The next meeting of the Cinema Lounge will be on Monday, August 20 at 7:00pm. This month's topic is "Films for Foodies."

The Cinema Lounge, a film discussion group, meets the third Monday of every month at 7:00pm at Barnes and Noble, 555 12th St., NW in Washington, DC (near the Metro Center Metro stop). You do not need to be a member of the Washington DC Film Society to attend. Cinema Lounge is moderated by Adam Spector, author of the DC Film Society's Adam's Rib column.

By Adam Spector, DC Film Society Member

The Colorado theater shootings shocked the whole nation, but for movie lovers it had a particular resonance. It could have happened anywhere and it could have been any of us in that theater. Words can only fall short, but I offer mine anyway in my new Adam's Rib column.

360: Q&A with Director Fernando Meirelles and Screenwriter Peter Morgan

By Ron Gordner, DC Film Society Member

Fernando Meirelles has directed four previous feature films including Maids (2001), City of God (2002), The Constant Gardener (2005), and Blindness (2008) and has a unique visual and storytelling style. 360 is the linking of several stories dealing with chance, danger, temptation and odd friendships that travelers experience and literally crosses the globe. The various stories are set in the cities of Vienna, Paris, London, Bratislava, Rio de Janerio, Denver and Phoenix and back to Vienna again. Plots include a British businessman who may be blackmailed, a married woman escaping with her younger lover, a Brazilian student leaving her lover to return to Rio, and a recovering alcoholic who travels to Denver in the hope of meeting his estranged and missing daughter. The viewer needs to be vigilant to see how characters and stories overlap each other in this roundelay. The film includes an international cast of actors: Anthony Hopkins, Ben Foster, Rachel Weisz, Jude Law, Moritz Bleibtreu, Jamel Debbouze, and Maria Flor.

The screening and Q&A of 360 (UK/Austria/France/Brazil, 2011) was held in mid-October 2011 at the BFI’s (British Film Institute’s) London Film Festival. Director Fernando Meirelles and writer Peter Morgan were present to answer questions.


Left to right: Producer Andrew Eaton, actress Dinara Drukarova, actor Vladimir Vdovichenkov, actress Lucia Siposova, director Fernando Meirelles, actress Gabriela Marcinkova, writer Peter Morgan and actor Moritz Bleibtreu at the 55th BFI London Film Festival. (Photo from the zimbio website.

BFI Festival Moderator: What was the source material for the film? I understand it is based on a work by Arthur Schnitzler, a play called La Ronde more than 100 years ago. Also what was it about this work that you thought was very pertinent today?
Peter Morgan: I should mention if I had been living in England I wouldn’t have thought of this, but since I have been living with my family in Vienna for many years I came across this play. It’s quite different being an English writer and writing in Austria for the U.K. or American publishers and audiences. I was interested in these chance meetings of travelers and the falling domino sequence of happenings. There are many overlapping stories with sexual links and a very Germanic storyline but I was also intrigued by the real global business happenings of Iceland’s financial collapse and then also in Greece and elsewhere and how it affects the White House and the world at large. Also the effects of other news items like swine flu and Arab Spring events on the populace. It really has a world flattening effect and all borders are gone. There was even a book written recently called Hyperconnectivity that deals with all these global connections. You can read Peruvian newspapers here first thing in the morning. So that was the beginning thought process and what I took from Schnitzler and his play which included in the beginning and end sequences with stories of a prostitute in Vienna. I also wanted it to go around the world but in a cubist ordered way rather than in a circle.

BFI Festival Moderator: Can you comment on the characters changing or influencing other characters’ stories or lives?
Peter Morgan: Well yes, some characters directly intersect with others, while ones like those played by Anthony Hopkins and Ben Foster aren’t part of the real domino effect caused by Jude Law’s character in the beginning. I wrestled with the middle section for about 6 months and took out characters including the prostitute, but then put them back in because I loved the characters too much and their lives in this somewhat messy circle.

