Artist and Muse #30

Roman Polanski directs Mia Farrow in the masterful and massively influential ROSEMARY'S BABY (1969). I have a sense of dread that Polanski's untouchable film will be the victim of a remake within the next few years. I hope I am wrong but with the recent HALLOWEEN re-working that is out, it seems like nothing is sacred.

The Great Ones Volume Two (Side A Track Four) Mia Farrow

Sometime in the past couple of decades, the fact that Mia Farrow is one of our finest actors got lost. It happens to a lot of our greatest actors, what we think we know of their personal lives start to cloud the way we view their performances. It is a shame really because when one steps back and looks at the forty year plus career of Farrow, you see a body of work that is simply astonishing in its range, intelligence and power. This is a tribute to Mia Farrow the actress.
Mia made her acting debut at the age of fourteen in her father's 1959 production JOHN PAUL JONES. It was just a bit part though and few took note of it at the time. That would change five years later when Farrow would appear in the hugely popular television show PEYTON PLACE. While this didn't make Farrow a star, her lovely face and natural style immediately put her in the mind of anyone who saw her on the show.
A handful of roles on television and in film would follow for Mia, but no one could have predicted that a 1968 film by a relatively unknown Polish director would instantaneously catapult her into the spotlight as one of the most talked about and admired actresses of the sixties.
What can you say about Mia Farrow in ROSEMARY'S BABY? There are very few performances in the horror genre that even come close to the magnificent turn she gives as Rosemary Woodhouse. Polanski found in Farrow the perfect actress for his most popular film even though she wasn't the first choice. Farrow, like Faye Dunaway and a handful of others, owes much of her career to Tuesday Weld as ROSEMARY'S BABY was one of many high profile roles the combative actress turned down in this period. As much as I idolize Weld, Mia Farrow was made for Rosemary Woodhouse and her soft gamine looks, cropped hair and inventive acting style made her an instant icon and a world renowned star seemingly overnight.
The years following ROSEMARY'S BABY were prolific ones for Farrow even though none of her immediate follow up roles matched her work for Polanski. In this period she would manage to give several memorable performances in Joseph Losey's SECRET CEREMONY (1968), stealing the film from Elizabeth Taylor, Peter Yates JOHN AND MARY (1969), opposite Dustin Hoffman, and Richard Fleischer's 1971 thriller SEE NO EVIL.
While none of these films really captured the public attention, Farrow seemed to remain untouchable and her position as one of the country's biggest stars maintained itself. More roles would follow before Farrow would land one of her best parts in Claude Chabrol's memorable DOCTEUR POPAUL (1972). The film, released as HIGH HEELS in the States, is one of Chabrol's most underrated and Farrow is just great in it. The film, outside of giving her a chance to work with one of France's greatest directors, would also allow her to share scenes with both Jean-Paul Belmondo and the exquisite Laura Antonelli (at the height of her beauty and power here).
Mia would score big time next with the much talked about Fitzgerald adaptation THE GREAT GATSBY (1974). While the merits of Jack Clayton's film have been questioned there is no doubt that the coupling of Mia Farrow and Robert Redford wasn't a inspired one. The two are simply astonishing to look at in this film and Farrow brings a real humanity to Fitzgerald's Daisy Buchanan. The film turned out to be Farrow's biggest hit since the Polanski picture and it re-established her as a major box office draw.
Mia would drop mostly out of view in the couple of years following THE GREAT GATSBY but she would return in 1977 with a performance of unnerving power and intensity, a performance that rivaled her turn in ROSEMARY'S BABY as her finest.
FULL CIRCLE (THE HAUNTING OF JULIA) is unthinkable without Farrow. As the title character, who in the first scene watches her only child choke to death, Mia gives a complicated and fearless performance that is among my all time favorites. Looking just like she did as Rosemary Woodhouse ten years earlier, Farrow's Julia is an ambiguous and haunting creation that even after probably a dozen viewings never fails to move me or make me question what I am seeing. It is one of the great performances of the seventies and, along with ROSEMARY'S BABY and the later HANNAH AND HER SISTERS, is Farrow's finest moment.

