Schrader on Schrader 0571142478

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Schraderon Schrader Editedby KevinJackson

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Jaberandfaber LONDON‘BOSTON

Firstpublished in1990 byFaberandFaberLimited 3QueenSquareLondonwc1N3AU Phototypeset byWilmaset Birkenhead Wirral PrintedinGreatBritainby RichardClayLtdBungay Suffolk

Allrights reserved © PaulSchrader, 1990 Introduction andeditorialcommentary © KevinJackson,1990 ACIPrecordforthisbook isavailable fromtheBritishLibrary ISBNO—5§71—14247-8

Schraderon Schrader

in thesameseries SCORSESE ON SCORSESE

EditedbyDavidThompson andIanChristie

Contents

Listof Illustrations vi Acknowledgements viii

Introduction byKevinJacksonix I BACKGROUND:

TheRoadfromGrandRapids 1 2 THECRITIC: L.A.FreePressto Transcendental Style 16 3 CRITICAL WRITINGS: EasyRider 34 Pickpocket138 Pickpocket Il 42 BuddBoetticher: ACaseStudyinCriticism45 RobertoRossellini: TheRiseofLouisXIV 57 SamPeckinpah GoingtoMexico 67 NotesonFilmNoir 80 PoetryofIdeas:TheFilmsofCharlesEames 94 4 THESCREENWRITER: TheYakuza to TheLastTemptation ofChrist 108 5 THEDIRECTOR: BlueCollartoTheComfortofStrangers141 CODA:

Stage PlaysandOtherConsiderations 207 Filmography216 Bibliography226

Anoteontheeditor 228 Index229

Listof fliustextians

I

Schrader’s namesaint:HarryDeanStantonasPaulinTheLastTemptation

2

Tuesday WeldandElvisPresley inWildintheCountry,directedbyPhilip Dunnein 1961 7

of Christ(1988) 4

WwW

-&

Schrader (right) asastudent journalist atCalvin College12 Studentradical:Schrader atananti-Vietnam warrally 14

Youngacademic:Schrader,fellowof the AmericanFilmInstitute,in 1971

NI

co

23

CharlesEamesandhiswifeRayin1976 25 RobertBresson’s Pickpocket (1959):MartinLassalle39

‘Claustrophobic, baroque rooms withsycophants crowding theframe’: Rossellini’s TheRiseofLouisXIV(1966)63

FilmNoir:RudolphMate’sD.O.A.(1950),thesourceforSchrader’s

unfilmedscriptCovertPeople:NevilleBrand,EdmondO’Brien,Michael Ross 88

OutlineofAmerican Gigolo 109 TheYakuza(Sydney Pollack,1974):RobertMitchum asHarryKilmer 112 IZ Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958):JamesStewart,KimNovak 114 (BrianDePalma,1976):CliffRobertson, Genevieve Bujold 114 13Obsession onlocationinNew 14ShootingTaxiDriver:SchraderandMartinScorsese IO

Il

York 118 Thunder(JohnFlynn,1977):William DevaneasCharlesRane 123 T5 Rolling 1975):RobertDeNiroasTravisBickle:‘A 16 TaxiDriver(MartinScorsese,

manandhisroom’(1) 124

Coast(PeterWeir,1986):HarrisonFordasAllieFox 17 Mosquito 18 RagingBull(MartinScorsese,1980):RobertDeNiro asJakeLa

129

Motta 132

ofChrist(MartinScorsese, 1988):WillemDafoeas 19 TheLastTemptation 20 21 22

JesusofNazareth 138 BlueCollar(1977):RichardPryorasZekeBrown 143 BlueCollar:Thefinal-set upoftheshoot:YaphetKotto,HarveyKeitel, RichardPryor 146 Shooting Hardcore(1978):Schrader withGeorgeC.Scott(Jake VanDorn) 150

aloneintheporno 23 Hardcore:‘AjourneythroughHell’:JakeVanDorn districtofLosAngeles152 24TaxiDriver:TravisBicklealoneinthepornodistrictofNewYork 154

Vil Schraderon Schrader

25JohnWayneasEthanEdwardsaloneinthefinalshotofJohnFord’sThe

Searchers (1956): “The priceofvengeance isthatyouhavenohome’154

26 TheConformist (Bernardo Bertolucci, 1969):Jean-Louis Trintignant

confronts hisoldprofessor159

Gigolo:RichardGereasJulianKay:‘Amanandhis 27 American room’(2) 162

Pickpocket: Thefinalscene 165 American Gigolo (1979):Thefinalscene:RichardGere,Lauren 29 Hutton 165 30 CatPeople:JohnHeardasOliver,AnnetteO’Toole asAlice 168 31 CatPeople(1981):Nastassia KinskiasIrena,theBeatrice figure 169 32 Schrader directing CatPeople 171 (1985):KenOgataasYukioMishima: ‘Amanandhis a3 Mishima 28

room’(3) 174

YukioMishima’s Seppuku 176 34 Mishima: TherebelcadetsinRunaway Horses 179 35 Mishima: 36 Mishima: KenOgataasYukioMishima183 J. Fox 187 37 LightofDay(1987):JoanJettandMichael

PattyHearst(1988):NatashaRichardson asthecaptiveheiress:“The solutionwastoabuseherinthesamewaytheSLAabusedher’ 190 39 PattyHearst:surreallightingeffectsinsidetheSLAsafehouse192 shot’?195 40 PattyHearst:‘TheMishima 4I Mishima: ‘Thoselittleglowing roomssimulate thewriter’svision’ 195 42 Schrader andhiscinematographer, DanteSpinotti, onlocationforThe ComfortofStrangers197 asMary, 43TheComfortofStrangers(1990):NatashaRichardson Christopher WalkenasRobert,RupertEverettasColin 201 Schrader demonstrating howColinshouldbe 44TheComfortofStrangers: strangled... 203 Walkenactingontheinstruction203 45 . ..and Christopher 46 TheConformist: whirling leavesoutsidethehouseofTrintignant’s mother 212 leavesoutsidetheTempleoftheGoldenPavilion212 47 Mishima: 48 PaulSchrader onthesetofTheComfortofStrangers,1989215 38

Acknowledgements Theprincipaldebtis,of course,to PaulSchrader himself.Mostofthe interviews inthisbookwererecorded between 5and10February 1989 in

NewYorkand11to 14November 1989inRome. During theformer period, Schrader wasworking ontheoutline ofascreenplay forMartin Scorsese, andtryingto arrangethepre-production ofhisprojected film

ForeverMine anda staging of his play Berlinale;he also travelledto

DartmouthCollege, NewHampshire, fora one-dayseminarabouthis

films.During thelatterperiod,hewasinthemiddle ofdirecting The Comfort ofStrangers. Under thesetryingcircumstances, thethoughtfulnessandcoherence ofhisresponses wereallthemorestriking.

Thanksforassistance —editorial, practical andotherwise — are alsodueto SimonaBenzakein, Bernardo Bertolucci, WalterDonohue, DrGlynand MrsEvieJohnson,RogerParsons,LindaReisman,LizRigbey,Jane

Robertson, Thomas Sutcliffe andDavid Thompson.

Stillsandotherphotographs appearbycourtesy ofPaulSchrader andthe BritishFilmInstitute, aswellasArtificial Eye,BFIDistribution, Columbia Pictures, ErreProductions, Entertainment Films,RankFilmDistributors, UIP(UK),WarnerBrothersandWeintraub ScreenEntertainment. The portraitof CharlesandRayEamesisreproduced bypermission ofthe BritishArchitectural Library,RIBA.

Introduction

Inmid-career now,PaulSchrader isnolongerlikelyto bedescribed asa MovieBrat,unlessitbeina jocularorpurelyretrospective sense.Heand hisfellowenfantsterribles oftheseventies havegrownuptobecome, ashe putsit ruefullyintheinterview whichfollows;‘MovieBratsInc.’Steven Spielberg, GeorgeLucas,MartinScorsese, FrancisFordCoppola,Brian

DePalma, Walter Hillandothers arenotwhiz-kids battering onthedoors oftheHollywood establishment: theyarethatestablishment. Yetifthespiritwhichunitedthisotherwise disparategroupofyoung turkswasoneofaudacityandinnovation, thenthereisoneclearsensein whichSchrader hasremained a Bratatheart,sincehisrecentcareerhas,if anything, managed tooutstriptheaudacity ofthoseearlydays,andhehas beenevenmoreinnovative thananyofhispeers. Tobesure,theartisticambitionofSchrader’sworkhassometimesbeen

overshadowed byitsmerelycolourful orscandalous aspects.HisscreenplayforScorsese’s TheLastTemptation ofChristprovoked a fundamentalistcampaignwhichbecamefront-pagenewsin bothAmericaand

Europe—dwarfing thedelayed scandal causedin 1981bytheirfirst

collaboration, TaxiDriver,whenJohnHinckley Jr claimedthatthefilm hadinspiredhimto attempttheassassination ofPresident Reagan.Ona lighterlevel,thesheenofAmerican Gigolohashada pervasive influence onproduction stylesinbothfilmandtelevision (itwas,forexample, the

progenitor ofMiami Vice’s studied chic). Andincertain respects Mishima isthemostextraordinary Hollywood movie evermade: thelifeanddeath ofa homosexual artist,shotinJapanese witha localcastandcrew,ona budgetthatofficially didnotexist,underconstantthreatof attackby right-wing terrorists, andtreatedinahighlyartificial, quasi-operatic style. Schrader is,though,a film-maker ofuncommon seriousness, andthese

aremerely themorespectacular manifestations ofacareer which hasbeen

equallyremarkable foritsartisticaccomplishment. Yettheyarenomore irrelevant toaconsideration ofhisworkthan,say,thefinancial historyof Heaven’s Gatewouldbeto a studyofMichaelCimino’s. If Schrader’s filmshaveprovedscandalous orinfluential, itispartlybecause hehasbeen

x Schraderon Schrader prescient aboutshiftsinpopularattitudesandtastes,notjustinthecinema but in society:AmericanGigolo,for example,waswellaheadof the competition initsshrewdawareness ofa newvogueformalenarcissism.