BFI Festival Moderator: Fernando, at what point did you become involved in the project and why were you interested?
Fernando Meirelles: We had several visits. I really wanted to make a very smaller intimate picture, not a bombastic one with many events. I read the script but was involved in another project, so when I reread it a few weeks later I was intrigued with it and where the plots may be taking me. The other project fell apart and I called and said I was now available. I like the smaller intimate parts of the stories, the way a husband looks at his wife and the quiet, delicate moments of dialog within a car, and about other relationships in the script. It was also a chance to shoot in different countries and work with actors from many different cultures and who speak languages that I don’t speak.

BFI Festival Moderator: How much of a challenge was it shooting in so many countries? You shot The Constant Gardener in Africa and here in England.
Fernando Meirelles: I had shot that film also in the U.S., Canada, Germany, and Brazil, but for a director it is very easy. You just follow the schedule. If it says today you shot in Vienna, tomorrow in London and Thursday in Paris, you just do it with the support of your staff. I was in a meeting today of Latin American film makers and they commented on why they like to shoot in other countries. We many times do in Latin America I think because we don’t consider ourselves in the middle or center of the world the way Europeans and Americans do, so we are curious about what is out there. The British are very cosmopolitan so it’s different.
Peter Morgan: Yes, as I mentioned this came from living in Austria. The Mandarin word for China I believe is Zhongguó translated as Central State or Central Country.
BFI Festival Moderator: That’s interesting because when the original play was written Vienna was a central part of the world.

Audience Question: What was the process of getting the other languages into the script or movie?
Peter Morgan: Well I only speak English and German, not the other languages. I wrote the script in English and I only assume that the dialog spoken in Russian or Arabic in the movie is correct. If you know of problems please let me know. On the website I thought maybe the Russians had been messing us about and added shopping lists or the like.

Audience Question: The film had a great sense of optimism. Was that the initial plan or did the optimism came about as you were writing the story? Or was an influence of the director Mr. Meirelles?
Peter Morgan: Vienna is a very melancholic place, and I was born and bred here in England. I’m not good at portraying darkness or abstractions. This is about as dark as I get.
Fernando Meirelles: Peter asked me to cut certain things in the film.
Peter Morgan: Yes, he is much darker in his storytelling than me, but I am quite hopeful and I think Fernando generally is also. There were opportunities to add more darkness, but we didn’t. I am glad you picked up on that. I get many people thinking it is not optimistic and that I have a lot of characters out there floundering around helplessly. I think all the characters have that inconvenient curse of trying to better themselves.
Fernando Meirelles: Even the sex offender is trying to be better.
Peter Morgan: Yes, and that struggle or combat between all the varied relationships, husband and wife, siblings, etc. is just too difficult. They are all dealing with their own failings.

(SPOILER ALERT)
Audience Question: What was the resolution, if that's what it is, at the end with the Jude Law character and what it was supposed to mean? He has a happy relationship with his wife now but also it seems with the blackmailer.
Peter Morgan: That can be how you interpret it. I see that Jude and Rachel, or really Michael and Rose’s marriage is floundering, not because they want to be with other people. It’s more that they have lost their way. Too much routine of daily life, business, restlessness, and the loneliness of being lost in your own cocoon has happened. I got a sense that when they were in bed together that they really still loved each other, but somehow while we weren’t watching them, they resolved their problems themselves.

Audience Question: What about the business man and the blackmailer and the Arab man?
Peter Morgan: That’s when he moved to Berlin. It was clearer in the script but I think that may be a bit that was edited out (laughter from audience).

Audience Question: Who sings that opening piece in the film?
Peter Morgan: That’s Tom Waits.
Fernando Meirelles: Actually Tom did sing it, but didn’t like his voice on this so it was rerecorded by Mike Patton.

Audience Question: The music credits list a surname of Morgan. Is that a relative?
Peter Morgan: By chance she is my wife.

Audience Question: What kind of writing challenges did you have in structuring the script in a multiple ensemble film such as this?
Peter Morgan: I thought in a two hour or 100 minute film, there could be 8 to 10 stories to just get a bite or nibble on them, so I figured about 10 minutes per storyline. That was the one limit I gave myself and in this film especially I really wrote instinctively. I once was on a panel of writers and we were asked this same question and you wouldn’t believe it, but we all did the same type of job. It was the year of The Queen and Little Miss Sunshine, and Michael Arndt, the writer of Little Miss Sunshine said he plotted scenes and had his friends vote on the scenes from 1-10 points and anything that got less than an 8, were scenes that got chucked away. Another writer setting next to me, Guillermo Arriaga, looked horrified and when asked the same question said. “Ha, I just write.” (audience laughter). I guess in this case I was closer to Michael Arndt’s style.