FULL CIRCLE seemed to disappear before it even properly arrived and Farrow's moving performance was seen by a very select few. Her follow up films included Robert Altman's interesting THE WEDDING (1979) and the big budget disaster flicks AVALANCHE (1978) and HURRICANE (1979). After these roles Mia dropped out again for a few years and would resurface surprisingly in 1982 as the muse and lead actress to one of America's finest writers and directors.
So much bad blood and gossip has been passed around about Mia Farrow and Woody Allen that it has clouded the fact that for more than a decade these two delivered some of the finest work of either of their careers. Farrow worked almost exclusively for Allen between the years 1982-1992 and in that ten year stretch she delivered quality performance after performance that would cement her status as one of America's most diverse and finest actresses.

With the Woody Allen films, Farrow's icy Julia and Rosemary persona's disappeared and in their place came a warm and funny woman who exuded intelligence and style. The best of her work with Allen, 1985's THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO and the monumental features HANNAH AND HER SISTERS (1986) and CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS (1989), are Woody Allen and Mia Farrow at their finest. How the Academy ignored Mia in HANNAH AND HER SISTERS is particularly beyond me, as it is harder to think of a more heartfelt and enduring performance from American cinema in the mid eighties.
The searing HUSBANDS AND WIVES in 1992 would mark the end of Mia Farrow's incredible professional collaboration with Woody Allen and she has only worked sporadically since. While she hasn't done anything in the past decade to equal her finest work, that is more of the fault of the films and not Mia Farrow. She remains one of the most talented and beautiful people on the planet and is still capable of turning in some of the freshest and most inventive work imaginable. Just look at the recent OMEN remake, a film that was notable for two things; its pointlessness and Farrow's scene stealing and powerful turn as Mrs. Baylock.

Mia Farrow is currently working on one of her most exciting projects in years, the upcoming film from ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND director Michel Gondry, BE KIND REWIND. The film is due out this January and one hopes that Gondry has given Farrow a role worthy of her considerable talents.
Two essential stops for Mia Farrow fans are located at:

http://www.miafarrow.org/

and

http://mia-farrow.com/

Life Rotates In 45 Revolutions Per Minute (Colin Towns: Full Circle and Olivia)

This stunning 45 contains two of the most sublime moments in seventies experimental pop and should be seeked out by any fans of not only FULL CIRCLE, but British music in general.
The main selling point to this very rare 45 is that side A contains an otherwise unreleased edit of the unforgettable main theme from the film. While this edit is only a shadow of the original, it is still exceptionally powerful and is a worthwhile addition to Town's catalogue.
The b-side is the haunting OLIVIA, which is the same version as the album's take. This occasionally pops up on Ebay but, like the full album, is becoming harder and harder to find. A special edition release of the soundtrack would do well to feature this fine edit as one of the bonus tracks.