Schrader’s keennoseforsubjects isoneofthegiftswhich hasmadehim

sucha successful screenwriter. Thiswasevidentfromtheoutset,whenhe seemedto arrivein thebusinessoutof nowherein February1973by landingthethenastronomical sumof$300,000 forascriptaboutJapanese gangsters, TheYakuza, whichhehadwrittenwithhisbrotherLeonardin thespaceofa fewweeks.

Yetasearlyasthemid-seventies, whenhequickly established himself as

oneofthemosthighlypaidandprolific writersinHollywood, itwasclear thathewasconsiderablymorethana cannyoperatoror skilledcraftsman.

AllSchrader’s scriptsof theperiodcarriedan unmistakable signature. Theywereharshandanguished, fullof metaphorsfor imprisonment,

preoccupied withvengeance andthethirstforredemption.

NoneoftheotherBrats,notevenScorsese, wasmakingsuchrelentlessly darkmovies,and fewdirectorsanywherein the commercial cinema seemed tobequitesointellectually ambitious. Andifsomeoftheanguish seemedtodiminish inhislaterfilms,theseriousness didnot.Formostof Schrader’s admirers, thenatureofhisseriousness wasfirstmademanifest

byhisastonishing scriptforTaxiDriver: afilmwhich struck painful but

fascinated chordsin art housesandexploitation cinemasalike;a film whichexcitedaudiences likeabrutal,sleazythrillerbutwhichachedwith loneliness anda strange,heretical formofspiritualhunger.

Before hebegins hisfinaldescent intopsychosis, theheroofTaxiDriver,

TravisBickle(RobertDeNiro),makesa doomedattempttocourthisideal woman,thepoliticalcampaign-worker Betsy(CybillShepherd). Partly frightened, partlyintrigued byhismadcharm,BetsytellsTravisthatheis, in the wordsof a KrisKristofferson song,‘a walkingcontradiction’. Travis,notquitecomprehending theremarkandsuspecting someslur,

denies it;butintrying toaccount forthepower ofthisandotherscripts by

Schrader, criticshaveeversincebeenfollowing Betsy’s lineofthoughtby dwelling oncontradictions inthecareerofTravis’s creator. Suchparadoxes werenothardtofind.Farfrombeingsomerawtalent witha violentpast,theauthorofthisfresh,savagescriptprovedtobean educatedyoungintellectual witha tasteforSartreandDostoevsky (the

filmdrewonbothwriters). Hedealtinunbridled rageandmadness, buthis

cinematicidolsweremastersof restraintlikeOzuand,particularly, RobertBresson.* Hesharedhischaracter’s obsession withurbansqualor andmoraldecay,yetcamefrom a ruralCalvinist background inGrand

Introduction xi

Rapids, Michigan, andhadatonetimestudied fortheministry. Likeother members oftheMovie Bratgeneration, hehadbeentofilmschool andwas steepedinthehistoryofthecinema;yethehadnotbeenallowedtoseea filmuntilhewasseventeen. And,uniquely amonghisHollywood peers,he hadmadehiswayintotheindustryafterpursuing a successful careerasa filmcritic.(PeterBogdanovich mightbeanotherinstance,but,asJames

Monaco pointedoutinAmerican FilmNow,Bogdanovich wasmuch

morea reporterthanacritic.) Anyone whohasreadaboutSchrader intheyearssinceTaxiDriverwill recognize theseparadoxes. Probablythefamiliarity isexcessive: though accurate enough,theyaresoseductively neatastohavebecome something

ofacritical standby, either takentoomuchatfacevalue orexploited over-

schematically —take,forexample,thenumberofreviewers whoreflexivelydescribethe ‘coldness’ of Schrader’s filmsas ‘Calvinist’ without pausingtoconsider thejusticeoftheterm. Tosomeextent,Schrader hashimself encouraged thishabitofcommen-

tary.Asonewouldexpect ofaformer critic,hehasananalytical castof mindandisoftenstartlingly frankaboutwhatheconsiders tobethe

defectsinhisworkandhispersonality. ‘Youcan’ttellmeanything that’s wrongwithmyfilmsthatI don’talreadyknow,’heoncetolda television interviewer. Schrader’s moments ofself-accusation —aswhenhespokeof American Gigoloasbeingabouthisinabilitytofeel—haveofferedsome

hostages to fortune.Perhaps uneasywiththeideaof an intellectual workingoutsidetheconventional confines oftheartcinema,Schrader’s criticshavesuggested thathisventures intoHollywood havebeencrippled fromtheoutsetbyhisbeingamaneducated beyondinstinct,incapable of thosepowerfulappealsto the emotionsthe marketplace requires;a

curious chargeinthelightofTaxiDriver, whichtappedsuchveinsof frustration andresentment in audiences thatit ranforyearsinsome metropolitan cinemas, andstillhasthepowertoobsess.

Nor havesomeof Schrader’s friendliercommentators feltentirely comfortable abouthisquixoticattemptsto graftthemesandtechniques fromtheEuropean andJapanese artcinemas ontothecommercial matter ofmainstream movies. Schrader himself isuneasyinthisarea:‘Iseemyself asa popularizer, butinfactI remaina purist.”However, ashealsosays, ‘That,I suspect,iswhatmakesmymoviesofinterest.’ This‘interest’doesnot derivefromthefactthat heis,ashisdetractors

wouldhaveit,anintellectual whoissimplyslumming ina massartform, or,conversely, thatheisapulpartistwhooccasionally tonesuphiswork withnostalgic references tohighercinematic culture.(Thereare,afterall, plentyofdirectorswhohavedonejustthatinmoreor lesshonourable

xii Schraderon Schrader ways,and fewof theirfilmshavebeenas consistently interesting as Schrader’s.) It is ratherthat all his filmshavesustaineda degreeof productivetensionbetweenhis need to articulatecertainprivate obsessions —whichcanbe at oncechargedwithemotionandhighly abstract—andhisnolesspowerful needtoworkwithintheconstraints of anartformwhichmustreachmillions. (Thisconflict echoestwopossible formsof religiousvocationavailableto himin hisyouth:thesolitary biblicalexegete andthemissionary whomustgointothemarketplace and riskmartyrdom.)

Themeans hehascontrived toresolve thisconflict havebeenvariously successful: neverlessthan‘interesting’, at theirbestfascinating. And,

highlycalculated asbothhiscareerandsomeofhisfilmsmayhavebeen, onlyahandfulofAmerican film-makers havebeenaspersonal or(albeitin obliqueor codedforms)as self-revealing. Onewayof characterizing

Schrader’s careerisinterms ofhisprogress towards forms thatcancontain andfocustheseconflicting impulses without erringonthesideeitherof

excessive control(‘coldness’) orofpersonalexorcism. Perhapsthemostimportantaspectof thiseffortto reconcile private obsession withpublicaddresshasbeenSchrader’s struggleto developa

visuallanguage adequate tothecomplexity ofhisthemes. Inhisearlier films,thiseffortwasclearest whenheoptedforstyleswhichwereata tangentto thesubjectstheyostensibly treated.Studying theworkofthe greatEuropeandirectorshadshownhimhowlittletheirmostpiercing, ‘transcendental’ moments hadtodowithliteraryqualities, and,whenhe eventually madethetransitionfromwritingto directing, Schrader took

thatlesson toheartbymaking films whose visual ideaswereattimes richer thantheirovertnarrativecontent. American Gigolo,apparently offeredtothepublicasa filmaboutlust, in facttreatshumanbodiesalmostclinically(theprincipalsexscene betweenRichardGereandLaurenHuttonisanacademic exercise based

onanoriginal sequence byGodard) andreserves itsmostgloating effects forobjects. CatPeople, notionally ahorrormovie, rejects theorthodox murkandshadowsoftheTourneuroriginal” infavouroflush,sensual colourings. Inrecentyears,Schrader’s attentionto composition, design andwhathecallsthe‘floating rectangle’ ofcamerasyntaxhasgrownstill morecomplex andpersonal.Suchvisualarticulacy wouldberemarkable

inanydirector. ForSchrader, ithasalsoamounted toatriumph overhis

education. InGrandRapids,wherehewasbornin1946,theyoungSchrader was taughtthatpictureswerenomorethantheillustrations ofverbalconcepts andalwaysinferiortothem.HisChurchwas,hesays,‘Cromwellian’ inits

Introduction

xili

hostility tothevisual arts.Thisprocess ofocularstarvation accounts for thecraving which drovehimtowatchmorethantwenty-five films aweek

inhisfirstyearsasa graduatestudentattheUniversity ofCalifornia, Los Angeles (UCLA), andhissubsequent habitofsnipingat criticsfortheir professional myopia.Practical difficulties prevented himfromtranslating

hisself-taught awareness intoapersonal styleonhisfirsttwofilmsasa

director,thoughasearlyasthesecondofthem,Hardcore, heatleastset outwiththeintentionofcontrasting imagesderivedfromRenoir(inthe GrandRapidssection)withothersderivedfromAntonioni(intheLos Angeles sequence). FromAmerican Gigoloonwards, though,andwiththe -soleexception ofLightofDay,Schrader’s filmshavebeenasambitious in

styleastheyhaveintheme. Apartfromthelessons helearnedbywatching Bresson, Godard, Renoir,Dreyerandothers,forthisqualityofhisworkheisindebttotwo masters.Thefirstandbyfarthemoreimportantwasthearchitectand designer CharlesEames,whoactedasanunofficial mentortohimduring

hislastyearsasafilmcritic. ItwasEames morethananyone else,hereveals

in the followinginterviews, whoenabledhimeventually to becomea director.Thesecondliberation, atoncepersonalandartistic,camefrom working withFerdinando Scarfiotti. TheItaliandesigner wasbroughtinas ‘visualconsultant’ on American GigoloafterSchraderhadseenBerto-

lucci’s TheConformist? andfelt,asheobserved whenintroducing a screening ofBertolucci’s filmonBBCtelevision, ‘thescalesfallfrommy

eyes’.

