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Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Top 10 Film Passion Projects

Passion projects typically go one of two ways: the well-intentioned misfire, or the impassioned hit. When passion projects work well, as I believe the ones listed below do, then we’re eager to hail their greatness. When they fail, we tend to write it off as a filmmaker being too close to the material. This Friday, we’ll be presented with Noah, Darren Aronofksy’s decades-old passion project. He’s been dreaming of making the film since he was a teenager, and, despite early moderate-to-negative reviews, I certainly hope Noah works as well as Aronofsky intended.

10. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick wanted to make A.I. since the ‘70s, but knew modern technology wouldn’t match his vision (he wanted the lead role, a robot boy named David, to be played by an actual robot.) Eventually, Kubrick asked his good friend Steven Spielberg to take over as director, but Spielberg refused, saying he would produce the project, but Kubrick should still remain its director. Following Kubrick’s untimely death in 1999, Spielberg made A.I. his top priority. The result? Depends who you ask. I’ve always enjoyed the film’s chaptered narrative and stellar visuals, and while the final few segments run a little too long, I consider A.I. a wonderful passion project, and an even better dedication from one friend to another.

9. Milk (2008)
Gus Van Sant
Gus Van Sant was set to direct a biopic on America’s first openly gay politician, Harvey Milk, back in ‘92, with Robin Williams cast as the lead. When that fell through, Van Sant stuck with the project, despite few leads in several years. In the mid-2000s, Van Sant discovered a spec script (a script written independently, not one commissioned by a studio or a producer) by Dustin Lance Black. And while I would have loved to have seen Williams’ take on the character, after watching Milk, it’s very difficult to imagine anyone other than Sean Penn embracing Milk so effortlessly.

8. The Fountain (2006)
Darren Aronofsky
Whether you like The Fountain or not, you have to give Darren Aronofsky credit for sticking with it for so long. He fought for years to get his complex sci-fi film made, eventually getting a green light from the studio, spending millions in pre-production and casting two huge stars (Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett). Then everything fell apart. Pitt backed out, the studio got nervous, and The Fountain was ultimately shut down. Years later, with the budget now cut in half and Hugh Jackman cast alongside Aronofsky’s then girlfriend, Rachel Weisz, Aronofsky finally brought his baby to life. I absolutely love the film, but it’s fair to say it has just as many supporters as detractors. If early buzz is any indication, Noah may be preparing for a similar reception.

7. Grindhouse (2007)
Robert Rodriguez & Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, enthusiastic over their shared love for experimental cinema, teamed up to create this double feature as an ode to the exploitation flicks from their youth. Tarantino and Rodriguez were clear from the beginning that they were going for the experience, not artistic merit. They wanted kids of today to know what it feels like to walk into a theater and experience a double dose of B-movie bliss, with trashy fake trailers thrown in for good measure. And they succeeded – they created an experience unlike any other you can find in contemporary cinema. Problem was, no one showed up. At more than three hours long, the target demographic simply wasn’t interested. The movie bombed commercially and was met with mostly unfavorable reviews. Me? I loved the tacky carnage of Rodriguez’s zombie flick, Planet Terror, and the thrills of Tarantino’s revenge film, Death Proof. Admittedly, the experience the filmmakers were going for is all but lost at home, but I give them credit for trying something new.

6. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) & Gangs of New York (2002)
Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese wanted to make separate films about Jesus and early New York since he was a child. He pursued the religious story first, getting close in 1983, but ultimately having the plug pulled by Paramount. A few years later, Scorsese slimmed the budget, and cast all new actors, delivering one of the most controversial films ever made. Gangs of New York had a similarly rocky road, albeit a much longer one. Scorsese secured the rights to the material in the late ‘70s, but it took more than two decades for him to finally make it. My sentiments for both films are decidedly equal. I appreciate the work that went into them, but wouldn’t call them perfect. Regardless, it’s obvious that both films were born from one of cinema’s most passionate minds, and I’m grateful that he was able to get them made.

