Movie Friday: My Dinner With Andre

There have been a few interesting snippets of news this week on campus, especially with respect to FGSR, as noted by Jeremy.  However, a lot of this is still in the hearsay stage, or to the extent there is something solid, it is at the level of a trial balloon with few details.  At some point, an actual proposal will be rolled out, and I might post on it then.  In the meantime, it's Friday.

I've already commented on several recent or upcoming films, so this week I'll once again visit the past for Movie Friday:  My Dinner With Andre.  Although it came out in the 1980's (and I remember reading reviews and watching Siskel and Ebert discuss it), I did not see this movie until the 1990's.  I remember being impressed, and have watched it again a couple of times...most recently this week.

Written by the two protagonists, actor and playright Wallace Shawn and theatre director Andre Gregory, and directed by Louis Malle, this movie was quite a departure from the usual fare, since it consisted almost entirely of a conversation held over dinner at a fancy restaurant.  Apparently, much of what was discussed is based on real experiences by Shawn and Gregory, both of whom are fascinating characters.  I've loved Wallace Shawn ever since he showed up as Diane Keaton's Svengali ex-husband in Manhattan.  Of course, arguably his most epic work was as Vizzini in The Princess Bride.  In fact, it's inconceivable that there could be a better performance out there.

Anyway, here's a nice clip from My Dinner With Andre: