35mm print (black & white, sound) 81 min. USA. Indefinite loan from the artist
"Cassavetes's vital, poignant, and humorous story of interracial romance and "passing"—often hailed as an American counterpart to Godard's Breathless (also 1959)—shattered cinematic conventions with its improvisational acting, jumpy editing, and handheld camerawork in the streets, coffee shops, late-night parties, and sculpture gardens of New York City. Critic Gary Giddins observes, 'Cassavetes signed the incomparable Charles Mingus, who insisted on written arrangements. The irony of a world-class improviser notating the score for a film otherwise afloat in improvisation may have been lost on Cassavetes, who tired of Mingus's delays. In the end, the director settled for a few minutes of Mingus's solo bass and several more minutes of Mingus's alto saxophonist, Shafi Hadi. Mingus never completed a single arrangement for the film, but his sketches were later extended into such jazz classics as 'Nostalgia in Times Square,' 'Diane' (or 'Alice's Wonderland'), and 'Strollin'.'" (Jazz Score, Press Release)
No comments:
Post a Comment