By Dave Montalbano
http://cinemadave.livejournal.com
The Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF) returns Oct. 18 with the screening of Free Ride. Writer/director Shana Betz and executive producer Stephen Moyer will be attending the screening at Cinema Paradiso. After the film, Moyer and Betz will also attend the Opening Night Party hosted by philanthropist Steve Savor at his 18,000 sq. ft. waterfront home, Villa de Palma. Great Gatsby will be the party theme with a strictlyenforced formal dress code (which means I will be wearing my tux).
Released in springtime and currently available on DVD, The Great Gatsby is writer/ director Baz Luhrmann’s best narrative motion picture. Having gone overly creative with visuals in his previous films (Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge!), Luhrmann has the discipline to respect the written word of author F. Scott Fitzgerald. The visual flourishes of The Great Gatsby enhance the visual poetry.
Much has been made about the Hip Hop soundtrack to represent decadence of the 1920s Jazz Age. Jay Z, Beyoncé and Will.I.Am. may have drawn the younger people to the box office, the music of “Jelly Roll” Morton, W.C. Handy, Fats Waller and George Gershwin is the most effective. In particular, Gatsby’s (Leonardo DiCaprio) entrance to Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue is pure literary cinema.
Following in the footsteps of Warner Baxter (1926), Alan Ladd (1949) and Robert Redford (1974), Leonardo DiCaprio is the most vulnerable Gatsby, a true symbol of these financially-turbulent days. This Gatsby opens and closes with Nick Carraway’s (Tobey Maguire) narration from a mental institution. As Daisy Buchanan, Carey Mulligan lacks the callowness of Mia Farrow’s 1974 performance.
Before the festival begins, on Oct. 15, A Tribute to Zsa Zsa Gabor will feature Danforth Prince, author of Those Glamourous Gabor Sisters: Bombshells from Budapest. Known for her campy interviews on The Merv Griffin Show, Zsa Zsa was the modern-day Kardashian; she was famous for being famous. Younger sister Eva Gabor provided her comedic acting chops on Green Acres co-starring Eddie Albert.
Behind the spotlight, Prince provides the historical perspective of a family of Jewish refugees who escaped to America and discovered fortune and fame. While Zsa Zsa and Eva stayed in the spotlight, it was sister Magda who quietly lived the high society American Dream.
The Florida State Seminoles and Miami Dolphins have this weekend off. It’s a good time to pick up the FLIFF catalog and start planning your film festival choices. Sponsored by makeup artist Cindy Boyar, Lea Thompson’s appearance at Muvico Pompano on Oct. 20 is close to a sell out! For more information, call 954-525 FILM.
