For Kent Jones and Sammy Burch, almost everything about making their new Venice registered drama, “Late Fame.”
The two never met before discussing the film – Arthur Schnitzler’s 1895 adaptation of the novel in 1895 is an adaptation of a civil servant who suddenly wins praise for his past poems from a group of up-and-coming writers, but the name of Helmer Jones was the best for the scribe in “December of May.” After seeing many of his documentaries and his debut narrative feature “Diane,” Burch felt he was the man of his job.
“I remember thinking, ‘This would be really good for Kent Jones.’ I still have that memo app on my phone,” Burch tells Variety on Zoom, citing Jones’ “Humanity of the Eye.” They grabbed coffee in New York, as Burch said, “I just clicked this instantly.”
“Really, all the knowledge of the film is in his pocket,” Burch says. “And he’s very New York. He lives in so many new Yorks and recognizes these people.”
Burch’s adaptation of “Late Fame” changes the setting from 19th century Vienna to what is now New York City, modernizing characters that include retired poet Ed Sacberger (played by Willem Dafoe), the charming yet mysterious actress Gloria (Gret Lee), and a group of wise, hungry artists. NYC itself is a character from the movie. The group is trying to recreate the West Village art scene in which Sakuburger appeared in the ’70s.
Jones usually works from his own script, but he was on board as soon as he read Birch’s adaptation. In fact, he saw himself. Jones was the New York cinema legend himself, and worked for new videos in Manhattan before beginning his career as a film critic.
“I was very involved in the film scene and the world of avant-garde films,” Jones tells the diversity of his early days in New York. “It was the world that was there and it was gone, so I wanted to reflect that. And in the extreme cinema world, there’s nothing more than rediscovering a forgotten master.”
Dafoe also appeared in New York City’s experimental theatre community and helped establish the Worcester Group in the 1970s. Jones and Dafoe had crossed the road before, but they really spoke to me up until the fateful strokes they had on planes last year.
“I’m on the plane and who’s sitting next to Willem,” recalls Jones. “We basically talked about everything except ‘late fame’ for five hours. When he sent the script, he realized that while we were talking on the plane, he had a copy of the novel while reading it.
Dafoe’s performance as Sakuberger is modest yet powerful as viewers see the change in his humble post office workers when viewers are seduced by the possibility of literary glory. “He’s just a lightning bolt,” Burch says. “What he brings to this character is that sensitivity and such vulnerability.”
Also seducing him is the group’s muse Gloria. Gloria tastes attention while hiding the reality of her life and career. Sandra Hüller was initially obsessed with the project, but had to drop out due to schedule conflicts, but he managed to do Lee seamlessly.
“When we arrived at Greta, wait a minute, why didn’t we have this argument six months ago? If we knew Greta Lee…” Jones says. “And I said, ‘I’m going to pray she wants to do it.’ The funny thing was that she jumped at it right away. ”
Regarding Lee, Jones said: “Everything about her performance is important. She did something very difficult because there is glamour in her performance, but glamour is the property of her personality.
The film culminates in a group of artists throwing a showcase to get them to read one of his poems for the first time in decades. Jones and Burch went back and forth between source materials for the poems he read, and the director considered asking one of the poet’s friends to write it. But at the end of the day, the answer was before them.
“Kent says, ‘Oh, I wrote that. I just wrote a poem.’ And it seems like that amazing poem,” Burch says. “It’s so funny to me. ‘Where did you find this, what kind of poem is this?’ And he’s like, ‘Oh, I wrote it today.’ There are undoubtedly things that are moving, and so are very relevant. ”
“Late Fame” premiered on Saturday in the Horizon section of Venice, marking Birch’s first mark at Lido and Jones in 26 years. Jones doesn’t want viewers to leave the film with a particular message, but he hopes the film will help “reframe” their perspective.
“That’s about art,” says Jones. “It’s not the practical value of it, it’s an expansion of the vision that could happen through it.”
Jones then teases her about writing a script for two “100% ready” stories. One is another New York set film and the other takes place in Berkshire. But both he and Burch want to work together again.
“She was just the best,” Jones is keen on Birch. “And God, she’s so funny. Every time I receive a text from her, she actually makes me laugh.”
