Director Tamar Simon Hoffs (back row center) with the cast of Red Roses and Petrol.TAMAR SIMON HOFFS FILLS IT UP WITH
Red Roses and Petrol
By
Alex Simon
“This is a very unusual time, both positive and negative. There’s a very positive aspect to being an independent filmmaker now in that the gap between studio movies and independent movies has become so much greater, and because it’s so much greater, if you want to have an adult movie experience, you have to look to independent movies to get it.” Filmmaker Tamar Simon Hoffs knows what she’s talking about. A three decade veteran of Hollywood, Tammy’s film Red Roses and Petrol, a film lauded at dozens of prestigious film festivals since its completion five years ago, has only just now found a distributor. Starring the legendary Malcolm McDowell and based on Joseph O’Connor’s play, Red Roses tells the story of a dysfunctional Dublin family who come together after their father (McDowell)’s death, and find themselves reconnecting with their difficult, departed “Da” through a series of videotaped messages he’s left behind. To Tammy, the message of the film is a simple, yet profound one: “You have to be open and honest in life, and it’s not so easy to do in your own family.”
So why did it take five years for Red Roses to reach non-festival movie screens? Tammy answers with a hearty laugh: “It is extremely hard for people to find a way to make money on movies where you can’t make an action figure out of the lead character.” Tammy adds that she’s both a fan, and a critic, of the technology that has come to rule our lives over the past decade. “Our patience for processing information has changed. We all love our computers, and use our computers, but I think that they’ve defeated us, too. When every kid in America has some form of instant gratification through their computer or through video games, what is going to work for them when they get older and they have to sit for 90 minutes to two hours and watch a film?”
Born in Johnstown, PA. and raised in Chicago, Tamar Simon was the daughter of a rabbi. After earning a BA at University of Chicago and doing graduate work at Yale, where she met her husband, psychoanalyst Joshua Hoffs, Tammy took time off to raise their three children (among them Susanna Hoffs, lead singer of the ‘80s sensationsThe Bangles). Tammy then entered the film business in the mid-70s, getting her first break from B-movie mogul Menahem Golan, penning the screenplay for Lepke, Golan's film about notorious Jewish gangster Louis Lepke Buchalter, starring Tony Curtis. After catching the eye of then-American Film Institute director Jean Picker Firstenberg, Tammy was part of the Directing Workshop for Women class at AFI, resulting in her now-classic short, The Haircut, starring the iconic John Cassavetes. She hasn’t stopped working since.
Tammy, Catherine Farrell and Malcolm McDowell discuss a scene during the shoot of Red Roses and Petrol.When Tammy discovered Joseph O’Connor (brother of singer Sinead O'Connor, and a lauded writer in his native Ireland)’s play, she knew that whomever she cast in the role of family patriarch Enda Doyle was critical. Then she met Malcolm McDowell. “When I met Malcolm, I knew he was the only person who could play the part, and we became best friends instantly. We’re starting another movie together this year, called Pound of Flesh, which is going to allow us to delve into even more issues of our favorite theme, which is family. Malcolm and I talk about our families non-stop.”
Tammy also credits McDowell's skills as an actor, and professionalism for helping to bring the project together. “Malcolm’s process is like being in a candy store. You are getting a treat, a surprising treat, every minute. On Red Roses, he’d show up even when he wasn’t working, just to be a cheerleader on the sidelines for everybody. Just his presence was so powerful for the ensemble, because he was really their Dad.”
After encountering many people who talked the talk, but weren’t willing to walk the walk, Red Roses and Petrol secured theatrical distribution through World Wide Motion Pictures. “They’re very selective and chose us, and they’ve astonished me with their enthusiasm, which doesn’t always hold up with distributors,” Tammy explains. “The great thing about the internet is the concept of viral marketing: You can publicize your film in a whole new way, especially if your film is artistic in nature by using the internet, making links to your target audience.”
When asked how she would advise budding indie filmmakers to keep the faith, Tammy is steadfast: “If you enjoy the work, it’s never a tough road. You’ve got to have a relentless pursuit of these projects, or they will never happen. Even if good fortune should come through for you, people will never respond to you unless they recognize your passion for it. I had a passion for this project and I never let it go.”
“Red Roses and Petrol” opens in Southern California June 27 at The Laemmle Music Hall , Beverly Hills , CA., The Laemmle One Colorado Pasadena , CA.; The Regency South Coast Village , Santa Ana , CA.; And The Regency Rancho Niguel 8, Laguna Niguel , CA.
In New York at: AMC Empire 25, 42nd Street , Manhattan; Cinemart, Forest Hills , NY; Cinemart – East Village NY.
Check out their website at: http://www.redrosesandpetrol.com/index.html
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