So what do you do if you’re the son of one of the 400 richest Americans? If you’re Dan Pritzker, progency of Hyatt Hotels magnate Jay Pritzker, you spend your time working on two jazz film passion projects. Frankly, we think it’s totally awesome that Pritzker is using his fortune for good instead of evil, especially when his films are as ambitious as this.
The trailer for “Louis,” his first completed project, looks like something Zack Snyder might have done if it wasn’t so obsessed with putting girls in lingerie and giving them guns. The period set, 68-minute silent film (complete with intertitles), looks fantastic and that’s in no small part due to the usually awesome work of DP Vilmos Zgimond. The film is set to roll out in a unique format next month hitting concert halls with a live score performed by a 10-piece jazz ensemble led by Wynton Marsalis.
But that’s not all Pritzker has up his sleeves; he is nearing completion on another jazz-era film, “Bolden!” starring Anthony Mackie (“The Hurt Locker,” “Half Nelson”) as the titular, legendary jazz musician along with Michael Rooker, Wendell Pierce (“The Wire,” “Treme”) and Jackie Earle Haley. We’re curious to see how Pritzker addresses the issue of music in the film as Bolden, an influence on Louis Armstrong, left no known surviving recordings. Pritzker, who had an early cut of the film completed last year, is going back to film and add a few more scenes, and hopes to show the film to distributors early next year.
As you might recall, both of these films began shooting way back in 2007 but have remained dream vehicles for Pritzker who is financing them with his own coin (to the tune of upwards of nearly $25 million for “Bolden!” alone).
It heartens us that Pritzker, who could so easily invest in sure-thing franchises or star vehicles that will make him a boatload more money is doing something he believes in regardless of whether or not he ever sees that money back (and yeah, audiences flocking for films about old timey jazz dudes? Not gonna happen). And, at the very least, he’s aware of the challenges these films face.
“’Louis’ isn’t about getting a weekend at Landmark Theaters. I’d like to get out on the road with it. I hope Wynton will do more dates, but we could do it with other musicians too,” Pritzker said. “’On Bolden!’, there I’ll be pleading for my Landmark Theaters weekend. With Anthony and Jackie Earle, maybe there will be some demand. I have no idea, I’ve never done this before and I’ll rely on professionals to figure that out.”
Well, we hope these get some distribution too. For all of our snark, sniping and cynicism this is exactly the kind of thing we like to get behind. Here’s hoping a distributor out there feels the same way.
Louis Trailer from 42West Digital on Vimeo.