Ken Loach Can’t Get No

By Memo Salazar 

Many years ago, when I was a wee lad working in a video store, amongst all the films that opened my mind in many directions, there existed six filmmakers that captured my heart as well. One of them was Ken Loach- a somewhat obscure Brit who’s strong, clear politics and ethics helped him transcend the world of BBC television into that of feature films. Though he remains one of the greatest filmmakers of the past 3 decades, his name- and body of work- remains largely unknown. You’d think that winning the 2006 Palme d’Or at Cannes would have changed all that, and perhaps it did in Europe, but not here in the good ol’ US of A, around which, as we all know, the universe revolves.

I live in New York City- arguably the “cultural capital” of this country, where one can watch obscure art films all week without running out of options… yet even here, Loach’s latest masterpiece (and I do mean masterpiece) is playing on just one screen- one small screen. The show I attended, in fact, found the theater merely half full. Half full? Where the hell are my fellow art-loving New Yorkers? And where the hell is the rest of the country?

Ken Loach’s The Wind That Shakes the Barley is certainly deserving of Cannes’ top award- moreso than Pulp Fiction, and undoubtedly moreso than Fahrenheit 9-11, both of which have received this award in past years and went on to become huge hits with critics and crowds all over the world. The Wind… is a powerful, moving, universal story of two brothers and the ideological clashes they encounter. It’s a historical film, shedding light on the rarely-discussed Irish Revolution and how the IRA was born; yes, Loach is unapologetically left-wing, but he’s so good at showing why his politics lie where they do that his compassion for humanity is impossible to resist. You’d have to be incredibly dense or closed-minded to watch one of his thoughtful, well-argued films (especially this thoughtful, well-argued film) and not understand where the man and the people he speaks for are coming from. Loach is especially adept at putting himself in the shoes of the everyman and helping us understand the small details of human existence that feed into the greater political context being discussed. He makes you feel quite deeply, and then he makes you think just as critically, in the hopes that such a combination will bring forth the truth of the matter at hand.

Perhaps, if American audiences had been given such a chance, their minds might have expanded just a tad more while watching this film… but, whether it was poor marketing or a glut of other releases or who knows what, The Wind That Shakes the Barley has arrived on our shores with barely whisper. Usually “Winner - Palme D’Or 2006″ is all you need to garner an overwhelming amount of art-film media buzz, so where was the art-film media buzz? Where was the hype machine that usually inflates mediocre films into can’t-live-without successes? Why does our culture go nuts over shit like Napoleon Dynamite instead? I know, I know, the answer’s pretty obvious. But still, if you have any desire left to learn, grow, and feel something more than a cheap thrill, watch any of Ken Loach’s amazing films and gain a greater understanding of your fellow man. Sweet Sixteen, Land and Freedom, Hidden Agenda, Ladybird, Ladybird… netflix any of these brilliant films by Ken Loach, and give this septuagenarian artist a little satisfaction in his twilight years. He’s struggled long enough.

Films We Seem to Have Ignored: “De-Lovely”

By Memo Salazar

One thing about technology that gets to me is the way it caters to our impatience. The faster we can get our media fix, the less patient we are with the world’s artistic offerings. Our never-ending hunger for something new keeps us always looking forward, never back, and rarely allows for the thoughtful introspection many films and pieces of music (to name a couple of mediums) demand for in order to truly understand and appreciate them. It’s sad, because lots of great stuff slips through the cracks, while not-so-great-stuff rides a wave of hype that only later crashes with a “what-were-we-thinking?” sense of sobriety.

Which brings me to “De-Lovely,” producer-turned-director Irwin Winkler’s 2004 musical biopic about the late, great Cole Porter. This film was pretty much ignored when it came out a couple of years ago, and when it wasn’t ignored, it was described as…

“Stiff, lifeless and incomprehensibly dull.”

“‘De-Lovely’ is pretty standard, run-of-the-mill stuff.”

“I don’t know what I was more bothered by, his smirk or his strut.”

…and the always-hilarious twist on a title, “De-lousy.”

I saw “De-Lovely” on a lark, having no idea it even existed, simply because it was the only film that didn’t sound like absolute shit in the megaplex I happened to be at, while visiting a friend in good ol’ suburbia. I didn’t know it was a musical, but I love Cole Porter’s music, so “De-Lovely” it was. The film begins with an arguably-silly conceit of having Cole Porter (Kevin Kline), at the end of his life, sitting in a theater with an imaginary director (Jonathan Pryce) basically reviewing his life as it were a grand musical production. They speak theatrically about his life while actors recreate it on stage. Not only does this sound somewhat ridiculous, it’s also a watered-down twist on another brilliant film about music and theater, “All That Jazz.” So, ten minutes into the film, I was preparing myself for the worst.

But then the story began its slow unravel, sucking us deep into a love story like no other… and, in an industry which basically regurgitates love stories over and over, finding a fresh one is a delicacy one rarely gets to savor. It was such a delight that, by the end, even the cheesy “Porter looking back on his life in the theater” gimmick didn’t seem so gimmicky. Rather, it was earnest, sweet, and touching.

“De-Lovely” is many things. It is a musical about a man who’s life was musicals. Again, this is treading on All That Jazz territory, except Cole Porter was a real man, and all this really happened. Cleverly, the filmmakers took it a step further- not only did they tell the story via the musical genre, but they actually used Cole Porter’s song lyrics as commentary on his life and state of mind. Even if you’re familiar with his charming music, hearing his songs in this context gives a whole new meaning to this enigmatic artist; “Let’s Misbehave” and “Don’t Fence Me In”, for example, are much more revealing when Kline transforms the songs into expressions of his personal philosophy and sexuality. They transcend being merely whimsical tunes into insightful revelations of Porter’s lifelong fight against society’s restrictive ideas.

But that’s not all, folks. “De-Lovely” is also a love story between a homo (or bi, it’s never quite clear) sexual man and a heterosexual woman. This is truly the heart of the film; it is a story of how Linda Thomas (Ashley Judd) loved Porter so much that she gave up many of the traditional “benefits” that one expects from a relationship, such as fidelity and sexual fulfillment, giving Porter the freedom he craved and emotional support he needed to navigate through the difficult life he had chosen for himself. This is truly a love story, not a lust story; there is a genuine commitment and appreciation between the two that transcends the typical carnal desire Hollywood usually sells us as fodder for our minds.

Add to that several amazing performances by our famous thespians, an incredible amount of craft put into every scene (sets, lighting, cinematography, costumes…) and wonderful music that’s only occasionally butchered (hello, Alanis Morissette!) and you have one of the most unique biopics you’ve ever seen.

So why the commercial and critical could shoulder? Well, critics are a pretty insecure lot, rarely straying (whether consciously or not) from the “party line”, usually getting a feel for what the buzz is on a film before they jump into a review. And, since their livelihood depends on coming up with something entertaining to say every week about their subject, let’s just say it’s easy for them to lose sight of what really matters in art– having something to say, and saying it in an original way. “De-Lovely” manages both while sticking to a very “Hollywood” sensibility, a rare feat indeed. It’s accessible & commercial, yet intelligent & complex. It’s one of those movies that I fall in love with more and more as time goes on, and one that will undoubtedly gain critical favor as time passes, and critics realize just how damn beautiful this film really is.

Beat the critics to the punch and check it out for yourself.