West Hollywood, California (March 29, 2010) - Every now and again a totally charming, arresting film is made in Hollywood. Footprints is one of those films. 
Photo courtesy Footprints. WeHo News. |
A clever tale, almost a modern-day fable, Steven Peros’ film takes the sites we Angelenos know to avoid, i.e. the entire city of Hollywood, our sister to the east, and makes this exhausted town look both seedy and fresh at the same time, scene for scene.
Guerilla filmmaking must have been the order of the day, as we see the famed forecourt of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre virtually deserted, heralding a dawn shoot on a Monday, no doubt.
Sid Grauman is the in fact the true star of Footprints, and his legend permeates nearly every scene. Director of Photography Adam Teichman deserves much credit for making this so.
Kudos to the American Cinematheque for their cooperation in the making of this film (member yet? Best deal in town for the cineaste).
Photo courtesy Footprints. WeHo News. |
Much happens in the Egyptian Theatre forecourt as well as the Chinese Theatre’s hallowed setting.
A motley caste of adorable characters seemingly plucked from the Golden Age of Cinema and/or the nearest street corner populate the film, and some hilarious dialog and monolog work ensues.
Worth the price of admission alone is the diatribe regarding the placement of African-American matinee idols in the Chinese forecourt, with only Eddie Murphy getting his props.
All the lovely aspects of the Boulevard of Broken Dreams come to light, from the 1946 era Snow White Café to Shelly’s Diner to the Fontenoy.
Photo courtesy Footprints. WeHo News. |
Sybil Temtchine plays our bewildered heroine to a ‘t’ with an innocence and charm, and just as we worry the Big Bad City is going to bring her down, she rises triumphant the kindness of strangers.
Two faces you’ll recognize are the amazing Pippa Scott as Genevieve and H.M. Wynant playing Victor.
They lend the film much cache and give it the gilded edge that moves it up from travelogue to genuine portraiture.
Screening at Methodfest, the Calabassas film festival Tuesday, March 30, 7 pm (details www.methodfest.com) and also for those Wehoans allergic to anything west of Doheny, you can settle in comfortably for a screening at-where else- The Egyptian Theatre, with champagne reception to follow, on April 28 (details www.americancinematheque.com).
See www.footprintsthefilm.com .
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