In the last decade, popular Hollywood films have clearly referenced and borrowed from cinema of the recent and distant past. There are straight remakes such as director Steven Soderbergh’s “Solaris,” which follows Andrei Tarkovsky’s 1972 film of the same name. Douglas Sirk’s 1955 “All That Heaven Allows” was the muse for Todd Haynes’ “Far From Heaven.” Director Brian De Palma openly put direct visual references to Billy Wilder’s 1944 classic “Double Indemnity” in the opening sequences of “Femme Fatale.”
So why not visit the original version as top Hollywood directors regularly do? With more than 55,000 titles in its rental library, Facets Multimedia is the most comprehensive repository of cinema in the city (and possibly the nation). Directors John Sayles, Steven Sondheim, Steven Soderbergh, Ed Lochman and French director Bertrand Tavernier (a known classic Western aficionado) are the more distinguished members of Facets Multimedia’s rent-by-mail program. A basic $35 membership allows for three-day rentals for $3.50. (Members mail back the films at their own expense.)
As a rental outfit, the city’s cinephiles have long resourced Facets’ vast selection of films from classic cinema to international, documentary to children’s titles. “The purpose has always been about connecting audiences to great films that are works of art–to bring world cinema to American audiences,” said Facets director and co-founder Milos Stehlik, who launched Facets in 1976 with Nicole Dreiske when they began screening 16 mm international films in a church basement.
Stehlik said the benefits of the DVD and video revolution have made it possible to do things like view a director’s entire body of work back-to-back, or curate a personalized film festival. The drawbacks, of course, go beyond taking films out of the theater context (where purists believe they should be viewed).
Stehlik said there is a strange paradox of abundance wherein consumers are so overwhelmed with hundreds of new releases each year that they tend not to bother with exhuming cinematic gems of the past.
“This is a time when so many films are easily and instantly available, but in a way we’re almost stunned with the opportunity and don’t know how to use it. Unfortunately that’s how much of film history is lost,” said Stehlik.
Fortunately, Facets’ extensive film library is paired with a rental staff made up of die-hard cineastes. The shelf of staff recommendations includes titles such as “Adventures of Prince Achmed,” a 1926 animation piece directed by Lotte Reiniger and created entirely out of hand-cut silhouettes. “In the Mood for Love,” directed by Kar-wai Wong, is a version, set in Hong Kong, of Douglas Sirk’s “All That Heaven Allows.”
Director Guy Maddin’s “Tales from Grimli Hospital” (1988) and “Heart of the World” (2000) are described by one staff member as “Georges Melies and David Lynch hybrids” and feature macabre eye-candy that will appeal to those with a bent for art direction.
A dicier recommendation is “Vintage Erotica from the 1930s” by amateur photographer-filmmaker Mr. X. He cruised the brothels of Paris to capture footage that 70-odd years later is as shocking as an X-rated feature.
“A number of the films you see today in the theaters are watered-down versions that are built upon what has come before,” said Facets rental manager Rakim Jihaad. “Sometimes the remakes are better–a lot of times they aren’t. So it’s great to be able to go back to the original vision.”
As an example, consider the execution scene near the beginning in “Gladiator.” The cold march of Maximus (Russell Crowe) through the snow-covered forest was borrowed from Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1970 film “The Conformist,” which takes place in Fascist Italy during World War II. Fans of Baz Luhrmann’s tightly art directed “Moulin Rouge!” will see the echoes of George Melies’ 1899 (yes–1899!) “A Trip to the Moon.”
Wim Wenders’ poetically haunting “Wings of Desire,” a 1987 black-and-white release with German subtitles featuring Peter Falk, was remade in 1998 as “City of Angels” starring Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan.
Plot-wise, “The Lion King” was an animated version of “Hamlet.” At Facets, members have their pick of nine Hamlets from Lawrence Olivier, Richard Burton, Kevin Kline, Kenneth Branagh and Ethan Hawke to Mel Gibson.
“What’s available at most video rental stores is often dictated by the market and what will make money in rental sales. Milos has the courage to overlook a film’s commercial potential and focus on art. Facets respects a director’s vision and doesn’t cut out scenes,” Jihaad said.
Purists have long appreciated Facets’ huge collection of letter-boxed (widescreen) releases and their foreign films tend to be titled–not dubbed. Naturally, there are no colorized versions on the shelves.
“When you experience film as art, it is working at the most wonderful level–it opens up meaning in your own life,” said Stehlik.
“Some people feel compelled to explain a film right away as they leave the theater. But it may take a few days to understand how a good film has affected you. That’s when you know it was really good.”
Facets Multimedia, 1517 W. Fullerton Ave., is open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, noon to 10 p.m. Sunday. Rental phone is 800-532-2387, rental fax is 773-929-0504, rental e-mail is [email protected]. Basic rent-by-mail membership is $35 (includes three rentals); critics level is $100 (includes 12 rentals). A Facets Cinematheque membership for rental and the theater is $35 (includes six free rentals or admissions to Facet’s cinema).
