By Jonathan Melville
Is
there something about classic movie fans that makes us more obsessive than your
average cinemagoer? Does the fact that we often have to search for years for
that obscure Western or noir on DVD mean we're more appreciative when we
finally see it? Would most of us rather watch a 1960s Bond movie at the
multiplex than a modern CGI-fest?
Those
are some of the questions I asked myself as I left my home (and DVD collection)
in the UK to fly 5,000 miles to the third annual TCM Classic Film Festival in
Hollywood over the weekend of 12-15 April 2012. A
gathering of thousands of movie aficionados from around the globe, this
spin-off from the US cable TV channel promises attendees that they'll see some
of the best films ever made, often in the company of the people who made them,
in the way they were meant to be seen. Planning
for TCM is akin to a military operation, albeit one that involves popcorn and
soft drinks. This is a festival that offers up around 80 films from all genres
and multiple decades across its four days, usually with a choice of around five
films at any one time. The choice can be between 1962's How the West Was Won
(in Cinerama), 1955's To Catch a Thief (at Grauman's Chinese Theatre), 1949's
Criss Cross, 1968's Rosemary's Baby and a few more, all scheduled against each
other.
My
Festival started with a stop at the red carpet as the celebrities filed into
Grauman's for a screening of 1972's Cabaret, in the presence of Ms Liza
Minnelli. Tippi Hedren, Michael York, Debbie Reynolds, Richard Anderson, Larry
Hagman and John Landis were just some of those in attendance, most of them
rushing past this Cinema Retro reporter and into the palatial surroundings of
the theatre. One
of the finest actors on that carpet, at least for this fan of The Pink Panther,
was Robert Wagner, who stopped for a few moments to share his memories of
working with Peter Sellers in the 1964 comedy. “I
loved Peter, we were great friends and had a marvellous time together,†said
Wagner. “It was very exciting seeing him bring that character together with
Blake Edwards. You had the feeling it was going to be a hit, you just knew.â€
The
next few days went past in something of blur as I queued, changed my mind about
what films to see, heard stories about screenings and introductions I'd missed,
made new friends and attempted to get some sleep. I
shivered as Lon Chaney Jr morphed from Larry Talbot into The Wolf Man in the
1941 Universal classic; was in awe at the aerial footage shot by William Wellman
in 1927's Wings; smiled as Kirk Douglas, at the age of 95, sang a verse from
1954's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea before a screening of the film; and laughed
as Dick Powell breezed his way through 1951's film noir, Cry Danger, as co-star
Rhonda Fleming discussed suffering from appendicitis on set to an audience at
The Egyptian Theatre.
And
that was just days one and two.
Saturday
night back at Grauman's saw Roman Polanski's 1974 film, Chinatown, shown in the
presence of screenwriter Robert Towne and producer Robert Evans, the pair
introduced by TCM host, Robert Osborne. Nominated
for 11 Academy Awards, Chinatown was the first film that Robert Evans produced.
Towne explained that Evans had originally requested he adapt F Scott
Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby for the screen, but that he didn't want to do it. “We
were having dinner at Dominick's on Beverly Boulevard and Evans was trying to
figure out why I didn't want to do Gatsby,†noted Towne. “I told him [about
Chinatown]. Bob said “I don't understand a goddamned thing but I do like the
titleâ€. He got all of us in there who knew each other and cared about each
other so that we could fight and have a good time.â€
Another film I was determined not to miss was the aforementioned The Pink Panther. Robert Wagner was back for his second introduction of the weekend, the other being for a 50th Anniversary restoration of 1962's The Longest Day. Relaxed and in good humour, Wagner recalled to Robert Osborne how he came to be a part of the film. “I was in Europe and I'd met Blake Edwards and he said “I think you'd be great to be in my filmâ€. The Pink Panther was rather futuristic. There wasn't ever that much money spent on a domestic comedy, there was a bit of a hesitancy making the film, nobody really got the Clouseau character. “Peter Ustinov was scheduled to play Clouseau. Ustinov had some hesitancy about some of the things in the script and said “let's talk about it, give it a little timeâ€. So Peter went away and Sellers came down to Rome and can you imagine anybody else playing Clouseau?
Of course TCM isn't all about the celebrities. Passes for the event cost upwards of $300, with the premium level coming in at a not insubstantial $1199. For those unwilling, or simply unable, to pay those costs there are individual tickets available for $20 if a film hasn't sold out. As expected, attendees are mainly devoted TCM viewers, those lucky souls for whom every day is a classic film festival. For 18 years the channel has nurtured a love of cinema that goes beyond the passive, instilling in its audience a knowledge and passion that can only come from putting TLC into scheduling.
One of those TCM devotees is Brittany Perera from Los Alamos, New Mexico: “As a preservation and restoration network, TCM helps the younger generation stay in touch with classic movies, bringing awareness about the old movies that people don't get elsewhere. According to Brittany, her reason for coming to the TCM Classic Film Festival was, “Gene Kelly in Singin' in the Rain. It's one of my favourite films of all time and to see it in the big screen at Grauman's is a dream of mine.†John Stewart, a retired educator from Chattanooga, Tennessee, adds, “TCM is the number one channel in our lives. I'm into the film noirs and some of the Universal pictures. We love the intros and the guest programmers.We have to drive to Atlanta or Nashville to see some of the old movies on the big screen, so it's been cool to see films like Vertigo here. We own those films on DVD but we went to see Young Frankenstein last night just to hear Mel Brooks speak and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea for Kirk Douglas. There's a connection with everybody here and you get lost in it quite easily. We'll be back.â€
It's that connection with strangers, formed between films made decades ago, that makes the TCM Classic Film Festival so unique. Nobody has been lured by trailers or hype to spend time in front of a film that they'll have forgotten by next week. These movies have endured, matured and gained a devoted following that is happy to travel hundreds or thousands of miles to see them once again for what feels like the first time.
Our DVD collections may grow larger by the week, but if the chance arises to see one of them on the big screen, whether in Hollywood or at a nearby independent cinema, take it. You never know when you'll get the opportunity again.
Visit www.tcm.com/festival to watch clips from the 2012 Festival. It's been confirmed that there will be a TCM Classic Film Festival in 2013, dates TBC.
Read more from Jonathan Melville at www.jonathanmelville.co.uk