Audience Question: Part of the film's funding was by the U.K. fund. How much was in support of the film and did that draw Fernando to do the film?
Fernando Meirelles: I really can’t answer that. We are like children and the producers find the funding and support to make the film.
Peter Morgan: Yes, I would ring up Andrew, one of the producers and ask do we have all the money yet, and he would say, “Not quite yet,” but I know they found the U.K. Film Council extremely supportive. I don’t know if that meant a great deal to Fernando or not.
Fernando Meirelles: No, where the funding came from was not as important to me as where I would be making the film and this is where I got support and started making my films. I have a great many friends here and my next film will also be based in London.
BFI Festival Moderator: May I just say on behalf of the BFI that the funds from the U.K. Film Council which was about 18 million pounds has now come under the responsibility of the British Film Institute. The funds and team are still there and it will continue but just under the aegis of the BFI. It’s not that the Film Council and the funding have disappeared, it’s just that the funds are being distributed by the BFI now. I expect that the funding may also be added to and not lessened.
Peter Morgan: Do you feel that there will now be more editorial input into the funding?
BFI Festival Moderator: That is something that is very much being talked about at the moment and that the financing should fit under the broader umbrella of what the BFI seeks to do. That is a broad spectrum of film genres and interests, so I don’t imagine there will be a massive shift or change since the Festival itself is also under that umbrella and the original mission of the fund was to support creative excellence which I think the BFI would definitely support.

Audience Question: Could you discuss the casting and rehearsal process used in the film?
Fernando Meirelles: Actually for me, casting is fundamental and is about 60% of the film, having the right people to play the right characters. I spent a lot of time finding the right actors. Of course I knew many of the British and American actors, but knew little about the French, Arab, or Slovakian actors. I knew some of the Austrian and German actors also. I choose them and then we sit down and discuss the character. I never tell the actor what I think the character is or how he/she should act. I ask them how they see the character and its development and we negotiate the role. Many of these stars or great actors are very intuitive so I use that gift but make them work and question why they make certain choices for the characters and their lines. Sometimes this is in the extreme. Ben Foster plays Tyler, a sex offender. I could have chosen other actors or personalities for this role, but when I first met with Ben in London, he had already done research and talked to sex offenders, psychiatrists, and prison inmates and had created his role. He is a method actor, so he taught me a great deal about his character which helped me tell his story and shoot those sequences. He still says I directed him, but he did most of the work and taught me about that character and his role, so pay attention to your gifted actors and their research and instincts.

Audience Question: It’s very interesting hearing both of you describe your take on what the film will be--Peter with the script and clear vision of the story and Fernando with a very visual image of the film and with input from the actors. How do you merge both your visions and viewpoints to make the film?
Fernando Meirelles: Peter and I exchanged thousands of e-mails and skype messages.
Peter Morgan: Fernando doesn’t really have a telephone. Imagine the communication we had without a telephone. I would contact the producers saying where is Fernando now, and they would say, “I don’t know, I think he went back to Brazil.” He loves to skype, and I am convinced he must have shares in the company. (audience laughter) I don’t know if you have skyped much, but it is difficult, so we e-mailed a lot. In fact, we are communicating more closely today than we may have done in some time. Thousands of e-mails and the film was actually cut through e-mail exchanges. You can now download chunks of film, so we edited the film between Vienna, London and Sao Paolo via e-mail. We were on the set together quite a bit though.
Fernando Meirelles: My greatest fear at the beginning of filming was that it was like a small film festival, many stories overlapping but sometimes they seemed like they had no connection. So I fought hard to make it seem like one seamless film and not many separate films. We did editing and adding of some scenes and transitions that were not in the first draft that I think worked well.