Thesestagesontheroadto Damascus were,ofcourse,onlypossible becausehe hadsetoutto forcehiseyesopenyearsbefore,whilestill studyingEnglishandtheology. Yetitwouldbewrongtoregardthetime Schraderwentonto spendasa filmstudent,reviewer andeditorasno morethanan apprentice period,andit wouldbeunfairlydismissive to readthecriticalessayshewroteinthoseyearsonlyfortheinsightsthey offeronhissubsequent work—thoughsuchcluesarecertainly therein theirplenty.PaulSchrader wouldstillhaveearnedanicheinfilmhistoryif hehadneverwrittena screenplay orgoneneara camera. Infact,wereit notforhissuddendecisionto renouncehisfirstcareer, Schrader wouldprobablyhavebecome oneofAmerica’s leadingcritics.A protégéofPaulineKael,* whorecognized hispromise whenhewasstillan undergraduate, heenjoyed a swift,precocious ascent.Byhismid-twenties,

hehadalready beenfilmreviewer fortheL.A.FreePresswhileagraduate

studentat UCLA;editorof his ownmagazine,Cinema;Fellowin Criticism oftheAmerican FilmInstitute; andauthorofanuncompromis-

xiv. Schraderon Schrader inglyseriousbook,Transcendental StyleinFilm:Ozu,Bresson, Dreyer. Schraderexplainsbelowthe circumstances whichledhimto giveup criticism, butitisworthnotingthathispracticeasacriticwasscarcely any lessunconventional thanhissubsequent careersaswriteranddirector.

Norwasit anylessmarked bycontroversies. Thefirstofthesecame whenhewasfiredfromhisjobontheL.A.FreePressforwriting ahostile reviewofEasyRider.Inretrospect, itseemssurprising thatheheldthepost aslongashedid:hispassionate analyses ofBresson andRenoirnowlook almosthilariously incongruous amongstthe paper’sstridentpolitical

rhetoric andadvertisements aimedat‘swingers’ andfansoftheoccult.

Thesearguments werenotsimplytheresultofa combative streakinhis character:Schrader’s tastesandpreoccupations wentagainstthegrains both of the Undergroundpress and of prevailingtendenciesin film

criticism.

Though hisownworkwasalmost excessively scholarly, itisclearthat thecritics towhom hefeltclosest werethemavericks. “The greattradition of American filmcriticismis idiosyncratic —MannyFarber,[Andrew] Sarris,ParkerTyler,Pauline[Kael]. . .’,he told an interviewerfor Film

Comment in 1976.‘Theacademy traditionislimp—Agee,Ferguson and Warshow.’ Oneaspectofhisantipathy tothelattertraditionwasafeeling

thatittooktheeasyoptionbywriting aboutfilmfromsociological rather thanaesthetic perspectives —itconcerned itselfwith‘reflection’ ratherthan ‘creation’, andwasallbutblindtostyle.Ashemaintains in‘NotesonFilm Noir’:‘American filmcriticshavealwaysbeensociologists firstand scientists second.’ Atthistime,inthelatesixtiesandearlyseventies, it wouldhavebeen

reasonable to expectthatSchrader’s desireto writevisually literate criticism wouldhaveledhimto a conventionally auteuristposition;> yet eventhoughasastudenthehaddutifully viewedhiswaythroughSarris’s canonof Americanauteurs(setout in the spring1963issueof Film Culture),andwascapableof immoderate admiration fora numberof

individual directors, hetookthecontrary path:‘Iwasintrigued bythe

auteurtheory,butI wasn’ttakenwithit becauseit seemedtometo bea pursuitofindividuals andidiosyncrasy, andI wasinterested injustthe Opposite: commonelements ofgenre,themeandstylethatranthrough

cultures andthrough individual film-makers.’ Thisimpulse awayfromidiosyncrasy andtowardsthegeneralor

universal —whichowesagooddealtohisreligious training—liesbehinda numberof thearticlesreprintedhere:‘NotesonFilmNoir’,‘Poetryof Ideas:theFilmsofCharlesEames’, andtheessayonBuddBoetticher, with its insistence that ‘Boetticher is intuitively obsessedwiththeprimitive

Introduction xv

dilemma: atwhatpointdoestheindividual become archetypal?’ Italso,as

thereferences toBresson andtheideaofgraceattheendoftheBoetticher essaywillsuggest, liesbehindTranscendental StyleinFilm. Thisworkwasremarkable bothforitsprecocity andforitsattemptto introducetheological conceptsintoa discipline which,in America, has

tended tobeentirely secular (though itwouldnothaveseemed sooutof theordinary inFrance, wherereligious thought hasplayed itspartinthe

workofmanycritics,eitherimplicitly or,asinthecaseofRivette’s early writing,°overtly).Transcendental Stylearguedthatdirectorsworking quiteindependently of eachotherhadarrivedat an identicalwayof

expressing theHolyincinematic terms:anaustere styleof‘sparse means’ which, byprogressively denying thespectator allthefamiliar gratifications ofthecinema—identifying withaprotagonist andsoon— will ultimately

permitan experienceof the ‘disparity’of Spirit’spresencein thephysical

world.OneofSchrader’s keyexamples ofthisstyleistheconcluding scene

of Bresson’s Pickpocket; anearlierandmorepopulist version ofhis

argumentforthisview,fromhisL.A.FreePressreviewofthefilm,is reprinted inthepresentvolume. Schrader isnowuncomfortable withTranscendental Style,andbelieves thathiscomparative youthledhimintoanundulycautious technique, in whicheachofhispointshadtobebuttressed byfootnotes andprecedents; anditistruethathisessaysinCinema andelsewhere arelivelier andmore venturesome thananythingin Transcendental Style.Still,it remainsan unusually intelligent andrigorous workwhichdeserves tobemorewidely known.Itis,too,perhapstheclearestindication thatthepainfulconflict between spiritandfleshwhichmarkedSchrader’s creative workwasalso

presentwhenheworked exclusively intherealmofconcepts. Hereas elsewhere, hewasstruggling to reconcile theadult,secularappealof

imageswiththesterndutiesofhischildhood faith. Fora time,thepracticeofthisreligious formofcriticism doesseemto haveassuaged thetensionbetween hisyouthfulandmaturecallings, and allowedhimameansofbeingboththeexegete andthemissionary. Butit couldnotadequately resolve othercontradictions. Schrader oncesaidthat

hegaveupcriticism because itdidnotsatisfy hisneedtogiveexpression to

hisfantasies; hisphenomenal productivity inthenextfewyears,andthe peculiarly torturedformsit took,showedjusthowurgentthatneedhad been. |

WhatSchrader’s subsequent scripts andfilmshavedemonstrated isthat

theseemingly untutoredbrilliance ofTaxiDriverwasnotbeginner’s luck. Foronething,thesuregraspof structurewhichunderlies itsapparent

xvi Schraderon Schrader randomness stayedwithSchrader, andhelpedmakehimoneofthehottest screenwriters inHollywood. Foranother,thoughSchrader hadspokenof itasa scriptwhich‘jumped outofhimlikeananimal’, underthepressure ofextremeemotional distress,it soonbecameclearthatit couldnotbe considered merelyas a kindof therapeutic discharge in a formwhich happened togellartistically because ofthetalentsofScorsese, DeNiroand others.Thesuccess ofthefilmmayindeedhavehelpedhimresolve certain privatedifficulties, andlittleofhissubsequent workhasbeenmarkedby

suchextremes ofrageorsuchfierce comic invention, butTaxiDriver none thelessclearly introduces manyoftheconcerns whichgivehisworkits distinctive character.

Asa result,the filmnowseemsevenricherandstrangerthan it didon firstviewing,andnot onlybecauseof itseffectson themindof President

Reagan’s would-beassassin.(Thewindblowethwhereit listeth:John

Lennon’s murderer thought thathewastakinghiscuesfromTheCatcher intheRye.)Thescenes inwhichTravissubdues hisbodytohiswill,which areindebted toBresson’s Pickpocket, haveadifferent resonance oncewe

have seenYukioMishimain the gymtryingto turn his body into a

perfected workofart,orJulianKaydangling fromagravity bartohonehis

muscles inAmerican Gigolo. Travis’s claustrophobic furyseemsmore thana quirkofpsychopathology whenwehaveseenJakeLaMotta

smashinghis fistsintoa cellwallin RagingBull,or heardCinque’s apocalyptic tiradesin PattyHearst.Andthebaffledspirituality which givesTravisthesensethatheis‘God’slonelyman’,fatedtocarryouta

redemptive taskwhich willinvolve hisdeath,begins toseematoncemore serious andmoreblasphemous inthelightofMishima’s ritualsuicide and

therendingagoniessuffered bythesolitary,tormented narrator—hero of TheLastTemptation ofChrist. It allremainsuncommonly darkandtroubledsubject-matter forHollywood,andit is hardto imagineSchraderworkingsuccessfully with

anything lighter. (Hisonlyexcursion intocomedy hasbeenanunproduced stageplayabout a filmfestival intheearlyeighties, Berlinale; andeventhis

setsitsbickerings andfarcical horse-trading inthegrimcontextofBerlin’s painfuldivision.) Norhavethesuperficially conventional qualities ofhis filmsmademanycompromises. Farfrombeinga concession tocommercialappeal,the‘loveinterest’ ofhisfilmshasgenerally reworked a pattern

whose earliest type,thedirector says,hefoundinLaVitaNuova: Dante’s

spiritualpassionforBeatrice. Forexample, Travis’s needfortheunattainable Betsywasat oncethe erotichungerofacelibate, andaninarticulate cravingforatranscendence whichSchrader’s moreintellectual characters, likeYukioMishima, can

