Canadian Film Digest (Nov 1973)

Page 16 The Canadian Film Digest About a really low-budget feature: $12,000 cost by KATHRYNE WING The term ‘low budget film’’ has become almost synonymous with the term ‘‘Canadian Film’’, and no one in the Canadian film industry is particularly surprised when they hear that some brave soul is attempting to make a feature film with a budget of. $100,000. They might, however, be surprised to learn that in Toronto this summer, a 75 minute, 16 mm, colour murder mystery was shot with a total budget of less than $12,000. Dennis Zahoruk’s “The Shakespeare Murders’’ out-low-budgets them all. When Zahoruk, a graduate of York University’s Program In Film, started writing “The Shakespeare Murders’’, he had no intention of making a feature. Although he had worked on three major films, including '‘The Crowd Inside’’, ‘‘Another Smith For Paradise’, and ‘‘The Neptune Factor’’, he felt that if he was serious about developing his skills as a film-maker, the time had come to make another film of his own. His last film, ‘Jason Borwick’’, won the second prize for ‘scenario films’ at the 1972 Famous Players Festival. Upon completion of his script, he realized that ‘‘The Shakespeare Murders’”’ had grown from a 40 minute film, to the length of a short Writer-producer-director Dennis Zahoruk explains a shot. feature. At this point, there were three choices: he could try to whittle the film back to 40 minutes; scrap it; or go ahead and shoot it with his own money. With his first cut now completed, Zahoruk has spent $3,500. He’s submitted a proposal to the CFDC for completion money, but will finish the film regardless of their decision. To bring even a short film to the first cut stage for $3,500 is no mean feat. This is how he managed it. In return for using a number of York film students on his crew and for making himself and his rushes available to summer students, Zahoruk was allowed to use York University equipment and facilities for only the cost of insurance. Working through the Toronto Film-makers Co-op, he was given a 25% discount by. Quinn Labs for the majority of his processing and workprinting costs. The many locations he used rarely cost more than a credit and small fee paid toa person to remain with the crew during shooting. Finally, his crew and talent worked § for participation in the film — in other words, for free. Zahoruk says this last element was most important. The high calibre of work he ~ obtained from his actors, who were, with one exception, amateurs, and his non-professional crew is evident in his film and impressive. ‘The Shakespeare Murders’’ is a parody of the traditional detective mystery, and has all the needed ingredients: a promotion hungry police lieutenant; his bumbling side-kick; clues that Sherlock Holmes would adore; and a parade of somewhat eccentric corpses and suspects. Zahoruk’s use of normally neglected locations in and around Toronto makes the film visually pleasing and helps to disguise its low budget. While the acting is competent and in some Places quite good, the film’s pion Rcens point is its Shakespearean theme. Zahoruk describes ‘‘The Shakespeare Murders”’ as a basically entertaining little film with nice touches that raise it above the level of ‘‘cheap movie’’. He doesn’t realistically foresee theatrical distribution for the film, as it is more suited to television. Whether we will see ‘‘The Shakespeare Murders’’ on television or elsewhere, is a question that won’t be settled until the film is completed. Nevertheless, I think Dennis Zahoruk has already obtained his goal. His film is not only entertaining, it is a notable demonstration of his ability. Considering its $12,000 budget, ‘‘The Shakespeare Murders” is quite an accomplishment. I’m confident that any film person who sees Zahoruk’s film will confirm this. Canadian films — featured at international fests OTTAWA — The Secretary of State has announced that seven feature-length Canadian films have been invited to be shown at eight international film festivals being-held this fall in Beirut, Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Edinburgh, London, San Francisco and Arnhem, Holland. The Edinburgh festival, August 19 to September 2, invited ‘‘Between Friends” by Don Shebib who directed the award-winning ‘‘Goin’ Down The Road”’ (1971) and “‘Rip-Off”’ (1971). “Between Friends’, the official Canadian entry at the Berlin Film Festival this year where it was shown under the working title “‘Get-Back’’, appeared at the Arnhem Festival August 30 to September 5, the San Francisco festival October 18-24, the Chicago festival November 2-12 and the London festival, again in November. ‘August & July”’ by Murray Markowitz was also shown at the Arnhem festival. ACTRA publishes Face to Face The second edition of Face to Face with Talent has just been published — the only pictorial