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Paul Bowles – Halfmoon

GER 1995, 93 min

Three episodes based on three short stories and commented by famouse American writer Paul Bowles.

Synopsis

Three short stories by Paul Bowles, the American writer from Tangiers whose 1949 Masterpiece “The Sheltering Sky” was filmed by Bernardo Bertoculli in 1990, are the subject of the prizewinning film by Irene von Alberti and Frieder Schlaich. PAUL BOWLES – HALFMOON is a magical three-part descent into the realms of cobras, kif and quandries of life. The famous cult author himself introduces the episodes, which all tell of ununsual relationships.

In MERKALA BEACH (“The Story of Lahcen and Idir”) the friendship between two men in Tangiers is put to the ultimat test when they both fall in love with the same beautiful girl. In CALL AT CORAZON a trip down the Amazon through the Brazilian rain forest becomes a gruelling ordeal for a fresh married couple on their honeymoon. And in ALLAL, a young boy living as an outcast in an Arab village in the desert trades bodies with a snake that he has stolen from an old man ...

Streaming-Info

Rent or buy the movie on our Vimeo channel. For other providers, see “Watch Movie”.
Language: English, French, Arabic Subtitles: English, French, German, Spanish

Press reviews

Visually arresting, Halfmoon captures the necromancy of Bowles’ prose. Schlaich and von Alberti proceed lovingly, even reverentially, letting the locales and their fine actors transport viewers. Halfmoon journeys to a faraway place, wreathed with dust and heat. (Los Angeles View, 1996)

Together the three stories capture the essence of Mr. Bowles’s vision of human cruelty as a driving life force indivisible from the harsh equatorial landscapes in which his characters find themselves. (The New York Times, 1996)

Awards and Festivals

- Berlinale Forum 1995
- Spielfilmpreis der deutschen Filmkritik 1995
- Grand Prix Europe & Grand Prix des jeunes comédiens: Festival of European Cinema, La Baule 1995
- Deutscher Kamerapreis 1995 für Volker Tittel

Additional Texts

Paul Bowles on his three short stories MERKALA BEACH, CALL AT CORAZON and ALLAL

The first story is MERKALA BEACH. I am trying to show the superior effects of smoking Cannabis to drinking alcohol. All the episodes are true, except that each one happened to a different person, and that gives a feeling of truth which wouldn’t be in it, if it were all one.

The second story CALL AT CORAZON is a story of what might have happened had I been married at the time I wrote it. Everything else is completely authentic, what happened to me, the unpleasantness of the cabin, the people on the old boat, which is going up the mouth of the Magdalena River. Yes, it all existed, it all happened, but I was alone. – I suppose it’s a story of vengeance and counter-vengeance.

Terrible typewriter. – The last story ALLAL is also about revenge, which is made possible thanks to a very fancy metamorphosis.

Credits

EPISODE 1
MERKALA BEACH
Director and Screenplay
Frieder Schlaich
With
Samir Guesmi, Khaled Ksouri, Sondos Belhassen, Paul Bowles
Director of Photography
Volker Tittel
Assistant Camera
Lutz Reitemeier
Editor
Magdolna Rokob
Music
Roman Bunka
Production Design
Harald Turzer
Assistant Director
Thomas Lechner

EPISODE 2
CALL AT CORAZON
Director and Screenplay
Irene von Alberti
With
Veronica Quilligan, Sam Cox
Director of Photography
Volker Tittel
Assistant Camera
Nabil Alimoghib
Editor
Margarete Rose
Music
Roman Bunka
Production Design
Harald Turzer
Assistant Director
Stefanie Kremser-Köhler

EPISODE 3
ALLAL
Director and Screenplay
Frieder Schlaich
With
Said Zakir, Mohammed Belfquih
Director of Photography
Volker Tittel
Editor
Magdolna Rokob
Music
Roman Bunka
Production Design
Harald Turzer
Sound
Volker Zeigermann
Assistant Director
Thomas Lechner

Soundmix
Stephan Konken
Production Coordinator
Karim Debbagh
Producers
Frieder Schlaich, Irene von Alberti
Produced by
Filmgalerie 451
Founded by
Hamburger Filmbüro, Filmbüro NW, Filmförderung Hamburg, Filmförderung Baden-Württemberg
Theatrical Release
09.11.1995

DVD-Details

Extras
CREATING A LEGEND (Rare documentary by Karim Debbagh and Coon Prager containing Interviews with Paul Bowles’ Moroccan friends Mohammed Choukri, Mohammed Mrabet, Abdelwahaid Boulaich, Mohammed Temsamani, 45 min, Arabic with English subtitles), Paul Bowles’ Music (78 min), Paul Bowles reading “The Story of Lahcen and Idir” (90 min), Making of HALFMOON , Original-Trailer, Reviews on the theatrical release, TV-Clip, “At night in M’hamid”
Language
German, English and Arabic original Version
Subtitles
English, German, Spanish, French
Country Code
Code-free
System
NTSC/PAL-compatible / Color
Length
93 min + Extras
Aspect Ratio
16:9
Sound Format
DD 2.0
Set Content
Softbox (Set Content: 1), 12-pages Booklet
Release Date
30.06.2006
Rating
From 12 years

Distribution Details

Screening Format
DCP (2K, 24 fps, 5.1)
Blu-ray Disc
35mm (contact Deutsche Kinemathek)
Aspect Ratio
35mm (Super16 Blow-up), 1:1, 66
Language
German, English and Arabic original Version
Subtitles
English, German, Spanish, French
Promotion Material
A1 Poster, Trailer
License Area
Worldwide
Rating
From 12 years