IT’S MAGIC TIME : Calendar goes to the movies--around the world : THE HEAT AND THE SMOKE IN ‘WILDFIRE’

Movies are a surreal way of making a living. Take, for example, “Wildfire,” being shot about 50 minutes north of San Rafael.

About a hundred cast and crew converged from various corners of the country. They came to spend $9.5 million to make a romantic drama about two kids who meet in an orphanage, fall in love, run away as teen-agers, get separated by The Fates, grow up and reunite--but by then he has a prison record and she has a husband and two kids of her own.

Before too long on this scenic location, emotions were running excessive. In one scene, leading lady Linda Fiorentino seemed to be pummeling surprised leading man Steven Bauer with untoward enthusiasm. At another point Fiorentino was trading screams across the landscape with producer Jerry Tokofsky.

In another scene an actor was asked to wear (then coerced into wearing) Nike running shoes. (It seems the producer has this trade-off deal with the shoe people. . . .) The actor was steamed and was absent from one of the producer’s parties.

In the beginning, the crew was putting director Zalman King through a sort of foot-dragging slowdown, a sort of ritual Hollywood hazing for first-time directors--until veteran cinematographer Bill Butler told the production managers to get on with it.

In the end, there were dueling wrap parties.

The producer’s party at the ritzy Blue Boar restaurant near Bodega Bay doubtless had the biggest tab. But the leading lady “do” at the Cantina, a Mexican restaurant in San Rafael, didn’t want for excitement.

Said sources, one actor got crazy drunk and ended up running half-naked into the rain; two other crew members were busted by the local constabulary, one for disturbing the peace, the other for indecent exposure, as a result of relieving himself behind a shrub.

Ah, Hollywood. . . .

(Parenthetically, Hollywood on location is great for the delicious gossip that wends its way through the grapevine:

(Madonna, it was reported, had kicked Sean out of the house.

(There were tales told about the making of “Captain EO,” just opening at the Disneylands. Quipped production designer Geoffrey Kirkland, “It was interesting working with (producer George) Lucas and (director Francis) Coppola. Uh, working between Lucas and Coppola.”

(Stories flew around about “The Duck.” Since Marin County is home to Lucasfilm, many of the crew also worked on “Howard the Duck,” produced by Lucas.

(Lamented one “Duck” veteran: “I spent more than half a year of my life on that picture. I want that half a year back.”)

Tomales Bay was doubling for warm and sunny Baja. For her scenes, Fiorentino wore a flimsy white cotton skirt and a revealing white sleeveless T-shirt top--but the big chill rising off the water sent temperatures dipping into the low 40s. When Tokofsky cracked open a bottle of Cognac at night, just about everyone grabbed for cups.

The setting in a rustic, two-story cabin looked as if it had almost always been on the cliffside overlooking the bay. But just a few days earlier, the cabin hadn’t existed on the clearing surrounded by rolling hills (where sheep and cattle grazed). And within a few days, it would be but a memory. The script called for a stunt man (doubling for Bauer) to drive a car through it. Then it was to be set on fire.

But for the moment, the cabin looked lived-in. Its porch was cluttered with old chairs and benches, an abandoned water cooler, wooden boxes, Mexican pottery. Inside was a teensy bedroom and a kitchen with an old refrigerator and stove and a small table with two chairs.

Fiorentino was seated at the kitchen table, a sad look in her dark eyes as she slowly cut and ate a bite of honeydew melon.

She didn’t look up when the screen door swung open and Bauer entered, anxious to tell her how he felt about her.

The dialogue was impassioned, to say the least, as Bauer declared, “When the dust finally settles, you gotta add up the good with the bad. What we have goes beyond love. Beyond friendship. What we have goes way beyond blood. We’re the same person, you and me. When the dust finally settles, you’ll know.”

