John Hart '75, producer of such Broadway hits as The Who's "Tommy" and "Guys and Dolls," introduced his latest work, "Drunks," in a special screening of the movie on Friday in the Loew Theater.
Hart's "Drunks" is a moving, well- acted yet incredibly depressing film surrounding the lives of characters attending an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.
The film is a probe into what few are allowed to see, what happens behind the closed doors of an AA meeting. Like an AA meeting, it allows the characters to tell their own stories in their own way.
The cast includes Oscar winners Diane Wiest and Faye Dunaway as, respectively, an all too tempted doctor and a recently divorced woman. Included in the ensemble cast is comedian Richard Lewis, Spalding Gray and Parker Posey.
In a phone interview from New York, where he is working on his upcoming play "Defining Gravity," Hart said it was the town hall feel that attracted him to the film. He saw an atmosphere that is "totally democratic, where anyone can be anonymous."
The film allows the audience to see the characters as they tell their personal stories of addiction. Essentially the film is a series of monologues, but the good writing and excellent acting keep it compelling.
Peter Cohn's direction consists primarily of planting the camera on the actors' faces and having them give their monologues in one lengthy take. The audience is thus forced to confront, almost inescapably, the many faces of alcoholism -- the run-of-the-mill junkie, the guilt-ridden drunk driver and the sophisticated doctor.
The film begins with the character of Jim (Lewis), now sober for two years, who tells his sad story of loss. Jim then leaves the meeting in the midst of frustration and goes on a drinking binge. The film soon falls into the rhythm of alternating between a monologue from within the meeting and Jim's downward journey.
Hart called Lewis "manic and crazy," but stressed that for his first dramatic roll, "his energy worked very well." Lewis' character's drunken relapse was made the focus of the film in order to open up the story from its previous form, a stage play titled "Blackout" by Gary Lennon.
Hart admits of the change that he's "not sure it entirely works," but believes that the strong monologues given by such great actors easily hold the film together.
The filmmakers do a wonderful job of allowing the actors to create very real characters. Dunaway does a good job as the sophisticated divorcee who fears that when her son leaves she will start drinking again. Posey serves well as comedic relief. She plays a modern party girl who had hoped to regain the spirit of the 1960s through drugs and alcohol.
Most effective is Gray, whose character's casual drinking habits are far too close to those of the admitted alcoholics. Gray's self-written monologue is both hilarious and subtly moving. He shows his denial to his problem while simultaneously describing the powerful allure and comfort of alcohol. It is a pitch-perfect performance that suggests there is more to this man than he wants people to see.
Originally a history and government major at Dartmouth, Hart had little interest in the theater. It was when famed musical composer Eubie Blake was given an honorary degree at Dartmouth that Hart began to take an interest.
Assigned to be Blake's personal escort during his stay, Hart developed an admiration and friendship with the man. Blake's wife even invited him to see her husband's show, "Shuffling Along."
It was not until three years later when, while working as a consultant in New York that Hart dropped by the Broadway show "Eubie" and asked to be a part of it. He left his consulting post and went on to great success as a Broadway producer. Most recently he produced "How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" with Matthew Broderick and "Hamlet" with Ralph Fiennes.
Hart compares independent films in the 1990s to "rock and roll in the 1960s." He can make an independent film for far cheaper then a Broadway play and with far more creative collaboration. "Drunks" cost under $1 million and contains the emotional power both audiences and filmmakers look for.
"Drunks" originally premiered on the Showtime cable network, a deal that allowed Hart to quickly recoup his cost. "Drunks" will soon be opening in certain major cities, starting with New York on March 10.