The first original screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola in two decades, Tetro introduces us to Alden Ehrenreich (who is like a young Leonardo DiCaprio) in the pivotal role of Bennie, younger brother to the enigmatic Tetro, (Vincent Gallo.)
Originally, Coppola wanted Matt Dillon in the title role, whom he had directed in Rumble Fish and The Outsiders - two films in which teen angst and the bonds of brotherhood were central themes - however, the casting of Gallo and Ehrenreich is a perfect pairing.Set in Beunos Aires, Argentina the film is shot beautifully in black and white. It is predominantly in English with subtitles when Spanish or Italian is spoken. The editor was Walter Murch who has collaborated with Coppola on many occasions including the Oscar winning film Apocalypse Now in which Murch won an Oscar for Best Editor, often awarded in tandem with the Best Picture, although the film didn't win any Oscar's for Coppola's Screenplay or Direction. (It lost to Kramer vs. Kramer in 1979. Also nominated was All That Jazz, a film with the same kind of feel as Tetro has with an artsy edge.)
Tetro is loosely based on the life of Coppola who, like the title character in the film, is the son of a famous Composer and conductor. He has been quoted as saying his own father-son relationship was complicated but loving, unlike the one Tetro had with his father. Carmine Coppola had a strong working relationship with his son and scored the music for Apocalypse Now and the Godfather Trilogy, winning Best Music, Original Dramatic Score for Part II. Also, unlike the film's namesake, Coppola keeps close family ties. Sister, Talia Shire and daughter, Sophia Coppola, were cast in the Godfather.
The suffering mind of the writer Tetro is what propels the film's plot, however, writing is more natural for Coppola. In an interview (June 11, 2009) with Carla Hay on the Examiner.com, he is quoted as saying writing still is easy for him, even after all these years:
"I think what surprised me was once you get on the train of writing, so to speak, how much it does it automatically. I have this little rule when I write: Firstly, it’s important to sit down every day, at least six days a week, at least four hours a day, at a time that’s regular for you … So your muse knows where you’ll be, or otherwise they won’t show up."The encore screening of Tetro is Saturday October 3, 2009 at 9:15 pm at the Eau Claire Market - Cineplex Odeon - Screen 5.
"I like [writing] in the morning. No one’s hurt my feelings yet with any horrible phone calls. I just like a clean sheet of paper. And then I start. I have a rule not to read any of the pages I do...And then when I have 80 to 100 pages or whatever the story seems to have concluded, I first relax and then I read it."
"I’m always surprised. Usually, there are very good things and very terrible things. I would’ve been discouraged if I read the terrible things [earlier]. That’s when I make note of what I’m going to do with the rewrite, and then I begin the rewrite process."
(Diane Bennett is covering Events, Headliners & Music on Film)
