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In doing a bit of research for this interview we discovered that a few years ago, at a well-known festival in France where director Bill Lustig was scheduled to speak, the theater audience began chanting Billy! Billy! until he made his appearance. At another festival in Europe, they hung a banner across the road welcoming him to town Here at home, the L.A.-based Lustig is best known as a cult midnight moviemaker who has crafted some of the most fun, frightening, gory films of the '80s, including Maniac, Maniac Cop, Vigilante, and Relentless. Intelligent, articulate and intimidatingly well-steeped in film lore, the hardworking Lustig recently began a new career as a film restorer (and DVD producer) with Anchor Bay Entertainment. He obviously loves this work, which he rightfully considers extremely important for the longterm health of the motion picture arts. Lustig recently spoke with MM about his career and what it takes to stay at the top of the moviemaking game over the long term.
Jennifer Wood (MM): First, please just give me a brief bio on yourself. Where you were born, grew up, education, all that good stuff.
Bill Lustig (BL): I was born February 1, 1955 in Bronx, NY, where I lived until I was seven years old and my family moved to Englewood Cliffs, NJ. The Sopranos turf. I dropped out of high school (a mere formality since I hardly attended anyway) on my 18th birthday. However, I did attend two semesters at New York University film school. The legendary NYU film school professor Haig Manoogian, admitted me into his class despite my lack of a high school diploma when I demonstrated my ability to load film into an upright Movieola with my eyes closed.
MM:When did you first become interested in film, and when was it that you decided to pursue film as a career?
BL:My earliest cinema memories are going to the huge movie palaces in the Bronx to see Disney films and taking the subway with my mother to Radio City Music Hall to see the holiday films with the Rockettes stage show. I think it was around 1968 when I became passionate about cinema. The movies of that period Bonnie and Clyde, Bullitt, The Wild Bunch, Z, Putney Swope, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, the Sergio Leone films, The Dirty Dozen, Thunderball, Goldfinger, Midnight Cowboy and many others planted the need in my soul to direct films. The grand cinemas of 42nd Street (now sadly torn down) offered me the opportunity to see Fellini films, Roger Corman exploitation flicks, spaghetti westerns, Kung Fu epics, Hammer horror as well as the latest Hollywood pictures, all on any given day and often on the same double or triple bill. This experience ingrained in me a respect for the entertainment values of diverse cinema which I've applied to my current work with the Anchor Bay and Blue Underground DVDs.
MM:You've worked in all facets of moviemaking: writing, editing, producing, directing, acting, restoring films and even stuntwork appear on your resume. How has this variety of occupations affected your approach to the medium? Also, what was your first film and how did you get it?
BL: My earliest work was as an apprentice editor when I was 16 years old, when family friend Peter Savage (who later co-produced Raging Bull) became my mentor. At this time, he was producing/directing very low-budget, unsuccessful sex comedies. His editor, Larry Marinelli, who later edited my films Maniac and Vigilante, encouraged my interest by letting me sweep the editing room floor. In exchange, he taught me the skills and mechanics of editing. I began skipping school to work endless hours at Larry's company for only travel and meal money. I didn't care. I was 16 years old, living at home, and didn't have any overhead.
With the massive success of Deep Throat, Peter (along with every other exploitation filmmaker in the world) turned his attention to the hard-core adult genre. In 1972, I began working as a production assistant on theatrical porno films. It was invaluable training because it gave me the opportunity to learn practically every behind-the-camera job on a film set, which no film school can offer. During the same period, thanks to Peter's friend, the producer Ralph Serpe, I also worked on mainstream action films shooting on location in New York, including The Seven Ups and Across 110th Street. It was a glorious time for me because I was in love with the work. Nothing else in my life mattered. Through an acquaintance at NYU film school, I raised $15,000 (ultimately $21,000) to produce and direct my own 35mm porno film. During post-production, I did some market research by visiting Times Square adult bookstores (pre-video/DVD) and asking the clerks which were the biggest selling books. Their biggest seller was The Violation of Marcy, so I titled my film The Violation of Claudia. By the way, there's no violation of anyone in the movie, which was loosely based on Bunuels Belle de Jour. Even though he passed away in 1982, I feel to this day that I owe my career and life to Peter Savage.
MM:Throughout the '80s and '90s you created some classic horror films, including Maniac and Vigilante. Where did your interest in horror stem from?
BL: I think my film Maniac is the closest to being pure horror. The Maniac Cop series and Uncle Sam were more twisted visions of authority (the police and military, respectively) with horror/thriller moments. Vigilante, Hit List, and The Expert (unaccredited director) were vigilante action films, and Relentless was a police/serial killer thriller. I realize that even though I've really only made one true horror film, I will forever be thought of as a horror film director.
MM:What do you think are the elements of a great horror film?
BL:Horror has always been viewed by mainstream society as a disreputable genre. Even the major studios and critics look down upon horror films and their makers. Yet historically, horror films generally have more longevity than so-called 'respectable' films. In 1980, Paramount Pictures released both Ordinary People (which won the Best Picture Oscar) and Friday the 13th. Which of these two pictures is better remembered today? Which of these two pictures would you like to be a profit participant in? Like sex and humor, horror taps into very primal emotions that tend to be uncomfortable for many adults to accept. That's why these films are embraced by the young--or young at heart. Horror, like sex and comedy, is a director-driven genre. It's impossible to articulate what's scary. But the best horror filmmakers have a gut instinct for fear.