Introduction xvii

recognize forwhatit is.Theprotagonists ofa Schrader filmdonotfulfil

themselves through loveandsex,butrathersufferfromit.Thetypical

Schrader heroiseitherclosetocelibate (LaMotta,Christ,PattyHearst)or, likeJulianKay,hasmorbidly splithissexuality awayfromanypossibility ofemotionorsurrender. Schraderhas confessed to a strongsenseof identification withhis leadingcharacters: withTravis’s loneliness andsenseofbeingaprisonerin

hisownskin;withJulianKay’s inability toaccept love;withtheyearning

fortheBeatrice figurethattormentsOliver,thezookeeper inCatPeople whospendshisnightslistening toatapeofLaVitaNuova.Inthisrespectit is easyto see—quiteapartfromitsformalaudacity—whyMishimais Schrader’s favouriteamongsthisownfilms,sinceit istheonlyworkto date(otherthantheunfilmed screenplays aboutGeorgeGershwin and HankWilliams or,lesssatisfactorily, thesections ofLightofDaywhich showcharactersyearningfor escapethroughrockmusic)whichdeals directlywiththeaspirations andfrustrations ofanartist. Infact,thecompletion ofMishimaseemsto haveinaugurated a new phaseinSchrader’s career.Hispersonalsatisfaction withit has,hesays,

helpedmakehimfeel‘moreresolved’, lesspreytothekindofsuicidal misery whichdrovehisearlywork.InMishima, Schrader’s recurrent

concernswiththecreativeimpulseandwithsuicideandtranscendence couldforthefirsttimebeexpressed openlyinsteadofinhalf-concealed metaphors andallusions. Moreimportantly, thiswasa filminwhichhis cinematic styles—documentary, theatrical, painterly, operatic—wereas

ambitious andaccomplished ashisthemes. Mishima wasa triumphant example ofthe‘poetry ofideas’hehadonceglimpsed intheworkof

CharlesEames. Lightof Dayseemedlikea bafflingretreatafterthis tremendous consolidation; thedirectorexplainsbelowwhythisshouldhavebeenthe case.But PattyHearstwas overwhelming proofthat Schraderhad

thoroughly assimilated Eames’s teachings. AswithCatPeople, thescript forPattyHearstwasnothisown,buttherecouldbenodoubtthatthese themeswerecentralSchrader territory:Patty’sclaustrophobic terror,the SLA’sclamourings forvengeance andbloodyapocalypse, andthefilm’s mesmeric interestintheblurredlinebetween privateobsession andfullblownlunacy.And,asinMishima, Schrader deployed a rangeofstyles

whosecomplexity fullymatched thedensity ofitsthemes —alternately surrealanddisorienting, sardonicandblanklynon-committal. When,inaconclusion whichechoesthefinaleofAmerican Gigoloand sothatofPickpocket, PattyHearstachieves herfirstandonlymomentof self-assertion in a filmwhichhasseenhervictimized withoutrespite,

xviii Schraderon Schrader

Schrader maintains a cooltone,andmakesnocalculated appealtothe audience’s sentiment. Yetthemoment isalmost startlingly moving: ifnot

quitean epiphanyin thetranscendental style,thenat leasta powerful secularequivalent. PattyHearstwasnotbasedonsuch‘difficult’ material asMishima was—

asSchrader says,itcouldhavebeenthebasisofamade-for-TV movie — andinthisregardthereseems noreason whyitshould nothavefounda

correspondingly largeaudience,so achieving the commercial success whichSchrader’s directorial projectshavemissedin thelastfewyears. (Thefilm’s‘difficult’ stylealienatedits producersso muchthat they

allowed it to dropfromAmerican circuits afteronlya week.)What remains tobeseeniswhether Schrader willbeabletosustain theartistic advances ofMishimaandPattyHearstwhileproducing morecommerciallyappealing films. Hislatestproject,TheComfortof Strangers, maywellachievethis

elusive dualsuccess. Though itsoriginsareliterary —a novelbyIan

McEwan,adaptedby HaroldPinter—the attentionSchraderandhis cinematographer DanteSpinottihavedevotedtoitsvisualaspectssuggest thatthiswillbemuchmorethana routineadaptation; whileitscasting (ChristopherWalken,NatashaRichardson),itsexoticismand its atmos-

phereoferoticmenacealllookpromising forthemarketplace.

AfterTheComfort ofStrangers, Schrader iscontemplating astillmore

commercially attractive project:ForeverMine,a romanticthrillerhehas writtenwhichreturnstotwoofhisfavourite plots,Josephandhisbrothers andDanteandBeatrice. Whatever liesahead,though,hehasvowednever torepeatthemistakeofLightofDaybywilfully suppressing hishard-won visualsensibility. If Schrader’s earlyideaswerethestuffof interesting prose,hismaturefilmshavealso—following Eames—aspiredto the conditionofpoetry.A decadeago,JamesMonacopredictedthat,if he wereabletoovercome his‘torturous anxieties’, Schrader ‘mayturnoutto beoneofthemostintellectually andemotionally interesting ofthenew generation’ ofAmerican directors. Thattimeappearstohavecome. KevinJackson November 1989 Notes 1 YasujiroOzu(1903-1963), perhapsthemosttraditional ofJapanesedirectors, himself thoughtitunlikely thathisfilmswouldevertravelbeyondJapan.However, thoughOzu remained almostunknown intheWestuntila fewyearsbeforehisdeath,heisnowwidely

Introduction xix thoughtofasoneofthecinema’s greatesttalents,andfilmssuchasTokyoMonogatari (TokyoStory)(1953)havewonacceptanceas masterpieces.RobertBresson(1907—__), a

similarly austeredirector,enjoysa comparable reputation forUnCondamné a MortS’est Echappé(AManEscaped) (1956),Pickpocket (1959)andotherfilms.Apartfromitsother interest,Schrader’s study,Transcendental Style,isoneofthebestintroductions to both directors(seeBibliography). JacquesTourneur’s CatPeople(1942)wasthefirstof a famousseriesof atmospheric horrorcollaborations withtheproducerValLewton. Thefilmconcentrates moreonthe psychological distressofitsheroine(Simone Simon) thanonexplicitterrors. TheConformist (Il Conformista) (1970)wasbothwrittenanddirectedbyBernardo Bertolucci, withcinematography byVittorioStoraro.Anadaptation ofAlbertoMoravia’s

novel, itstarsJean-Louis Trintignant asMarcello, anupper-class follower ofMussolini

whoissenttoassassinate hisformerprofessor ofphilosophy. PaulineKael(1919—__): themostfamous,influential andcontroversial ofAmerican film critics.Since1968,shehasreviewed regularly forTheNewYorker; hercolumns havebeen collected inanumberofbooks,ofwhichthemostrecentisStateoftheArt(Marion Boyars, London,1987). Theauteurtheory,orpolitique desauteurs,wasdeveloped bytheyoungwritersofCahiers

duCinéma (seeNote4,page32)inthe1950s, andamounted, inbrief, totheclaim thatthe

workofcertaindirectors showedthekindsofthematic consistency anddevelopment that established them(ratherthanthewriters,producers orstudiostheyworkedwith)tobethe realauthorsof theirfilms.Amongthosefavouredby the auteurtheoryweresuch previously disregarded Hollywood directors asHitchcock, HowardHawksandNicholas Ray,as wellas a numberof Europeandirectorsincluding JeanRenoirandRoberto

Rossellini. Theauteurtheory wastakenupinBritain bythecritics ofMovie magazine in theearly1960s, andwaspropagated inAmerica chiefly byAndrew Sarris.

JacquesRivette(1928—) beganhiscareerasa filmcriticwithCahiersduCinéma, and, likehiscolleagues GodardandTruffaut,turnedto directingin 1960withParisNous Appartient. A selection of hisreviewsmaybefoundin Rivette:TextsandInterviews, editedbyJonathanRosenbaum (BFI,London,1977).

CHAPTERI

Background: TheRoadfromGrandRapids KEVIN JACKSON: Criticshavemadea greatdealofyourstrictCalvinist upbringing inGrandRapids,Michigan, buttheexactdetailshavetended

tobehazy.Forexample, whatnationality wereyourparents andgrand-

parents?

|

PAUL SCHRADER: Mygrandparents onmymother’s sidecameoverfrom Friesland. Myfather’sbackground ismuchlessclear.Hisownfatherwas German,whichis whyit’sa Germanname,andhe camedownfrom Canada.Butthecommunity inwhichI grewupwasDutch.Myfather

cameintothiscommunity whenhemarried mymother andsheconverted

him. WhenI wasveryyoungmygrandparents wouldstillspeakDutchand therewerestillDutchservices intheafternoons, thoughtheygavethatup sometimeinmyboyhood. WhenIwenttoAmsterdam a fewyearsagoI hada realfrisson,because I wasridinga busandbehindmetherewasa

mother chastising herlittleboy,andthough I don’tunderstand Dutch the

intonations broughtbacka floodofmemory. Mymother’sfamilysettledabouthalfan hourawayfromGrand Rapids,andtheygotallthisswamplandvirtually forfree.Because they wereDutchtheyknewwhatto dowithit:theydykedit upandbecame

celery farmers. ThereweresomanyDutchfamilies inGrandRapids that whentheysplittheclassupalphabetically thehalfway markwould usuallyfallsomewhere between theVansandtheVanDers.Ifyouwere justa Van,likea VanAnderson, youwerestillin thefirsthalfof the alphabet.

KJ:There’s ajokingreference tothatinHardcore, anditsoundsasifthe viewofGrandRapidsinthatfilmisclosetolife. ps:Themontageofchurches at thebeginning ismadeupofReformed churches Iknew,andIworkedinthatfactoryandsoon.It’sprettyclose.

kJ:Andwasyourfathera businessman likeJakeVanDorn inHardcore?

ps:Yes.Heworkedforapipeline company thatmaintained thepipesthat

2 Schraderon Schrader

ranfromCanadathroughto Ohio,sohewasnotinthefarmbusiness, unlikemymother’s sideofthefamily. KJ:Didthat makeyoualittle moremiddleclassthansomeof your schoolmates? ps:Yes.GrandRapidsisatownthat’sabouta thirdPolishCatholic anda thirdDutchCalvinist andtheotherthirdsortofmediates thetownand runsit.ThePolishalwayslivedonthenorthandwestsidesandtheDutch onthesouthandeast,butwealwayslivedinthePolishareabecause itwas

closer towheremymother’s relatives alllived. Mychurch hadaverystrongeducational background, butnotavery

enlightened one,particularly whenitcametothearts.Theydidn’treally havemuchsenseof visualarts; theywerestillveryCromwellianin that

way.Ofmyninth-grade graduating class,onlyoneotherstudentwenton

tocollege, andhewentinasaminister. ThekidsIhungaround withwhen| wasgrowing upweremoremanual labourandfarmoriented thanour familywas.

