Advertisement
Mixed Reviews
 |
Conversations with Filmmakers
University of Mississippi Press, $18.00 - $46.00
Reviewed by Jennifer M. Wood
On film and in print, everywhere you turn, it seems directors are in the hot seat. They're being grilled about their upbringing, their education, their technique and their films—much to the delight of moviemakers, who soak up the information. But a careful observer knows that any one interview is only a snapshot in time—a reflection of an individual's attitude at a given moment, not an accurate accounting of their general personality. If you're looking to ‘get to know' your favorite director on a more personal level, your best option is to befriend them. Second best is reading about them in the University of Mississippi Press' Conversations with Filmmakers book series.
Initiated in August of 1998, Conversations with Filmmakers commenced with the publication of Gerald Peary's Quentin Tarantino: Interviews. Two dozen new titles have been added since then, comprising one of the largest and most eclectic book series dedicated specifically to the art of directing. Holding up the back end of the list are Orson Welles, Billy Wilder, Spike Lee and Steven Soderbergh, the four most recent series inductees.
What makes the Conversations series different—and better—than other, similar collections is the commitment to quality moviemaking as a general rule, regardless of a director's age, nationality, current standing in the industry or the size of his/her body of work. Contemporary giants like Soderbergh, Oliver Stone and John Sayles are treated with just as much esteem as legends like Wilder and John Huston. All-American directors like John Ford and Steven Spielberg mix easily with such international greats as Theo Angelopoulos and Zhang Yimou.
The books are a full compendium of the knowledge any one person would need to gain a deeper understanding of an individual artist's work: a brief intro, touching upon the many milestones (and in some cases, controversies) that have shaped a director's career; a timeline, offering both personal and professional accomplishments; a complete filmography; and finally, the interviews. In soliciting the included conversations, the Press makes only two stipulations: all interviews must appear as they did in their original publication, unedited; and are to be arranged by date of when the interview was conducted (not published). Such demands may seem menial, simply a matter of consistency, but they're put in place to further the reader's understanding of who each given director is—both as an artist and a person.
In 1989, when we first meet a 26-year-old Steven Soderbergh, fresh off the heels of his Sundance and Cannes victories with sex, lies, and videotape, he's being compared to everyone from Steven Spielberg to Woody Allen. He volunteers his past as a womanizing liar as the impetus for his debut feature. He was embarrassed to think that his agent would demand a figure as high as $250,000 for him to write a script—or $500,000 to direct. Flash forward to 2002: 13 years and 11 films later, the book closes with a transcript from a conversation between Soderbergh and the press, backstage at the 2001 Oscars, where he won as Best Director for Traffic. His competition? Stephen Daldry for Billy Elliot, Ang Lee for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Ridley Scott for Gladiator… and Steven Soderbergh for Erin Brockovich.
Every successful moviemaker remembers his or her rise from gopher to the top. For many, it's a long and arduous process, but one riddled with life lessons. Conversations with Filmmakers documents the journey of 25 top directors—allowing readers to learn and grow from the mistakes of their favorite directors. It's a unique collection. Soak it up.
 |
Criterion's Director-Approved DVDs
Criterion Collection, $29.95 - $59.95
Reviewed by Jennifer M. Wood
For most players, DVD distribution is a game of numbers. Jam-pack three hours of bonus material onto one (or two, or three) discs, regardless of content, and you've got a DVD that every collector will want. In many cases, this has resulted in the inclusion of such cheap "bonus" tactics as viewer recommendations ("If you like this movie, you'll love this one!") and additional trailers (meant simply to sell other titles in a company's catalog). In the midst of this DVD buying craze, Criterion has remained loyal to its mission of "gathering the greatest films from around the world and publishing them in editions that offer the highest technical quality and award-winning, original supplements."
With a collection that encompasses the hallmark works of such legendary directors as Renoir, Kurosawa, Cocteau, Bergman and Hitchcock, their dedication to the discerning DVD collector logically extends to the moviemakers behind the titles. As such, they have created the Director-Approved series, with names as varied as Martin Scorsese (The Last Temptation of Christ), Michael Bay (Armageddon), Paul Morrissey (Flesh of Frankenstein), Terry Gilliam (Brazil) and Jules Dassin (Rififi) all signing on for the ride.
