LOVE

A medieval knight duels a personification of death at a game of chess in this poetic film.
by Aaron Sheley
In the Middle Ages, as a knight
returns from the Crusades, he is let
down by the omnipresent absence
of God.
As the knight begins a metaphysical
chess game with Death (of
which there are endless parodies)
the story shifts to two actors—Jof
and Mia—who contrast the knight
by seeing the glorious visions of
God all around them. Still, Death
tolls for all the characters involved,
and at the film’s grim conclusion, Jof
has a vision of the Reaper dancing
away with his victims. At a turning
point in the film, Max von Sydow’s
crusading knight looks at a woman
straight in the eyes as she burns at
the stake. He
needs to know
if she really
has seen the
Devil. All he
sees is terror
in her eyes.
G o d i s
nowhere,
and the Dark
Ages are overrun
with self-flagellators and plague
victims, all very offensive to the
knight’s squire who is jaded from
his experiences in battle. In fact, he
wants nothing except for the knight
to give up his futile longings.
Director Ingmar Bergman, master filmmaker.
his one-on-one with Death at the
chessboard, nothing confirms for
the knight that God is real.
Instead, Bergman’s allegorical
iconography reflects the contemporary
themes of struggle in a
world without redemption. The
knight cheats Death by knocking
game pieces over to save the life
of Jof and Mia. He finds his only
moment of peace when he stops to
eat strawberries with the performers.
Thus, he rescues them.
However, there is still never an
actual sign that he will see God in
this life or the next. In fact, the
closer he gets to his own certain
demise, the further he becomes
obfuscated from the presence of
holiness.
The death
that awaits
the knight is
purely symbolic
oblivion
for the quest
for God and
Truth in our
universe.
Viewers will
be amazed at the production design
that is an uncanny reflection of the
Middle Ages. Settings include
taverns, a blacksmith’s quarters, village
squares, and a dark castle that
provoke a metaphoric world twice
removed by time and space.
A sunny Friday afternoon in
Beverly Hills, and the streets are
already congested.
Tourists don fanny packs and
backpacks, and grip small digital cameras.
They snap photos beneath the
Rodeo Street sign. They pass in and
out of designer name stores like they
were participating in animal exhibits
at a zoo. They mix with the nine-tofivers,
rich housewives, and local kids
who sip down iced mochas during the
final weeks before school.
The intersection of Rodeo Drive
and Wilshire Blvd is the site of the
famed Regent Beverly Wilshire, the
hotel once called home by the likes
of Elvis, Lennon, and Warren Beatty.
The presidential suite was even featured
in the film Pretty Woman, but
today it’s the sight for a press junket
organized by Focus Features for
Hollywoodland.
Upstairs in Suite 815, members of
the online and print press—many of
whom moonlight in other professions
(today the majority are realtors)—help
themselves to multiple portions of the
generous lunch spread.
Hollywoodland examines the
The stark, existential poetry of
circumstances that surrounded the
the Seal is heightened by Bergman’s Seal stands the test of time as 1959 suicide of George Reeves, the
own soul-searching for the Faith being one of the greatest philosophical
actor who played Superman on the
he long before lost. While Jof
journeys into apocalyptic popular television series Adventures
receives the peaceful visions of agnosticism that has ever appeared of Superman. The film follows dual
God, the knight views only ruin, on the art film circuit. P narratives, tracks the years leading
heartache, and suffering. In spite of
up to and through Reeves’ tenure on
the show, and all the while follows
the fictionalized character of private
dick Louis Simo who takes on the
case only to find striking parallels
between Reeves’ life and his own in
ENTERTAINMENT TODAY
his attempt to uncover clues of foul
play in the “Man of Steel’s” death.
Dressed causally and fresh from
the makeup chair, the major actors
from the film—Ben Affleck, Adrien
Brody, Diane Lane, Bob Hoskins, and
ENTERTAINMENT TODAY SEPTEMBER 15-21, 2006 |18|
Allen Coulter (center) directs the cast of Hollywoodland, an enigmatic murder-mystery set during the Golden Era of Hollywood.
by Jesse Alba
Robin Tunney walk into the room
accompanied by the film’s director,
Allen Coulter. The Q&A session
begins politely with the biggest star
in the room, Mr. Affleck (who plays
Reeves).
You took a break from filmmaking,
why was that?
BEN AFFLECK: I made a decision
to do things I wanted to do. Not for
money or fame. It’s great to step
away for a little while.
What was it that attracted you to
this story?
DIANE LANE: I always had a thing
for George; he had me hook, line, and
sinker. There were so many layers
to his story, and I was happy to play
a source of love in his life. I felt a
burden of responsibility to honor her
(Toni Mannix) as closely as she’s
been described: her vulnerability and
how that came out all wrong. It’s
interesting to be a thread in such an
interesting tapestry.
Can you talk about the theme of
life in Hollywood not going as
planned?
AFFLECK: I know a thing or two
about that (laughter). There’s the
sense that what George had should’ve
been enough. He had the condition
where it’s never enough. The same
impulse that propels us to greatness is
also the source that keeps us perpetually
unsatisfied.
ADRIEN BRODY: The advantage
of this piece is that it illustrates [this
dilemma] is not something exclusive
to the film industry: the notion that
if people had more of something,
it would fulfill them. Having lived
as a struggling actor and having
achieved a certain level of fame, I’ve
encountered the advantages and the
pitfalls. I struggle less with things
that I thought would make me happy.
My character Louis Simo looked for
a bigger picture rather than solving
the smaller problems that could have
improved his life.
What was it like stepping into another
era?
LANE: It’s always fun to step into
another time. There’s always something
to explore, the limitations and
freedoms of that time.
ALLEN COULTER: We tried to
take an approach that would lend
some originality to that period. We
tried to make 1959 the modern world
that was the beginning of the world
we know now. Visually, we gave a
look that emphasized its modernity.
We went back for Reeves’ period.
The modern era had a ubiquity of
noise: records playing, dogs barking,
etc…
The film deals with an era in
which the public was primarily
concerned with the characters being
portrayed rather than the actors
behind those roles. Today’s audiences
seem as interested, if not
more so, in the personal lives of the
actors. Has this made your jobs
more difficult?
BRODY: That differs for the individual.
Those are separate questions.
Some people are fascinated
by the transformation. That’s what
my motivation has been. I love the
opportunity to be here and discuss
my work and hear thoughts that have
been overlooked. The process and the
rest of it comes with it, and just is.
AFFLECK: People think they know
me. They think I know them.
BOB HOSKINS: I’ve never had that
problem because most people don’t
know who I am.
AFFLECK: No one wants to see the
sausage being made, they just want
to eat it. P