THE BIG BRASS RING
TUESDAY, APRIL 20,1999, LAIFF Scheduled Films for Closing Night:
Director George Hickenlooper's highly anticipated follow-up to Low Life (LAIFF �95) and Dogtown (LAIFF �97) is haunted by the presence of a great master. Written by Orson Welles but never produced until now, this achingly topical story revolves around an independent political candidate (William Hurt) whose promising campaign for governor is threatened by "the politics of personal destruction". The skeleton in his closet is his gay twin brother whose dabbling in pornographic photography provides the press with a colossal, malignant story and affords his political enemies the ultimate blackmail material. Deliciously peppered with deep focus and red herrings, Hickenlooper's realization of the screenplay reflects his characteristic keen directorial style while incorporating timeless, distinctly Wellesian structures and aesthetics. William Hurt and Miranda Richardson are perfectly matched in this tale of loyalty, brotherhood, and the fate of integrity in modern day politics.
