True to form Michael Polish’s Big Sur is a cinematic masterpiece; both beautifully and powerfully done. And true to Jack Kerouac’s ‘Big Sur’ itself you get that amazing sense of these people, the uniquely interesting prose that is the voice overs and just how right Michael got it!
Watching the film it’s like San
Francisco and Big Sur were transformed into the 1960’s creating a priceless time
capsule. The attention to detail in creating Kerouac’s world is superb and
combined with the cinematography that captures the incredible beauty of Big Sur
itself the film is visually timeless. Bic Owen has also captured the essence of
the era in her costume choices, adding to the authenticity of the film.
The film’s original score is a mixture
of The National and Kubilay Uner’s unique sound. The score is hauntingly
beautiful and superbly intertwined with the natural sounds of the crashing ocean
creating an intimate soundtrack to Jack’s life.
The opening sequence combines the
beauty of Big Sur, through fantastic camera angles and shot lengths, with the
world of Jack Kerouac as original footage of Kerouac on the Steve Allen show transforms
into Jean-Marc Barr portraying the literary icon of the beat generation.
Throughout the film the stunning beauty
of Big Sur is a brilliant counterpoint to the desperation of Kerouac as he
struggles with his inner demons, while the voice overs taken directly from the
author’s novel set the scene. Jean-Marc Barr was the perfect choice to play
Kerouac and his voice rings true in the voice overs, which were a powerful way
of telling Kerouac’s story and pulled you into Jack’s world and experiences. The
grainy home videos and the moments when we saw things unfocused from Jack’s
point of view gave great insight into his past and present; colliding these two
worlds.
My favourite moment in the novel
was when Kerouac was playing an elaborate game of peek-a-boo with his hospitalised
friend as he’s leaving after a visit. In spite of everything that he’s going
through and all the inner demons he is fighting this moment shows that Jack
still has an inner child, an innocence that can’t be lost and a hope that
clearly can’t be entirely extinguished. This scene came alive in the film with
the same wonder as the words in the book held; it truly captured this moment of
light in the darkness and I couldn’t help but smile.
While in San Fran to see Big Sur screened at the San
Francisco International Film Festival I got the opportunity to wander around
and take in the ambiance and history of City Lights Bookstore. Having browsed through
the books by those who were a big part of Kerouac’s life and having seen the
posters that hold pride of place in the store the actors chosen to bring these
literary wonders to life were brilliantly matched in physicality and each
wonderfully portrayed their 1960’s counterpart. Kerouac’s muse and the man who
was like a brother to him, Neal
Cassady, was brought to life by Josh Lucas; the two actors playing brilliantly
off each other portraying a bond stronger than blood. Each of Anthony Edwards
(as Lawrence Ferlinghetti), Balthazar Getty (as Michael McLure), Patrick
Fischler (as Lew Welch), Henry Thomas (as Philip Whalen) and John Robinson (as
Paul Smith) also did a fantastic job of portraying these beat generation writers
and their uniquely individual relationships with Jack.
The women behind the men of the
beat generation were portrayed with an artistry and heart by three talented and
inspiring actresses. Neal Cassady’s wife Carolyn was brilliantly portrayed by Radha
Mitchell, while Neal’s mistress and Jack’s lover Billie was exquisitely brought
to life by Kate Bosworth. Additionally, Lew Welch’s girlfriend Lenora was wonderfully
portrayed by Stana Katic. Each of these women represented the love, passion and
perhaps even ownership of what it was to be a woman ingrained in the world of those
from the beat generation. It was a different world, a different time and for
these women something caught somewhere between worship and oppression as they
lived lives with men they both loved and perhaps even resented. Carolyn was a
women caught in a four way love affair. Neal and Jack shared everything and
that did not end at women. While married to Neal, Carolyn also had an emotional affinity
with Jack that seemed to have been physical over the years as well. Added to
the mix was Neal’s mistress Billie who later also became Jack’s lover. While
these two women knew of each other’s existence it was Jack who ultimately
introduced the two bringing the unusual love quartet full circle. Radha really
captured the nuances of Carolyn, a woman torn between two men who were
ultimately torn between the struggles of life and two women. Kate has a
beautiful spirit that brought such heart and pain to the tormented Billie;
mistress, lover, mother and yet ultimately lost in the world, wanting both to belong
somewhere and end her suffering simultaneously. And then you have Lenore, portrayed
by the spirited Stana Katic, who is this completely free and wild force, so
full of life and laughter, untainted and unjaded by the life that Carolyn and
Billie find themselves in.
As always the various elements at
all stages of production tie together superbly to create a world and characters
that draw you in and leave you watching until the final credit roles. The heart
behind this film and the attention to detail brought to life a world different
from the one we now know, yet not forgotten by those who keep its memory alive.
Michael has surely earned himself a place as one of those guardians for the
beat generation with his adaptation of Big Sur.
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