Woody Allen Ten Years After The Deconstruction

This year marks the tenth anniversary of one of Woody Allen's fiercest and most confessional films, the caustic DECONSTRUCTING HARRY. I thought that with the recent announcement that he was going to be making another film with Scarlett Johansson, that this would be a good time to look back at one of America's most influential and controversial directors and his much maligned last decade.
1997's DECONSTRUCTING HARRY is one of the great Woody Allen films but it wouldn't be one that would be embraced by everyone. A surprisingly profane and dark autobiographical film that featured Woody working with Elisabeth Shue, Amy Irving and Mariel Hemingway among others, DECONSTRUCTING HARRY is, with the possible exceptions of STARDUST MEMORIES (1980) and INTERIORS (1978), the darkest film Woody Allen has ever made. It is also a very funny film and it would get him yet another Best Screenplay Academy Award nomination.
After wrapping up DECONSTRUCTING HARRY, Woody quickly started work on the flawed CELEBRITY (1998). Even though it features a great early performance by Charlize Theron, CELEBRITY remains one of my least favorite Allen films. I just can't warm up to it and the film felt like a major let down after the stunning DECONSTRUCTING HARRY. Kenneth Branagh's irritating turn as the Woody Allen like Lee Simon is a real low point in Allen's canon and at nearly two hours the film really drags and it isn't very funny. It's one of the weaker films in Allen's career in my opinion.
1999's SWEET AND LOWDOWN was a real winner though and offered up one of Sean Penn's greatest performances as the jazz guitarist Emmet Ray. This sweet and very effective film would garner Penn a much deserved Oscar nomination and would also contain appealing performances from Gretchen Mol and Woody himself. The film is a real stirring tribute to the jazz music that Woody loves so much and remains one of his best since DECONSTRUCTING HARRY. Woody's fine screenplay was surprisingly ignored by the Academy that year but the film did get him some of his most solid reviews of the past ten years.
Woody's next three projects are three of the slightest films he has ever made. SMALL TIME CROOKS (2000) is a pleasant little film that has some solid laughs but is never substantial enough to be included among the best of Woody's straight comedies. It was a lot better though than the follow up, 2001's unfortunate CURSE OF THE JADE SCORPION. Unfortunate, in that it could have been one of the great films but the writing is among Woody's dullest even though Helen Hunt, Wallace Shawn and Chalize Theron give it all they can. The most notable thing about CURSE OF THE JADE SCORPION is how good SHOWGIRLS star Elizabeth Berkley is in it. She provides the film with some of its best moments in a winning little performance and it's a shame that it is in possibly the worst film that Allen has ever delivered.
HOLLYWOOD ENDING (2002) feels like a masterpiece compared to SMALL TIME CROOKS and CURSE OF THE JADE SCORPION but in retrospect it is just a gag heavy film that is consistently funny if little else. George Hamilton gets perhaps the funniest moments in the film and Tea Leoni is always a pleasure to watch, but the film is ultimately a little too lightweight for its own good.
With these three films it seemed that Woody had hit some sort of creative wall but 2003's ANYTHING ELSE was one of the most surprising films he had made, at least since SWEET AND LOWDOWN. A flawed but engaging film, ANYTHING ELSE tells the tale of a struggling twenty something couple and the neurotic older mentor who attempts to help them through the troubles. Jason Biggs seems a little lost in the film but Christina Ricci is fantastic and in the role of the odd David Dobel, Woody gives his best screen performance since DECONSTRUCTING HARRY.
ANYTHING ELSE wasn't the great film Woody needed at this point but it was a step in the right direction. MELINDA AND MELINDA (2004) though was nearly a masterpiece and is one of the great modern Woody Allen films. Featuring an astonishing turn by Radha Mitchell (one of my favorite performances of the decade) MELINDA AND MELINDA is Woody firing on nearly all cylinders. With it's split narrative and stellar supporting cast MELINDA AND MELINDA is frame for frame probably the best film Woody has made in the past ten years. Mitchell's pitch perfect double lead role performance is one of the greatest in any Woody Allen film, the equal of anything that Diane Keaton or Mia Farrow ever delivered for him which is no small feat.
MELINDA AND MELINDA seemed to re-energize Woody Allen but no one would have guessed his next move. Abandoning New York City for one of the first times in his career and signing on possibly the best young American actress in modern cinema, Woody would travel to London to make a cold thriller about class and adultery that would garner him his best reviews since CRIME AND MISDEMEANORS (1989).

Woody's first collaboration with Scarlett Johansson, MATCH POINT (2005) seemed to split critics and fans immediately. Roger Ebert would call it a masterpiece and label it one of Allen's greatest films while Tim Lucas called the film "bland." I must admit to liking the film a lot although I don't think it is one of Allen's greatest works. MATCH POINT is an incredibly cold film and it does have a certain lifeless quality that Tim seemed to pick up on. Whatever ones opinion of it is though there is no denying that it was a break from the near rut Allen had gotten himself into around 2001.
While MATCH POINT does contain good work from everyone involved, it ultimately belongs to Johansson who has more presence than almost anyone on the screen today. There is a real strange physicality to her deliberately monotone performance in this film. The breakdown she has towards the end, where her perfect calm exterior snaps, is jolting and one of the great moments in both her and Woody's career.
Even better to me though is the much maligned SCOOP from last year. I might be one of the only film fans in the world who prefers this charming old fashioned and warm film to the cold and cynical MATCH POINT. I have watched SCOOP several times since I first saw it last year and it makes me laugh harder than anything Woody has done in nearly twenty years. The film is again shot in London with Johansson and again she makes the film work. Her performance here is the polar opposite of the MATCH POINT, as the neurotic and near sighted young reporter Sondra Pransky, Scarlett is a combination Myrna Loy and Carole Lombard and is incredibly funny throughout the brisk film. I've seen a lot of people question Scarlett Johansson's acting ability, I would suggest watching a double feature of MATCH POINT and SCOOP to see just how diverse and talented this young actress is. While neither match her work in GHOST WORLD or LOST IN TRANSLATION, her films so far with Woody Allen will one day be looked back on very fondly in tracing her career.

