British trilogy will get special screening at IFC Center
RED RIDING — 1974 (Julian Jarrold, 2009)
RED RIDING — 1980 (James Marsh, 2009)
RED RIDING — 1983 (Anand Tucker, 2009)
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Based on four novels written by British author David Peace (THE DAMNED UNITED), the RED RIDING TRILOGY is an epic crime noir set against the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper, a series of murders that took place in England in the 1970s. The first part, RED RIDING — 1970, directed by Julian Jarrold (BRIDESHEAD REVISITED), follows hotshot reporter Eddie Dunford (Andrew Garfield) as he returns home after an unsuccessful attempt at making a name for himself in the big city. Dunford is investigating the disappearance of several young girls, but he soon gets in too deep, uncovering rampant police corruption, falling for one of the victim’s mothers (Rebecca Hall), and battling powerful businessman John Dawson (Sean Bean), who will stop at nothing to build the area’s first giant shopping complex. The second film, directed by James Marsh (MAN ON WIRE), moves the action to 1980, as Manchester detective Peter Hunter (Paddy Considine) is summoned to help capture the Yorkshire Ripper. Trying to put his past behind him, Hunter immediately finds himself up against the local police, particularly Bob Craven (Sean Harris), who is hiding a dark secret. The third film, directed by Anand Tucker (HILARY AND JACKIE), heads forward in time to 1983, as Maurice Jobson (David Morrissey) begins to question his involvement in the corruption and cover-up and ragged lawyer John Piggott (Mark Addy) believes they might have convicted the wrong man.
Sean Bean plays a critical role as corrupt businessman in crime trilogy
Written by Tony Grisoni (FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS), the RED RIDING TRILOGY is a moody, gripping thriller that is part SERPICO, part THE WIRE, part INFERNAL AFFAIRS, with the first film focused on journalism, the second on police procedures, and the third on the law. Although each film — originally made for British television with an eye for international release — can stand on its own, there are recurring characters and overlapping story lines, and the dark, foreboding atmosphere haunts all three works. Despite being made by different directors, the films flow seamlessly into one other and are best seen back to back to back. With that in mind, the IFC Center will be screening the whole series fourteen times from February 5 to 11, beginning each day at 1:00 and 7:00, unfurling this Special Roadshow Edition of the five-hour trilogy for a special price of $25 that comes with a collectors program, free popcorn, two intermissions, and no commercials or trailers. Starting February 12, the films will be shown individually, with separate admissions.
Longtime Monty Python animator Terry Gilliam is perhaps the most frustrating filmmaker of the last thirty years. A remarkable talent whose works are often mired in controversy, from going way overbudget to having to deal with severe illness and even death on his sets, Gilliam has made such pure gems as TIME BANDITS (1981), BRAZIL (1985), and THE FISHER KING (1991) as well as such disasters as FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS (1998), THE BROTHERS GRIMM (2005), and TIDELAND (2005). His last real success was TWELVE MONKEYS (1995), making it nearly fifteen years since he has made a worthwhile movie. His latest adult fairy tale, THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS, is reminiscent of his 1988 film, THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN, a somewhat underrated though hit-or-miss effort that reached lofty heights while flirting with utter ridiculousness. Cowritten by Gilliam and Charles McKeown (who also collaborated on BRAZIL and MUNCHAUSEN), DOCTOR PARNASSUS is built around a Faustian plot in which a monk, Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer), who thinks his sect controls the story of the world, makes a deal with Mr. Nick, the devil (Tom Waits), involving Parnassus’s daughter, Valentina (Lily Cole). Valentina is part of the doctor’s traveling sideshow, along with the trusted, all-knowing Percy (Verne Troyer) and assistant Anton (Andrew Garfield), who is in love with Valentina but is unable to express his desire. The ramshackle show offers people the chance to walk through a mirror into their own private fantasy — during which they will eventually face a decision regarding their own potential deal with the devil. When the oddball troupe discovers a man hanging by his neck under a bridge, they welcome the charming, handsome, deeply mysterious stranger (Heath Ledger) into their outfit, but he is hiding a secret that could tear everything apart. PARNASSUS is an up-and-down affair in which a captivating, beautiful scene will be followed by a baffling segment that borders on the incompetent, as if the filmmakers forgot to edit it properly or couldn’t afford more takes to improve it. Fortunately, the last half hour is thrilling, especially how Gilliam and McKeown rework the script to deal with Ledger’s death when several key scenes still needed to be shot.