Audience Question: How long was the original play? Did you have limits on the amount of time you wanted the film to be?
Peter Morgan: I assume the original Arthur Schnitzler play Reigen or La Ronde was about 2 hours long.
Fernando Meirelles: For me it was the most difficult film I have had to do since I had very little time and scenes to introduce characters. The French guy was introduced in two scenes, one with a shrink and later breaking up with his girlfriend. It is very hard to capture the tone and what’s going on in a few very short scenes. The longer stories were easier to develop, the shorter ones were very challenging.

360 is distributed by Magnolia Pictures and is scheduled to open August 10, 2012 at the Landmark's E Street Theater.

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By Annette Graham and Anita Glick, DC Film Society Members

This Q&A was posted late in July. You can read it here

By Annette Graham, DC Film Society Member

Historical incidents are a great inspiration for filmmakers but occasionally a movie will inspire history. One of the most remarkable incidents in WWII history, Operation Copperhead, had its root in a film, Five Graves to Cairo (Billy Wilder, 1943) which is being screened at the AFI Silver Theater as part of its spy series on August 4, 6, and 7.

Dudley Clarke had been hired as an intelligence officer to plan and conduct deception activities for the British in the Middle East during WWII. He was also a film buff and some of his best ideas came to him while sitting in the dark, watching cinematic shadows flicker on the screen. While in Naples on January 4, 1944 he saw Five Graves to Cairo, a thriller set in North Africa featuring Erich von Stroheim, Franchot Tone and Ann Baxter. A brief appearance by an actor looking remarkably like Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery set inspiration in motion. Everyone knew that the Allies were planning an enormous invasion of Europe but no one knew where it would be--France was likely but would it be the north or the south? Where ever it would be, Montgomery was sure to be involved. If the actor could be passed off as Monty visiting the Mediterranean, the Germans might think the likely invasion point would be the south and might relax their vigilance on the English Channel. Dudley Clarke was in London in February and set up his plan along those lines.

It turned out that the actor in Five Graves was too tall; a second actor who was found promptly broke a leg. Finally someone noticed the photograph of M.E. Clifton James, an Australian by birth, a veteran of WWI, a stage actor for 25 years, and an obscure lieutenant in the Royal Army Pay Corps--a dead ringer for Monty. Clifton James got a call from the British Army's Kinematograph section asking if he would be interested in making some army films. That caller, actor David Niven, directed him to come to London as soon as possible for a screen test. To his surprise, James was met by intelligence agents and was told that he would be hired to impersonate Montgomery. Every detail had to be absolutely convincing. James spent some time studying Monty's speech, gait, and mannerisms. There were a few problems: James smoked and drank (often to excess)--Monty didn't. Plus he was missing a finger and had to wear a fake. Their personalities weren't at all similar--James was an introvert and unsure of himself, Monty was arrogant and self-assured. Nevertheless the plan was set in operation.

On May 26, the fake Monty set off for Gibraltar, a hotbed of German agents, met with the Governor, had an "accidental" encounter with a known German agent who dashed off to make a telephone call, was seen by German agents who kept an eye on Gibraltar from Spain through telescopes, and at the Governor's reception dropped references to "Plan 303" which sent German agents scurrying. Later, "Monty" was seen getting off a plane at the Algiers airport and being rushed off to meet with British General "Jumbo" Wilson. The two made a round of public appearances, dropping hints about future Allied plans.

Clifton James was not allowed to talk about his adventure for many years (during his absence it was thought that he was on a drunken bender) but he wrote a book, "I Was Monty's Double" which was published in 1954 and appeared in a film also titled "I Was Monty's Double" (John Guillermin, 1958). The book can be read online.

What effect did Operation Copperhead have on the war? We'll probably never know, but Clifton James was absolutely brilliant in the performance of his life--and it was inspired by a movie.

One last irresistible anecdote about Five Graves to Cairo: the eccentric Erich von Stroheim, whose troubles with Hollywood are well-known, had been working in Europe. Hired to play Field Marshal Rommel in Five Graves to Cairo, he returned to California. A magazine reporter asked him "How do you feel about your come-back?" Stroheim's reply: "I do not need to come back; it is just the movies who have come back!" That has got to be the inspiration for Gloria Swanson's famous line (24th on AFI's list of 100 famous movie quotes) in Sunset Boulevard: "I AM big. It's the pictures that got small." Both Sunset Boulevard and Five Graves to Cairo were directed by Billy Wilder and Erich von Stroheim appears in both.