KJ:Doesthataccountinpartforyoursympathy foruneducated workingclasscharacters infilmslikeBlueCollar?

ps:BlueCollar comes rightoutofthatbackground. GrandRapids wasa

furniture-manufacturing town,butitwasalsooneofthesatellites ofthe autoindustryin Detroit—GrandRapidsmadetheashtraysandwind-

shieldsand stuff.

KJ:Wereyoualways anacademically giftedchild?

Ps:Iwasn’tthebrightest, butIwasoneofthemoreoriginal, withthatkind ofcreative intellect that’salwaysscheming andputtingthingstogether. As akidIwasoneofthosedoor-to-door capitalist types:I wasalwaysselling things,andwhenIwasthirteenorfourteen I startedmyownlittlestoreto

sellflowers. Thatkindofcommunity isveryoriented tobusiness success, andofcourse it’saprecept ofthattypeofCalvinism thatGodrewards his

ownwithwealth,sothatmaterial success andreligious success gohandin hand.Ofcourse,that’salsoensuredbyhavinga closedeconomic system — youdon’tbuyfromCatholics, youonlybuyfromeachother. KJ:Didyourcreativity manifest itselfinanywayotherthanthroughbeing anentrepreneur? Didyouwritefromanearlyage,forexample? PF:No.Itwasn’tencouraged verymuch.I doremember thatfromvery earlyonIwantedtobea minister. Ihada surfeitofreligious education —

Background: TheRoadfromGrandRapids 3

notonlychurchonSunday, butchapeleverydayinschool, religious classes inschool, Calvinist CadetCorpsinstead oftheBoyScouts, andall

theyouthgroupswererunbytheChurch. AllthewaythroughhighschoolIneverhadanyrealcontactwithpeople outsideour Church.Therewerepeopleon theblock,but mymother

disapproved ofusgoingintotheirhouses toomuch. Itwastelevision that startedtobreakthatdown.Whentelevision arrived theytriedtokeepit

out,andIthinkrightly,because theysawitasathreatto theideologically purecommunity wehad,whichwasthesamereasonwecouldn’tsee movies. Butwhattheyfoundwasthatthekidswouldbegoingdownthe blockto watchtelevision, andwe’dbesittingtherein theneighbours’

housesurrounded bystatues ofMaryandwatching Howdy Doody. At which pointtheysortofgaveupandsaid,‘Well, ifwehaveTVinourown

homesatleastwecancontrolwhattheysee.’ Oneofthereasonsformyinterestinbecoming a missionary wasthatI wasnamedaftermymother’s twofavourite biblicalcharacters, Pauland

Joseph —Paul,thisevangelical misfit whotransforms theworldbycrossing itonfoot,andJoseph, whoismaligned byhisbrothers andgoesoffand becomesa princein Egypt.Sotheywereverygrandiose fantasies, and duringthelong,boringchurchservices I usedjustto sitandreadabout themin theBiblebecausetheyweresofascinating. I hada verystrong fixationonStPaul;infactIwasmoreinterested inPaulthaninChrist.In

somewayswhatwebelieve todayisPaulinism. ChristislikeSocrates: a

mysterious figureweonlyknowaboutthroughPlato,justasweonlyknow aboutChristthroughPaul.PaulhadhishandsinalltheGospels. There’s goodreasontobelieve hewroteLukeandhesupervised therewriting of theothers. AndPaul’smartyrdom alwaysinterested memorethanChrist’s. Ifthere

wasonepassage Ireadandreread, itwasthelastlettertoTimothy and

Paul’sfarewell: ‘Ifoughtthegoodfight’.Sowhetherornotitwasbecause mynamewasPaul,thisiswhatI reallywantedtodo.Iwantedtogointoa cityandstandona stoneandstarttotalk,justthewayHarryDeanStanton doesinTheLastTemptation ofChrist,bringing thegoodnewsandthen

getting stoned forit.Ofcourse, martyrdom wasalways partoftheappeal. KJ:WastheBiblealsothemaininfluence onyouwhenyoustartedto

write?

ps:Well,wereadtheBibleeverydayandwereadsequentially, sothat

nothing wasomitted. Wereadallthebegats —therewouldbeaweekof sittingaroundthetablelistening toyourfatherreading ‘So-and-so begat so-and-so’ —buttherewouldalsobefascinating things.ThoseBiblestories

4 Schrader onSchrader

1 Schrader’s namesaint:HarryDeanStantonas Paulin The Last Temptation ofChrist(1988).

Background: TheRoadfromGrandRapids 5 aresuchpotentstories,and,yes,theycontinueto leavea markon the thingsI write. Theotherbigsourceofimagesandfantasies atthetimecamefromthe

religious songs wesangatschool. Imagine abunch ofgrade-school kidsall

standingaroundsinging“Thisworldisnotmyhome’— it’s verypeculiar. Andthere’stherichbloodimagery ofitall.AnothersongIremember very vividlyis“There isa fountdrawnfromEmanuel’s veins’—thatisa very potentimage:afountainofbloodcoming outofJesus’s arms.Christianity

reallyisabloodcultandadeathcult;asmuchastheysayotherwise and

talkabouttheGodofLove,it reallydoesfocusonthePassionandthe bleeding, andthosearetheimagesthathita child.

KJ:Whataboutyournon-religious readingat thetime? Ps:Alltheusualstaples:Hemingway, Stephen Crane,MarkTwain,Ring

Lardner. I thinkthefirstrealbigbookI readwasLesMisérables; it’s

certainly thefirstoneIremember reading. ApartfromtheBible,themost influential bookofmyadolescence wasanillustrated editionofPilgrim’s Progress, theSloughofDespond, theGoldenCityandallthat.

KJ:Butyouhadnoideaofanartistic vocation?

Ps:Notat all,notat all.ButI wasalwaysanEnglishmajor,aswasmy brotherLeonard,who wasthreeyearsolder;I thinkthat wewereboth

spurredonbythesameteacher.Inninthgradewehadawomanwhohada

veryvibrant attitude towards literature, andthough itdoesn’t soundlike muchtoday,I remember herstanding onherchairinfrontoftheclass reading LadyMacbeth’s soliloquy andIfoundthatjuststunning; theidea thattherewasanotherworldoutthereapartfromthereligious one.Upto thenallmyescapist fantasies hadbeencouched inreligious contexts, but thatshowedmethattherewasawayofescapetoanotherworld.

KJ:Wasit at thistimethatthecinemaalsoshowedyoua meansof escaping? There’s a much-repeated storyaboutyoursneaking offtosee yourfirstfilmat theageofseventeen orso. Ps:Well,wehadTVathomebythistime,andontheMickey MouseClub theyalwaysadvertised thenewDisney films,soafriendandIwentoffafter schoolandtooka busdowntown andsneaker J intothetheatre.Wesaw TheAbsent-Minded Professor andIwasveryunimpressed byit.Butthen onesummerIwasstayingwithsomerelatives downinIndianawhowerea littlelessstrictthanmyfamily,andmyauntjustsaid,‘Oh,whydon’tyou kidsallgoseeamovie?’ Iwasamazed. Sowewenttothelocaltheatreand

6 Schraderon Schrader

sawWildintheCountry, withElvisPresley andTuesday Weld.. . and thenIrealized whymymother didn’t wantmetoseemovies. KJ:Sothemomentofrevelation camewithWildintheCountry? Ps:Yes,andthenmymotherstartedallowing metoseeoneortwoother films.SheallowedmetoseeSpartacus, whichIwantedtoseedesperately,

notonlybecause oftheromantic boy’s aspect butbecause ofthemartyrdom.

KJ:Anddidyouconceive theambitionofbecoming a film-maker at this time? ps:No,no—thatwasjustnotsomething thatanyoneweknewdid.Itwas justnotintherealmofpossibility. KJ:Sowhendidyoustarttofeelthefirststirrings ofrebellion againstyour background? Ps:Ithinkthefirststirrings weretodowithblacks,because itwasaracist

kindofbackground; ourChurch wasthesameastheoneinSouthAfrica.

—she Therewasoneparticular episode whichmymotherusedtomention blamedeverything thathappened tomeandeverything Ididafterwards on thisoneevent. I reallywantedto getoutofGrandRapidsandseesomething ofthe world,soI hitontheideaofgoingto militaryschoolforthesummer.|

bugged myparents foryearstoletmego,andfinally theygaveinandsent

mefor the summerto a schoolin Virginia,on the borderof North Carolina,calledHargraveMilitaryAcademy. WhenI gotthereI found thatIwastheonlyonewhowasthereofhisownvolition: therestofthem werebasically themiscreant children oftherichwhoweresentoffbytheir

parents. Everything cameverymuchtotheforethatsummer, which|

recallveryvividly. WehadaJewishboyonourfloorwhowasrelentlessly hazed.NowI hadn’tevenmetaJewbefore;Ihadnoideawhyhewasbeinghazed,andso Itookhisside.AndatthesametimeMartinLutherKingwasmarching just

abouttenmiles awayacross theborder —thiswasinasegregationalist area

wherethewholetownwasdividedbya line.TheCommandant ofour schoolofferedto armthestudentsto protectthetown,whereupon the Governorslappeda curfewon thewholeschool,butI snuckoutand watchedthemarchesandsawallthepeoplebeingarrested. Toshowmydisquietaboutallthis,I madeakindofprotestinmycivics

class.ThiswastaughtbythewifeoftheCommandant, whoroutinely referred totheSupreme Courtasthe‘Nineblack-robed Satans’, soIdidmy

Background: theRoadfromGrandRapids 7

2 TuesdayWeldandElvisPresleyin Wildin theCountry,directedby PhilipDunnein1961.

8 Schraderon Schrader

termpaperonthebookBlackLikeMe,which wasabouttheexperiences ofawhitewriterwhoposedasablackintheSouth. Andofcourse I got backthepapermarkedwitha Dorsomething andwith“Thisisnottrue’ writtenallacrossit.Clearlytheperversity ofdoingsomething whichflew inthefaceofthatinstitution wasa flowering ofa lotoflatentrebellious-

nessonmypart,andwhen I gotoutofHargrave andwentbacktoGrand Rapids oneofthefirstthings Ididthatfallwastowriteashortstoryabout thebullying ofaJewishstudent. AsI say,mymotheralwaysbelieved thatI wasneverthesameafter that,andI thinkshewasprobablyright.Allof a suddentherewas thatlittlechangeofenvironment whichletmeseetheworld,andforthe

firsttimeinmylifeI wassurrounded bykidswhowerebasically nonbelievers.