SCOOP, for me, returned Woody to the top tier of American filmmakers. While he will probably never again reach the heights of ANNIE HALL, MANHATTAN or HANNAH AND HER SISTERS, I think the aging Allen has a few more surprises left up his sleeve.
Up next for Woody Allen is CASSANDRA'S DREAM, another London based film, this time starring Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor.
Even more promising is the intriguing 'Spanish Project' that Woody is cooking up. Working once again with Johansson as well as Allen newcomers Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem and currently shooting in Spain, I have a feeling this will be a very special film in Woody Allen's canon. Of course it could be another CURSE OF THE JADE SCORPION. Masterpiece or miss, I will be there opening day, cheering on one of America's most iconic, troubling and legendary filmmakers.

My Look at Loncraine's Full Circle at The Amplifier

My revamped and extended look at Richard Loncraine's 1977 film Full Circle (The Haunting of Julia) can now be read at the Amplifier for those interested.

Whatever Happened To Tisa Farrow?

The title of this particular post is a bit rhetorical because apparently Tisa Farrow is now a nurse in Vermont, at least according to the IMDB (so maybe the question isn't so rhetorical). Either way, I have been re watching some of Tisa's films as of late and felt inspired to write a little bit on her.
I always thought it must have been hard professionally having Mia Farrow as your sister, as it would be extremely hard for anyone to live in the shadow of someone so iconic and talented. While Tisa never came close to reaching the heights of her famous sister, I think her career has been unjustly neglected and is all but forgotten by most film fans.
Tisa was born in 1951 to John Farrow and Maureen O'Sullivan. She made her film debut at the age of 19 in the pretty well received HOMER. This coming of age drama, featuring an early soundtrack appearance by Led Zeppelin, found Tisa as the female lead and she would receive some strong notices as a talent to watch. Like several of Tisa's earliest roles, I have never been able to track down a copy of HOMER. It remains rather elusive and I hope to someday score a copy as the photographs and posters I have seen from it, as well as things I have read, make it extremely enticing.
Tisa's second film was helmed by none other than the great French director, Rene Clement, and it would find her working with some of cinema's top talent like Jean Louis Trintignant and Aldo Ray. While not among the great works by Clement, AND HOPE TO DIE is a solid entry in his filmography and Tisa is memorable in it although the film ultimately belongs to Tringtignant.
Among the films with Tisa that I most want to see is SOME CALL IT LOVING, a 1973 feature by James B. Harris and co-starring Carol White and Richard Pryor. The descriptions I have read over the years of this film make it sound like some sort of wild tripped out near masterpiece. Whether or not it can live up to my expectations remains to be seen but I would certainly love to find out.
After appearing in a film called ONLY GOD KNOWS in 74, Tisa's next film would be hugely important one to her career as it would mark the first Italian thriller she appeared in. Known by many different titles, with STRANGE SHADOWS IN AN EMPTY ROOM being my favorite, Alberto De Martino's 1976 feature is a film that I saw on a poor quality VHS years ago that has really stuck with me. Martino had just directed the very odd and memorable THE ANTICHRIST when he directed Tisa, along with genre favorite John Saxon, in this splendid little film. Tisa is lovely in this film, but like many Italian thrillers from this period it has unfortunately fallen into obscurity. I keep hoping that No Shame or Code Red might pick it up in the future for a dvd release as I would love to revisit it.
The 1978 tv film THE INITIATION OF SARAH was up next for Tisa and it would feature her in a smaller role working with a large ensemble cast including Shelley Winters and Morgan Brittany. This is one of the easier to locate of Tisa's early roles and is worth a look although it isn't that special. 1978 would also provide Tisa with what would prove to be her greatest role in James Toback's astonishing FINGERS.
FINGERS is one of my favorite films from the seventies and I will be covering it in more detail in the future but I will say for now if there is a role that proves Tisa could have developed into a fine actress, then FINGERS is it. Playing opposite acting heavyweight Harvey Keitel and an intense Jim Brown, Tisa more than holds her own in a strangely effective performance. Tisa would be the first of many actresses that Toback would pull something extraordinary out of, and in her own way she is one of the most devastating parts of what is still Toback's greatest film.
The action flick SEARCH AND DESTROY was up next and that was quickly followed by a tv film on Patty Hearst that would find Tisa playing one of the SLA kidnappers. She would make a quick cameo in Woody Allen's masterpiece, MANHATTAN, and had a bit part in WINTER KILLS before landing what has become her most famous role in late 1979.
Lucio Fulci's ZOMBIE (ZOMBI 2) is one of the most legendary Italian gore films in history and it cemented a major cult status for Tisa among Italian Horror fans. Fulci's unofficial follow up to Romero's DAWN OF THE DEAD in truth isn't one of the maestro's greatest films. It doesn't have the style or emotional pull of his early work and it isn't as good as the astonishing group of films that he would film in 1980 and 1981, but it is still one of the most infectiously fun Italian films of the period. Tisa is again lovely in the role but she doesn't seem totally engaged with the material. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that FINGERS had more than hinted to the fact that Tisa could have become a really great actress that she doesn't seem totally there in ZOMBIE. I'm not trying to be overly critical as ZOMBIE is a film that I love very much but Tisa seems a bit trapped under Fulci's penetrating camera. I was very disappointed when Tisa wasn't among those interviewed for Shriek Show's exhaustive documentary a few years back, I have always wondered what her thoughts were on Fulci and the Italian Horror genre in general.
ZOMBIE was a huge worldwide success but it probably more than just slightly pigeonholed the talented Farrow.
Tisa would appear in just two more films after ZOMBIE before retiring from the screen entirely. THE LAST HUNTER, just released on American DVD, is a solid and entertaining Antonio Margheriti war film starring Tisa and David Warbeck. While not one of Margheriti's best films by a long shot, the bloody THE LAST HUNTER still works reasonable well and Tisa is just fine in it, as is the always reliable Warbeck.