MM: In 1997, you directed Uncle Sam with Robert Forster. Did Forster's Oscar nomination that same year for Jackie Brown increase the visibility or success of your own film?
BL: Robert Forster starred in Vigilante in 1983 and later appeared in Maniac Cop 3 and Uncle Sam. Bob is one of the few true friends I have in this business. I was so happy when I saw Jackie Brown, which Quentin wrote specifically for him, and incredibly proud of his subsequent Oscar nomination. He is a brilliant actor and, more importantly, a fine person.
MM:Uncle Sam was the last time we heard from you as a director. Any directing plans in the near future? If so, what is the story?
BL: I have no definitive plans to direct in the near future, but I always keep the door open. In the meantime, I love what I'm doing now.
MM: When did you begin working with Anchor Bay Entertainment and what is your title within the company? In your time there, you have worked to restore various previously hard-to-find and classic films for DVD distribution. Can you list a few of the films you've worked on?
BL: In 1997 I began a new chapter in my career as a film restorer and Laserdisc/DVD producer when I acquired the U.S. rights to 21 Hammer Films titles that had never been released on home video. I then licensed the VHS rights to Anchor Bay Entertainment. Film restoration on video was an entirely new adventure for me. Since then, my relationship with Anchor Bay has grown to include the restoration and/or supervision of nearly 400 films, including Dario Argento's Suspiria, Deep Red, and Opera; Michael Mann's Manhunter; The Wicker Man; Sergio Corbucci's landmark Spaghetti Western' Django; John Cassavetes' Minnie & Moskowitz; John Woo's A Better Tomorrow 1 & 2; Repo Man; Heathers; John Carpenter's Halloween; Lucio Fulci's The Beyond; Jean-Pierre Melville's Un Flic; The Stunt Man; the Ilsa series; Tender Mercies; Frances; and nearly a dozen Werner Herzog films. Those include Aguirre, Fitzcarraldo and Nosferatu. We're currently preparing such films as Richard Lester's The Three Musketeers; Emmanuelle; Nicolas Roeg's The Man who Fell to Earth; a Wim Wenders collection and the entire Ealing Studios catalog. In addition to the restoration of picture and audio elements of these films (which are often akin to archeological digs), my staff and I also create extensive bonus features, including poster and still galleries, audio commentaries and original featurette documentaries. We're all extraordinarily proud of the work we do.
MM:Do you work in acquiring the films that will be restored? If so, what do you look for in a film? Do you have certain criteria for deciding which films are worth restoring?
BL: I do much of the acquisition myself, as does Jay Douglas of Anchor Bay's corporate offices in Michigan. Quite simply, we both look for under-appreciated films that people want to see, whether they realize it or not. We love 'orphan' titles, and we love films that other companies tend to shy away from. I look at it this way: If Criterion is the 'classical music' of DVD restoration and distribution, then Anchor Bay is pure rock & roll. I like to think that most people hide their Anchor Bay DVDs on their shelves behind the Criterion titles.
MM:For you, what was the most rewarding film to work on as a restoration and why? If you were given the chance to remaster any film yours or otherwise what would it be and why?
BL: The main reward is being able to restore films that I love. It's a true thrill and honor to closely work with such diverse directors as Dario Argento, Werner Herzog, Monte Hellman (Two Lane Blacktop), Sergio Sollima (Violent City), Val Guest (The Day the Earth Caught Fire and Hell is a City), Paul Verhoeven (Soldier of Orange, The Fourth Man), Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, Army of Darkness) and others to create the definitive editions of their great films. I've seen directors moved to tears when they see the final product because they thought their work had been forgotten.
Probably the most rewarding film to work on thus far has been Sidney Furie's The Ipcress File. I still think it's a landmark film on so many levels, and I knew that no one else would have made the effort to restore it. My dream titles would have to include Dario Argento's Four Flies on Grey Velvet (which Paramount has seemingly buried) and the long version of Sergio Leone's Duck, You Sucker (which is not a big enough title for MGM to bother with). I would see either as more than just restorations; I'd consider them rescue missions.
MM:You have worked on the restorations of some of your own films, including Maniac and Vigilante. Is the process different when working on your own film?
BL: When I restore my own films, I don't have to chase licensors or hunt for elements. And in the case of Maniac, in addition to upgrading the audio and picture, we also created an all-new and remarkably powerful 55-minute documentary called The Joe Spinell story. Maniac was Joe's film as much as mine, but his inimitable life could belong to no one else. Everyone in this business adored him, and everyone in this business mourned him. Maniac is Joe's legacy. This documentary is his tribute.
MM:You have been a well-respected name in the film industry for a long time now, both in this country and in Europe, where you are a true cult hero. What do you think is the key to longevity in an industry like this one, which is constantly changing?
BL: Longevity in this business is all about discipline. Every day, whether I'm actively working on a specific project or not, I do something anything to advance my work. For more than 30 years, I've always kept my eyes and ears open for opportunities. Seizing many of those opportunities has led me to some great places, including my current position.
MM:What do you expect from your collaborators as a: Director? Producer? Writer?
BL:I look for and expect professionalism, enthusiasm and creativity. Do the job. Love the job. And always bring something fresh to the job.
MM:What was your very favorite experience on a movie set?
BL:Working with the legendary Woody Strode on Vigilante.
MM: Worst experience on a movie set?
BL: Working with the intolerable Jeff Speakman on The Expert.