The scene came to an end and Bauer speared a handful of Kleenex. (The cold air got to his nose.) Fiorentino grabbed for a blanket to ward off the cold winds that seemed to blow right through the cabin walls. The crew readied the next shot, though as it turned out, there wouldn’t be much more time for filming. “The weather’s not being very friendly today,” said Butler, as he scanned the darkening skies.

Standing in the cabin bedroom, Bauer was looking out at the troubled waters (there was a lot of seaweed visible), recalling the time he and then-wife Melanie Griffith (Bauer and the actress are divorcing) were snorkling off the island of St. John in the Virgin Islands. “Melanie reached for what she thought was an old tennis racket, buried in the sand. It turned out to be a stingray. We got outta there.”

Between takes, Bauer usually lit a cigarette and kibbitzed with the crew or his younger brother, Ernie, who travels with him, keeping a running journal of his work. “He sort of keeps me in line,” said Bauer.

Fiorentino smiled, but didn’t say much, as she headed for her trailer, located at the base camp past several fenced-in horse corrals.

Theirs aren’t household names. But it can be said that both Bauer and Fiorentino are “hovering” on the edge of stardom/recognition.

Bauer played Al Pacino’s likable buddy-accomplice in “Scarface,” then went on to star as a lothario who turns himself into a married woman’s dream lover in “Thief of Hearts.” The latter fizzled, Bauer believes, because producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer (the “Flashdance”-”Top Gun” team) lost interest after embarking on “Beverly Hills Cop.” Said Bauer: “They got themselves a new toy--Eddie Murphy. Which was OK. It’s just that ‘Thief of Hearts’ still needed a lot of attention.”

Following “Wildfire,” Bauer hopes to portray the late Jim Morrison. He has already sung on stage with two former members of the Doors. And he stars in the HBO movie, “Sword of Gideon,” playing an Israeli commando. It begins airing late this month.

Fiorentino fairly stole the shaky show in the teen films, “VisionQuest” (her screen debut) and “Gotcha.” And in Martin Scorsese’s “After Hours,” she got great notices with her casual portrayal of the kinky girl in black see-through netting (who contributes to Griffin Dunne’s nightmarish night).

“Wildfire” has a kind of ‘40s feel to it, with its melodramatic edge and its cast of attractive performers.

At first Bauer was confused over whether the characters actually consummate their relationship during the reunion. He was relieved to learn that they do indeed--”but we’re not going to shoot it.” It’s hinted at.

As originally scripted by King, the relationship was steamy. But producer Tokofsky convinced him to go subtle: “No matter how one looks at it, if a woman is married and has two children, you will totally lose your audience if she has an explicit sexual affair,” the producer said.

To hear the film makers optimistically tell it, “Wildfire” could push Bauer and Fiorentino into the major leagues. Said Tokofsky: “I think they both sense that this is the kill, this is the big moment, as artists. You know, I can’t say for sure what the film will do, overall. But I think it’s going to make these actors. I tell you what, if it doesn’t work, they’ll both have to reshape and rethink their careers.”

“I’ve seen all kinds of antics in this business,” said Tokofsky. “I’ve seen every routine. My feeling is, ‘Go ahead, do it. Embarrass yourself. And then, let’s get back to work.’ That’s been my attitude.”

Tokofsky has spent more than 30 years in the industry. He’s a former Columbia Pictures vice president. (“Funny Girl,” “Oliver!,” “A Man for All Seasons” and others were produced under his aegis.) He’s a former agent (to stars including Steve McQueen, George Segal and Robert Blake). He’s been an independent producer. (He did the cult comedy “Where’s Poppa?”) Now partnered with businessman Stanley R. Zupnik (a real estate and horse-breeding tycoon from Maryland) in Zupnik Enterprises, Tokofsky is overseeing a six-picture slate, including “Wildfire.”

