Greendale,  Neil Young’s movie set in a familiar-sounding town, will be in HMB Friday

Greendale, Neil Young’s new film, which was filmed in and around Half Moon Bay, is being show by the Coastside Film Society Friday night at 8pm. Greendale is the story of a coastal town just South of San Francisco and the people who inhabit it.

I saw Young perform Greendale earlier this year and enjoyed it thoroughly. Like opera, its strong suit is its music, not its plot. Actors played out the scenes from the music, lip-syncing their dialog on the stage while Young played. It was surprisingly effective. Young moved this technique to film.

Note: the rest of this article is based on the Film Society’s press release.

Greendale is the story of some inhabitants of a small coastal town that, with its rugged green hills and location just south of San Francisco, may seem familiar.  Not surprisingly, because most of the footage was taken in and around Half Moon Bay and other parts just south of San Francisco.

He assembled a cast of friends and neighbors to play the parts of the characters he had created and set out to make a movie—though he’d prefer to call Greendale a "musical novel." This is not your usual Hollywood movie. The film’s entire soundtrack comes from the album; the actors lip-sync in place of regular dialogue. Much of the film was shot using an old Super 8 camera, yielding a grainy home movie feel that matches the stark realities of the storyline.

The role of Sun Green, a young cheeleader turned eco-activist in Greendale was influenced by OILonICE, a documentary about the cost of drilling for oil in Alaska.  The CFS will also show a preview of OILonICE Friday night. OILonICE is the production of Dale Djerassi in association with Lobitos Creek Ranch, both of Half Moon Bay. Djerassi will be on hand to describe his film, and to tell the story about how his ranch and outdoor artwork became set pieces in Greendale.

Since this is a locally produced film, lots of the cast and crew are expected to show up to discuss the film with the audience.  These include: L.A. Johnson (Larry), Greendale’s producer and member of the cast, Paul Supplee from Total Media Group, the post-production supervisor for Greendale and another member of the cast, and Dale Djerassi, the producer of our short, OILonICE.

The Coastside Film Society says they may have to turn people away at the doors, so you should get there early.  Greendale will be shown at Community United Methodist Church Sanctuary, 777 Miramontes (corner of Johnston), in Half Moon Bay on Friday,  July 9, 2004 at 8:00pm.