Cinemascope

It was 14 months ago that I ran into this story in The New York Times, about the tiny west Texas town, Marfa, population 2,400, that hosted back-to-back shoots of a Scott Rudin production: first the Coen Brother’s No Country For Old Men, and then Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood. Marfa, TX, is still better known as the location where George Stevens shot Giant, with James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor. The Coen and the Anderson shoots took place 50 years after the premiere of Giant. Grandchildren of local residents that were extras on Giant were now incorporated as extras in the new films.

14 months later and Marfa turned out to be quite the mascot: both films are getting high marks by critics, headlining the year’s top ten lists. Both are also bloody neo-westerns.

Said The Times:

While the landscape was the main draw for both productions, the town of Marfa was a factor too. An eccentric, fiercely independent place that’s become a haven for artists and art tourists, Marfa has seen an upsurge in galleries, boutique hotels and print coverage in the last 10 years. The Coens became enamored with Marfa.

That’s probably because Marfans (rhymes with Martians), some of which are artists that have recently located to the town that has become a sort of artist recluse, couldn’t care less about Hollywood (or at least that what they tried to convey):

Though Hollywood returned to Marfa in full force this summer, these aren’t the days of “Giant.” Neither the locals who have lived here for generations, nor the neo-Marfans drawn by the relatively recent art presence — most of whom have moved from urban areas in which they’re used to at least acting as if they don’t recognize a celebrity — seemed particularly swayed by, say, eating lunch next to Joel Coen’s wife, the actress Frances McDormand, or spotting Mr. Anderson’s partner, Maya Rudolph, the former “Saturday Night Live” cast member.

“A lot of people live out here in West Texas because they’re pretty independent in the first place,” said Maiya Keck, a Marfan restaurateur. “Either they’re from here and raised that way, or they’ve moved out here because they liked the space and solitude. They’re not the kind of people who generally want to rubberneck — or even recognize — a celebrity.”

Which, naturally, pissed off the celebrities:

Jason Willaford, an artist who co-owns a gallery with his wife, was instrumental in shepherding the Coens into Marfa. A hunting enthusiast who’s friendly with many of the local ranchers, Mr. Willaford was able to connect the Coens with the land they might want to use.

The ranchers “didn’t get all gaga just because they’re movie people,” Mr. Willaford said. “It was like, ‘Well, I’m going to have to have a meeting with my family.’ It’s not like, ‘Whoa, the movie people are coming here and we’re going to drop everything for them.’ ”
But in some ways Marfa’s shrugging attitude baffled the film crews. There are only a handful of restaurants in town, and if you’re hungry past 9 p.m., you have to settle for the local gas stations’ dizzying array of fried food. Both crews asked local restaurants to either open earlier or stay open later, and most declined. “That’s frustrating,” Ms. Sellar acknowledged. “We’ve been working six-day weeks, and on our one day off — Sunday — nothing’s open. Everybody’s been very welcoming, but they’re like, ‘We’re not going to change our ways.’ ”

Which makes one think: take the luxury and comfort from a movie shoot and you get… two masterpieces. So that’s the trouble with Hollywood: they are just too spoiled and pampered.

(Bonus: vote for your favorite Marfa movie)