Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Get Low: THIS Is What Filmmaking Is All About!

You may have heard that Robert Duvall gives a commanding performance in the new film, Get Low.
And indeed he does.
Duvall is nothing less than astonishing in this film -- an accomplished actor at his very best.
But I'm here to tell you that the entire cast is superb.
What a joy it is to see Sissy Spacek back on the big screen. She's not only a great actress; she's also one of the most beautiful women in the world.
Bill Murray is wry, calculating and wonderfully assured.
Lucas Black is pure and steady and winsome.
And Bill Cobbs conveys a richness of character that is inspiring.
Get Low takes place in the 1930s in the South. And the film is so faithful to the time and the place that one feels totally transported to this other time and place -- a place of  tall tails, rugged individualism, endless toil and simpler distractions.
The story is based on the true tale of  Felix "Bush" Breazeale who attracted national attention (and a huge crowd) when he three himself a funeral party in 1938 in Roane County, Tennessee.
As depicted by Duvall, Bush is a hermit and an outcast who seems at odds with the world. Something in his past still haunts him but we don't know what it is -- not until Bush begins to come out of his hiding place to confront his demons.
This Aaron Schneider film is an American folktale but it plays with the richness and the vividness and the believability of the here and now. And yet  it still manages to do this while being true to time, place and genre.
The script by Chris Provenzano and C. Gaby Mitchell (both of whom serve as executive producers) is lean and measured so that every word, every sigh, every glance and every move are all the more effective.
Get Low moves at its own pace.
So, be prepared to take your time with this film. Venture into it as you would a carefully-crafted novel. Let the story unfold naturally. And pay attention to the details as the ultimate meaning of this compelling story is revealed.
These actors, this creative team, this script -- this is what fine filmmaking is all about.
Don't miss it!

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