talent catalogue in the world issued by a performers’ union. The engagers wanted to see more performers in the second edition, and there are more. ACTRA and Equity agreed that this edition sheuld be open to Equity members as well as to ACTRA members — a worthwhile development frem everyone’s point of view. Not every member of ACTRA and Equity has entered, but there are 1,338 entries showing performers from Vancouver to Newfoundland. The television producers, the film producers, the producers of commercials and the theatres were united in their praise of the first edition and in their desire to have this expanded second edition. Claude Jutra’s ‘‘Kamouraska”’, starring Genevieve Bujold, was shown at the Atlanta festival September 7-15. It has also been invited to San Francisco and Chicago. “Rejeanne Padovani’? by Denys Arcand, widely acclaimed during the Directors’ Fortnight at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, has been invited by the Beirut, New York and London festivals. Mireille Dansereau’s ‘‘La Vie Revee’’, awarded Special Prize of the Jury at The Toulon Film Festival this June, will be shown at the Beirut & San Francisco festivals. The Atlanta festival also showed George Kaczender’s ‘‘U-Turn’’, which premiered August 15 in Montreal, and ‘‘Once Upon A Hunt” (‘‘Le Temps d’une Chasse’’) directed by Francis Mankiewicz who won the Special Jury Prize at the Canadian Film Awards in 1972, during its Canadian evening on September 13. with Talent Three thousand five hundred copies have been printed and will be distributed free to all producers, directors and casting people in canage — and to producers beyond our bor ers. Face to Face is part of ACTRA’s continuing campaign to make Canadian television more Canadian and to encourage production of Canadian feature films. It should be of parlicular interest and assistance to the advertising agencies and commercial producers, since it coincides with the announcement by Pierre Juneau, Chairman of the CRTC, of the Commission’s intention of requiring that a very large proportion of commercials be produced in Canada. SUuOT Eley onand Aidwiq oury :ojoyd November 1973 NFB ledicates building to Grierson ca 3 3 Sydney Newman, chairman of the National Film Board of Canada and secretary of State Hugh J. Faulkner unveil a plaque dedicating a new NFB building in memory of Dr. John Grierson. The ceremony was held on October 31 in the new John Grierson building at NFB headquarters in Montreal. The six-storey building, named after the founder of the NFB, ad joins the main building and houses the distribution, personnel, branches of the Board. and administrative Toronto group presents stage satire on Hollywood Musicals Toronto is presently enjoying.a stage musical that should be of interest to any reader of the Digest. And with Christmas travelling season close at hand, out-of-towners could have a chance to catch it. If should have a long run, ‘because although it has played about two months already, audience response is ensuring hold-overs. It’s called Dames at Sea, and is selfdescribed as a New Musicafof the 30’s. It really is a gathering together of every cliche in any Dick Powell-Ruby Keeler musical, including a Busby Berkely number on a stage the size of your living room. And it’s hilarious. Everything is done outrageously and in the extreme. There’s the leading lady vamp, expertly played by Julie Amato, There’s the hardened chorus girl Joan, who bears a striking similarity to Joan Blon dell, except in this part the actress is better. There’s Dick, the sailor on leave, and his friend (and Joan’s friend) Lucky. Lucky is always smiling. The theatre director gives a pep talk and tears his hair. Star Mona and Chorus Girl Joan in Dames at Sea. Deborah Packer (left), Charlene Shipp (centre) and Julie Amato recreate the 30's musicals Place a ; Season’s Greetings ad in the December Film Digest ‘are ready to go on, but the theatre is about to be torn down so the show can’t go on. Enter Ruby, fresh from Centreville. Follow Dick, who has carried her lost luggage from the station. They meet, they fall in love. Raby lands a part in the chorus. Dick and Lucky offer their ship for a stage. The show is saved. Disaster strikes: Mona gets seasick and can’t go on. The director gives Ruby Warner Bax _ter’s speech from 42nd Street, and a star is born. Mona doesn’t care because she gets the rich captain. The cast is uniformly excellent and frequently rises far above the material. The dialogue is continually funny, as are the lyrics. But the music is mediocre; it doesn’t matter though, because it fits the events and point of view on stage perfectly. Director Joel Greenberg maintains just the right attitude to his material, and captures the innocence and real danger of those 1930’s efforts very well. It’s playing at the Theatre in the Dell on Simcoe Street. See it.