We are always looking for film-related material for the Storyboard. Our enthusiastic and well-traveled members have written about their trips to the Cannes Film Festival, Karlovy Vary Film Festival, London Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival, Austin Film Festival, Edinburgh Film Festival, the Berlin Film Festival, the Palm Springs Film Festival, the Reykjavik Film Festival, the Munich Film Festival, and the Locarno Film Festival. We also heard about what it's like being an extra in the movies. Have you gone to an interesting film festival? Have a favorite place to see movies that we aren't covering in the Calendar of Events? Seen a movie that blew you away? Read a film-related book? Gone to a film seminar? Interviewed a director? Taken notes at a Q&A? Read an article about something that didn't make our local news media? Send your contributions to Storyboard and share your stories with the membership. And we sincerely thank all our contributors for this issue of Storyboard.

FILMS

American Film Institute Silver Theater
"Totally Awesome 80s," the popular series of films from the 1980s, returns for another edition. Titles in August include Thief, Spaceballs, Reckless, The Year My Voice Broke, The Last American Virgin, Married to the Mob, Something Wild, Tootsie, Ishtar, and Stop Making Sense. More in September.

"The Films of Stanley Kubrick" includes Lolita, Dr. Strangelove, A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, and The Shining. More in September.

"70mm Spectacular" offers a rare chance to see 70mm prints projected on 70mm projectors. August's titles are Baraka, Those Magnificent Men and Their Flying Machines, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, Khartoum, Lord Jim, and Tron. Two more in September.

"Spy Cinema" is a selection of films from more than 80 years. In August you can see The Bourne Identity, Five Graves to Cairo (see the story above, The Man Who Never Was, Pickup on South Street, 13 Rue Madeleine, Five Fingers, Our Man in Havana, The Spy Who Come in from the Cold, The Deadly Affair, The Conversation, The War is Over, The Kremlin Letter, and The Good Shepherd. A few more coming in September.

"James Bond 50th Anniversary" ties into the "Spy Cinema" series and features some of the best films from the Bond franchise. In August you can see Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, and Diamonds Are Forever. One more in September.

The AFI Silver hosts the "Science in the Cinema" series, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and featuring medical- or science-related themes. See below for titles.

The opera on film for August is "Norma" and "Cavalleria Rusticana" and "Pagliacci" and the ballet on film for August is "La Bayadere" with the Paris Opera Ballet and "La Source" also with the Paris Opera Ballet.

Freer Gallery of Art
The 17th Annual "Made in Hong Kong Film Festival" concludes in August. On August 3 at 7:00pm and August 5 at 2:00pm is Rouge (Stanley Kwan, 1988); on August 10 at 7:00pm and August 12 at 2:00pm is An Autumn's Tale (Mabel Cheung, 1987); and on August 17 at 7:00pm and August 19 at 2:00pm is Killer Clans (Chor Yuen, 1976).

This month's "Indian Visions" film is the Bollywood classic Mughal-e-Azam (K. Atif, 1960) on August 11 at 5:30pm.

National Gallery of Art
"Michelangelo Antonioni Centenary" celebrates the 100th anniversary of the birth of Italian master filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni (1912-2007), possibly the most influential film director of the postwar era. The National Gallery of Art and the American Film Institute present a retrospective of his most famous works. On August 11 at 2:00pm is Story of a Love Affair (1950); on August 11 at 4:30pm is I Vinti (1952); on August 12 at 4:30pm is Lady Without Camelias (1953) preceded on the short film Lies of Love (1949); on August 25 at 2:30pm is Le Amiche (1955) preceded by a short film Superstitions (1949); and on August 26 at 4:30pm is L'Avventura (1960) preceded by the short film Metezza Urbana (1948). More in September.

The subject of the series "American Originals Now" is Liza Johnson who will be present on August 19. At 4:00pm is a program of three short works Karrabing! Low Tide Turning (2012), South of Ten (2006), and In the Air (2009). At 5:00pm is the Washington premiere of Return (2011).

