Book review - "Chasing the Panther: Adventures and Misadventures of a Cinematic Life" by Carolyn Pfeiffer

 I read this because I was keen to read about Pfeiffer's adventures as a producer in the 80s with Alan Rudolph, Chris Blackwell, Shep Gordon etc but there is very little of that. This memoir is mostly about her time in Europe in the 60s - as a student, then working in Italy as Claudie Cardinale's assistant, meeting people like Burt Lancaster, Visconti, Delon and Fellini, then working for Delon (being raped by one of Delon's dodgy bodyguards), then Omar Sharif as an assistant (shagging Robert Bolt), being friends with Nathalie Delon and Geraldine Chaplin, becoming a publicisit then eventually working for Shep Gordon, hanging with Robert Altman, dope with Blake Edwards. 

It's pretty interesting stuff - having Sean Connery put his hand on her leg while Diane Cilento was there, a fling with photographer Terence Donovan etc. There is heart break - a daughter (son of an affair with a married man) dies as a child, she finds true love with a journalist who dies of a heart attack. I wish there had been more on her work as producer. But I enjoyed the book.

 

Capucine Top Ten

 1) North to Alaska (1960) - genuinely funny

2) The Pink Panter (1963) - terrific, holds her own against Sellers and Niven

3) What's Up Pussycat? (1965) - a third great comedy performance

4) The Seventh Dawn (1964) - flawed movie but she's excellent

5) The Exquisite Cadaver (1969) - stylish thriller and she's very well used

6) The Trail of the Pink Panther (1982) - film is terrible but it's fun to see her and Niven married

7) Fellini Satyricon (1969) - again she's well used 

8)  Walk on the Wild Side (1962) - ah look she's not great nor is the film but she and it are interesting

9) Fraulein Dockter (1969) - seducing Suzy Kendall

10) Red Sun (1971) - I'm starting to struggle to find credits by now... but the top five are strong! 

Movie review - "Stardust Memories" (1980) ***1/2

 Most Woody Allen films I re-watch I find my opinion hasn't changed. This one I like more. I think a lot of people feel that way. When it came out I get the impression people were offended by its depiction of Woody Allen fans.

Time has passed and now we can appreciate its boldness, the confidence of its visual look, the grotesques are entertaining. It is navel gazing and rips off Fellini shamelessly but interesting and some of it is very funny and moving.

Charlotte Rampling is superb as Allen's (literally) crazy ex. Jessica Harper's potential girlfriend is a more typical Allen nutter (one in a long, long line of Allen women who had an affair with her college professor) - but Rampling has genuine pain and is scary and moving and wonderful. It's a performance as good as Cate Blanchett's in Blue Jasmine. There's entertaining turns from people like Tony Roberts as himself and Daniel Stern. Sharon Stone blows a kiss at the beginning.

Full of fascinating personal insights to Allen's life and things that have unexpected resonance: deciding to be with a sensible woman who has young kids, him picking up cast members (it's how he meets Rampling), Rampling accusing him of wanting her 13 year old cousin.

It's superbly designed, shot and edited.

Movie review - "Spirits of the Dead" (1968) ***1/2

Anthology films were all the rage in Europe in the 1960s - they were reasonably popular in Hollywood too. Roger Corman had done an Edgar Allan Poe anthology, Tales of Terror - some enterprising producers had the idea of getting art house darlings to do one. This has Fellini, Vadim and Malle, not a bad line up (Orson Welles, Chabrol, Visconti and Bergman were also approached).

Vadim's segment is the campiest fun - Jane Fonda is a vixen who runs around her estate killing people, having orgies and seducing unwilling women as part of threesomes.  She falls in love with the boy next door... played by Peter Fonda! Which is a bit perverse, even for Vadim... but they don't kiss or anything he's not keen until so she accidentally kills him and then lives to regret it. Its all garish and not particularly well made but the Fondas make it fun (Jane really, that is - Peter is only in it briefly).

Malle's segment is much better directed, more serious. Alain Delon is very effective as a nasty piece of work (it's a shame Delon didn't play more villains, he suits them) who tackles his own conscience - manifested as an actual person. Brigitte Bardot is not convincing in a black wig and feels wasted but I enjoyed this bit - it's not as highly regarded, I'm not sure why.

Fellini's segment is superb. It's a sort of companion piece to La Dolce Vita and 8 1/2  with Terence Stamp, at the height of his sixties groovy-ness, playing a Shakesperean actor who is in Rome to make a Christian Western. He's hassled by various parties - the paps, director, interpreter, press, random women etc. Its done with flair and vivacity. The "horror" is more muted but Stamp hooning along the highway is genuinely scary - I wish Fellini had made a horror film or two.

A strong, entertaining film with gorgeous colour.

Movie review - "8 1/2" (1963) ***

This film has a lot to answer for... it prompted a bunch of other filmmakers to make movies about filmmakers who can't think of ideas for their next film (eg Alex in Wonderland).

It's Fellini's journey up his own arse, with Marcello Mastroianni as a handsome, battered, weary Fellini-like director, set upon by various crises: a nagging critic, visions of an ideal woman (Claudia Cardinale), an annoying mistress (Sandra Milo), his producer, his wife (Anouk Aimee).

It is lively. Some of the visuals are impressive, I liked the cast (Barbara Steele pops up as a friend's girlfriend). But a lot of it I could take or leave.

Movie review - "La Strada" (1954) ***1/2

I haven't seen much Fellini - this has a tremendous reputation and I understand it was a big deal in the 50s, but I wasn't that overwhelmed. I do recognise its quality including some excellent acting - the lead three in particular - but it could be dull at times.

Anthony Quinn is a strong man who buys young, naive Giuletta Masina to help with his show. He is mean to her but she goes along with it, adds to the act and plays a trumpet (a very catchy theme tune). Matters are complicated by a trapeze artist (Richard Basehart) who delights in taunting Quinn.

The sudden outbursts of violence are very well done, the ending heartwrenching, the running time long. A clear influence on Woody Allen for Sweet and Lowdown.