Saturday, November 08, 2008

Synecdoche, New York: Charlie Kaufman's Directorial Début


How happy is the blameless vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd . . .

— Alexander Pope, "Eloisa to Abelard" (1717) [<---- !]

If you, like many I know, consider Charlie Kaufman's screenplay for the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind one of the most moving and stunning in existence, ISTM you will appreciate the news he's now taken to directing his own screenplays, control freak the guy who just turned fifty 1 November admits to being; and, his first feature, Synecdoche, New York, now in world-wide release, will probably also rank right up there among the best of 'em (especially considering the actors he managed to snag for its impressive cast).

Certainly, you'll appreciate the trailer for the film, if nothing else; its choicest lines are those you'll recognise as some about to become my all-time faves: Begging, knees, intimacy, weird, a lot of problems, kisses, 17 [!] years [1+7=8], I'm just a little person, their own stories, the wonderful works.



Thus, to conclude, I direct you to an interview CBC currently features on its website. To say more would be to deprive you of the full-frontal Charlie Kaufman interior view (something, in good conscience, I obvo cannot do).
p.s. UPDATE 10 NOVEMBER: Martin Monroe's review, "Melancholy, Baby," considers the cinematic implications of Kaufman's "brilliant downer"

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