"From Vault to Screen: Recent Preservation" features work from film studios in France, UK and Netherlands. On August 5 at 4:30pm is a cine-concert The Spanish Dancer (Herbert Brenon, 1923) starring Pola Negri and Shoes (Lois Weber, 1916). On August 18 at 2:00pm is Bonjour Tristesse (Otto Preminger, 1958) followed by Breathless Jean-Luc Godard, 1960), both starring Jean Seberg.

A special event on August 4 at 2:30pm is "Ways of Seeing: Fortieth Anniversary." Historian Jonathan Conlin will discuss this BBC series on the social history of Western art.

National Museum of the American Indian
The daily film for August is a documentary portrait of four Mohawk women Club Native (Tracey Deer, 2008) shown at 12:30pm and 3:30pm.

Smithsonian American Art Museum
On August 2 at 6:30pm is Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Mike Nichols, 1966) starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

Washington Jewish Community Center
On August 7 at 8:00pm is Walter and Henry: Two Brothers from Fuerth (Evi Kurz, 2008), a documentary about Henry Kissinger and his brother Walter. Shown at the Renaissance Dupont Circle Hotel, 1143 New Hampshire Ave., NW.

Goethe Institute
"Seize the Day: Outstanding German Films You Might Have Missed:" on August 13 at 6:30pm is Three (Tom Tykwer, 2010); on August 20 at 6:30pm is When We Leave (Feo Aladag, 2010) and on August 27 at 6:30pm is Cave of Forgotten Dreams (Werner Herzog, 2010), shown in 3D.

The Japan Information and Culture Center
On August 15 at 6:30pm is Eclair (Akio Kondo, 2011), filmed mainly in Miyagi prefecture in northeastern Japan prior to the earthquake that hit the area in March 2011.

The National Theatre
The film series starring Humphrey Bogart concludes in August. On August 6 at 6:30pm is The African Queen (John Huston, 1951), on August 13 at 6:30pm is Sabrina (Billy Wilder, 1954), and on August 20 at 6:30pm is The Caine Mutiny (Edward Dmytryk, 1954).

National Institutes of Health
"Science in the Cinema" is a series designed to promote public understanding of science, health, and medicine. Films with a medical science theme are screened, and an expert on the subject provides a commentary and leads an audience question-and-answer period. Films are shown at the AFI Silver Theater and all have captions. On August 1 at 7:00pm is A Dangerous Method (2011) with the theme of psychiatric history. On August 8 at 7:00pm is Contagion (2001) with the theme of pandemics and infectious disease. On August 15 at 7:00pm is 65 Red Roses (2009) with the theme of cystic fibrosis.

Screen on the Green
Classic films are shown on a giant screen on the National Mall between 7th and 12th Streets at dusk (around 8:30pm-9:00pm). Bring a blanket to sit on. The last film for this summer is Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960) starring Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh and Vera Miles.

National Archives
As part of the series "1940: American Goes to the Movies" is The Great McGinty (Preston Sturges, 1940) with Brian Donlevy.

The Avalon
This month's Greek film, Welcome to All Saints (Sotiris Goritsas, 2010), is on August 1 at 8:00pm. The "Czech Lions" film for August is Eighty Letters (Václav Kadrnka, 2011) on August 8 at 8:00pm. The French Cinematheque film is Unforgivable (André Téchiné, 2011) on August 17 at 8:00pm. The August film for "Reel Israel" is Vaservil (Mushon Salmona, 2007) on August 22 at 8:00pm.

Italian Cultural Institute
On August 15 at 6:00pm is My Friends (Mario Monicelli, 1975), about 4 middle-aged friends in Florence who organize idle pranks.

Wolf Trap
On August 4 at 8:30pm is West Side Story (Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise, 1961). The film will be shown in high definition on huge screens and will feature Leonard Bernstein’s original score played live by the NSO. On August 25 at 7:15pm is The Sound of Music (Robert Wise, 1965) film and sing-along.

Reel Affirmations XTra
Reel Affirmations Xtra is a once-a-month screening held at The Carnegie Institute of Science, 1530 P Street NW. On August 10 at 7:00pm and 9:00pm is Keep the Lights On (Ira Sachs, 2012) set in New York City.

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