KJ:Didthatrebelliousness continuetoexpressitselfcreatively, ordidit takeotherforms? ps:Well,I continued towrite.Possibly oneotherformittookhadtodo withmygoingto CalvinCollege. Calvinwasstillpartcollegeandpart seminary;it hadbegunas a seminaryandhadspunoffa liberal-arts curriculum. Inorderto graduateyouhadtomajorintheology andthen youcouldmajorinanothersubject. When I firstwenttoCalvinIwasstill planningto bea minister, butthatchangedwhen I reada biography of ClarenceDarrow,thegreatdefenderof thelittleman,a greatliberal lawyer.Andsothefantasychanged frombeinganevangelical preacher to beinganevangelical socialforce,a defender ofthepoor,andthatagain cameoutofmysummer atHargrave. SobythetimeIwasincollege I was heading towardsbeingalawyer,butthatchanged whenItookacoursein publicspeaking andrealized thatI wasnotcomfortable inthatrole.The

fantasy didn’t workbecause Iwasn’t anygoodatit.SothenImoved onto

writing,whichwasanotherwayofbeingevangelical withouthavingtobe apublicfigure. Theotherthingthathappened whenIwenttocollege wasthatIfell in witha crowdofkidsfromNewJersey,whoalthough theywerefromour

Church werefarmoreliberal, andtheywerealready bigdrinkers. Allmy rebelliousness blossomed intheircompany, andIspentmostofthatfirst

yearjustdrinkinganddoingpranks.I wasa veryprudishkidina very prudishenvironment, sothemainreasonformybadbehaviour wassexual displacement, justbeingtooshytogetinthedatinggameandtooinhibited

tofeelcomfortable withanysexual lifeatall.Itallexploded inthiskindof vandalism andeventually Iwasthrown outofthedorms because Isetmy deskonfire.

Background:TheRoadfromGrandRapids 9

KJ:Wasthishighspiritsoramarkofdesperation? ps:Iwashaving a goodtime.Iremember veryvividly thefirsttimeIgot

drunk,whichwaswiththesekidsat Calvin,andI remember feelingan

extraordinarysenseof freedomand saying,‘Oh,I don’thaveto feellike

this—there’sanotherwaytofeel.I don’thavetobeaprisonerinmyown

body—there’s anothermeandalcohol hasflooded it out.’Eventually creative workslipped rightintothatsameslot. Sothattimewasjusta kindofexplosion, justviolating anddoing

everything wrongthatIcould,andfinallyitcametothepointwhereIgot thrownoutofcollege. Myfathergotmebackinby—Isuspect —donating somemoney.Thenmybrotherpulledmeasideand said,‘Youknow,

you’re nottheonlyperson whofeelslikethis.There’s alotofotherkids herewhohavethesameattitude, andweallworkatthenewspaper.’ So eventhoughmybrotherdidn’treallywanttoletmein,because I washis kidbrother,hebroughtmearoundtothenewspaper officeandI started hanging outwiththatcrowd.AndthenIbecame involved inessentially the

sametypeofvandalism, except thatnowthevandalism wasconfined to theworldofideas,andtheprimary formofvandalism wastodowith

movies. Thebestwaytocalldownthewrathoftheinstitution wastopress thatmoviebutton,because wewerenotsupposed towriteaboutmovies in theschoolpaper;andsoIgotinvolved inmoviesasameansofrevolt. Whathappenedwasthattherewas a littlecinemain townthatwas goingbroke,andindesperation theystartedrunningartfilms.Theyranall theearlyBergman filmsbecause thekidsfromCalvinwouldcomeandsee them,partlybecause thesensibility wasthesame,thatnorthernProtestant sensibility, butpartlybecause therewasagreatsenseofrevolt,andlittleby littlethebattlewaswon.Thefollowing yearthestudentsrana reviewof

thenextBergman filmandtheauthorities didn’thavethepapershut

down;thensomestudentssetupa filmclubandstartedshowing movies offcampus, andofcoursethepaperwouldthenrunareviewofthemovies theyweregoingtoshow. kJ:Soyoustartedtorunthefilmclubaswellaswrite? PS:Yes,inmysophomore andjunioryears.Because thefilmclubwasoff

campus thecollege hadsome problems withit,sotheyagreed toletitbeon

campus, thoughnotofficially sanctioned, sothattheycouldkeepaneyeon thefilmsthatwerebeingshown.So]gotinthereandstartedprogramming moreandmorecontroversial films,andnotonlywouldwehaveareview ofthefilmintheChimes(thecollege newspaper), oftenwrittenbymyself, but I wouldget someof the moreliberalmembersof the faculty, particularlythe theologyfaculty,to havea seminarafterwards.The

to. Schraderon Schrader

Reverend So-and-so andaprofessor fromthesociology department would

sitbehinda tableanddiscussthefilm,andthemorecontroversialthefilm

themorepowerhouse religious peopleI wouldtalkintoparticipating. By thetimeI showedViridiana, whichwasthestrawthatbrokethecamel’s back,’[hadanumberofministers upthere;besides which,theeventswere becoming extremely popularandwewouldfillupanauditorium for500 people. Allthistime,muchofthemoneyfromthescreenings wasgoingintomy pocketsandthepocketsof myfriends,becausetherewasno official

organization, andsofinally thecollege sawthattheyweregoing tohaveto havesomekindofcontrol overthesociety andtheyaskedmetowritea

constitution for it. SoI wrotea constitution whichtheyacceptedon conditionI hadnothingto dowithrunningit. Overtheyearsinwhichthe

filmclubhadbeensemi-legal, theselection offilmswasveryintense:Ordet andMarienbad andNazarin,* allideafilms;butas soonasit became

legalized andpartof thenon-curriculum agendaat thecollege, the

entertainment forcestookoverandthefilmsbecameprogressively less adventurous. Todaytheyjustshowpapfilms.

Kj:Andyouwerewritingaboutfilmsallthistime?

PS:Well, writing reviews washow I brokeintothenewspaper circle before Ihadanypower, butbytheendofmyjunioryearIhadthisreputation for beingtroubleandithadbecome obvious thatIhadmovedthelocusofmy troublemaking intothearts. I said,‘Well,youwon’tlet merunthe filmcouncilso Pllrunthe

newspaper instead,’ butinorderto runthenewspaper youhadto be elected, andtheywouldn’t letmebeintheelection because ofmyrecord. AtthetimeIwasgoingwithagirlwhomIsubsequently married, whowas a straight-A student,andsoI saidtoher,‘Yourunthepaper.They’ll let yourunitbecause theydon’tthinkyou’llcauseanytrouble,andI’llbethe

associate editor,’ andsureenough theyletherrunit,andbythetimethe nextsemester rolledaround shewasasradicalized asIwas.

Iremember havinga meeting withthestaffofthepaperthatspring—the springof1968—andsaying,“Thewaythingsaregoinginthecountryright now,ifwedon’tgetthepapershutdownwehaven’t doneourjob.’Butthe trickwasnottogetthepapershutdownuntiltheveryendoftheschool year.Theprevious falltherewasabigmarchonWashington, andweused schoolfundsto senda busoffon the march— this is froma very conservative studentbody,a bodythathadvotedforGoldwater. Sothey wentoffandcamebackwiththisbigpictureoftheCalvinflagoutinfront ofthePentagon withalltheothermarchers, andtherewasabigheadline in

Background: TheRoadfromGrandRapids 11

thepapersaying ‘Chimes Remonstrates WaratPentagon’. Thecollege authorities foundoutthattheschool hadbankrolled theprotest, butthey

didn’tthrowusout,andthatspringI wasstartingtogeta littleworried that theywouldn’tthrowus out: the peoplewhoran the discipline committee werehipto whatI wasupto andsawthatwhatwereally

wanted todowasmakethemlooklikefuddy-duddies, andthattothrow usoutwouldbeplaying intoourhands. Butthen,finally, anoccasion didarisethatwewereabletogetthemon. DickGregory wasgoingtospeakoncampus, buthewasdisinvited bythe college President because ofhisliberalviews,sowewrotethisupbutstill didn’tgetfired.Thenextweekwesaid,“Thisisit—everything we’vegot,’

andrana bigfront-page editorial attacking thePresident, demanding a publicapology andinsinuating thatthewholethinghadbeenracially motivated andbasically justridiculing thecollege authorities andthrowingdownthegauntlet.Thatdoesn’tsoundlikemuchtoday,butinthat contexttheywerefurious,sotheyshutusdownandinthelastmonthof

college westarted asecond newspaper called Spectacle, which Iwaseditor

of.Ithinkwemanaged tobringoutthreeissuesbeforetheendoftheyear. It’sfunny— a fewmonthsagoIgotaCalvinalumnimagazine whichhad a bigwrite-upofthegreatChimes protesttwentyyearson,butinfactthe Chimes protestwasabouttwentystudents outofastudentbodyofabout 4,000justmakingasmuchfuckingtroubleastheycould.