5. Che (2008)
Benicio Del Toro
Che was the film that ultimately pushed Steven Soderbergh into early retirement, but the movie itself was actually Benicio Del Toro’s passion project. Del Toro spent years on the film – securing financing, commissioning a screenplay, prepping his performance, and eventually asking Soderbergh to come on as director. When the film was met with critical indifference and commercial neglect, Soderbergh abruptly announced that he would retire from filmmaking in five years. The bitch of it is, Che is a damn fine film. Split into two distinctly different features, Che will be remembered as one of Soderbergh’s grandest experiments. Although the audience results may not have been what he wanted, it’s such a shame that Soderbergh was pushed to cease work as a film director. If he does make a return, many of us will be eagerly waiting.

4. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
Brad Pitt
The Assassination of Jesse James didn’t endure a terribly lengthy road to production, but it stands as proof that no matter who you are, making a movie is far from easy. You’d think Brad Pitt could come on as a producer, throw his weight around, and make any film he wants. Such is not the case. He battled Warner Bros. through every step of The Assassination of Jesse James’ production, resulting in a masterful film that nearly no one saw. I adore the film as is now, but I would love to see the original version director Andrew Dominik and Brad Pitt agreed on.

3. Apocalypse Now (1979)
Francis Ford Coppola
Having passion doesn’t always merit pleasant results. By now, the tumultuous production of Apocalypse Now is infamous for a number of reasons. Lead actors were recast during filming, the production soared over budget, typhoons destroyed sets, Martin Sheen had a heart attack, Marlon Brando refused direction – all pushing Francis Ford Coppola to the brink of madness. But, as they say, Coppola left it all on the field and delivered a timeless classic. Reading about the production of this film (or watching the masterful documentary, Hearts of Darkness, which details it in full), I’m shocked that Coppola didn’t give up. Whatever your opinion on Coppola’s later career may be, this man has earned a career pass and then some.

2. Fitzcarraldo (1982)
Werner Herzog
Determined to convey the story of rubber baron Carlos Fitzcarrald with the utmost authenticity, Werner Herzog set his masterful epic, Fitzcarraldo, deep in the Peruvian jungle, regularly suffering the unforgiving hell of nature. Additionally, for the film’s most memorable moment, Herzog’s crew pulled a massive steamship over an actual mountain without using special effects. But all that was a picnic compared to the wrath Herzog endured from his sociopathic star, Klaus Kinski. Kinski was a monster throughout production, eventually attempting to shoot Herzog dead. As a result, the Peruvian natives offered to kill Kinski for Herzog, but the director declined. Without a star, the film could not be finished, and that, for Herzog, would be the greatest sin of all.

1. Schindler’s List (1993)
Poldek Pfefferberg
Poldek Pfefferberg was one of “Schindler’s Jews,” who, after emerging from the Holocaust alive, spent the rest of his life determined to share Oskar Schindler’s story with the world. It was Pfefferberg who inspired Thomas Keneally to write “Schindler’s Ark” and Pfefferberg who tirelessly pleaded with Steven Spielberg to adapt that book into a film. But Spielberg didn’t think he was ready. He attempted to pass the project on to Roman Polanski, Martin Scorsese, and Sydney Pollack, who all declined, insisting that Spielberg make the film himself. So he did. He made Schindler’s List on a modest budget without taking a salary. He assumed the film would bomb, thereby ruining him emotionally and professionally. Thankfully, he was wrong. As it stands now, Schindler’s List is one of the leading artifacts of Holocaust remembrance. Poldek Pfefferberg is the person to thank for that.


26 comments:

  1. I love the idea for this list, and your selections are great (and so varied). I'll be seeing Noah tomorrow night (midnight baby!) so I'll let you know if things work out for Darren!

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    1. Thanks man, really appreciate you reading. Ahh I miss being able to go to midnight shows. Those were the days. Hope you enjoy Noah!

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  2. I'm glad to see all of those films and they were worth it. A.I. had its flaws but I totally enjoyed it.

    There's a few other films I would list as passion projects. Heaven's Gate by Michael Cimino which was something he had been wanting to do since the early 1970s and finally got the chance to make it where the result was an OK film that was very messy.

    The other film I think defines that term "passion project" is The Tree of Life. The fact that it took Malick more than 30 years to finally get that film made and released is a miracle since the genesis of the project began in the late 70s as it was supposed to be his follow-up to Days of Heaven as it was called Q but Malick then went into self-imposed exile just as the film was to go into pre-production.

    Another film that I wish was made was Alejandro Jodorowsky's Dune as I'm extremely eager to see that documentary.

