"Huston called the production designer and myself into his motel room to have a talk a day or so before the picture. And he asked me and the production designer, Dick Sylbert, what we thought the picture was about. I don't remember my answer but I remember Dick Sylbert's. He said the film was about life going down the drain before you had the chance to put the plug in. That's all I needed to know precisely what to do or to know precisely how I felt about it...Sylbert vocalized it and Huston agreed with it and that was a very valuable experience in helping me to do my job." Cinematographer Conrad Hall from the book "Masters of Light: Conversations with Contemporary Cinematographers"

Conrad Hall is discussing his work on the 1972 film "Fat City", starring Stacy Keach and Jeff Bridges, directed by John Huston -- or not. I'll explain in a minute. "Fat City" failed to connect with an audience upon its initial release. The film's reputation has blossomed in the intervening years. It is now considered an important example of "New Hollywood" in the 1970s, the last great decade of American filmmaking.

I bring this up because I recently read Susanna Moore's memoir "Miss Aluminum", published in 2020. Moore was the girlfriend (and then wife) of production designer Dick Sylbert. She accompanied Sylbert on location for the shooting of "Fat City". In her memoir, Moore makes the stunning claim that Dick Sylbert and Conrad Hall directed the film; that John Huston was too old and tired to accomplish the task.

I did some research and found no mention of Moore's astonishing claim in the press. All the book reviews focus on Moore's many affairs, including actor Jack Nicholson, and her short stint as Warren Beatty's script reader. I find this extremely puzzling. Is it because no one takes her accusation seriously? Conrad Hall, in the above interview, certainly does not take credit for directing "Fat City". Any future biographer of John Huston, though, I think would have to address this.

In related news, Anthea Sylbert, costume designer and producer, died this month at the age of 84. Anthea was married to Paul Sylbert, Dick's twin brother. Anthea Sylbert designed the costumes for "Shampoo", "Chinatown", and "Day of the Dolphin". She also worked as an executive at Warner Bros. and United Artists. A documentary on her life is currently in production.


Here's the latest article from the Drama Movies site at BellaOnline.com.

Black Tide - A Jack Irish Movie - Review
Hot and humid weather calls for a discussion of sunshine noir. Guy Pearce stars in this paranoid thriller set in Melbourne, Australia, based on a novel by Peter Temple.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art309295.asp

For more great content, visit my new site SelectiveFocusBlog.com


Angela K. Peterson, Drama Movies Editor, Creator of Selective Focus Blog
http://dramamovies.bellaonline.com