordable. Oh, and if you’d rather keep your donation anonymous, please send it to my Venmo account — @gruver56.

My mind is currently blown and spinning by a $500 donation that came in Tuesday afternoon…wow.

3.18, 7:45 pm update:  The total donations have almost reached $2500 (including Venmo).  I need another $1K to make the Venice funding  goal….gettin’ there, gettin’ there.  Thanks to all the generous HE friendos.  Love you guys.

With the Telluride Film Festival (which I’ve been attending since 2010) no longer an option, it’s really important to attend Venice. I can’t just be a Manhattan-centric guy. I have to get out there and engage with the world-class sharpies. I’ve visited the city of Venice six or seven times as a regular wanderer, but I’ve never attended the Venice Film Festival before.

Should enough dough rolls in I could use to it to also attend the ’25 Cannes Film Festival, which is only eight weeks off. But I don’t think this will happen. If I can only raise enough for Venice, so be it and thanks from the bottom of my heart.