Tag: Richard Schickel

Schickel On Scorsese

Last month I watched a great documentary by Richard Schickel on the works of Woody Allen. Tonight it was my turn to see Schickel’s take on Martin Scorsese.

After an hour and a half of listening and watching I have to admit I am exhausted. The absolute breadth of Scorses’s work is what had me riveted. There was not a picture, not a clip, that didn’t hold my interest.

In some ways I am surprised because Scorsese often directs movies which depict incredible violence. This is not implied violence – it is up on the screen and it is gory and repulsive. Yet, within the context of his movies, this violence advances the story.

My own favorite Scorsese movie, one of many starring Robert DeNiro, is King of Comedy. Not only did the movie capture the craziness (and crazy people) who come along with celebrity, it also showed Jerry Lewis in a dramatic performance I would have never expected – never.

Lewis plays Johnny Carson… or at least a Carson clone, doing his show from Manhattan. He was totally believable. He was never Jerry Lewis. He was always in character.

Now Scorsese’s new film Aviator is out. I guess doing this interview was one way to promote the movie. Works for me. I’ll have to see it.

This is my second time recording a Richard Schickel interview. I know he’s the film critic for Time but this was new to me. As I mentioned after the first time, he is totally removed from these films. There are no off camera questions. No cutaways. The principal is the subject 100%.

Woody Allen

Now that I’ve had a DVR for a while, I can safely say I do use it. The ease, relative to a VCR, is certainly incentive to use it. There are some shows I tape every time they air – John Stewart, Boston Legal, Nova and 60 Minutes&#185. Other times I’ll see something that catches my eye and quickly hit the button to schedule a recording.

That’s how I got the Woody Allen documentary “A Life in Film” on Turner Classic Movies that I recorded this weekend and watched last night. The interview was conducted by Richard Schickel, film critic and historian.

The documentary is very simple with Allen sitting throughout. No other voices, no off camera questions, are heard. Clips from his films were used throughout to illustrate Woody’s points.

I have been a big Allen fan for… can this possibly be… over thirty years. I knew his work, but he was under my radar in the sixties. The same goes for What’s Up Tiger Lily and Casino Royale. I knew they were there but didn’t see them until much later.

It was Bananas that first attracted me and Sleeper which cinched the deal. From then on, I couldn’t get enough.

I remember going to see Love and Death in 1975. I went on opening night in Center City Philadelphia with my friend Harvey Holiday. Neither of us liked the movie, but we went back the next night to make sure. It was better the second night. The problem wasn’t Allen as much as it was me!

In last night’s documentary, Allen gave credit to Bob Hope for much of his physical persona in the earlier movies. The clips bore that out. But, though Woody Allen said he paled in comparison to Bob Hope, I’m not so sure.

What most interested me was the ability to hear Allen talk about his work… his art… in terms of an occupation. It was fascinating, because I think he analyzes and tears about everything he does, before, during and after.

Obviously, there has been controversy in Allen’s recent adult life. He is married to the adopted daughter of his former wife (see note below). It’s tough not to see characters like Mariel Hemingway in Manhattan and wonder if life imitates art.

There is just not enough of this type of show on television. I was glad I taped it and didn’t have to stay up through the middle of the night to see it air ‘live.’

&#185 – Recording 60 Minutes is a royal pain. Because the show follows football its start time is fluid, to say the least. I wish my DVR would be able to follow schedule changes and adjust accordingly. As long as they’re at it, I’d like to program it over the Internet as well.