When a 3-day rental doesn’t pass muster
Let’s face it, a lot of times a three-day rental just isn’t enough. And by the time the late fees add up, you might have been better off buying the DVD. So in 1998, Netflix founder Reed Hastings placed his bets on the convenience-centric lifestyle of movie renters. His rent-by-mail service www.Netflix.com has seduced about 700,000 subscribers in four years with the promise of no due dates or late fees.
Here’s how it works: Subscribers pay $19.95 a month to rent and watch movies at their own pace. Members build a list of movies that they want to rent from a selection of more than 12,000 titles. The first three on the list are shipped first class and arrive in about three days along with prepaid mailers. Each time a DVD is returned, Netflix automatically sends the next title on the subscriber’s list.
In a Washington Post article, Hastings pointed out that a decade ago no one would have imagined that anyone would pay “three dollars for coffee just because you put steamed milk in it. Well, we are as different from Blockbuster as Dunkin’ Donuts is from Starbucks.”
Apparently he’s not too far off in his logic that there’s a healthy segment of consumers who will pay a premium simply to avoid a late fee.
–Jane Burek
STAYING IN/ MOVIES
Shared ideas on celluloid
Facets’ huge inventory is almost overwhelming, so we are providing a little help. You like a recent movie remake? Check out the first group below and rent the original vision. For other overlooked gems, the Facets rental staff recommends more movies in a variety of categories.
Cinema Derivatives
“Solaris” (Steven Soderbergh, 2002)–“Solaris” (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1972).
“Far From Heaven” (Todd Haynes, 2002)–“All That Heaven Allows” (Douglas Sirk, 1955). Note: “In the Mood for Love” (Kar-wai Wong, 2000) is a version of this same story set in Hong Kong.
“Femme Fatale” (Brian De Palma, 2002)–“Double Indemnity” (Billy Wilder, 1944). Note: Look for direct visual reference to the original in the opening scenes.
“Gladiator” (Ridley Scott, 2000)–“The Conformist” (Bernardo Bertolucci, 1970). Note: The execution sequence is the “borrowed” scene.
“Lion King” (Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, 1994)–“Hamlet” (seven from 1948 to 2000 are available at Facets).
“Moulin Rouge!” (Baz Luhrmann, 2000)–“A Trip to the Moon” (Georges Melies, 1899).
More Top Picks Fitbit Alta
“The Magnificent Seven” (John Sturges, 1960)–“Seven Samurai” (Akira Kurosawa, 1954).
“City of Angels” (Brad Siberling, 1998)–“Wings of Desire” (Wim Wenders, 1989).
“The Untouchables” (Brian De Palma, 1987)–“Battleship Potemkin” (Sergei Eisenstein, 1925). Note: The runaway carriage on the stairway is the borrowed sequence.
`Fascinating Flix’
Art Direction
“Haxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages” (Benjamin Christensen, 1922)
“Sunrise” (F.W. Murnau, 1927)
“Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la Bete)” (Jean Cocteau, 1946)
“The Duellists” (Ridley Scott, 1977)
“L’Atalante” (Jean Vigo, 1934)
British imports
“Performance” (Donald Cammell and Nicolas Roeg, 1970)
“Peeping Tom” (Michael Powell, 1960)
“Get Carter” (Mike Hodges, 1971)
“Dead of Night” (Alberto Cavalcanti and Charles Crichton, 1945)
Erotic Thrillers
“Audition” (Takashi Miike, 1999)
“Tell Me Something” (Yoon-Hyun Chang, 1999)
“Diva” (Jean-Jacques Beineix, 1981)
Experimental
“Quay Brothers Volume 1” (Quay Brothers, 1986)
“8X8: a Chess Sontana” (Hans Richter, 1926)
“Dog Star Man: Part III” (Stan Brakhage, 1964)
“La Jetee” (Chris Marker, 1962)
“Anticipation of Night” (Stan Brakhage, 1958)
Film Noir
“Le Doulos” (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1961)
“They Made Me a Fugitive” (Alberto Cavalcanti, 1947)
“Red House” (Delmer Daves, 1947)
“Elevator to the Gallows” (Louis Malle, 1958)
“Out of the Past” (Jacques Tourneur, 1947)
Romance
“Mauvais Sang” (Leos Carax, 1986)
“Pepe Le Moko” (Julien Duvivier, 1946)
“Le Jour se Leve (Daybreak)” (Marcel Carne, 1939)
“Girl on the Bridge” (Patrice Leconte, 1999)
Science Fiction
“Planeta Berg” (Pavel Klushantsez, 1962)
“Stalker” (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1979)
“The Creeping Unknown (The Quatermass Xperiment)” (Val Guest, 1956)
“The Man Who Fell to Earth” (Nicolas Roeg, 1976)
“The Kingdom” (Lars von Trier, 1994)
More Top Picks Best Clothes Hangers
Vampires
“Habit” (Larry Fessenden, 1997)
“Black Sabbath” (Mario Bava and Salvatore Billitteri, 1963)
“I, Vampiri” (Ricardo Freda and Mario Bava, 1957)
“Vampyr” (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1932)
“Nosferatu the Vampire” (Werner Herzog, 1979)
Western
“The Shooting” (Monte Hellman, 1967)
“Valdez is Coming” (Edwin Sherin, 1971)
“The Great Silence” (Sergio Corbucci, 1968)
— Jane Burek