Back in 2006, the lovely yet sad romantic drama Ask the Dust came and went in theaters after being met with a muted critical response and a noticeable lack of studio publicity, despite a handful of passionate supporters (Ebert, Dargis, and Todd McCarthy most notably), not to mention a starry cast. Written and directed by cinema legend Robert Towne, the film is a honeyed, romanticized version of the 1939 John Fante novel, a clear labor of love and passion project for Towne, who used his clout to tell a uniquely personal story that few others would have likely attempted. I love movies about writers, and that’s what Ask the Dust primarily is – a love letter to the craft of writing and to the passionate spirit that is required to create. If the film is mildly awkward, that’s OK; there’s a traditional quality to the storytelling that feels quaint and old-fashioned, which may not feel modern enough for some viewers. Tremendously evocative of time and place (1930’s Los Angeles), the film was radiantly lensed by master of light Caleb Deschanel (The Natural, The Passion of the Christ, The Right Stuff), and each and every shot is a model of visual perfection, with a quality of light that’s stunning to behold. The Criterion Collection or Twilight Time should be looking into putting out this underrated item on Blu-ray because only a DVD is currently available.
This film was part of that amazing run for Colin Farrell (Alexander, Miami Vice, The New World) and he brought a restless quality to the role of Arturo Bandini, an Italian immigrant who is attempting to write the next great American novel while living in a rundown apartment in Bunker Hill. He unexpectedly falls in love with a Mexican immigrant, Salma Hayek, who has dreams of escaping the only life she knows. Hayek may have been too old for the role, but she brought a passionate sexuality that’s rarely been glimpsed on screen from her. It’s almost as if certain filmmakers have been scared to unleash her full, fiery potential, but in Ask the Dust, Towne got a performance from her that’s full of life and tenacity and zest. I love how Farrell and Hayek throw barbed zingers at each other during their courting process, and when it’s finally time for the two of them to take it to the next level, the inherent drama in the story creates speed-bumps that they don’t see coming. Ask the Dust feels like it HAD to be made by Towne, a movie that clearly was born out of a long-time admiration for the material, and a film that only a Gentlemen of the Cinema could have gotten made. Co-starring a sweaty, disheveled Donald Sutherland, and a pre-infamous Adelle Dazeem, errr, Idina Menzel.
Podcasting Them Softly 