KJ:When youdescribe yourself as‘radicalized’, wasthatinanycoherent

politicalsenseorwasitjustvandalism byothermeans? PS:It’sdifficult toseparate thehardpoliticsfromthefashionpolitics. The Chimes officelookedlikeanoutpostofChinaBooks,withpostersofHo ChiMinhandMaoTse-tung. Itlookedoutoverthegroundfloorofthe

campus, anditdidn’t really matterasmuchwhether ornotwebelieved it

allasthatweknewitwoulddrivethemcrazy. ButthenI became involved intheanti-warmovement andcarriediton whenIwenttoUCLAandgotinvolved inproteststhere.Mypolitics were verymuchontheLeft:pro-Vietcong, pro-Civil Rights. Therewasaperiod

oftwoorthreeyearswhenthefringe Leftandthemiddle Leftmet,and thenassoonasthewarwasovertheywenttheirseparateways.Thewar heldthesedivergent forcestogetherandassoonasthewarwasover,then fora lotofpeoplethebattlewasover. KJ:Whatelsedidyoudoatcollege apartfromrunthenewspaper andstir

uptrouble? Didyoucontinue tostudyhard?

ps:Yes,I wasadamngoodstudent,thoughIremember makingadecision

12 Schraderon Schrader

SBD nase

pment op nee

3 Schrader (right) asastudent journalist atCalvin College.

Background: TheRoadfromGrandRapids 13

whether ornottobeanAstudent, andIendedupasanA-minus/B-plus student,because Ideliberately tookanumberofcourses insubjects Iknew Iwouldn’t getAsin,likemusicandGermanlit.Ihadenoughpresence of mindtoknowthatIwasthereforaneducation, nottogetAs,andIwasa

realstudent inarealstudent’s school. WehadtotakesixhoursofCalvin’s Institutes alone,andcourses incontemporary theology —MartinBuber, Heidegger andallthat—andyoureallyhadto knowyourstuff,you couldn’t weaselaroundit.

kJ:Whendidyourealize thatyourinterest infilmswasbecoming more thanamatterofintellectual vandalism?

Ps:BythetimeI wasinmysophomore yearI hadmovedawayfromthe minister fantasyandthelawyerfantasyandnowsawmyself asawriter,a journalist andsocialcritic.ThenwhenIranthefilmclubIstartedreading aboutallthesefilms,butwiththeexception oftheonesIhiredtherewasno

wayofseeing anyofthem.Soonesummer, thesummer of1967,Icameup heretoNewYorkCityandtookthreecoursesinfilmatColumbia justto educatemyself. I alsotooka job,butIgotfiredfromit. Thisbusiness,the filmbusiness,is the onlyone I’veeverbeenableto

holda jobin.I’vebeenfiredfromeveryotherjobIeverhad.Ievengotfired

frommyfather’s company.

KJ:Forinsubordination? Ps:Basically. Soonerorlatera guyalwayscomesuptoyouandsays‘Do this,’andyousay‘No,I’vegota betteridea,’andhesays‘Idon’tcareabout yourbetteridea,’andyousay‘Well,I don’tcareaboutyours.’Andthe nextthingyouknowyou'reoutofajob.SoIrealized thatwhatever livingI

wasgoingtomakewouldhavetobeinthefreelance field,andthatthere hadtobea waytooutwitthesystemandmakealivingbybeingmyown boss.Inbusiness ifyoucomeupwithagoodproductyoucanbeyourown boss,sotheproblemwastofindthesamethinginthearts.

SoIcameuptoColumbia andtookthesecourses, andafterclass Iwould gooutdrinking untilthreeorfourinthemorning withfellow students.

OnenightI wassittingtheretalkingaboutPaulineKael’s I LostIt at the Movies, whichhadjustcomeout,andsayinghowmuchIlikedit,andone oftheotherpeoplesittingtheresaid,“Well, let’sgoandseePauline.’ It turnedoutthatthiswasaguynamedPaulWarshow, whowasthesonof thecriticRobertWarshow. Paulinehadlikedhisfather,whowasdead, andhadtakenPaulunderherwing,sowewentovertoherplaceonWest Endandtalkedtoher.I hadn’tseenmanyfilms,butIwasfullofideasandI stillmusthavehadthisnotionofbecoming aminister intheChurch.The

14 Schrader onSchrader

4 Student radical: Schrader atananti-Vietnam warrally.

Background: TheRoadfromGrandRapids 15 firstnightIwastheretheconversation justwentonallnightlong,withreal

arguments — I likedthefilms shedidn’t likeandviceversa —andIended up

sleeping onhercouch.Thenextmorning asIleftshesaidtome,‘Youdon’t wanttobea minister —youwanttobea filmcritic.’

Iwentovertherea number oftimesthatsummer, andwhen Ileft togo

backtoGrandRapidsPaulinesaidtomethatI shouldleaveCalvinright awayandgoto UCLA,whereshehadafriend,ColinYoung—who’snow attheNationalFilmSchoolinBritain—andshethoughtshecouldgetme in. ButI onlyhadoneyearto go at CalvinandI wantedto runthe

newspaper, soIwentback.ButI keptintouchwithherthroughout the yearandsentherallmyarticles. Oneofthemwasabouther,andI’msortofchagrined aboutit now

becauseit’sso wrong-headed,but I believedit at the time,and it won a

contestandwaspublished inabookofthewinners. Itwascalled‘Matthew

Arnold inL.A.’. Ithinkthereason Iwroteitwasthatmyfavourite course in college wasVictorian lit.I wrotemythesisonpost-‘Kubla Khan’ Coleridge, concentrating onhissermons. IlovedJohnHenryNewman and Paterandthatwholegroup,andI guessbetweenlovingwhatMatthew ArnoldhaddoneandlovingwhatPaulinewasdoingI hadto findsome

waytocompare them.Thetruthwas,ofcourse, thattheyweretotally different.

InmylastspringatCalvinIwrotetoPaulineandsaid,‘Youwereright— I wanttogoto UCLA,’andeventhoughI hadnotrainingandtheoreticallyUCLAwasa hardschooltogetinto,ColinYoungjusttookPauline’s wordforit andletmein.Sointhefallof 1968I cametoCalifornia and

entered UCLA filmschool.

Notes =

LuisBunuel’sViridiana(1961)starsSylviaPinalas an idealisticyoungnunwhose

charitable actions meetwithcruelingratitude. Calvin College wasnotaloneinbeing

offendedbythefilm(andparticularly byitsfinale,a blasphemous parodyoftheLast Supper): itwasbannedinthedirector’s nativeSpainassoonasitwasreleased. 2 CarlDreyer’s Ordet(TheWord)(1954);AlainResnais’s L’Année Derniére a Marienbad (LastYearinMarienbad) (1961);LuisBunuel’s Nazarin(1958).

CHAPTER 2

TheCritic:L.A.FreePressto

Transcendental Style

JACKSON: Shortlyafteryouarrivedat UCLAyoubeganto writefilm criticism professionally. Howdidthatcomeabout? SCHRADER: Well,that wassortof ironic.I wasworkingpart time, delivering for ChickenDelight,whichis a take-outplace,and I was makingabout$20a week.A professorat UCLAwhowas a friendof Pauline’s toldmethattheL.A.FreePresswerelookingforan abovegroundcritic—therewouldbetwocriticseveryweek,anunderground moviecriticand a criticfor the conventional theatricalthings.So I submitted a longreviewofFaces* tothemandtheylikeditandhiredme,

andtheywerealsopaying me$20aweek! I said,well,thisisgreat! Igetto

seefreemovies,Igettowriteaboutthem,andI getthesameamountof moneyasfordelivering chicken. Itcouldn’t bebetter! Lookingbackon thosepublications is a littlestrange,becauseI’m clearlythemostconservative writeron thewholemagazine. Butwhat

happened nextwasthatIwenttothemandsaid,“You’re paying me$20a weekforthisarticle. Ifyouwillletmehaveablock,aheading, withmy

nameonit,whichwillbeprintedeveryweek,I’llgiveyouyour$20back.’ Theysaid,‘That’sfair,’andsotheyprintedthisboxthatsaid‘Movies: PaulSchrader’. Iwanteditsothatpeoplewouldremember mynamerather

thanjustbeinganother by-line, and I stillrunintopeople todaywhosay, ‘Oh,I remember yourstuffintheFreePress,’andofcoursetheydon’t reallyremember thereviews, theyremember thatlittleblackbox. KJ:Did youfeelconstrained to writein someapproximation of an

underground housestyle,ordidyouwriteasyousawfit? Ps:Igotfiredoverthatveryissue. Ithappened in1969,overEasyRider. |

hadn’tbeengettingmuchpressure fromanyoneattheFreePressandallof asuddenthismoviecamealongandI realized thatitwasgoingtobeabig filmintheunderground. Igottothescreening andPeterFondawassitting

nexttome,Tommy Smothers wasontheothersideandDennis Hopper wassitting behind me.Nothing likethishadeverhappened tomebefore. SoI sawthemovieandI hatedit andI wentbacktomyeditorandsaid,

TheCritic:L.A.FreePressto Transcendental Style 17

‘Look, thisisgoingtobeabigunderground filmand a bigFreePressfilm and I hateit,soIwould likeyoutorunside-by-side reviews, onebymeand

onein favour,becauseI don’tthinkyou’regoingto be comfortable attacking thisfilm—it’sjustnotpolitically correctforyou.’ Buttheeditorsaid,‘No,wearetheFreePress.Wearefreeandyouare ourcritic.Youwriteyourreview.’ SoIwrotethisextremely longreview — it’sactuallyoneofthebetterpiecesI’vedone—andloandbeholdI was fired. Theeditorbackedmebutthepublisher wasfurious. Thestaffdemanded a meetingto discusswhytheFreePresshadpannedEasyRider,andthe editorstoodupagainstthestaffandagainstthepublisher, andtheupshot wasthatwewerebothfired.Thedisputebecame a kindofcausecélébre — DianaTrillingwroteanarticleintheAtlanticaboutEasyRiderandused thefightovermyarticleasindicative ofthehypocrisy oftheLeft. KJ:Butyouwentonsoonafterwards tofoundyourownmagazine, didn’t

yous

PS:Itwasanalreadyexisting magazine calledCinema, andIweaseled my wayintotheeditorship. WhenI tookit overit wasa sortof vanity

magazine, owned byafellow whohad a clothing storeinBeverly Hillsand arestaurant and a discocalled theDaisy Disco. Ifyouwerea member of

theDaisyyourfilmsgotwrittenaboutinCinema andtherewerebigglossy picturesofallhisfriendsinit.Italkedhimintolettingmetakeitoverand toplacatehimIkepttheglossy format,butthenIwroteseriousarticles and didtheminlittle8-pointtypebecause hedidn’teverreadthecopy.Aslong

astherewerebigglossy pictures hewashappy.

