Ask the Dust (2006)

Mexican beauty Camilla hopes to rise above her station by marrying a wealthy American. That is complicated by meeting Arturo Bandini, a first-generation Italian hoping to land a writing career and a blue-eyed blonde on his arm.

Director:

Robert Towne

Writers:

Robert Towne (screenplay), John Fante (novel)

Stars:

Colin Farrell, Salma Hayek, Donald Sutherland

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Colin Farrell	...	Arturo Bandini
Salma Hayek	...	Camilla
Donald Sutherland	...	Hellfrick
Eileen Atkins	...	Mrs. Hargraves
Idina Menzel	...	Vera Rivkin
Justin Kirk	...	Sammy
Jeremy Crutchley	...	Solomon
Ronald France	...	Columbia Sweeper
Dion Basco	...	Filipino Houseboy
Donna Mosley	...	Red Headed Girl
Paul Rylander	...	Harold the Bartender
Natasha Staples	...	Denver Librarian
Wayne Harrison	...	Heilman
Yasuhiro Yoshimura	...	Japanese Vegetable Man (as Yoshimura Yasuhiro)
Sid	...	Willie the Dog

Storyline

L.A. in the early 1930's: racism, poverty, and disease color the Bunker Hill neighborhood where Arturo Bandini, a lover of men and beasts alike, has arrived from Colorado to write the great Los Angeles novel. After six months and down to his last nickel, he orders a cup of coffee, served by Camilla Lopez, beautiful, self-possessed, and Mexican. Arturo gets advice, encouragement, and an occasional check from H.L. Mencken, so he keeps writing and he keeps seeing Camilla. But, he's mean to her for no apparent reason, so the relationship sputters. A housekeeper from back East suggests a way out of his jealously and fears. "Camilla Bandini": is it in the cards?

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Plot Keywords:

mexican | racism | italian | poverty | coffee | 

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Taglines:

Passion and ambition drive two dreamers in 1930s LA. Their love affair is ferocious and hot-blooded as they fight the city and themselves to make their dreams come true.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexuality, nudity and language

Details

Official Sites:

CMC [tw] Paramount Classics [us]

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

13 April 2006 (Thailand)

Also Known As:

Pregúntale al viento

Filming Locations:

Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$34,665 (Brazil) (9 June 2006)

Gross:

$34,665 (Brazil) (9 June 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Cruise/Wagner Productions, Ascendant Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Justin Kirk replaced Charlie Hunnam.

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Quotes

Camilla: What you imagined might be better than the real thing.

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Connections

References Dames (1934)

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Soundtracks

"Blue Drag"
Written by Josef Myrow
Performed by Django Reinhardt
Courtesy of JSP Records

User Reviews

A welcome return of the film maker who truly understands L.A.

Is Robert Towne L.A.'s Woody Allen? His portraits of the city are indelible, and one of the chief pleasures of Ask the Dust is the way in which the depression-era City of Angels becomes a character in the film. Ask the Dust is haunted by the notion that L.A. is the place where people come to slowly die in the sunshine and is fascinating as a piece of "sunny" film noir. It also explores themes of racism, prejudice and self-esteem and how they manifest themselves in personal relationships. There's a daring ugliness to the romance that makes the first third of the film especially compelling. The scene where Arturo Bandini and Camilla Lopez first meet is pure cinema and one of the more remarkable bits of mainstream film making I've seen in some time. In its way, it is as sublime as Brassai's photos of café-society Paris. In the work print I viewed, Ask the Dust wasn't able to sustain this opening intensity, but it managed to stay compelling nevertheless. Perhaps the best compliment I can pay Ask the Dust is that it reminded me why Chinatown is such a great film (and the comparisons will be inevitable); while I don't think Ask the Dust is in the same league, it does herald the welcome return of Robert Towne as an artist who understands L.A. by instinct, knows how to tap into Hollywood's rich history, and can deliver a human-scale film with the power to reward and possibly even change its audience.