Ask The Dust

“If there’s a better piece of fiction written about L.A., I don’t know about it,” says Towne of Ask the Dust, a novel by John Fante.  The story of a forbidden love and an unbridled passion, Towne says that the novel captures the story of the city he knows so well in a unique way.  In a 1989 American Film interview, Towne recalled how he was struck by the immediacy of Fante’s book: “It was as if you were able to tear a veil off the past and stare at it exactly as it was.”

According to producer Paula Wagner, Fante’s book is also a fascinating character study.  “It’s an inner monologue that takes us through the mind and the soul of Arturo Bandini,” she says.  “We experience his emotional state, his sense of the world, his fears, his obsession with achieving the American dream – to write the Great American Novel and have a beautiful, blonde wife and a mansion on a hill.  But the American dream that he discovers is nothing that he expected.”

Intrigued by Fante’s language, the depth of his protagonists, and the way he made Depression-era downtown Los Angeles a character itself, Towne became determined to bring the novel to the screen.  A 30-year journey that became a consuming passion began with an inscription in Towne’s first edition of the novel: Fante wrote the screenwriter, “In the hope that you will take this to far places.”  Indeed, achieving the dream would be a long journey, spanning the years and continents and drawing in some of the most vital talents working in the film industry.

Colin Farrell brings Arturo Bandini – John Fante’s alter ego – to life.  One of the sought-after actors with an extraordinary on-screen magnetism, Farrell brings his innate charisma to the role.   “Colin has a magnetic effect on both women and men,” says Towne.  “In fact, a girlfriend of my wife who was at the house when I first met with him said, ‘I don’t know who he is, but whatever he wants, give it to him!’” laughs Towne.

“<Ask the Dust> is all about finding yourself somewhere in this world,” says Farrell. “It’s about passion – not just dreaming about what you want, but going out and finding it.”

That passion for life – a relentless, fearsome attack on apathy – is exemplified by the initial repulsion (and, later, attraction) between Arturo and Camilla, a Mexican waitress determined to marry into the American dream.  “Arturo and Camilla are very similar creatures,” says Farrell. “They’re both desperate to find a place of contentment within themselves while looking outside themselves at how the world perceives them.”

Salma Hayek, who plays Camilla, adds that Fante placed Arturo and Camilla in the middle of a very difficult social and political fissure; Fante does not shy away from presenting Anglo-Latino relations in Los Angeles as a kettle boiling over.  “It was very tough in the 1930s for people like Arturo and Camilla,” she says.  “He has dreams of a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, Caucasian Californian on his arm, and all she wants is to marry a rich American so that her children can have the opportunities she didn’t.  Arturo and Camilla don’t fit into those idyllic dreams, but when they meet, their attraction for each other gets out of control.” 

“Salma truly breathes fire into Camilla. She’s got the same lively spirit as the character,” says Towne.

The director notes that the stars’ palpable connection on-screen was mirrored by their off-screen relationship.  “Salma and Colin came to know each other very well; they were working on something that meant something to both of them and they were sharing it together.  A real friendship developed: you would often see them walking alone together, holding hands and talking about the film or the next shot.”

The film’s supporting cast includes Donald Sutherland as Bandini’s shell-shocked neighbor, Hellfrick; Dame Eileen Atkins as his landlady, Mrs. Hargraves; Broadway’s Idina Menzel (a Tony winner for “Wicked”) as the tortured Vera Rifkin; and Justin Kirk (“Angels in America”).

Towne says that the commitment shown by Menzel was representative of all the actors’ determination to be involved with this film.  “Idina was part of a major success on Broadway and really fought hard to be allowed time off to be in this film.  She got the time at the last minute and flew down to South Africa at a moment’s notice.  She sacrificed in order to do the movie – everyone did.  They were as dedicated as you could ask for.”

Towne is, perhaps, the only man who could bring <Ask the Dust> to the screen. A love story that is very much a part of a particular time and place, “Ask the Dust” could only be told by the filmmaker who, through his research for his many films set in L.A., has become an expert in the city’s history.

“I saw the story as a sort of WutheringHeights in Bunker Hill,” says Towne.  “In its way, it’s as old a story as Romeo and Juliet; it ends, as all great love stories do, tragically.  We sense that the love is so powerful that it will endure beyond the individuals who are the receptacles of that passion.  It makes us believe that there is such a thing as love.  That’s why love stories move people and we go to see them; romances are fun, but love stories give us hope.”

“Robert Towne has an encyclopedic knowledge of American history – in particular, the history of Los Angeles, from its origins as a dustbowl to today,” says Farrell.  “He knows it intellectually, but he feels it, too – he’s lived it.”

Wagner stresses that Towne’s wide breadth of knowledge was essential to presenting L.A. as it was.  “He has so thoroughly and carefully researched Los Angeles in this era,” she says.  “He can tell you where all the buildings were and what they looked like; what it was like to stand on Bunker Hill and look down over the city.  But Robert also pays attention to the little details of life in that era: for example, at the beginning of the film, Bandini hears the fruit frost report – those kinds of radio programs are something Robert knows very well.  He absorbs the richness of the very specific culture of Los Angeles.” 

Wagner also notes that Towne presents Depression-era people as proud men and women determined to look their best.  “A man might have been down to his last nickel, but he would put on his finest suit of clothes and comb his hair.  A waitress would wear a very starched, white uniform even though she has on a very worn pair of shoes.  Her hair had to be in place.  Everyone worked against this concept of the depression – not only the economic depression, the depression of the culture, but an inner depression as well.”

Director
Robert Towne

Cast
Colin Farrell
SALMA HAYEK
Donald Sutherland
DAME EILEEN ATKINS
IDINA MENZEL
Justin Kirk

Distributor: Golden Scene Company Limited

Release date: 7 Sep 2006

Category: IIB

Duration: 117 mins

Cinemas: GH Mongkok (嘉禾旺角) / UA Windsor (皇室) / UA Cityplaza (UA太古城中心)

Website: http://www.askthedust-movie.com/enter.html