Werner Herzog is a regular. One time I met a man in a cowboy hat on Main Street and he was Jimmy Stewart. I saw Andre Tarkovsky and Richard Widmark exchange shots on the Sheridan Opera House stage (though not on the same night). Krzysztof Zanussi translated forTarkovsky and showed his miraculous "Imperativ." Kyle MacLachlan and Laura Dern strolled around town, hand-in hand, wearing matching seafoam green outfits and white shoes the year of "Blue Velvet." I was greeted heartily by Crispin Glover, who momentarily mistook me for director Tim Hunter ("River's Edge," "Tex"). I bowed down and kissed Hannah Schygulla's hand....
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William K. Everson showed Henry King's all-but-lost "One More Spring," a should-be-classic Depression-era comedy about the homeless nouveau poor in Central Park, starring Janet Gaynor, Warner Baxter and (in a small featured role) Stepin Fetchit. He also showed Luis Trenker's mountain film "The Lost Son" ("Der Verlorene Sohn"), which includes amazing documentary footage of New York during the Great Depression and which remains one of the most exhilarating movie experiences of my life. Budd Boetticher showed us some westerns and "The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond." Rainer Werner Fassbinder's penultimate film, "Veronika Voss," was unveiled only a few months after his untimely death. I saw Viktor Sjostrom's "The Wind" for the first time. For years, Chuck Jones showed and talked about his Looney Tunes in the gymnasium. leaving all of us winded from laughter -- and from the altitude. I first met Roger Ebert (though he doesn't remember it and there's no reason he should).
I have so many incredible memories of the Telluride Film Festival that, well, I feel my head beginning to explode just trying to recall them. These are among the first that bubbled up.
What will be going on up there this year? Get your own widget for the world's most exhilarating film festival -- same mountain place, same Mountain Time (Labor Day Weekend) -- above. Just click on "Forward" or "Customize and Embed."
Jim,
It could be great if you could share your experiences of Tarkovsky. What was it like to be audience to the great man?
And if you see Richard Corliss there, ask him if he remembers the guy who covered the very first Telluride Film Festival for "Film Comment".
My favorite memory is interviewing Henry King, sitting next to a stream. Also, having a brief conversation with Julie Christie was nice. And a chatting with Stan Brakhage on a flight back to Denver . . .
I am very jealous. I attended the Telluride Student Symposium in 2005. Chatting with Michael Haneke and the Dardennes were the highlights of that fest (although seeing Roger Ebert introduce the first Hou movie I saw at the Sheridan Opera House is unforgettable), and that weekend made me switch gears in my career goals from film production to film studies. A random story, maybe, but there is magic in that town and the atmosphere of the festival. I hope to return as soon as possible...unfortunately not this year. Have a great time!