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June 22, 2011:

THE GREAT WHATSIT

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, there are certain motion pictures that, when you see them, are startlingly original and you know it instantly. It doesn’t happen very often, frankly, but I’ve been in the presence of several – some were hits, some weren’t, but all took my breath away, or shocked me, or surprised me and I knew I’d just witnessed something incredible. The first time I remember thinking that was during Psycho. I just couldn’t believe that film and how it did what it did. The next time was in 1966. I was at a sneak preview in Westwood and when the film began and the incredible main title sequence started with ominous and brilliant music, I knew I was in for something unique. The film was called Seconds. When Rock Hudson’s name came on the screen, the audience booed. Within the first five minutes of the film, they all were sitting there not knowing what kind of film they were watching. I knew – I was watching something brilliant and new, the likes of which I’d never seen. The story, the direction, the music, and yes, even Mr. Hudson. By mid-film, several people had bailed. By the end, the people who’d stayed sat there in stunned silence. I saw the film again several times after it opened. It was a bomb both critically (although that changed over the years) and at the box-office.

The next time was Bonnie and Clyde, which I also saw at a sneak preview in Westwood. Nobody in the audience knew what film was being shown – it was just a bunch of preview junkies and audience members who’d come to see the other film. When Warren Beatty’s name came up in the credits, the audience booed. Within the first five minutes of the film, however, the audience knew they were witnessing something completely unique and there would not be any more booing – just laughter, stunned silence, intakes of breath, and, at the end, complete stillness and then huge applause. That film, of course, went on to be a critical and box-office success and it was very influential with many copycat films following. I know other would add Easy Rider to that list, but not me. There had been several biker films by that time, and while Easy Rider, a film I have never loved, was the best of them, it really, for me, wasn’t all that different, although obviously ushered in a whole era of low-budget, youth-oriented films, so there’s that.

All that by way of saying I watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray yesterday entitled Kiss Me Deadly, directed by Mr. Robert Aldrich, written by A.I. Bezzerides (from the novel by Mickey Spillaine, although it’s nothing like the novel whatsoever), starring Ralph Meeker as Mike Hammer. I didn’t see the film on its initial release. In fact, I didn’t see it until I bought a 16mm print in the mid-1970s. But even then the originality of the film was startling and fresh and unique. Obviously there had been hard-boiled detective films, there had been noir films, but there had never been anything like Kiss Me Deadly, from its wacky opening with its crazy title sequence, to the violence (never shown, but the implications of what you hear and the little you ARE shown, is pretty intense), to the off-kilter filming style – again, very influential. And the ending, the great whatsit, is brilliant, unexpected, and completely unlike anything that had been done on film. Watching it again, it was still fresh and exciting, with an amazing cast of supporting players. The transfer is fine – a little less than I would have expected from Criterion, but they can only use what they are given and what they were given was not off the camera negative. What’s fascinating to me is that sixty-five minutes into the film there is one shot that’s obviously off dupe footage and it’s terrible looking and has scratches and dirt galore – it’s the only shot in the transfer that is that way. And yet, a reviewer mentions the dirt and “drained color” (as it was intended by its director) of the opening of Hair (as I said yesterday, the entire opening shot is an optical, and that’s what you get – it was always that way), but the same reviewer in reviewing Kiss Me Deadly does not so much as even mention this shot. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander, baby. And one isn’t a mistake of the transfer, and one is obviously dupe footage – why it’s there, who knows, but I’d sure mention it, especially if I’d just mentioned a shot that is NOT a problem of the transfer. In any case, if you’ve never seen Kiss Me Deadly, jump on this Blu and Ray – it’s simply a fantastic movie and a true original and the great whatsit.

Prior to that, I’d gotten a nice night’s sleep. I did some work on the computer, and then went and got a sandwich and no fries or onion rings, for my second day of intense dieting. I then did a jog, picked up a couple of packages, did errands and whatnot, was happy to see that we got a couple more pledges in our Kickstarter Nudie Musical project (I think we’re now forty-four percent funded), made some telephonic calls, watched Kiss Me Deadly, and then went over the hill to see a short film at the New Beverly.

The short film, called The Interview, was written and directed by someone I’ve gotten to know who’s a film score fan – Henry Stanny. He made this film in 1989 at the LACC film department (he’d been in the film department back when I was attending school). It was quite well done and I quite liked the lead actress, who played an actress being interviewed for a role in a film. I was dismayed to later find out that she’d died a few years after the film was made. It was brief (fifteen minutes) and I was glad to see it.

After that, I came back home and several CDs were delivered to me, all transfers of projects that could happen on Kritzerland – four of them, to be exact. So, I spent quite a bit of time listening to them. One score was missing its first reel, so if I decided to do it it would be incomplete, but I have something that is complete that I can put with it, and I’ll probably go ahead and do it. Everything sounded good save for one transfer which was a digital 1630, but it sure didn’t sound like a mix that could have been used for the original LP – the strings sounded like they were all reverb – no presence, like a wrong button had been pushed. I have a copy of the LP on its way to me so I can compare and contrast as well as contrast and compare. We shall see. I also got word that the audio transfer of Nudie Musical was going well.

Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I need a good night’s beauty sleep so I can greet the day with a smile and a laugh and a whatsit.

Today, I have a rehearsal with the thirteen-year-old, and then I have errands and whatnot to do, more CDs to listen to, a show order to make, rehearsal schedules for the Gardenia to set, and a whole lot of other stuff.

Tomorrow, I’ll be at the lab by eight o’clock and we work until eleven-thirty, I think, after which I have tons of other stuff to do. Friday I’m back at the lab and then go directly to a rehearsal with the thirteen-year-old – our first in an actual rehearsal hall, which will be fun. And it’s very close to Dino’s Pizza, so I may do an extra long jog that day.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, rehearse, jog, eat something light but amusing, do errands and whatnot, hopefully pick up a package or three, listen to CDs, make a show order, make a rehearsal schedule and lots o’ other stuff. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear reader any old question you like and we get to give any old answer we like. So, let’s have loads of lovely questions and loads of lovely answers and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland where I hope I shall not dream of the great whatsit, at least the great whatsit of Kiss Me Deadly.

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