on 3/10/2025, 2:24 pm
The Brussels arthouse Bozar is worth bookmarking for their programming, which ranges from film to music to literature. Two of their imminently upcoming events are noted here--first the recently restored LET'S GET LOST, a strangely prophetic autobiography of self-destruction "starring" Chet Baker.
Is Bruce Weber's film a "dreamy film noir"? It goes back to the question asked here some time ago, still lurking here on a back page: can a documentary also be a film noir? The Bozar curation team thinks so, and there is this review from IMDB that makes a case for such a interpretation (and yes, the stark black & white photography certainly pushes that front and center):
The re-release of Let's Get Lost is simply a gift. Bruce Weber spent six months on the road with Chet Baker in 1987 to catch a glimpse of the enigmatic and ultimately elusive musician. The film noir feel to the documentary is evoked from the beginning with a sublimely beautiful shot of Baker's old and wizened face while sitting in the back of a convertible, his hair dancing in the wind. Even though he is sitting between two beautiful women, one being his partner at the time; Baker's melancholy is evident. With every breath Baker exudes the pain and tribulations of his fifty seven years. It is no mistake he found his home in Jazz, the perfect catharsis and sanctuary for someone of his sensibility.
His physical beauty as a young man is perfectly juxtaposed with the changed man we meet in the documentary. Yet even with his gaunt appearance and ambling speech, Baker still possesses a charm and charisma that is uniquely his own. It becomes clear as the documentary progresses that Baker left a lot of pain and heartbreak in his wake. Ex-wives and past girlfriends talk unkindly about him in one breath and praise him in the next. His magnetism was a godsend and a curse in the end.
Whatever is said about Baker what is undeniable is his musical prowess. His flair for the trumpet coupled with his beautifully sad voice are an irresistible combination. An appearance at Cannes with Bruce Weber during the opening of one of Weber's documentaries showcases a heartbreaking rendition of 'Almost Blue' at the after party. He silences the baying party goers before beginning and proceeds to close his eyes and expose his soul in front of the audience. It is moments like these that captivate the viewer. Let's Get Lost remains one of the finest musical documentaries ever made, up there with D.A. Pennebaker's Don't Look Back.
https://www.bozar.be/en/calendar/meet-writer-daniel-kehlmann
German novelist Daniel Kehlmann's latest novel is called THE DIRECTOR, focusing on the fraught WWII experiences of G. W. Pabst. With an extended appearance from Josef Goebbels, it promises to be a "dark" reading experience.
The book is due out in an English translation on May 6th.
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