The Toronto International Film Festival, whose most recent edition concluded this past weekend, encompasses scores of films of every stripe. But it’s also an opportunity for film fans to experience cinema in new ways. Towards that end, since 2007, TIFF organizers have set aside space—in both the physical and artistic sense_—in their Future Projections program for art pieces and other more challenging works. Among this year’s entrants was “Memories of Idaho“ conceived and directed by multitasking dynamo James Franco. SEE the TIFF INTERVIEW HERE or under VIDEOS.
The project is a video installation that reworks “My Own Private Idaho,” the 1991 cult classic starring Keanu Reeves and the late River Phoenix. Franco worked with its director Gus Van Sant on the project, different versions of which were presented earlier this year in Los Angeles and New York.
The two-part installation “consists of two works, ‘My Own Private River,’ a feature-length collage of outtakes focuses on the narcoleptic hustler played by River Phoenix,” notes the ArtsBeat blog on the “New York Times” website, “and the hourlong ‘Ghosts,’ shot on Super 8 film from one of the three scripts Mr. Van Sant used to make ‘Idaho.'”
Franco had nearly 30 hours of footage at his disposal. “Just seeing all this material on my computer on FinalCut was mind blowing—this movie had such a huge effect on me at a young age, now in its raw state, ready for me to edit,” he said. “It’s very sensitive material, so in my own head, just to give myself permission to do it, I said, ‘I’m going to act as Gus while I’m editing.'”
The Times describes a “deliberate makeshift aspect” to the physical space containing “My Own Private Idaho” which appeared to turn off some potential visitors. “It’s supposed to feel kind of like a church basement where an AA meeting met,” said Mr. Franco. “For me, I guess, it’s kind of a space where people can be honest. We were trying to create that environment to show a stark view of this material, or a more unadulterated look.”
Van Sant appreciates that Franco’s interest has given the original film new life.
While they worked on “Milk” together Franco learned that his director had kept all of the “Idaho” outtakes. “He wanted to see it, and then he wanted to have a copy of it and then he also wanted to make something out of it,” Van Sant recalls. “At each stage I was sort of like: ‘Well, I’m not sure’ and then he made this kind of cool thing, and then I decided it was good to keep going because he wanted to show it.”
“There just didn’t seem to be any use (for it not to) have a life if somebody was interested in working with it.”
CLICK HERE for a lengthy TIFF interview (nearly 47 minutes) featuring Franco and Van Sant posted to YouTube.
CLICK HERE for the ArtsBlog article.