Ang Lee Appears at Frameline Sneak Preview of Taking Woodstock
Director Ang Lee, along with screenwriter/producer James Schamus and star Demetri Martin appeared last night at a preview of Taking Woodstock at Embarcadero Cinemas. The film is a gorgeously shot and executed ode to the late 60s, and, unlike much of Lee's work of the last decade, it is LOL funny and doesn't end tragically. It's anchored by the story of Elliot Tiber, a young gay man who, while managing his parents' motel in the Catskills, became a central figure in bringing the great hippie tsunami of '69 to Bethel, New York. The movie features a fine and subtle performance by stand-up comedian and first-time actor Martin (pictured above, tripping, with Kelli Garner and Paul Dano), a restrained turn by Liev Schrieber as a transsexual, and a killer performance by Imelda Staunton at Elliot's mother that will, mark our words, win her an Oscar.
The screening was a benefit for Frameline, SF's LGBT film fest organization, and though not really a gay movie by any stretch, there is a sub-plot about the central character's (sort of) coming out. Lee, Schamus and Martin participated in a post-screening Q&A, and when asked about his obsession with iconic American stories (Ice Storm, Brokeback Mountain), Lee talked about his love for his adopted home and about how a lot cowboys were probably gay.
Other Q&A highlights included Martin discussing how awkward it was being around naked extras for extended periods in between takes, and both Schamus and Lee noting how hard it was finding so many young actors whose naked bodies were neither overly fit, nor overweight, nor unnaturally hairless. As Lee put it, "We had to cast them a couple months ahead so they could all grow their hair back." And as Schamus put it, "Young people back then didn't know how to do the 20 exercises it takes to have chiseled abs, and they didn't have landing strips."
Also, as Schamus pointed out for several characters in the film, post-Woodstock, all roads lead to San Francisco.
Unfortunately for the aging hippies, on the 40th anniversary of Woodstock there will be no commemorative concert as organizer Mike Lang would've liked. But you can see the trailer for the film here, and check it out when it opens at the end of the month.