“The heart and soul of the movie business is in Hollywood.” – Cheryl Boone Isaacs
Day three of the Middleburg Festival kicked off with the President of AMPAS herself, Cheryl Boone Isaacs. The conversation took place in the intimate setting of the Salamander Library, a nice cozy room with wall upon wall of books ranging from the Norton Anthology of American Literature, to John Grisham and Dan Brown, and everything in between.
Boone Isaacs talked about the current Oscar season, and diversity within the industry. She talked about bringing on board over 683 new members to the Academy in the last year alone, and explained how she has spent much of the year helping educate filmmakers about how to join the Academy, since often she had heard, “I didn’t know I could join.”
Boone Isaacs also discussed how her brother, Ashley Boone Jr., was partly responsible for moving the summer blockbuster season from July 4 to Memorial Day when he was VP of Marketing at Fox. Boone Isaacs reflected on her love for film that she shared with her brother Ashley, who passed away in 1994 from pancreatic cancer. She also spent part of the hour-long conversation talking about her own beginnings in the film industry and confirmed that the Academy Museum will be opening on Wilshire Boulevard in 2018 — a tacit reminder that the heart and soul of the movie business is in Hollywood, and Hollywood proper extends its tendrils throughout L.A.
Straight after that, came Washington veteran David Gergen in the Salamander Library talking Politics and Hollywood. This was a packed house, close to 100 people had gathered and people were standing in the back eager to hear what the renowned D.C. advisor and current CNN commentator had to say. As Pablo Larrain’s Jackie had just finished screening, there was a brief discussion about that film. Aside from La La Land, Jackie was the hot topic of the festival, and Gergen agreed that Portman gives an exceptional performance in the film.
[Ha! On a side note, I started writing this just as I said goodbye to Middleburg and had planned to finish it on the plane. Remember how on my flight out I wanted to be disconnected from the internet? For the trip back I changed my mind, but alas, there was no connection to be found 34,000 feet up in the air, flying over Chicago and the rest of the country. Boo to that.]
David Gergen discussed the portrayal of other American presidents on film. Among the first clips he showed were from Oliver Stone’s JFK and Nixon. He juxtaposed Anthony Hopkins’ portrayals with that of Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon and said that the latter portrayal of Nixon was much closer to reality and more accurate because he felt it best captured Nixon’s belief that politics is a way of life and that he embodied its mantel of ultimate power.
Discussing the real Nixon and the unscrupulous politics of that era, it became necessary for the preservation of democracy to remove Nixon from office because of Watergate and his flagrant abuse of power. It was inevitable that another tyrannical personality like Trump would emerge, and the clear connection was drawn when Gergen mentioned how Trump has adopted some of Nixon’s style in his speeches.
The panel was open to discussion to everyone in attendance, and the crowd seemed primarily pro-Hillary, but that didn’t stop one person from asking whether it was appropriate for a President of the United States to be secretive? Gergen was swift to say “yes” when it comes to serving public interest. He said government officials had every right to be ambiguous and insisted there are many times when a president needs to be guarded to ensure the security of the public.
The hour-long panel could easily have run longer since Gergen had abundant stories to tell about his years of experience in politics, and spoke at length about the state of the current election. Asked what he would call this election if it were made into a film, he answered “Looney Tunes.”
And with that, we were swept off in our swanky Mercedes shuttles to the Boxwood Winery for a discussion with Production Designer Jeannine Oppewall.
The Boxwood Winery is about a mile down the road from the Salamander Resort. If you want to see an example of smooth event co-ordination, look no further than the Middleburg Film Festival. Conversations and panel discussions were well-timed, movies and Q&As were well-timed, so there was never any fear of missing the start of the next event you were meant to attend. Shuttles were waiting to carry us away as soon as Gergen’s conversation ended. It was the slickest piece of organizing I’d seen in yonks.
Oppewall has worked on films such as L.A Confidential, Pleasantville, and Catch Me If You Can, and has spent much of the last 5 years working on Warren Beatty’s Rules Don’t Apply.
This discussion continued the day’s events of fascinating talks with filmmakers, as it’s not every day we get to hear from the world of production designers and learn more of their essential contributions to films. Oppewall described the job of production designer as the person responsible for the overall look of a film and the atmosphere of the environments we see on film. Together with the team of art directors and set designers, they are an important part of what we see on screen.
