| Issue #33, November 10, 2006 |
They Made The Movie Here Film Festival 2006
When Garbo spoke, the world trembled. The Swedish born star of silent films was so revered, panic set in when she agreed to do a talkie. Would she break the spell her voiceless emoting had cast? No. On the contrary, her foreign-accented, deep voice (about three octaves lower than her co-stars) added more suave, sultry sex to the languorous image. Long, long after she left the limelight for reclusiveness, the sheer mystery of her lonely life in Manhattan created a new legend and, the curiosity spread a wider aura. Fans continued to multiply. This is the subject of Garbo Talks – an homage to the actress who wanted to be alone.
This Saturday, November 18, at 3 p.m., Westhampton’s Performing Arts Center on Main Street in Westhampton Beach, will present Dan’s Papers They Made the Movies Here Film Festival screening of Garbo Talks. It’s a warm and witty Valentine to Greta Garbo, made with love and affection by a gang of East End artists led by Sidney Lumet, the world-class director and East Hampton squire. He rounded up scores of the rich-with-talent and famous to put their signatures on the tribute and they had a good time doing it. Besides, the leading performers, you’ll be spotting local celebrities - a lot of them. I’ll let you find them.
Garbo Talks traces a young man’s attempts to find Garbo and convince her to meet his mother, the ultimate Garbo fan. His mother is portrayed by Anne Bancroft. She’s the person the word feisty was made for. She’s an ardent activist for every good cause. Her son, however, is a bit of a nebbish, unhappy in his accounting job and not quite thrilled and delighted in his marriage. As played by Ron Silver, you know he’ll do the right thing. He’s always there to bail his mom out of jail, visit her and have her to dinner. When she finds his wife spent three hours on the meal, she said, “She should have read War and Peace.” His father, Steven Hill, long ago divorced Anne and she’s happy protesting things like “marriage” and, also, her fascination with Garbo. When we first see mom she’s in bed sobbing as she watches TV’s screening of a Garbo film. Garbo is dying.
Anne does not yet know she, herself, is dying of a brain tumor. Ron is the first to know. When he tells her, her big regret is the news of cobalt treatments – she just had her hair dyed! But with only four months to live, she must have one wish fulfilled. She must meet Garbo. This begins Ron’s odyssey. Search, research and search, and search for Garbo. Source to source. Person to person: Howard Da Silva, Dorothy Loudon, Hermione Gingold and more. Will he have to follow Garbo to Spain, France, Antigua or Fire Island? Gum-shoeing is time and money consuming. It even costs him his marriage. He persists. He does go to Fire Island, guided by Harvey Fierstein. But time is running out. Does he succeed? Yes! Then he’s without his mom. It’s O.K., the boy has grown up. The experiences of his quest have taught him a lot of what his mother knew all the time.
There will be tears as the lights come up but also some talk with our host and very fresh refreshments. Come and share a tear, a smile and a surprise, or two. It happens in Westhampton. The password is “Are you from Oslo?”
Guy-Jean de Fraumeni is the producer/writer/ director of award-wining European and American feature films. He has been a judge at major Film and TV award competitions, including the Oscars, the Emmy’s and various film festivals. He is assisted by Sarah Halsey
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