NYFF: Go-Go Tales

By Katey Rich

Bob Hoskins keeps things in line at the Paradise Lounge.

The Paradise Lounge in Abel Ferrara's Go Go Talesisn't based on a specific New York strip club�wink wink, nudge nudge. As Ferrara said in the press conference following the film, "Somewhere in a city to be nameless, on a street that will remain nameless between 19th and 21st, there was a place. It was more or less like this."

Fair enough. Though Ferrara isn't giving details thanks to what he calls a "litigious society," we can assume it's the inspiration of a real place that gives Ray Ruby's Paradise Lounge such verisimilitude. Easily compared to Altman or Renoir's ensemble casts, Go Go Tales follows the chaotic, unpredictable and hilarious happenings at a New York City gentleman's lounge on the verge of financial crisis. Willem Defoe plays Ruby, the optimistic but beleaguered owner; Bob Hoskins and Frankie Cee help manage the club, Roy Dotrice plays Ruby's financial manager, Matthew Modine is Ruby's successful brother, and Asia Argento is one of the many tempestuous dancers demanding their due. Sylvia Miles holds court as the club's landlord, who constantly threatens to shut down the place and rent to Bed, Bath & Beyond. The key to their salvation is a winning lottery ticket hidden somewhere in the club for safekeeping; now, if only Ruby can find it�

The dancer looks happy here, but behind the scenes, they're ready to strike.

Ferrara describes Go Go Tales as his "first intentional comedy [�] I remember when I told Scorsese we were doing a comedy, he started laughing so hard." Ferrara looks fondly on the club on which Ruby's was based: "You walked in and it was like the neighborhood bar for me, which meant I got drinks for free. [�] The thing is, there's something magical about it. We wanted to do the film not the way that life is, because it's a very difficult life. We tried to take a very harsh reality and find a comic movie."

The film was shot entirely on a set at the Cinecitta Studios in Rome, where Ferrara and company built a full strip club, down to the surveillance cameras. "It's totally practical," Ferrara said. "We had the best club in town. We could stay open any hours we wanted, and we didn't need a liquor license." Multiple cameras were running at a time and improvisation was encouraged, which led to conversations and entire scenes being made out of only an outline.

Miles, who sits at the bar for most of the film, learned to expect the unexpected and be able to react to everything as her character. "You don't really know when you're in the scene or not in the scene," she said. "With that many cameras going at one time, you have to have a life of your own going [�] It got to be actually like a home. I felt like I was in a tacky hotel with all my friends."

"And you were the boss," Ferrara told her. "You had the keys."

Miles shot back, "Little did they know, if it was really up to me I would close this fucking place in a minute."

How else to save the club but put on a show?

Dafoe, who was called to set each day regardless of whether he was in a scene or not, said the improvisation that took place wasn't what normally occurs�Miles agreed that "There's no improvisation; there's just behavior." Dafoe explained, "Because the relationships were set and strong and the world was complete, it was fairly clear, it didn't feel like you were inventing things. You were taking on that role from a very practical standpoint."

Seeing the group of them up onstage at the press conference, it's easy to get a feel for the jovial atmosphere they described on set. Frankie Cee told the press "To be honest, if Abel says to me �Do the film for free, we're going to do it again,' I would gladly do it."

"Don't say that," Miles warned. "He's going to ask you to do it for free."