When Lawrence Kasdan first came to Hollywood in the mid-1970’s, his scripts were rejected 37 times.
Since then he has done better.
Last night, the producer of The Big Chill, French Kiss, Body Heat and many other films, stood on the stage at the Arlington Theater and welcomed a full crowd of 2,000 people to opening night at the 27th Santa Barbara International Film Festival
“We are honored and we are stocked!” he shouted to the cheering crowd.
They had come to see glamour, style and talent of Hollywood and Kasdan brought all of that, plus some energy to a night that was otherwise as mellow as the balmy weather outside.
Kasdan’s newest film, Darling Companion, was featured and on hand were the stars, Kevin Klein, Diane Keaton, the alluring Ayelet Zurer, and Kasdan’s wife and co-screen writer, Meg Kasdan.
The Kasdans made a leisurely walk up the red carpet in front of the Arlington, obviously enjoying the moment.
“It’s our first film festival,” he admitted, in a bit of a surprise. “The biggest challenge of making the film was that we had very little time or money,” Kasdan said, Meg by his side.
“We did it in six weeks. But, the fact that we were so short of time helped keep everyone focused, intense and in the moment, so it worked for us in that regard. I love making films about people who interest me and this one does. I hope people like it.”
One of the surprises of the night was the extraordinary short film, La Luna, by Academy Award nominee, Erico Casarosa, who addressed the crowd. “It was fun trying to get the rhythm of that film just right,” he said. “I loved going to work on it, I liked Mondays better than Fridays during the making of it.”
Montecito’s Julia Louis-Dreyfus made an appearance, looking as appealing as she ever did in “Seinfeld.”
Perhaps the only discordant moment of the night was produced by Diane Keaton, whose fantastic faux-leopard skin high heels were momentarily transformed into track shoes as she raced up the red carpet without giving an interview.
The Film Festival moves into full swing this weekend. For a full program, visit SBIFF.com.
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