Let's talk about New Orleans cinema, and by that I mean, stories set in or about New Orleans told in narrative cinema (no tv or web, although we'll most likely touch on a few documentaries along the way).
By far the most unusual, idiosyncratic city in America, somehow NOLA's cinematic legacy is weak. Weak in quantity, weak in quantity. This is baffling. I want to look at the history of NOLA cinema and get a discussion started on questions like:
Why are so few films set in NOLA any good? Is the track record as bad as it looks from a glance?
What is it about NOLA that resists easy adaptation?
What can NOLA filmmakers learn from the successes and failures in NOLA's cinematic past?
With all the hype around "Hollywood South" where is the indigenous filmmaking community?
Is it possible to tell original NOLA stories without compromising method or content to mainstream America?
Is it possible to elevate the role of cinema in a city so fundamentally musical and culinary?
To the right are 2 TOP TEN lists, one for features and one for documentaries. They are intended as provocation and stimulus, and I will be revising the lists regularly as I watch more films set in NOLA.
To date, I have not seen KID CREOLE, THE BIG EASY, or NEW ORLEANS, and I need to re-watch THE PELICAN BRIEF and CAT PEOPLE. These will be ingested at home and digested here.
Some definitions:
"NOLA cinema" means films ABOUT and/or OF the city of New Orleans, as defined by the Orleans parrish line. If it takes place in a bayou, it doesn't count. Sorry IN THE ELECTRIC MIST, PAPERBOY, SOUTHERN COMFORT, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD, ANGEL HEART, etc. Probably at some point I'll do a post about this type of film, maybe even add a Top Ten list for debate.
It also disqualfies 99.9% of the "Hollywood South"'s product. Sorry LOOPER, GREEN HORNET, OLDBOY, JURASSIC PARK 11, DIE HARD 7, HOT TUB TIME MACHINE 4, 29 JUMP STREET, etc.
"Hollywood South" is an term umbrella term to describe LA and NY based productions that shoot in Louisiana for tax credit reasons, but do development, casting, pre-pro, post, etc elsewhere. (By this fairly uncontroversial definition, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD counts, which is a story for a future post.) Typical features of "Hollywood South" include movie stars, millions of dollars of budget, screenplays telling a story than can happen anywhere, and a finished film that doesn't resemble New Orleans because they shot the most beautiful city in America to look like Anywhere USA.
"Hollywood South" is a major economic engine but a severe mixed blessing to local filmmakers. Expect a post or seven about that in the future.
This isn't an academic exercise: my end goal is to provoke discussion, dialogue, and inspiration that will create and foster an indigenous film community in New Orleans.
TOMORROW: a look at one of the high water marks for NOLA film: A LOVE SONG FOR BOBBY LONG, written and directed by Shainee Gabel from a novel by Ronald Capps, father of songwriter Grayson Capps.
I would put The Beyond and Bad Lieutenant above most of those movies
ReplyDeleteI'll add them to the list, thanks
ReplyDeleteSo true, Armak. The indigenous film community here is still struggling to get its legs, and unfortunately there are no tax credits to help at the budget level most indie films work in. We would have needed six or seven Flood Streets to qualify for a tax credit! I have seen a lot of progress though in the past 12 years, and I think that's due in large part to grassroots groups like NOVAC and WIFT Louisiana.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Helen. That's a great point about the tax credit. Groups like NOVAC and WIFT are extremely important but they could be doing more and better. I plan to discuss NOLA's film orgs and #cineNOLA in future posts.
ReplyDeleteFor such a small town, New Orleans has almost zero sense of community among filmmakers. In Chicago and New York, while they do compete with one another, they also support each other. Their film communities are very much like our musician community... they learn from each other... help each other find work... they work on each other's projects... they attend each other’s screenings. Hell, even in L.A., where it is pretty damn cutthroat, indies are way more of a community (although they do it because they have to, not because they want to). Filmmakers in this town are as bad as the writers, staying inside their little bubbles. Problem comes when those bubbles get burst from lack of support and certainly lack of knowledge of the craft.
ReplyDeleteAlso, filmmakers here are learning the wrong lessons. They have gotten too caught up in the "Hollywood South" thing, and believe that the best lessons to be learned come from the studio machines that roll into town. Yes, you can learn from them. But the real education comes from talking / networking with indie filmmakers who come into town or with the filmmakers already calling New Orleans home. It's kind of like an exchange student program, you teach them about your country and learn everything you can about their country... but in this case, local filmmakers should be soaking up as much knowledge and networking with them. The days of the Sundance darling, getting the 3 picture deal, are long over... and even when they were happening, you had about as much chance hitting the lottery. Indie filmmakers have to make their own way (outside of a studio system) but require others to make that happen... and without a true community, it will simply be a case of “using” each other which is usually a formula for failure.
Oh, and Angel Heart spends almost 1/2 of the running time in the city. 1/4 time outside the city. 1/4 time in New York.
Excellent observations, Daniel. I plan to talk about that at length, too.
ReplyDeleteInteresting point about AH, I haven't seen it in years, I oughtta check it out again. I doubt anything with voodoo will make my "essential" list, though LOL
All great comments so far, I'm psyched. This is my first stab at a blog. Does anyone know how to make the comments appear on the front page of the blog, so readers don't have to click thru to see them?
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