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09/10/2009: "TETRO: The Luxury of Cinema"
From the instant it began with Vincent Gallo on camera watching a moth flickering about a seemingly bright, hot, lightbulb, I knew it was going to be good.
So, I did what I always do when it looks like it'll be worthwhile. I settled in my cushy seat. No popcorn necessary.
I'm not going to tell you anything about the plot of Francis Ford Coppola's new film, "TETRO." Plots reveal themselves. I'm also not going to go into the many themes, nor will I critique the acting. After all, I'm not a film critic, nor am I aspiring to be. I'm just film fan. Here's where I'm going with this ...
ART.
Yes, art. For me, artistic vision is the difference between a movie and a film. Art separates mere entertainment from true enlightenment. That's what I got while watching, "TETRO." In fact, I wasn't just watching it, I was bathing in it. Right now, I'm thinking back to this afternoon when I was one of only three people in the entire theater experiencing this masterwork. It was the thing film noir dreams are made of. It was that old Hollywood sense of luxuriousness that came with knowing this was a five-star production.
How can you write about a film without writing about it? I don't know, but I do know that I was swept away. Like most great films, this one presented a story that was simple and clear, but ironically, I've fallen into abstraction. The Argentinian sense of it, the sensual humanity of it lifted me. Do you know what it feels like when you feel your spirit lifting? That was the scene.
While watching or rather experiencing "TETRO" I felt secure and was confidently aware that I was in the hands of a master. In fact, thinking back, I almost feel as if Coppola is telling us ... "Don't worry. I've got your back. You didn't waste your money and you'll be glad you spent the time!"
It's black & white, it's color, it's comedy, it's drama ... BIG drama ... OPERATIC DRAMA! I feel like I'm writing in circles and crescendos, but this is what that film has inspired in me. In short, it's art ... smooth, meandering art. See for yourself. Sit back and bask.
Coppola is my boy. He BROUGHT it. When you watch a film and see no seams, you know it's special. The light and the dark of it ... the moodiness and the shadows of it ... the spicy colors peppered here and there. It's a figurative abstraction. He's a Maestro with a capital "M."
Watching this film, Coppola actually made me think about the major differences between "old school" and "new school." New school is desperate for stardom and will do practically any vocal riff or shaky camera move to get there. Old school is smoother than velvet and shines like satin, its sheen the result of years and years of skill and polish. New school is a green banana. Old school is a fine wine. It's just what the doctor ordered. Savor your savior.
Art is the difference between a movie and a film. Art and artistic vision coupled with confidence and skill turn a mere movie into a cinematic experience. Isn't that what we're hoping for when we fork over admission ... to be swept away?
TETRO. The luxury of cinema.
MICHAEL CORBIN IS AN AVID ART COLLECTOR AND AUTHOR OF THE AWARD WINNING, "THE ART OF EVERYDAY JOE: A COLLECTOR'S JOURNAL." CHECK IT OUT AT WWW.ARTBOOKGUY.COM
