QUEENIE IN LOVE

US, 2001, 103 minutes, Colour.
Victor Argo, Valerie Geffner, Louise Lasser, Mark Margolis, Austin Pendleton, Joe Grifasi.
Directed by Amos Kollek.

Queenie in Love is one of many of Amos Kollek’s portraits of life, eccentric life, in New York City. Other films include Fast Food, Fast Women, Angela, Restless.

Kollek was born in Jerusalem in 1947 and is the son of the long-time mayor of Jerusalem, Teddy Kollek, about whom he made a documentary.

The film uses character actors and illustrates quirky lives, Queenie being rich but preferring to live in a poorer area, Horace having been diagnosed as terminally ill, attracted by her, Martha and Spencer as ex-gangsters who live in the neighbourhood …

Kollek is more of a portrait artist in film.

1.Amos Kollek, his familiarity with New York, love for New York? The Jewish perspective? Portraits, slices of life, the comic and the absurd?

2.The affluent New York world, the contrast with Alphabet City? The range of people, places? Songs?

3.The film as bittersweet, the characters, their interactions, their explanations?

4.The portrait of Horace: his age, police background, friendship with Spencer and Martha, in the park, Queenie, telling his story, Alvin, the singles bar? Quiet, the doctor, the x-rays, his terminal diagnosis? Lonely, the girl on the roof? Meeting Queenie? The bar, sexual relationships, reactions, the phone calls, reliance on Alvin? The night, his physical reactions, hurt? The apology? The doctor, his being diagnosed as better, the meeting with Queenie, talk? The irony of the bank robbery? Mexico?

5.Queenie, her character, chatter, meeting Horace, friendship? The singles bar? The table, sexual relationships, the kid, the audition? The German? Her parents, their wealth, Bernice? The sadomasochist ads, the party, being caught? Friendship with Alvin? Horace, the relationship, being hurt? The wedding? The bet, Israel, the sobbing? The end?

6.Alvin, his room, hair, knowing each of the characters, helping them?

7.Spencer and Martha, poor, Martha and the bar, the gay boy, Spencer in jail, robbing the whiskey, the sadomasochistic parties? The no-show? The gangster background?

8.Friends, sadomasochism? The wedding?

9.The parents, the Westchester types?

10.The bars of Alphabet City?

11.The auditions?

12.The doctor, relationship with Horace, the diagnosis?

13.The ending in Mexico?