He was amused to be asked about a brief rift with supporting actor Will Patton, who plays Fiorentino’s husband. (And who was described by many of his co-workers as “a New York stage actor.”) It happened when Patton initially balked when asked to wear a pair of Nikes on camera. (Tokofsky was going to show the shoes in exchange for T-shirts, jackets and running shoes that Nike provided for the production members.) Tokofsky reminded Patton that he’d asked to be able to leave the location for a visit with his girlfriend. Tokofsky was convincing: No Nikes, no time off. So Patton wore the Nikes.

Shortly afterward, Patton was a no-show at a party Tokofsky gave.

Then there were the rifts with Fiorentino.

They were more or less symbolized by a massive floral bouquet, which Fiorentino sent Tokofsky after filming had wrapped. “Speaking as someone who sends a lot of flowers, I’d say it had to have cost at least $300,” said Tokofsky.

He went on to offer some cautionary words for would-be stars: “You can’t be a star in this business without cooperation. Unless you make the best efforts, you’re hurting yourself.”

According to what a reporter heard and saw on the set and was told in interviews later, Fiorentino steadfastly refused to pose for a photographer from the photo syndicate Sygma who had been specially hired by the production for two weeks. Each time Francois Duhamel tried to snap a shot, Fiorentino either pulled her hair over her face or turned away. (She did, however, pose willingly for Calendar’s photographer.)

Nor would she consent to be interviewed for the film’s video press kit or the standard production notes.

The square-off with Tokofsky came in the final days of production, when he made a last-ditch effort to get her to pose for the Sygma photographer. Fiorentino refused. A name-calling melee began. The yelling reportedly could be heard across the open field at the production base camp about two or three “blocks” away. Those who heard it said they laughed, at first. “Then it got really ugly,” said one crew member.

The incident with Bauer took place at night in the parking lot of the Bermuda Palms Motel in San Rafael, where a scene was to be filmed in which Fiorentino and Bauer scuffle.

By the time Tokofsky arrived, bearing pizzas for cast and crew, “Linda was off to one side, crying. Steven was off to another,” the producer said.

What apparently happened--according to a slew of onlookers--might be considered serious method acting. Fiorentino really got into her role.

First she surprised her co-star by hitting him in the sternum. Bauer, who was suffering from a chest cold, gasped for breath and dropped to his knees. Fiorentino still came at him--kicking, hitting and screaming. Bauer grabbed her and lifted her up. Fiorentino began scratching his face and pulling at his hair.

(It turned out the scene was never printed, because in the melee, Fiorentino’s microphone became visible. But, said Tokofsky, “The reaction shots we got were terrific.”)

Colorful words described Fiorentino that night. “Like the Tasmanian devil,” said one onlooker. “A wildcat,” said another. One actor tabbed Fiorentino meshuggeneh (Yiddish for “crazy woman”).

After the scene she reportedly approached Bauer and asked, “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Then, in front of the crew, she said something to the effect, “Oh, come on, I thought you could take a punch like a man. . . . “

Bauer said he had be looked over by the film’s medic, then rested in one of the motel rooms.

He recalled: “I honestly didn’t know what to do when Linda, uh, went crazy. I mean, I just don’t go around hitting women. So what I did was try to protect myself. I suppose that when I picked her up, I could have dropped her on the pavement, but, well. . . .”

Added Bauer: “It seemed like she was aware of the harm she could be doing. It was intense. So I didn’t know if I should be angry. I didn’t know if I should take it personally or philosophically. As it turned out, I basically turned the other cheek. I took it philosophically.”

So when did talk between the two resume? Said Bauer: “Well, it (the fight) happened on a Friday. Saturday I recovered. (He laughed.) Sunday I ran into her at a lunch place. I was with my mom and my girlfriend. She was with her boyfriend. We didn’t deal with the fight then.

“On Monday, I had these anxieties. I wondered, ‘Who’s going to apologize?’ ”

As it turned out, said Bauer, there were no apologies. “We just, like, started working. And we said something like, well, that was kind of crazy.”

