by Louis Black
This story starts a few months back when Richard Linklater (director of Slacker, Dazed and Confused,
Before Sunrise, and the Austin Film Society) called a meeting of the board
of directors of the Film Society, on which I sit. Over the last decade, the
Film Society has programmed over 50 different programs, bringing films by
everyone from Yasujiro Ozu to Sam Fuller to Rainer Werner Fassbinder to
Jean-Luc Godard. A major project for the next few years, Linklater suggested,
was to start a fund to give small grants to regional filmmakers. There is no
better way than cash to help a struggling filmmaker, and this seemed the
inspired next step for the Film Society, especially given Austin’s growing
prominence as a center for independent filmmaking.
One of the obvious ways to raise money was through premiere screenings with
special guests. The Austin Film Society, in conjunction with the
Chronicle, had successfully done events like this in the past,
presenting Linklater introducing Quentin Tarantino introducing Pulp
Fiction, and Linklater with actor Ethan Hawke introducing Before
Sunrise.
The next benefit/premiere would be Robert Rodriguez’s From Dusk Till
Dawn starring George Clooney and Tarantino, and with a script by Tarantino.
Rodriguez had already promised Linklater the Film Society could have the film;
the tricky part would be to navigate the releasing schedule of the studio
(Dimension/Miramax). The film was set to be released in late February, then
late January.
On Thursday, January 4, Elizabeth Peters from the Film Society called to say
that From Dusk Till Dawn was being released on January 19, and would we
co-sponsor a screening at the Paramount Theatre on Thursday, January 18 with
Linklater introducing Tarantino and Rodriguez? Yes. We booked a two-third page
ad in the Chronicle.
The problem was that we had already set up a free screening with the White
Rabbit (where tickets would be distributed), Fox KTBC-TV channel 7, and
KLBJ-FM. No problem — everyone came on board. That Thursday and Friday, there
was some discussion with the studio as to how many tickets would be sold, but
everything seemed okay. On Monday, we began hearing the screening might be
either Monday 15 or Thursday 18. Then, the word was that the screening
might happen, but it might not happen. Every time either Jerry Johnson or
Elizabeth Peters from the Film Society called, or Linklater’s assistant Amy
Lowrey contacted us, something changed. Somewhere in there, the
Chronicle‘s marketing director Laura Pruter asked Roy Holley if we could
host a party at his Hang ‘Em High Saloon afterwards, though we weren’t sure
what day and if it was going to happen. Hang ‘Em High was the perfect
room, big enough to handle the crowd but with an intimate feel. Remarkably,
Holley said yes, keep him posted.
Monday, the screening was still on and we were told not to worry, that
Rodriguez would grab Tarantino and bring him.
On Tuesday, the screening was taken off the Thursday date because there was
already a party slated for the film in Los Angeles that night. Tarantino’s
office said not to worry, he would drag Rodriguez down and they would come on
Monday, the only other possible day.
On Wednesday, it became definite that Rodriguez couldn’t come because he was
shooting a ZZ Top video (the band had written a song especially for the
soundtrack) on that day, and though in touch with his office, we heard nothing
from Tarantino. Everyone reluctantly decided that the screening was not going
to happen and it was canceled. The Chronicle went to press without the
ad.
Thursday morning, Johnson called to say Tarantino had called and of course he
was coming, he would be there for the now-dead screening on Monday night and he
thought he could even drag George Clooney with him. News on Thursday about a
screening the coming Monday is news that will never be news in an issue of the
Chronicle. Johnson asked if I thought the word could be gotten out in
such a short time. Sighing, because the news could be gotten out, though
not in the Chronicle, I said I knew we could get support from the
Statesman‘s fine new film critic, Ann Hornaday, who has been extremely
supportive of the local scene, as well as from local radio. Thursday, it was
decided to go ahead. The benefit screening would indeed be Monday night, the
free screening (co-sponsored still by White Rabbit, KLBJ-FM, KTBC-TV channel 7,
and the Chronicle) would be Tuesday.
On Friday, Hornaday had an item in the Statesman about the benefit.
KLBJ-FM and KGSR-FM both supported the event and helped promote it. Friday
evening, 40 minutes after the tickets went on sale, they were sold out.
Still, every time Peters or Johnson called for the next few days, I was sure
they were calling to say it was off. Sunday night, the night before the
screening Elizabeth called me at home. I froze, but she was just calling to
invite me out for drinks with Linklater and Tarantino (who was now in town) and
friends. During the evening, Tarantino told how he and Rodriguez had talked
about this screening in Austin while they made the film. Rodriguez really
wanted to be here but his schedule was just too full. After drinks at
G�ero’s, we went over to listen to Junior Brown at the Continental Club.
Tarantino couldn’t believe his good fortune that he got to hear Brown live.
Monday night, at the Paramount, to a packed house, I introduced Linklater by
telling pretty much the above story and pointing out how this sold-out
screening happened because these filmmakers were so devoted to making it
happen. Linklater talked about the Austin Film Society and its programming,
including the current Tenth Anniversary Tuesday night free retrospective at the
Union Theater at UT (the Sixties Experimental Program on January 23, and D.W.
Griffith’s Intolerance on January 30).
Tarantino talked about how much Rodriguez wanted to be here and how this was
the very first public screening of From Dusk Till Dawn anywhere in the
country. He introduced the film by inviting us to imagine we were at a drive-in
and the kung fu movie had just ended. “Pretend you’re at a grindhouse,” he
exhorted the crowd. Then they showed the movie.
Afterwards there was a great gathering at Hang ‘Em High Saloon, and catered by
Jazz. The screening happened because Rodriguez, Linklater, and Tarantino wanted
it to happen both to help the Film Society present the film to Austin and
because they thought it would be a hell of a party. It was.
The deadline is near for both the Music Poll (see p.15) and the Musicians Register, co-sponsored by
107.1 KGSR-FM (p.39). You must be in the Musicians Register to qualify for the
free 7th annual musicians appreciation dinner at Threadgill’s (p.47),
co-sponsored by Threadgill’s, KLBJ-FM, the Chronicle, and the Austin
Music Network.
This article appears in January 19 • 1996 and January 19 • 1996 (Cover).