Powder porn for skiers not poseurs
- Details
- Created on Wednesday, 14 September 2011 20:40
- Written by Dena Rosenberry
That's the way it's being sold, anyway. Or maybe as the thinking skier's snow porn flick.
Anyway, here's the intro to Jason Blevin's look at "Solitaire," which premiere's Thursday night at The Gothic in Denver (it's here in town on the 23rd):
A young man shoulders his ski-laden pack and plods into the sunset void. An old man, adapting Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" and speaking Spanish in a campesino timbre, narrates a series of dreamlike scenes in severe landscapes — skiers laboring, shredding, celebrating deep breaths heaved in the mountains.
"Nothing can convey that dreamlike sensation. That mingling of absurdity, surprise and bewilderment in one cold tremor. The notion of being captured by the incredible, which is the very essence of dreams."
Nothing really can convey that momentous twinkling that forever tyrannizes powder-chasing fun hogs. It's a fleeting mixture of mountain, muscle and moment that we endlessly pursue. But Colorado's Sweetgrass Productions comes very close with its latest film, "Solitaire," which premieres Thursday at the Gothic Theatre.
Filmed in South America and rife with unspoken, unexplained drama, the ski film forges a completely new genre that elevates captivating scenes and connection to landscapes over adrenaline-fueled action. And while the movie certainly highlights awesome displays of athleticism, it is one of the most cinematic ski films ever made.
There are no logoed helicopters filming other helicopters or chilly cool superstars scowling behind new sunglasses. No big-name teenagers hopped up on energy drinks spinning through a manicured park. No one jumps into a Jeep, munches a Nature Valley granola bar or even skis any mountain that's labeled or mentioned.
So, what is "Solitaire?"
Read the rest of Jason's story in the Post.
"Solitaire" screenings
Thursday: Gothic Theatre
Sept. 21: New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins
Sept. 22: Boulder Theater in Boulder
Sept. 23: Armstrong Hall at Colorado College
Info: sweetgrass-productions.com
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