This is the Bix Beiderbecke story for gay men. The film appears to have been made by a combination of GQ, the photographers for the Abercrombie & Fitch catalogue, and Bruce Weber. It's filled with beautiful twenty-something guys (Beiderbecke died at 28), all of them wearing nice clothing--often tuxedoes, posed against vintage 20s automobiles or in art deco theatre lobbies and nightclubs, in prep-school dorms, or on warp-around porches of large Midwestern homes bathed in a soft golden light. Even when the men are a bit scruffy and in need of a shave, they appear as if in high-fashion photo layouts. This is a film where even the ugly guys are handsome. Watching it is like turning the pages of a deluxe coffee table book about Bix's life.
What does the film tell us about Bix? He was a fabulous trumpet player; a disappointment to his parents, who wanted him to live a conventional middle-class life; an alcoholic. But who cares how inaccurate most of this film's details are? The film's subtitle is "An Interpretation of a Legend," and I can only thank director Pupi Avati and cinematographer Pasquale Rachini for interpreting Bix's life in this lush manner.
Bryant Weeks as Bix is a handsome, blond cutie with a sweet, slightly mischievous smile that no one could resist. Emile Levisetti, with his large dark eyes, is thick chocolate, creamy, delicious! (Note: Levisetti is not a black actor. This is not a racist comment! I mean to suggest the warm and sensual nature of this actor.) Why go on to delineate the beauty of the others? Just see them and drink in their handsomeness. But be warned: there's no nudity, though the director did get Week's shirt off in two scenes, and in another, there's a brief glimpse of his great thighs. Other than that, everybody is buttoned from top to bottom. Of course, none of these men look a bit like their actual counterparts. In real life, Beiderbecke was ordinary looking, if not downright ugly. And Romano Orzari as Hoagy Carmichael gave me a laugh, precisely because he's so unlike the real Hoagy, familiar to me from his movie appearances.
Forget women. They don't count for anything here, and aren't much seen--except for Bix's mom.
The film has a solid musical background, recreations of many Beiderbecke numbers. And "Bix" was filmed in authentic Midwestern locations, including the actual home Beiderbecke grew up in in Davenport, Iowa.
Banjo/guitarist Eddie Condon described Beiderbecke's clear, clean tone as "like a girl saying yes." Well, maybe that quote was taken as the key to interpreting Bix's story in this lush, sensual manner. Yes, yes, yes! Don't miss it.
Most of the actors here, among them Bryant Weeks, have no other screen credits. I'd be interested to hear from anyone with further information about Weeks or the other actors. According to Leonard Maltin's comments, "Bix" was originally 120 minutes, cut down to 100 minutes. Does anyone know if a 120-minute video version exists?
What does the film tell us about Bix? He was a fabulous trumpet player; a disappointment to his parents, who wanted him to live a conventional middle-class life; an alcoholic. But who cares how inaccurate most of this film's details are? The film's subtitle is "An Interpretation of a Legend," and I can only thank director Pupi Avati and cinematographer Pasquale Rachini for interpreting Bix's life in this lush manner.
Bryant Weeks as Bix is a handsome, blond cutie with a sweet, slightly mischievous smile that no one could resist. Emile Levisetti, with his large dark eyes, is thick chocolate, creamy, delicious! (Note: Levisetti is not a black actor. This is not a racist comment! I mean to suggest the warm and sensual nature of this actor.) Why go on to delineate the beauty of the others? Just see them and drink in their handsomeness. But be warned: there's no nudity, though the director did get Week's shirt off in two scenes, and in another, there's a brief glimpse of his great thighs. Other than that, everybody is buttoned from top to bottom. Of course, none of these men look a bit like their actual counterparts. In real life, Beiderbecke was ordinary looking, if not downright ugly. And Romano Orzari as Hoagy Carmichael gave me a laugh, precisely because he's so unlike the real Hoagy, familiar to me from his movie appearances.
Forget women. They don't count for anything here, and aren't much seen--except for Bix's mom.
The film has a solid musical background, recreations of many Beiderbecke numbers. And "Bix" was filmed in authentic Midwestern locations, including the actual home Beiderbecke grew up in in Davenport, Iowa.
Banjo/guitarist Eddie Condon described Beiderbecke's clear, clean tone as "like a girl saying yes." Well, maybe that quote was taken as the key to interpreting Bix's story in this lush, sensual manner. Yes, yes, yes! Don't miss it.
Most of the actors here, among them Bryant Weeks, have no other screen credits. I'd be interested to hear from anyone with further information about Weeks or the other actors. According to Leonard Maltin's comments, "Bix" was originally 120 minutes, cut down to 100 minutes. Does anyone know if a 120-minute video version exists?