TOWNE AND THE CITY DIRECTOR AND STARS REVISIT 1930S L.A. IN 'ASK THE DUST'.

Byline: Bob Strauss Film Writer

It took many years and many, many more miles to bring ``Ask the Dust,'' John Fante's classic novel of Depression-era L.A., to the screen.

Now it's been done, thanks to the persistence of screenwriter Robert Towne, whose scripts for ``Chinatown'' and ``Shampoo'' captured the spirit and specifics of life in Southern California like no one else's.

Still, it's been 35 years since Towne first approached Fante about adapting his book. And the film - which stars Colin Farrell as the confrontational, aspiring writer Arturo Bandini, and Salma Hayek as the Mexican waitress he reluctantly falls in love with - had to be made in, of all places, South Africa.

That was primarily for budgetary reasons. But also because South Africa looks more like 1930s Southern California than the real thing does these days. Towne, who also directed the film, would have had to rebuild the era's Bunker Hill district, with its landmark Angel's Flight funicular tramway, wherever he shot it. Downtown L.A. wound up occupying two Cape Town football fields.

``In fact, the topography of South Africa made it a serendipitous choice,'' says the 71-year-old Towne, who grew up in San Pedro. ``The quality of the light, the beaches, the desert, the fog - we were there in Southern California in the past.''

Hayek concurs.

``I really embraced South Africa,'' she says. ``I got to go on safari and all over. But when we were shooting, you forgot, completely, that you were there. It was really weird! As far as we were concerned, we were in Los Angeles in 1930.''

That was one of many qualities Towne wanted to faithfully bring to life from the novel, which he first read while researching his Oscar-winning, 1930s-set ``Chinatown'' script.

``What I didn't expect was how much of my own past came flooding back to me when I read this book,'' Towne says. ``I grew up in the '40s, but it really wasn't that different from the '30s. John's book made me realize things about the city that I didn't even know I knew - and made me realize how much I cared about things that had been lost. A way of life, the look of the city, literally the dust in the air because it was a desert, after all.

``And then the underlying thing that's in the book and is universally understood by thoughtful people is that it is a city of illusions - and the place where people come to have their dreams come true, or to hope that they will. To strike it rich, to become a movie star, to write the great American novel ...''

``... And to get a green card!'' Hayek chimes in.

Though the actress faced struggles of her own when she gave up a thriving career in Mexico in order to break into Hollywood, she's not about to equate her experiences with those of her character, the hand-to-mouth, desperately striving Camilla Lopez.

``I never stopped to think about the parallels, if there were any,'' says the Oscar-nominated star and producer of ``Frida.'' ``And it's really hard to compare because we're talking about somebody who has a hard time getting a job as a waitress in the 1930s, somebody who's just trying to survive. Me saying, 'Well, I didn't get that movie ...' You know what I'm saying? It would be almost inadequate to try to compare our experiences.''

Then there's the crux of the Arturo-Camilla relationship. Like Fante, his fictional alter ego is the son of immigrants who grew up amid virulent anti-Italian prejudice in Colorado. He not only comes to L.A. to become a great writer but also to hook up with a blond beauty. For her part, Camilla wants to marry someone who will give her and their children an acceptably Anglo name - and Bandini ain't it.

Though racism clouds their perceptions of one another, they can't deny their mutual attraction.

``You can get a shrink here, and he could do a thesis on these two characters' relationship,'' Hayek observes. ``But the thing that got to me about her is that she makes me think of all the women who were inspirations to men but never got credit for it and never knew. Camilla thinks that she did everything wrong in life, that she didn't accomplish anything, yet she changes this man completely.''

The famously hard-drinking Farrell has changed, too; he went into rehab, supposedly for a prescription-drug dependence, late last year. Like most people who've worked with the Irish actor, Towne and Hayek have nothing but praise for Farrell's professionalism.

``I've gotta tell you, I came with a lot of hesitation,'' Hayek says. ``I had preconceived notions. Stupid of me, I humbly admit it. But I had my concerns about this actor, didn't really know if he could pull off this part and if he was going to take it seriously or be a flake. But he showed up every day on time, gave it his all every day. He really won me over because he was always passionate about the work. The funny thing was, while we were doing this film, he was completely focused.''

``We needed to create a different look for him,'' Towne explains. ``Colin had just finished 'Alexander,' and was pretty sturdy-looking, and we needed a skinny kid writer. He had to lose weight, and he lost 25 pounds. In order to do that, he was put on a very careful diet so he wouldn't hurt himself. Everything was restricted, including alcohol. I don't know if there was a rebound effect and he went off to do something else and decided to make up for lost time. I have no idea, but I had no problem with him.''

Without Farrell's participation, the film wouldn't have gotten made. The actor came to Towne's home to lobby for the Bandini part four years ago, before anyone in Hollywood even knew who he was. Women who were attending a small house party at the time told Towne to give the handsome young actor anything he asked for. But it was Farrell's passionate commitment to the mercurial Bandini that sold the director - and the actor's rising star that subsequently attracted production funds.

None of which explains, however, why a project initiated in 1971 is reaching theaters in 2006. Towne claims that being the most sought-after screenwriter of the 1970s got in the way of actually writing the adaptation, while personal and career setbacks in the '80s prevented him from doing much of anything creative. When he finally banged out the script in 1993, industry tastes, even in the low-budget indie film sector, had shifted away from carefully nuanced period pieces.

Through all the delays, though, Towne fondly recalled his first meeting with the combative Fante. His books had long been out-of-print, and Fante had made the bulk of his living, rather ironically, writing screenplays he generally wasn't proud of.

``Bandini is John,'' Towne explains. ``No one would deny that who knew him. The book was in literary limbo when I read it, nobody had heard of him. I went to his home down in Malibu - modest house. When I told him I wanted to adapt his book, his response was, 'What makes you think you can adapt anything? Who are you? What are your credits?'

``Well, I was unknown; that was before 'Chinatown' and 'Shampoo' and 'The Last Detail' had been produced, though they had been written. And he took it as an insult that the one writer that would come to him after all these years to declare his book a masterpiece was more unknown than he was! 'Who cares about your opinion? I've at least got some screen credits!' he said.''

Fante's wife convinced the cranky writer to cut the kid some slack. As Towne's reputation subsequently skyrocketed, the writers became fast friends until Fante's death in 1983.

``It's weird, but he did not offend me,'' Towne recalls of that first confrontation. ``All I could see was, That's my boy! That's Arturo Bandini at 65 years old and still going strong.''

Bob Strauss, [phone]

bob.strauss(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

(color) Writer/director Robert Towne and star Salma Hayek both thought that Cape Town, South Africa, stood in rather well for 1930s Los Angeles in ``Ask the Dust.''

David Sprague/Staff Photographer