Director-Approved titles bear the stamp of approval of the individual directors, with a host of special features that further add to the audience's appreciation of the film. At minimum, viewers can expect a new digital transfer (in many cases has been overseen by the director or DP). Particularly with older films like Dassin's Rififi or Milos Forman's The Firemen's Ball and Loves of a Blonde, the addition of restored elements is a welcome reminder of just what Criterion is capable of.
Audio commentary and director interviews are another standard, in many cases with members of the cast and crew. The intention of The Last Temptation of Christ, for example, is made clearer when Martin Scorsese is joined by star Willem Dafoe and writers Paul Schrader and Jay Cocks in the discussion of the making of the biblical epic. In other cases, such additions as a 60-minute doc on the making of Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing and a 44-page booklet on The Rolling Stones and Altamont that accompany the Maysles' Gimme Shelter help Criterion join the ranks of the biggest distributors, creating truly must-have titles.
A Third Face
By Samuel Fuller
With Christa Lang Fuller and Jerome Henry Rudes
Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2002; 592 pp $35, hardcover
 |
"Fuck the system. My film was going to be personal…" He was speaking of his desire to make Park Row his way—as a serious black and white period piece, rather than the bloated musical comedy that his friend, Producer Darryl Zanuck, advised. But he could've been describing his entire philosophy as a moviemaker.
Samuel Michael Fuller, who died in 1997 at the age of 85, was a true American original, as straightforward, charismatic and talented as they come. He made 29 tough, hardhitting movies between 1949 and 1989, (including the classics Pickup on South Street, Underworld USA, Forty Guns, The Naked Kiss, The Big Red One and Shock Corridor), but he knew that if he'd played ball with the studios he could've made many more. No matter, he was a romantic, a dreamer and an idealist to the end, and as this terrific memoir so vividly illustrates, he had few regrets. In his tough-guy vernacular, Fuller never "lusted after the loot. All I ever wanted was to write my stories and direct them… I didn't need much to make me happy other than my Royal, plenty of ribbons, cigars and vodka... I took pride in being an original, a director who creates characters, dialogue, and action out of his own experience and imagination. From a blank piece of paper, I made motion pictures."
You couldn't invent a life like Fuller's, which spanned most of the 20th Century. From New York newsboy in the 1920s to journalist and vagabond in the '30s to soldier and novelist in the '40s to Hollywood director in the '50s to independent moviemaker in the '60s, '70s and '80s to indie icon in the '90s, his life story could and should someday be made into its own tough, hardhitting, "pisscutter of a movie, by a director who has balls," as Sam himself might've said.
Fuller's low-budget Shock Corridor (1963), shot in 10 days, was named by the Library of Congress as one of their official 200 American Classics. That is independent filmmaking. His memoir is chock full of advice for making movies and for living. A few examples: "When a critic is complimentary, he or she is brilliant, and when they knock the hell out of your work, he or she is shortsighted and foolish." "You've got to know your ending before you shoot a single frame of film. Otherwise your picture is like a goddamned train without a final destination." "People should read their own obituaries while they still can. It's a healthy exercise in living one's life to the fullest." "Passion is the bedrock of great moviemaking." "You young people sitting around watching the goddamned television. Get off your asses and go see the world! You will always be wealthy if you count your riches as I do, in adventures, full of life-changing experiences."
Like all immortal artists, Sam Fuller's greatest work was himself. In his later years, he became a living touchstone; independent-minded directors frequently sought him out. He became friends with Jim Jarmusch, Tim Robbins, Quentin Tarantino, Wim Wenders, Sara Driver, Martin Scorsese, Jonathan Demme and many others. Though I'll always wish I'd met him, too, after reading The Third Face, I feel as if I had.
The Third Face was completed by Sam's
devoted wife, the actress and scholar, Christa Lang Fuller, and
their friend, Jerome Rudes, a champion of indie film and founder
of The Avignon Film Festival. —Tim Rhys
SHARE THIS STORY |
TAGS |
Digg
StumbleUpon
Facebook
Del.icio.us
Reddit
YahooAdvertisement
COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT 
This story was published in the Winter 2003 MovieMaker Magazine. The headline was:
Mixed Reviews
Order this issue | Subscribe to MM
Latest from the blog:
In Theaters Now: Hancock & The Wackness
This July 4th weekend box office demonstrates what America is all about: Big superheros and movie stars battling it out against a potential independent gem.
Posted 07.4.08 | In Theaters Now | No comments yet...
Other recent posts:
Posts people are talking about:
SITE DELIVERY OPTIONS
Advertisement
