MONTAGE HOME / REVIEWS / BOX OFFICE / LINKS

Day One My Father and I arrive with a couple of friends in the beautiful alpine town of Telluride, Colorado. This will be our 12th film festival and as usual we are eager to get the official program and start planning our weekend of filmgoing. We get the lanyards at the hospitality center for our ACME passes and the schedule, which isn't released until the first day of the festival. Like everyone at the festival we quickly peruse each page of the slim pocket size pamphlet and make lightening fast decisions.

While walking the streets we run into Derek Malcolm one of the great film critics from England. He is easily approachable, unassuming and rather humorous. He tells us that he came over on the plane with director Ken Russell and this years' guest director Salman Rushdie and that his luggage had been lost. Then he mentions that someone has also stolen his coat. But he takes it all in stride and laughs. On the subject of films he tells us that the best films in his estimation are French films Amelie and Fat Girl, Eastern European film No Man's Land and from Australia a film titled Lantana. Then he notes that the festival doesn't have as great a line-up as he expected. I'm not discouraged since critics can be a lot harder on films that regular festival-goers. We grab a quick bite to eat and then head over to the gondola to ride up and over the mountain to the Chuck Jones' Cinema for the first film. The first film we see is Dear Fidel by Wilfred Huismann an interesting documentary about Marita Lorenz a German woman who had an affair with Fidel Castro in the late 1950's right after his successful coup against Batista in Cuba. It's not too hard to believe the woman until half way through when she goes off on a tangent about her involvment with the CIA, the FBI and the JFK assassination. Is this section just a fanciful fiction to hook us into the film? Perhaps. Still, the film is noteworthy because it leaps all over the place refusing to be a straightforward documentary and it does provide food for thoughtl. After the screening I decide to head into town and see if I can get into the opening night tribute for French director Catherine Breillat. The Opera House is a small venue and opening night can be packed but I'm willing to gamble since she is relatively unknown - plus her movies have a tendency to make people squirm and that's sure to keep the crowds away. Sure enough, I get in with no problem...now what? I guess I have to stay and watch. I've seen four of her films and I'm not a big fan The tribute is introduced by Annette Insdorf (aka Columbia High Heels) a regular to the festival who is very perceptive to world cinema. She acknowledges her reservations about some of Breillat's films mentioning that they often make her uncomfortable. The program starts with thirty minutes of clips that are pretty good even though - as Breillait notes - they rather judiciously left out any sex scenes. Then they show her latest film Fat Girl. The film has been getting good press but it's more of the same in her disturbingly intimate oeuvre. The film has enough to provoke, anger and in some cases estrange just about anyone who saw it. It is a dour coming-of-age tale about Anais a poor lonely overweight girl who is alienated from everyone around her. Her parents pay her no attention -- except when making fun or criticizing her -- and her sister treats her like a third wheel. As in all of Breillat’s films there is a lot of uncomfortable explicitly sexual situations, endless talk and enough ennui to turn off anyone not attuned to the story. Despite a couple of sex scenes though the film is slow and labored for 80 minutes until it takes a shocking 180 degree turn that has the feeling of something between a horror film and a hokey student film.

I head out into the night thankful for the fresh, cold high altitude air and head across main street to the Abel Gance outdoor Theater. There they are playing Grateful Dawg. Anyone who loves the sounds of David Grisman and Jerry Garcia wouldn't want to miss this gratifying and ultimately poignant documentary by Gillian Grisman about the collaboration that both music legends had over the past few decades. It includes concert footage, studio work, rare archival photos and numerous interviews with family members and former members of the band. After it was screened the David Grisman Quintet played a sizzling live set for about 30 minutes under the stars. The first day is done and since we are camping out in out VW pop top van in the Town Park we have to get out our flashlights and make our way to our site. It's been an eventful first day and now we have to get rest for the first full day of films.

Day Two One cannot come to as amazing a place as Telluride and not be tempted to hike into the high mountains that surround the town. In the past I usually arrive early enough to get in a couple days of hiking. This year I'm only in town four days so I realize that I must sacrifice a movie or two for some good outdoor activity. I decide to forgo the morning screenings and  head off for a hike up the Jud Wiebe Trail, which is located just north of downtown. It's a steep 2.7 mile loop trail that goes through a lot of different terrain including aspen groves, wide open grassy fields, over a creek and through wooded areas of pine and other native trees in the region. Besides being a heart pounding workout with awesome views of the town, the surrounding valley and the mountains it's also perfect trail to clear the mind for the rest of the day, which will be spent standing in lines and sitting in dark theatres.

A view of the ski area and town from the top of the Jud Wiebe trail

Day 2 Continued...