Tisa Farrow's final film is not only one of her most infamous films, but also one of the most notorious films in Italian Horror history. The Joe D'Amato directed ANTHROPOPHAGUS is a cheaply made but, at times, stylish shocker that manages some truly unforgettable and horrifying moments that have kept it among the most famous of D'Amato's prolific career. Tisa is actually quite good in the film and I think this is her most successful Italian genre performance, even though the film isn't as good as the Martino or Fulci ones. Tisa generates a real palatable fear in the role and the film's final act is undeniably exciting and effective and much credit for it should go to Tisa's performance.
I don't know what made Tisa drop out after ANTHROPOPHAGUS. Perhaps she found that acting wasn't satisfying or maybe she just wasn't happy with the types of films she was being offered. Whatever the reason, I hope that life has given her happiness and that she doesn't regret her brief but memorable film career. It is unfortunate that she never got the chance to build on the promise of FINGERS but I'd rather watch her in the few genre films she made much more than most modern bland mainstream Hollywood actress. There was something very memorable about Tisa Farrow, something very real.

Overlooked Classics: Full Circle (The Haunting Of Julia) 1977

Richard Loncraine's FULL CIRCLE (THE HAUNTING OF JULIA) is one of the most perfectly realized and executed genre films I have ever seen. From its striking and tragic opening scene to its jaw dropping final moment, FULL CIRCLE never once slips in its relatively brief 98 minute running time. It is a real masterpiece of style and class, and one of the great lost films of the seventies.
At the heart of FULL CIRCLE is a relatively simple and tragic story centering on a child's death and a mother's breakdown. Shelia Benson pointed out in her great original review that the film can be read as a study of a young woman slowly but surely losing her mind, or it can be taken as a superior ghost story. Either way, the film remains a very haunting exercise in loss, revenge and fear.
It is this sense of loss that occupies every frame of FULL CIRCLE that separates it from most films that fall into the thriller or horror genre. Mia Farrow's work as the lonely and isolated Julia is frankly astounding and Loncraine's long takes of her alone in her house or out walking are incredibly intimate. It is due to Loncraine's sensitive direction of Farrow that makes the film so incredibly resonate, and it works not only as a ghost story but as one of the great character studies in all of seventies genre cinema.
The film is remarkably singular on many levels. It is, on the one hand, a rather old fashioned and slow moving work that builds carefully and methodically. On the the other hand it is very much a film that only the late seventies could have produced, made by a group of young relatively inexperienced people who were obviously filled with invention and creativity.
While the film marks career bests for Loncraine, Farrow and composer Colin Towns, that shouldn't overshadow that much of its power is due to the cinematography by Peter Hannan, the editing of Ron Wiseman and the striking production design of Brian Morris.
Hannan had worked with Loncraine on his first film, 1975's FLAME and his work on FULL CIRCLE is really noteworthy. Even on the washed out VHS copy, you can see how beautifully photographed this film is. Hannan's striking, dreamlike work would serve him well on future projects with Loncraine as well as the legendary Nicolas Roeg. Editor Ron Wiseman, whose cutting gives FULL CIRCLE's more intense scenes a real sense of dread and power, had previously worked on the strange 1973 Canadian production THE PYX and his work here is really splendid. The seance sequence is handled extremely well in particular and much of its greatness stems from Wiseman's editorial skills.

