Fogi Is A Bastard
Picture: B-
Sound: B- Extras: D Film: B
You got to love any film with a title like Fogi Is A
Bastard and the 1998 film takes place in 1973 Zurich, Switzerland, as Beni
(an impressive Vincent Branchet) falls in love with Mick Jagger-wanna be lead
singer of a Rock band called The Minks.
Fogi (a pitch perfect Frederic Andrau) is the lead singer who decides to
answer a fan letter Beni writes, acknowledging that they are both Gay. Soon, they are together ands hit it off
immediately. If it were an American
film, based on the title, Fogi would abuse Beni for the entire film and one or
both would die in some stupid, predictable, dramatic way. Fortunately, this is much smarter.
I was already impressed by Marcel Gisler’s The Blue Room
(1991, reviewed elsewhere on this site), but this is even more impressive. Gisler & Rudolf Nader, based on the book
by Martin Frank, penned the very well thought out screenplay and once again the
sex is not harped on at the expense of narrative. Yet, the sex and sexuality is not downplayed by any means and
part of Gisler’s great project as a filmmaker has been to deeply explore all
sexuality like no one has since Stanley Kubrick, who made films about
heterosexual patriarchal rises and falls that only included homosexuals who
were hanging around for all the wrong reasons.
To show what an important filmmaker Gisler is becoming,
the capturing of 1973 lays low a long series of Hollywood-produced failures
that either tried too hard or were so soundtrack driven as to be a joke. That is a separate essay to go into, but
everyone is convincing and the era is captured in subtle ways, especially in
the most important that the vast majority of such films since the 1980s fail
miserably at: the aspects of the freedom of the characters. Films from that point to date have been more
interested in revisionist history, loaded with anti-individual propaganda
trying to brainwash the audience into conforming and deny the breakthroughs of
the past. Great films do not try to
turn back the clock.
Andrau and Branchet are totally convincing in the way
their relationship develops. Chemistry
does not begin to describe how well things transcribe between them, the
delivery of dialogue, the back and forth between them and their characters, and
how they develop and grow throughout their relationship. I can think of few films where the two
intimately involved lead characters work so seamlessly. That alone is reason to watch the film, but
then the story very well rounded and that is a great combination. Fogi Is A Bastard is a strong film
about Rock music, about the early 1970s and about homosexuality. This is very accomplished.
The letterboxed 1.85 X 1 image makes great use of its
locations and indoor set ups. Sophie
Maintigneux’s cinematography is terrific and I would love to see how this looks
on film. Too bad this is not an
anamorphic transfer, but it is on the sharp and detailed side for one that is
not. Digital High Definition could
bring out some strong qualities as well.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo has very healthy Pro Logic surrounds and
was a Dolby Digital theatrical release.
It is amazing this was not a larger hit import, but deserves to be
discovered by a larger audience and this should sound better in a 5.1 mix. Rainer Linghk’s original music blends in just
right with the classic Rock music by The Velvet Underground, some of the same
songs used in Oliver Stone’s underrated The Doors (1991). I wonder what this would sound like in
DTS. Sadly, there are no extras, but if
Gisler breaks out further as one would hope, maybe we could see a special
edition in a few years. See the film
itself now.
- Nicholas Sheffo
