Saturday is a day of rest between my two André Previn salutes on WWFM – The Classical Network. Yesterday’s “Picture Perfect” was devoted to Previn’s film scores, and “The Lost Chord” (tomorrow night at 10:00 EDT) will focus on his concert works. If you miss them, both shows will be archived as webcasts at wwfm.org.
By coincidence, earlier this week, The Criterion Collection held a flash sale on its extensive catalogue of DVDs and BluRays, and that put me in mind of another Andre – Andre Gregory, the batshit crazy theatre director, who plays “himself” in Louis Malle’s divisive cult classic, “My Dinner with Andre” (1981).
This is my stepfather’s most hated film. The way he still rants about it, you would think it was the longest 111 minutes of his life. I happen to think it’s brilliant, and often hilarious. Then again, I know people who remind me a lot of Andre. Some of them follow this very page! Throwing a “beehive” has become part of my active lexicon.
Wallace Shawn, again as himself, is put in the position of straight man. In contrast to Andre’s manic intensity as he relates his increasingly outlandish adventures (which include at one point being buried alive), Wally prefers the quiet enjoyment of ordinary pleasures, like drinking a cup of coffee or reading Charlton Heston’s autobiography.
Virtually the entire film, with the exception of the epilogue (memorably underscored by Erik Satie’s “Gymnopédie No. 1”), unfolds in an actual restaurant, as the two old pals meet for a dinner, which is consumed in real time. It is one grand bull session – granted perhaps not for everyone – but I find it an enjoyable time capsule of New York in the late ‘70s and an accurate portrayal of the artist as self-absorbed, delusional, garrulous madman, who, in spite of himself, occasionally hits on something visionary.
Also by coincidence, in searching for material to post for Handel’s birthday two weeks ago, I stumbled across this interview with conductor Sir Thomas Beecham, and it struck me how much at times it reminded me of Andre Gregory expounding to poor Wallace Shawn, complete with Shawn-like reaction shots of interviewer Peter Brook, Beecham’s captive audience.
Though the entire video is certainly worthwhile, the actual interview takes place from 8:38 to 15:46.
My Dinner with Sir Tommy.
