Intl. Herald Tribune Gets Name Change, Lives On In BREATHLESS

When I was at the Berlinale Film Festival for the first time in 1998, one of the first things I did in Berlin was buy a copy of the International Herald Tribune. The paper, an European version of the NY Times in English (run by the Times with the assistance of the Washington Post since 1967), is iconic in many ways but especially to me as a filmmaker from it's memorable role in the French New Wave film BREATHLESS. Jean Seberg's character sells the paper in the streets of Paris and her uniquely wan barker's call is burned into my movie memory -- as is that film in general.

There's a piece in today's TIMES about the coming name change for that paper to the International New York Times (happening this fall) which, of course, doesn't quite have the same ring to it.  The article which is in the City Room blog, is fascinating for its mini-history of the NY Herald (for which Herald Sq is named after) and the Tribune (which spawned a sunday supplement which became New York magazine--who knew?).

I love reading about the old papers and how there used to be some many of them until television killed the daily print beast. Now the Internet is trying it's best to knock off what remains. But it's great to read about the way things were and all the different flavors these different papers brought to the coverage of old New York.

Morris Engel's LITTLE FUGITIVE Is Amazing (And At Film Forum)

Over the weekend, I went to Film Forum and saw a film called LITTLE FUGITIVE. Directed by Morris Engel and shot in beautiful 35mm black and white, the feature tells the simple story of a boy who runs away from home to Coney Island circa 1953. But what is truly amazing is Engel's cinematography, some of it shot clandestinely with a handheld 35mm camera that he created specifically for the shoot. There are some stunning images, like the one above of the said fugitive hanging out under the boardwalk. 

Also notable is the performance of the lead, a non-acting Brooklyn kid named Richie Andrusco. (He was actually at the screening before the one I attended to do Q&A and is a man now in his 60s.) Andrusco gives a remarkable spunky performance, along with other non-actors in the film, as he scavenges the beach for bottles, ride ponies (real and fake), and tries his scrappiest to survive in old New York.

LITTLE FUGTIVE is said to have inspired Francois Truffaut's 400 BLOWS (one of my all-time favorites) and, Truffaut claims, the entire French New Wave movement. You can definitely see hints of Antoine Doinel and his troubles, as well as the handheld cinema verite style which became the hallmark of the nouvelle vague. But this picture is lighter, cornier and filled with Americana, like the scene of the fugitive devouring a slice of watermelon. Ultimately, the movie is an utter delight and well worth checking out...today is its final day at Film Forum.