We'd been here before. Well, not exactly here, but we're experiencing an attack of the deja vu nonetheless: first in line again outside Hollywood's Mann's Chinese Theater, waiting for Noah Taylor's latest film to begin. At least this time we didn't have to drive cross-country to see it...
"Woundings," the debut feature film of Roberta Hanley premiered October 26, 1998 at the AFI Film Festival. Rozzie and I didn't see the film until two nights later on the 28th, which was just as well since it was at that particular screening where the gala event took place. Director and screenwriter Hanley attended with her husband, producer Chris Hanley (who I think sat right in front of Rozzie and me). Also in attendance were actors Sammi Davis, Jonathan Schaech, Julie Cox and Sarah Jane-Potts, all greeted by throngs of press just outside the theater. Not a bad way to catch a Noah Taylor film.
As usual, we made sure that our applause at the sight of Noah's name was heard well above the music and we giggled again at the first glimpse of Noah's face (it's been a long time - we're a little starved). If that really was Chris Hanley sitting in front of us, God knows what he was thinking.
Since Noah is literally in the film all of 3 or 4 minutes, I won't review the entire film. But here are the highlights of Noah's performance which I guarantee you won't read about elsewhere:
Much like in "True Love and Chaos," Noah's role is initially one of comic relief, and I'm glad to see that Noah's comic talents are once again being recognized. As an Australian journalist who covers a war on a remote island for an underground publication, Noah also plays the role of one-man Greek chorus and moral barometer. But, like the other characters in "Woundings," he does not remain unscathed by the ravages of war. His character is revealed to be a cocaine abuser whose muckraking only fuels the tensions on the island. By the end, he's completely lost his grasp of reality as well as his ability to effect positive change amid the chaos.
Okay, I might have a bias (no, not Emile!) but Noah's role was intriguing and pivotal, and for that reason alone it was a shame that the character was not developed more. Not that I would expect anything less, but Noah completely owned each scene he was in. I noticed that Rozzie and I weren't the only ones laughing or otherwise reacting to his presence. Unfortunately, much of his role is taken up in flashbacks where you only see him briefly taking photos of soldiers' corpses (though I have to admit there was one flash of him taking a photo with his hair hanging in his face where he looked pretty sexy... *Ahem* Sorry.) In short, we needed more!
How did Noah look? Well, I'll have to be honest, it's not a glamorous role and he looks a lot better in the publicity stills. Since his character is a drug abuser, Noah's made to look fairly haggard and he also spends half the time with a scar on the side of his face. Nevertheless, this is Noah we're talking here, so in our warped minds, he looks good to Rozzie and me no matter what they do to him. ;->
Highlights:
I don't know yet if "Woundings" has a distributor, but I'll keep you posted. If it is released at a theater near you, go see it! Even though Noah is in only a handful of scenes, I would never discourage a Noah fan from seeing a film in the theater, because I think we should support his career regardless. But if you miss it, you could do just as well renting the video and fast-forwarding to the Noah's parts... just like we all did with "Dogs in Space." ;->
Back to Reviews
Back to Noah's Lark