Bauer was diplomatic about his co-star. “On a creative level, it was very challenging and always thrilling to work with Linda. I think that we managed to create a kind of heat in our scenes--I think that’s one of the pluses of the film.”

(A reporter learned of the fight scene after interviewing Fiorentino--who never mentioned the skirmish. Repeated follow-up phone calls to Fiorentino, via her publicist in New York, were never returned, though her publicist stated: “Linda’s not interested in becoming a big star. What she wants is to be a great actress.”)

Long before Marin County, Fiorentino stirred up excitement when she mysteriously exited a press junket for Warner Bros.’ “VisionQuest.” Publicists and journalists alike were left wondering what had happened to her.

During an interview at the Clarion Hotel in San Rafael (where many of the cast and crew stayed), Fiorentino said simply, “I wanted to go home--and I did. They shouldn’t have bought me a round-trip ticket.” With a laugh, she added: “They (Warner) still don’t know where I am. They probably think I’m dead or living in Czechoslovakia.”

In fact, said Fiorentino, she didn’t even know the studio was curious about her exit until a girlfriend called her to report that she’d seen a copy of the New York Post, lying in a gutter, with Fiorentino’s photo and an account of her disappearance.

Said Fiorentino: “She said, ‘Linda, are you OK? I just saw your face in the gutter?’ I told her, ‘That’s where they want me to be.’ ”

But why did she go AWOL?

Said Fiorentino: “We have to slit our wrists on film. Isn’t that enough? I happen to be really shy. I like being alone. When you’re an actor, you open yourself enough.”

Besides, she hated the movie: “It was a potentially great film destroyed by the powers that be, who were more interested in turning it into a sound-track album.”

She was dressed in jeans and a bulky, loose-fitting sweater. Her hair was pulled back in a pony-tail. She wore no makeup. When she first arrived, she was understandably nervous because she’d just learned that her “stepchild” had been badly bitten by a dog in a New York park. (She was relieved to report that the child would be fine, after some stitches.) She preferred not to elaborate on her private life, other than to say that her boyfriend is director John Byrum (who made “The Razor’s Edge”), whose children she calls her “stepchildren.”

“Anyway, this interview is about my work, right?” said Fiorentino, who clutched a cup of coffee and tucked her legs beneath her. “Well, I don’t want to be a quote, star. I don’t want to be Clint Eastwood or Goldie Hawn. I don’t want to hang out at Spago. And I don’t want to be part of a studio package--whatever that is. I’m not a can of Coca-Cola.

“I want to affect people. I think people should be affected. I want film to be great--and I want to be a great actress.”

Director King was comparing “Wildfire” with “9 1/2 Weeks,” which he produced and co-scripted (with wife Patricia Knop):

“ ‘9 1/2 Weeks’ is a story about people who had really missed a connection in their lives. So they were taking a leap toward it--not out of desperation, but because they couldn’t find it any other way. They fell into this relationship and they tried to build this illusion of passion.

“This (“Wildfire”) is something that starts very, very young and blossoms into something very fantastic. Then, it’s lost.”

But, stressed King, he doesn’t see it as a dark piece. “Linda’s husband is there for her, non-judgmentally, at the end. Which is a fantasy--but, it is also the way it should be. If someone’s going through a crisis, you pray that the person you love will be waiting for you when it’s all over.”

King, who currently has deals involving some half-dozen projects (he is executive producer of the now-filming “Siesta,” which Mary Lambert is directing from Knop’s script), explained that parts of “Wildfire” didn’t come together until filming was under way.

He cited what was once a kidnaping (of Fiorentino’s character, by Bauer) as a means of reuniting his former lovers: “We were filming when it suddenly came to me to make it so that she had to go with him--by her own choice. So, there’s a scene in which Bauer has a gun in his hand--and looks guilty of a crime. Fearful that he’ll be sent to prison for another term, Fiorentino jumps in a car with him, and orders him to drive. And it works,” said King, smiling.