CONFESSIONS OF A DAY PLAYER PART 2
DARK BRIDGES
DIRECTED BY MARCELO VON SCHWARTZ
The Furama Hotel is the venue for the shoot for Dark Bridges, directed by Marcelo Von Schwartz. It is a boutique hotel situated next to the prestigios Siam Society in Bangkok. Attired in the guise of bespoke poet , I join my accomplices in crime, Nate Harrison and Chris Evans to shoot a 3 page scene.Theakeup person gels my hair straight back like John Travolta in Get Shorty. I look like Al Pacino on crack.
Marcelo confers with Pui, she was second unit camera on Sly Stallones Rambo , filmed here and in Burma. Oscar, a slick Mexican bloke is first AD. He escorts us into the room for the shoot. Marcelo possesses a background as an architect, and it shows in his penchant for detail. We shoot the scene straight through in the morning. We toss the dialogue back and forth, easy money, good craic. After lunch in the hotel dining room, we shoot the closeups, over the shoulder, two shots and three shots. The shoot is going down a storm.
after dinner we are ready for the banquet scene. The dining room sports a tasty buffet and real beer is on the table for ambiance. I can roll with this. We shoot til midnight. Vom Schwartz wraps for the day and informs us our next shoot is at The Texas Bar in Washington Square.
Dressed in bespoke garb for the sake of continuity, I enter the Texas Bar. Oscar is setting up shop. I engage thje choreographer in conversation. Ramona is Rumanian, her family is in the jewelry business in Bangkok. She speaks impeccable Spanish. Ramona is a resident salsa queen on the dance scene, Keysha, a gorgeous actor-singer is getting made up for the scene. She is dressed in requisite mondo bondage stripper gear.
The scene is ready to roll. Von Schwartz yells for ACTION. Cameras roll, Keysha performs a smok8ing erotic dance. Depeche Mode plays in the background. The house rocks as Keysha prowls on top of the bar like a cat on a hot tin roof. She gives Chris a lap dance. Keysha .ROLLS MY WAY, vON schwartz orders me to resist her advances. I down beer as she whips the bar with her riding crop and pulls at my necktie. Are we having fun yet. The extras and audience break into a standing ovation.
The next scene is shot at the bar with Nate and Peter Rnic. I eat the house specialty , tacos and gumbo , as they set up. Peter is a veteran actor of 50 films from the East End of London. He was featured in Harry Potter and Alexander by Oliver Stone. Peter is a revelation, powerful and possessing a wonderful presence, his work elevates Nate and the blokes are burning up the scene. I schmooze with Richard Diran , an author, sculptor and painter from San Francisco. Von Sshwartz directs Chris and I to grab Nate as the scene ends and throw him out the door. We grab him off the bar stool as he and Peter toss lines, roll to the door and throw him onto a waiting matress to butress his fall.
The shoot wraps . Von Schwartz invites us to the wrap party. The venue is Nomad , ahip watering hole at soi 12. The night of the party i consult my veatuary, select a blue Moschino 3 button suit,complement it with a crisp white shirt and a tie that flies the Jolly Roger, skull and crosbones.The pirate of Savile Row goes down a storm as i meet Olga and Galina, who are lovely and fashionably turned out. We hop a cab to Nomad.
We are greeted at the door by Ben the manager. The place is hotting up. Von Schwartz is in his pomp, drinkink with Jiab, a starlet and model featured in the film. A video clip frm the film is rolling on the screen over the bar.
David Winters holds court at a table in back. David is chuffed as his son Jonathan is a featured actor. Jonathan is following in Davids legendary footprints as an actor, director, producer and choreographer. I introduce David to His Excellency the Argentine Ambassador, Felipe Frydman. They converse on tango, cabbages and kings. Peter invites me to his bar in Pattaya , The Celebrity Corner for a drink. Peter is a West Ham supporter. A crowd of club kids roll in. Ben says they come every weekend. They are well turned out and hit the dance floor. Ben introduces me to a girl who works at the American Embassy. It is her birthday, we hit the dance floor. A fierce thunder storm erupts outside flooding the streets. Man about town Joe Cummings rolls deep. Joe is front man for the band, The Tonic Raya. He ia an author and editor of The Magazine, as well as a film actor.
We are getting as bent as Twisted Sister. Keysha takes fotos of me with Olga and Galina. Everyone flirts madly. David introduces me to a brace of lovelies. David and I entertain them and flirt beaucoup. This is good. Flirting is good for the soul and the metabolism. Oscar rolls out, he has to catch a plane to Spain, his next gig is in Palma de Mallorca. Von Schwartz will also be on his way to Barcelona. Argentine by origin, he lives in Spain and the film will be featured at film festivals all over Europe. There is no rest or no quarter for the wycked. I consult with Felipe Frydman. He is a consumate gentleman. My anthology of poetry and prose is in the final edit. Felipe consents to assist me in a poetry reading cum book launch. That mes cher amis is another story for another day, for tonight we eat , drink and roll merrie. Hail Ceasar, we who are about to drop salute you.