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    1. Heaven's Gate... that's a tough one. I can see the passion behind it, but I can't say that the film as a whole does much for me. Haven't seen it in years though.

      I didn't really consider The Tree of Life for this post, but after thinking about it... yeah, it totally fits. Great call there. Gotta love Malick.

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    2. Hivemind! I was totally going to post about Cimino's Heaven's Gate as well. Although it's a slog to get through, you can see Cimino's ambition in each and every shot he and Vilmos Zsigmond painstakingly crafted. Jodorowsky's Dune is a fine example of the most missed opportunity EVER. I would cite Spike Lee's Malcolm X as a project that took some fighting for, namely his involvement, Norman Jewison being the front line choice to direct.

      Malick sure is enigmatic. Just reading about him, really spooky stuff. I like all of the unrealized projects a great deal too. Kubrick's Napoleon and Aryan Papers, Wilder tackling Schindler's List, Cimino adapting The Fountainhead. Makes you wonder what could have been.

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    3. I thought about putting Malcolm X here, just because Spike had to struggle to get it made. But I suppose I didn't define it as a passion project, per se. Although I do love seeing interviews with Spike now detailing how pissed he was that Jewison was going to direct it.

      I do need to give Heaven's Gate another watch. It's been years.

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  3. Totally love The Fountain, Grindhouse, and A.I. (Haven't seen the other picks yet) It was a pleasure seeing them in theaters and the passion they put into their films, not doing them for commercial success. Especially The Fountain. I saw it on my 15th birthday with me, my mom and sister- the whole experience was something really special. :)

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    1. Don't you just love those experiences? Those are the things you hold on to. Glad to hear you like that film!

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  4. Fantastic idea and inspired choices all around.

    Nearly every Aronofsky film feels like a passion project to me. He brings a real intensity to his work based on the interviews I've read and the final product he delivers. The only one that didn't was Black Swan and that was the one that really got the awards traction. As for The Fountain, I still marvel at the technical mastery on display but it doesn't absorb me on an emotional level. Each time I watch it, the visuals wash over me but the love story at its core seems to fall flat. And yet I'm compelled to revisit the film every few years, so that fact alone says something about his vision.

    I think Grindhouse failed in its intentions as a throwback double feature because Death Proof far outshined Planet Terror. Tarantino paid a lot of lip service to exploitation flicks, but Death Proof was too polished for his stated goals. That's fine with me: I really love the resulting film. That climactic car chase! That's why we pay to see movies in the theater.

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    1. Love this comment. I see where you're coming from with The Fountain. The visuals are so immaculate, to the point where they nearly outshine the central love story. But the narrative of that film is something I really appreciate. Very unique and well executed.

      I agree with everything you said about Death Proof. All of it. Planet Terror, while obviously the lesser film, WAS an exploitation flick. Death Proof was not. I mean... not really. And that car chase... yeah man, holy hell. Literally sat on the edge of my seat in the theater. Crazy.

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  5. One other quick note: I'm probably in the minority opinion among 'Jesse James' admirers, but I really don't need to see the 3-plus-hour version. If they ever release one, I'll check it out but the film is perfect in its current form. I can't imagine how expanding upon the Colorado scenes--where many of the cuts were made, from what I've read--would make for a better film. Those scenes are powerful because of how fleeting they are. From an outsider's point of view, this seems like one instance where studio intervention probably resulted in a better film.

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    1. I agree with you here as well. I think the overall point I was getting at is that you'd think Pitt could put his foot down, stand by his director, and release whatever cut he and the director thought was best. But nope. I too think the film is perfect as is now, but I'd love to see their original cut.

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  6. Interesting idea for a list. One that comes to mind for me is Sly Stallone and Cobra. The quick and dirty is that he was originally cast to play Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop and it was to be a straight action flick. He had this "great" idea for a story he thought would work. Argue argue clash clash, he walks and eventually gets his idea filmed which was Cobra.

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    1. Cobra! That's awesome. My god, I haven't seen that film in years. I do love a good Sly Stallone action flick. Cliffhanger is tops for me.

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  7. This is a really great idea for a list. I hadn't heard the story behind some of these. I really wish Grindhouse would've done better commercially.I loved the idea of it, even though the two together were lengthy, I was shocked that is grossed so little.

