Spotlight on… James Toback

Screenwriter of the very moving The Beat That My Heart Skipped, adapted and directed Jacques Audiard, Tobak has made nine feature films. The first, The Gambler, filmed in 1974 with James Caan in the title role, retraced his own experiences as a compulsive gambler.

Passionate about sports, women, and gambling, James Toback’s career has weathered the ups and downs of commercial success (much like his favored actor, Robert Downey Jr.) yet he remains a director apart in the American cinematic landscape.

Seduced and Abandoned,  James Toback (2013, 1:40) 
Seduced and Abandoned is a film on the edge; an unprecedented experience. James Toback and Alec Baldwin decide to make a film together, “Last Tango in Tikrit”. In 2012, they take advantage of the Cannes Film Festival to go in search of funding. A look behind the scenes of the film industry, this documentary also makes for a nice gallery of portraits: Bernardo Bertolucci, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese...
Institut Lumière Wed. 5pm