Let's Get Lost (1988)

Wonderful Movie

What a waste of my time!!!

Masterful Movie

A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

Beautifully filmed by a fashion photographer, Bruce Weber, nevertheless the ugliness of Chet Baker's life overtakes the beautiful images on screen. In Western culture, we equate physical beauty and/or exceptional talent with a depth of soul and substance that are often lacking if we look closely with cool objectivity at those we idolize for those traits. Great beauty or great talent aren't always bestowed on the good or the worthy, and Baker is evidence of that. He was a manipulative drug addict who likely would have wound up a petty criminal if he didn't incidentally have much more than a passing musical talent. It didn't hurt that when he was very young he also had the chiseled good looks of a movie star, looks later ravaged by decades of heroin use. Interviews with the women in his life reveal a strung out moocher who knew how to use their obsessions with him to support his drug habit, taking advantage of their romantic projections of a tortured soul onto a loser with some musical talent. One of them, jazz singer Ruth Young, states flatly that for Baker music was just a way to get drugs. In an interview with Baker at the end of the film, Weber asks about his current state of constant pain due to being cut off from drugs until he gets to Amsterdam. Baker refuses to rise to the bait and open up about the destruction addiction has wrought in his life. Ironically, Baker subsequently jumped, fell or was pushed to his death from his hotel window in Amsterdam. The film appears to have been meant as an homage to Baker, but instead reveals the ugly little drug addict he was. There is another myth in Western culture, the myth that in order to create the mind must be unfettered through use of drugs. After watching this, one can't help but wonder how much of Baker's creativity and talent were stunted rather than enhanced by heroin.

Fashion photographer Bruce Weber's lush, patchwork portrait of Jazz artist Chet Baker is more than just another show-biz biography of a self-destructive junkie. The romantic myth of Jazz itself is the true subject of the film, which unfolds in a fascinating, leapfrog structure at times even more elusive than Baker's own melancholy music. The musician himself is just out of reach, a vague outline of a man dimly revealed in candid interviews with friends, family, and other ardent admirers. Despite some often transparent idolization the film in no way whitewashes Baker's character, suggesting that he could be his own worst enemy, in particular around the many women in his life. Weber ignores the disparity between the singer's haunting good looks when young and the sad physical decline of his later years (his gentle, melodic voice would remain the same, even after losing all his teeth), choosing instead to capture some of the quiet energy of Jazz by allowing the music and imagery (beautifully photographed in black and white) to speak for themselves.

I first saw Let's get lost on a VHS tape about 12 years ago. I was immediately struck by the amazing story of artistic success mixed with tragic drug addiction that made up Chet Baker's life's story as well as the haunting images of the aging musician. I, like many others have been patiently awaiting a re-issue of this minor masterpiece on DVD. This past weekend (May 7, 2005) I found it at my favorite independent video store! I eagerly rented it in anticipation of how great it would look projected on my 90" screen by my high definition LCD projector. I was disappointed to discover that what I had rented was not a fresh, new, high quality transfer from an original film negative or print . but apparently a copy of a video tape, and not a particularly good one at that. Its softness, increased contrast and video artifacting was made all the more obvious by the high quality projection. The sound quality was mushy also, making conversations hard to follow. There were no revealing deleted scenes, because there were no special features at all. Pressing 'play' after dropping the disc into the DVD tray simply launched the movie and only the original film credits rolled at the end.I can't help thinking that Mr. Weber and/or whoever else owns the original material of Let's get lost and the rights to re-issue it should be concerned that the longer they wait to do what is needed, the more the reputation of the intellectual property is damaged by the presence of the inferior copy.

This film is a must see for any Baker fan and even any Jazz fan. Baker really did redefine the 1950's jazz scene with his combination of mesmerising trumpet playing and angel like vocals. His instantly recognisable style has brought joy to many jazz fans over the years and even now his legend lives on some 16 years after his death in the most mysterious of circumstances.This film tells a very candid story of Chet charting his terrible affliction with drugs as well as honing in on his god given talents. It is very highly recommended and is long overdue for a release on DVD as some fellow reviewers have alluded to. I will certainly be first in the queue to buy this must see title if and when it is re released.