Even die-hard David Bowie fans might not be aware of his lone foray into romantic comedy: It had a brief release in 1992 and has been nearly unwatchable ever since. Now, its director has restored, recovered and re-edited “The Linguini Incident” for its Blu-ray debut.
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Richard Shepard was 25 when he directed the quirky New York-set indie film, his solo directorial debut. His first casting break came when he landed Rosanna Arquette, a star who had “After Hours” and “Desperately Seeking Susan” on her resume.
Shepard sent the script to Bowie, with the idea that he and Mick Jagger could play the film’s quirky restaurateurs. “We naively just sent them to play these small parts, without offering them any money,” Shepard recalled. “We got a note from Bowie saying, ‘I’m interested in your film, but I don’t want to play that supporting role. I’d like to play the lead. ’”
Bowie wanted to play Monte, a British bartender at a trendy downtown restaurant who tries to convince one of his co-workers, aspiring escape artist Lucy (Arquette), to marry her so she can get a green card, but instead ends up helping her rob her employers. The film was shot in 30 days in 1990.
“He was fabulous on set,” Arquette said of Bowie. “I loved working with him and I loved his energy and his ability to be able to connect in the moment.”
Because Shepard was a budding filmmaker, the film was edited without his supervision. “There are weird jump cuts and shots that go on too long,” he said, adding, “There was no rhythm to it.”
“The Linguini Incident” was released in 1992 and was not a box office success. The film was lost in time.
Shepard’s career took off, but the bad taste of that first effort lingered for the filmmaker, now 59.
But the original elements — dailies, negatives, earlier edits, separate soundtracks — were long gone. Shepard couldn’t even find a 35-millimeter print, necessary for the 4K scan he would need to begin work. He eventually found a British distributor that owned the European rights to the film. To make new prints, that distributor had a 35-millimeter interpositive — a duplicate negative, “almost pristine,” Shepard said.
The filmmaker was able to re-edit the film and is finally happy with the feature film with which he began his career.
“Look, I know it’s not going to set any records when it comes out on Blu-ray and streaming,” he said, laughing. “But for me, it’s now the version of the movie I want people to see… It’s unique. It’s weird. It doesn’t feel like any other movie.”
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