Perhaps the most striking behind the scenes effort was given by production designer Brian Morris. Julia's house is especially memorable with its high ceilings, spiralling staircases and Gothic feel. Just look at the details Morris contributes to the work the next time you watch it, specifically how children's toys seem to be everywhere in the film. Morris would use this striking eye in later work with Loncraine and on memorably designed productions ranging from PINK FLOYD THE WALL to ANGEL HEART.
I have already written on Colin Towns incredible score and I will only reiterate that this is one of the great marriages between image and music and the soundtrack album is in bad need of reissuing, with the missing cues added on as a bonus.

Joining the magical Farrow is a very distinguished cast featuring some of the best British actors of the period. These include a young Tom Conti, a creepy Keir Dullea and a great Jill Bennett.
Young Samantha Gates, in her film debut, plays the ghostly Olivia incredibly well and it is unfortunate that she only appeared in a handful of films afterwards. Popular British actress Sophie Ward makes one of her first on screen appearances as Julia's daughter Kate, who tragically chokes to death in the films opening.
FULL CIRCLE seemed to be cursed distribution wise from the get go and it remains relatively little seen, despite being a favorite to many horror fans. Used copies of the full frame VHS version can be found on online, and I suspect that I am not the only one slightly in love with the flawed, fading print that is used on it with its soundtrack that sounds like a very scratchy record. I have often wondered what my experience would be seeing a proper widescreen dvd of it...a French DVD is available and while it does finally featuring widescreen print of the film it is unfortunately so dark that it is an eyesore to watch. FULL CIRCLE remains, much like the ghost Olivia, very much lost in time right now.

This wraps up my look at one of my favorite films...I hope that those reading the posts have enjoyed them and will take them all together as my review of the film, and not just the above rather short ended posting. It is a really splendid work that has haunted my dreams for more than two decades now. With LET'S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH and LEMORA now on DVD, FULL CIRCLE remains to me the great lost English language genre films from the seventies...seek it out and submit to its power.

FULL CIRCLE Fan Channel on YouTube

Longtime readers here will know that one of the films that I am most passionate about is Richard Loncraine's stunning 1977 masterpiece Full Circle (The Haunting of Julia).  While this mesmerizing work is still unavailable on DVD or Blu-ray fans are becoming more and more vocal about their love for it and some exciting things are happening.  There is a very active Facebook page dedicated to the film where you can keep up with news about it and see lots of vintage material.  There is also an upcoming article about the making of the film by Simon Fitzjohn in the upcoming issue of The Dark Side.  Last, but certainly not least, Mr. Fitzjohn has started a Full Circle Fan Channel on YouTube which I invite everyone to subscribe to and follow.  Two videos have been posted so far with more to come Fingers crossed that this all leads to one of the great films of the seventies finally getting the special edition home video release it has so long deserved!

Behind the Scenes With My Favorite Actors: Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby

"Witches... All of them witches!"

***All captured from the vintage Featurette Mia and Roman***