LOS ANGELES, July 2, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- "Lowell Drear," a 12-minute, black-and-white silent film about a tormented clarinet player struggling for peace and quiet, will premiere in Hollywood at the M Bar on Saturday, July 10, 2004 at 7:30 p.m.
Written and directed by Mark Joseph Wasserman, and with a squirming, squawking soundtrack by the legendary Ralph Carney, the film pits the primal forces of music and noise against one another, playing them out against a background of urban claustrophobia and fear.
Wasserman, whom Ray Bradbury lauds as having "a true gift for metaphor," unfurls his tale through images ranging from hauntingly simple to outrageously sinister: a forlorn Drear trudging down a long hallway dotted with endless "exit" signs; a savage attack involving a music stand and a baritone saxophone. Carney, who has worked with luminaries such as Tom Waits, David Lynch and Jim Jarmusch, provides not merely the horn-heavy music, but also the ingenious Foley effects. The result is a feeling of the world as a kind of sonic theater alternately athrob with soothing melody or maddening cacophony.
The film stars Regan Forston, who can go from elation to agony in the time it takes to play a scale, and Yvis Cannavale as the menacingly gaseous next-door neighbor. The appealing Bella Gold supports as the love interest of Drear.
"Lowell Drear" will screen in conjunction with several other short films as part of the 4th Wall Screening group. The M Bar is located at 1253 N. Vine Street at Fountain.
Valet and limited street parking are available.