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    1. Thanks Brittani!! I wish Grindhouse would've done better too, because that would be a cool thing to experience every few years, if filmmakers were willing to give it a shot. I was very surprised it didn't gross more as well.

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  8. Love this list! I'm not that pumped for Noah - awesome that Aronofsky is pursuing his dreams but for me he should be making psychological thrillers - the man has such a talent for it, so there - it's my selfish movie dream :) I do adore the Fountain because of the timeless truths it presents so beautifully, but it's a shame Aronofsky had to sacrifice the scope of his vision.

    I had no idea Schindler's List had such problems in terms of making the movie. Seems like the kind of story people would love to direct/star in/see.

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    1. So happy you like it! I'm excited for Aronofsky as well. I love all of his films and am curious to see what he does with a budget the size of Noah's. Still, I do hope his next flick is something smaller, more personal, like his two before this one.

      The battle to make Schindler's List is pretty shocking, isn't it? Thank god they all stuck with it... whatta film.

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  9. Interesting list, because I think Aronofsky is one of America's brightest stars in terms of contemporary american cinema (Black Swan is also one of my favorite films of all time) I would place The Fountain higher on this list but what can you expect from a fanboy lol.

    In response to some of the others I wasn't aware that Robin Williams was originally up for the role of Harvey Milk - that would have been a very different movie that I kind of want to see now lol. Grindhouse has never done much for me (both as a whole or as separate films) and I just find it overindulgence in the extreme. TAoJJbtCRF I think is one of the greatest contemporary westerns released since the 2000 and it's actually sort of hard to believe that it was intended to be longer than it was. I don't think I would change a single thing about that film (in terms of running time) and love it as is.

    But really, whether I like a film or not, I have to give the person props for simply making it. Why not make the movie you've always wanted to make if you're given the option to basically do whatever you want and you get a huge budget?

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    1. I love your last paragraph, because I fully agree. I always give credit to filmmakers who fight to get their passion projects made. Even if the film isn't very good, I know it wasn't easy to get made.

      Wouldn't Robin Williams as Milk been out there? But hell, who knows... could've worked great.

      I too love Jesse James as is, but I've always been curious to see that longer version.

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  10. Here are some of my favorite films, and I didn’t know they went through so much struggle, specially Schindler’s List. I knew about Apocalypse Now and I’ve heard some things about Fitzcarraldo but not that it got so ugly with Kinski!

    I enjoyed the Tarantino/Rodriguez films too, and I love Aronofsky, so everything he does is a must see for me. I liked Gangs of New York more than most of the people, and I didn’t know that The Last Temptation had troubles too. Regardind that one, I’m a big fan of Willem Dafoe so I’ve loved the post you made about his performances. Couldn’t agree more with what you said about Antichrist. Besides its brutality I found the whole atmosphere very haunting - you can feel the Tarkovsky’s influence on von Trier - and the performances were terrific. The whole depression thing, my mother is a psychologist and she told me it was one of the best portrayals she’s seen, for not saying the best. So glad you pointed that out.

    From the rest of the list, I definitely have to watch Che and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.

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    1. Could you imagine working with a guy like Kinski? He literally shot at Herzog on the set of that movie. Like with a real gun and a real bullet. Fucking madness. But hey, I suppose the only thing that matters is what's on screen, and Kinski's work in the film is brilliant.

      That's so interesting to hear your mom's perspective of Antichrist. It actually makes me like the film better, you know?

      Che and Jesse James are long, but definitely worth it. Just be warned, both have very sparse action. They're all about story.

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  11. The Assassination of Jesse James is a masterpiece. So happy that Pitt stuck with it. As for The Fountain, I adore the film as well, and am actually excited that its budget was halved. It made Aronofosky get creative, which I think bettered the final product.

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    1. I really like that about The Fountain as well. A good example of what less is more can get you. I love that film.

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  12. Yes! A.I. made the cut! I consider it a flawed masterpiece, but I'm not sure I could love it more. While I'm not a big fan of Milk (and I haven't seen Fitzcarraldo yet), these picks are brilliant.

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    1. Ah, I just love A.I. Of course, I would've loved to have seen Kubrick's version, but Spielberg did truly great work there. Definitely check out Fitzcarraldo if you get a chance!

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