She recalled her first experience of going to the movies and watching Lawrence of Arabia, a film she found so, “enveloping,” that she told her mother she wanted to be in that realm.
After college, her first job was working for legendary designer, painter and filmmaker Charles Eames, where she worked on documentaries and short films. She credits that experience for much of what she learned all about design by working, “at the feet of the master.” She also heeded the advice he gave her, “I can teach you how to draw, I cannot teach you how to think or see.”
The first clip Oppewall talked us through was the pot-bust street-scene in L.A Confidential with the memorable theater looming in the background. She explained that it wasn’t easy finding the exact look she wanted especially in modern Los Angeles. While the city of course has hundreds movie theaters, none had the grand aura the fit her vision of a 1950s premiere. It was only when driving through Hollywood, she looked up and saw the deco tower of a long-abandoned bank building and knew that she had found the location that would be transformed into the “El Cortez Theatre”
It was hardly a point and shoot moment, as the crew wasn’t allowed to make structural alterations to the historic building itself. So they constructed a temporary neon sign that floated unattached to the facade to replicate the illusion of a theater marquee. It all had to be built in a day, shot the next, and then taken down immediately.
The same problem was encountered when it came to the search for Kim Basinger’s bungalow that we see in the movie. Oppewall spent three months searching for the perfect house, and when she found it, she and her crew had to build faux doorways, paint and disguise surroundings to get the final look we see on screen.
You can head over to the Awards Daily Facebook page to watch Oppewall talk about working with Warren Beatty on his long-awaited Howard Hughes film, Rules Don’t Apply.
It was already an enormously educational and inspiring morning and afternoon. And, because you’re at the winery, you’re treated to a glass of Virginian wine. Sadly, my body doesn’t much like alcohol, but I did have a sip, and it was great, smooth tasting, full bodied wine with a gorgeous color. [Ha! That’s me trying to sound like a wine expert there. Convincing?]
At any rate, I lived to tell the tale of Jeannine Oppenwall discussion and my daring wine-sipping adventure.
The next session, for those not dashing off to see a movie, was back to the ballroom of the Salamander Resort where Henry Jackman played music from his films along with an orchestra. Now, that’s something we don’t get to enjoy every day, but this is the kind festival highlight that people get to experience — aside from the great line-up of movies. The audience has the privilege of seeing a famed Hollywood composer live in concert. If you’re a music lover then moments like these are Middleburg Festival must-see events.
“The heart and soul of the movie business is in Hollywood.” – Cheryl Boone Isaacs
It couldn’t be more appropriate that this line was spoken at the beginning of my day, a day that ended with the Saturday Centerpiece screening of La La Land.
Does it live up to the hype? I was almost scared it wouldn’t. I had been so excited about seeing this, for so many days, I had a countdown timer on my phone ticking down to the . I’d been emailing friends about my excitement as I sat down with my popcorn and vitamin water. (Did I mention you’re treated to complementary snacks and drinks in Middleburg?) I had a brief qualm of trepidation. What if after all the hype, it was actually not all that great? What if all the singing and dancing fails to transport me as it has done for so many others?
Alas, the first five minutes put me completely at ease, and I sat there for the next two hours with a massive smile on my face, tapping along, smiling, and falling in love with La La Land — both the film and the wondrous city where I now reside.
As always, Sasha has done the movie thorough justice with her review.
For myself, I love it. I love, love, LOVE it. The film is peppered with charming musical references and witty movie references. I fell in love with the film, the music is original, the cinematography blooms in vibrant Technicolor. There is such natural, sweet chemistry between Stone and Gosling that it’s hard not to fall in love with everything that is La La Land. As someone who moved to Hollywood from London just over two years ago, I can fully relate to the story line. I’ve walked the same streets, heard the same hopes and dreams, I’ve been stuck in traffic on the 405, and I’ve visited Griffith Park again and again because I grew up loving Rebel Without a Cause. Bravo Damien Chazelle for giving us La La Land. This movie sums up everything I needed in my life to affirm my love for LA, and to help me appreciate it that much more. It made me miss my new home. It also gave me a film that I never knew I yearned for, a film with breathtaking music and choreography, with outstanding dramatic performances to boot. A film that pays passionate homage to the glorious musicals that the old studio system once gave us.
After making a quick stop at the after party, it was off to bed for my final night in Middleburg. And off to bed I went. In love with Hollywood, in love with movies, with an enraptured smile on my face, humming City of Stars.