KJ:Yourambitions atthistimewereentirely focused onbeinga filmcritic? ps:That’showitseemed atthetime,thoughInowhavereasontodoubtit. Ididaninterview withDonPennebaker fortheFreePressaroundthetime

ofMonterey Pop,and Ireallybelieved atthetimethatallIeverwanted to

dowasbea critic,andI’dsaidthattopeopleforyears.Then,a fewyears ago,IranintoPennebakerata festivalandIsaid,‘Youmaynotknowthis,

butIdidaninterview withyouonce,’andhesaid,‘Iremember itclearly.’ Andthereasonheremembered itwasthathehadgonebacktohismotel

roomaftertheinterview andthefirstthinghehadsaidtohisgirlfriend was,‘Well, there’s aguywhowon’tbea criticlong.” Mymemory ofitwas justtheopposite, butobviously itwasn’ttrue.

KJ:Whatwereyouhopingtoachievethroughyourcriticism? ps:Whatpeopledon’tunderstand anymoreisthataroundthattime,inthe

18 Schraderon Schrader

latesixties, criticism wasaformoftheMovement. Society wasgoingto

havetochangeateverylevelandwehadtocarrythemessage ofGodard and Resnais,we had to go to the barricades,and filmcriticismwas

revolutionary. Thisallcametoa headin1968whenthefilm-makers and filmcriticsshutdowntheCannesFilmFestival.”

Soyou’re talking abouta timewhenfilmcriticism wasevangelical in tone.Wewereallopposed tothestaidoldcritics whojustsatinjudgement ratherthanbecoming involved, whichiswhyPaulinewassoinfluential: shewasa populist,intenton changing people’s perceptions, educating them,enlightening themandgettingtherightpeopletotheatrestoseethe

rightfilms—promoting a filmlikeGodard’s Masculine/Feminine, for

example. Todaycriticism haslostthatedgeandbecome muchmore a kind ofconsumer profession.

KJ:Godardisanobviouscaseofsomeone whofollowed thepathfrom criticism intodirecting; washea rolemodelorheroforyouat thetime? Ps:Masculine/Feminine wasthefilmthatreallyturnedmearoundand seemed tobeeverything afilmcouldbe.Itwaspersonal andpoliticaland originalandsexy;itwasafilmofmygeneration, thechildren ofMarxand Coca-Cola, itwasourfilm.Breathless reallywasn’tourfilmsomuch,and whenLaChinoise? camealongitwasa barricades film.Youhadtotake sides:youwereeitherforLaChinoise oragainstitandIwasforit. Mycourseat UCLAwasa film-criticism courseanddidn’tinvolve muchpractical work,butyoudidhavetomakeonestudentfilm,an8mm film,andmineowedalottoGodardandtoLaChinoise. ItwasaMaoist film,a filmaboutstudentrevolutionaries takingovera TVstationand broadcasting propaganda. IusedaFrenchstudentasmyleading actor,and hewasalwaysreading extractsfromtheLittleRedBookandholding itup.

Atthistimeboththestudents andthefaculty hadasayinwhowouldbe

chosentogoaheadtothefilm-making partofthecurriculum, because only a limitednumberof studentscouldusethoseresources,and I was not

votedahead:I wasputinalimbocategory andtoldtodoa secondfilm.I wasfurious,becauseI feltthat the filmsthat had beenvotedin werenot

verygood.Oneofthemwasadocumentary aboutMacArthur Park,cutto

thepopsongofthesamename,andtheyhadacakemelting intherainand stuff;whereasalthoughminewasveryraggeditwaschock-a-block with ideas.SoItookthatasa signalthatIwasnottobea film-maker andjust wentaheadwithcriticalstudies.

kJ:ApartfromPauline Kael,which critics wereyoureading atthetime?

Ps:Cahiersdu Cinéma* wasbeingpublished inEnglishat thattimeat

TheCritic:L.A.FreePressto Transcendental Style 19

Andrew Sarris’s instigation, soIwasreading that,andIwasreading Film Quarterly andFilmComment. It’sstrange: Ihavea library ofallmyfilm

booksandmagazines, andtheyallendabruptlyroundabouttheendof 1972.UptothenIhaveprettymucheverything: alltheissuesofCahiers, alltheissuesofPositif,alltheissuesofSightandSound,allsortsofrare thingslikeeveryissueofSequence. Ireadeverything atthattime,because I

sawthisasmychosen profession. Thenonedayyousay,‘I’mnolonger that’;youstopreading thebooks

andmagazines, andit’samazing howquickly everything justcutsoff.Now it’salmostimpossible formeto reada bookaboutfilm.Occasionally, aboutonceayear,a bookdoescomeupthatactually isenlightening, like theoneabouttheJewsin Hollywood or Kazan’s autobiography, butI

almost neverreadatraditional bookaboutfilm.

KJ:Wereyouconscious of standingin a particularrelationto earlier American filmcritics? Ps:|wasawareofit,andIwasabigpromoter ofcertaintraditions. Oneof

thethings ItriedtodoatCinema wastopromote Parker Tyler, whom Ifelt

wasa majorcriticwhohadbeensegregated intoa gayslotandnotreally appreciated for his insightsintowhathe called‘thepansexuality of cinema’, asopposed tothebisexuality ofcinema.. .Iwasveryinfluenced byhiswork. KJ:Wasyourcriticalbiasmoreinthedirection ofconsidering movies asa culturalphenomenon, orwereyouinterested inclosereadings oftexts? Ps:Theinitialintentwastotrytoemulate Pauline, withaliberaluseofthe firstpersonplural,whichshestillusesto thisveryday:‘Welikemovies becauseofX,YandZ’;andyoureadthisandsortofagreewithit and afterwardsyouthink,‘Well,waita second,is that reallywhyI like movies?’ Butshe’sverypersuasive andIfoundmyself writinginthesame fashion:‘People gotomoviesbecause theywanttoidentifywithcertain kindsofcharacters,’ andsoon.It’sreallyjustimposing yourselfonthe readerandsayingthatbecause I feelthisway,youalsofeelthisway.But thenI cameunderotherinfluences, particularly thatofa mancalledJim

Kitses fromtheBritish magazine Screen, andPauline’s philosophy ran

head-onagainsttheScreenphilosophy.

KJ:Thiswouldbethepre-structuralist Screen, presumably? ps:Yes,thiswasthepre-Young MrLincolnphase,*beforetheyprinted thatseminalanalysisofthefilmthatreallychangedandredefined their wholedirection. ThiswasveryLeavisite; Leavis wasworshipped. Sowhen

20 Schraderon Schrader

Jimstartedinfluencing me—thiswasa personwithwhomI wastalking aboutfilmsfivedaysa weekandmore;obviously you’renotattractedto thatextentunlessthere’ssomebasis—whathewasdoing,ineffect,was callingmebacktomytheological training.

OurChurch wasbigonexegesis ofthetext:youhadabiblical passage

andyouwentbackto theGreekor theAramaicandyouexegeted the passage wordbywordandtriedtodecideexactlywhatthebiblical writer wassaying.Thetextitselfisheldassacred;ifthere’sanerrororaflaw,it canonlybetheinterpreter’s becausethetextiswrittenbyGodHimself

through theagency ofhuman hands. Having beenraised withthatsortofnotion, theScreen philosophy fitted rightin andit was,ofcourse,diametrically opposedto Pauline’s view,

whichwasthat weasviewersareequalparticipantsintheexperienceofa

filmandthathowweperceive ithasjustasmuchvalidityasitsintrinsic

qualities. Ifweperceive afilminacertain way,thenthatmustbeinherent inthetextandit’snotafaultormisperception, soweshould studyour

perceptions asmuchaswestudythetext.Now I feelthatbothschoolsare equallyvalid.

KJ:AnotheraspectofLeavisism isaninsistence ontraditions, ona canon

ofagreed value. Didyousubscribe toanysuchcanonatthetime?

ps:Well,SarrishadlaidouttheBiblefortheAmerican cinemaandhad createda pantheonthatwasprettymuchadheredto.Onecoulddiverge fromSarrisnowandthen,butbasically it wasaccepted asprimaryand superseded Pauline’s taste.ThegeneralfeelingwasthatSarris’sassessmentswereaccurate, butthatPauline’s perceptions weremoretothepoint

—ifyouwantedto readabouthowyoufeelaboutmovies, youread Pauline.

KJ:Presumably thegreaterpartofyourstudiesat UCLA,though,was devotedsimplytoseeingfilms?

ps:Yes.When IcametoUCLA [had a lotofopinions aboutfilmbutnota greatdealofinformation. Ijusthadn’t seenthatmanymovies. SoIdevoted myfirsttwoyearsinLAtoseeingfilms,plainandsimple. Iwaslivingina housewithfouror fiveotherstudentsandtheyallhadactivesocialand sexuallivesandI hadnone.AllI didwasseefilmsandkeepa log.Atthe endofthefirstyearIwentthroughthelogandfoundthatI’dbeenseeing twentyor twenty-five filmsa week,scuttlingbackandforthto allthe variousfilmsocieties andeducating myselfin myfutureprofession of critic.AssoonasI hadcleaneduptheEuropean cinema,whichwasmy firstlove,I goton to theAmericancinema,theSarriscanon,and cleaned

TheCritic:L.A.FreePressto Transcendental Style 21

thatup.ThenI gotintosilentcinema andeducated myself ineveryone fromGriffithto ClarenceBrown,and I coveredthirtiesand forties comedies, butI stillknowtodaymoreorlesswhereI stopped:Istopped justshortof musicals. Eventodaymyknowledge ofmusicals is rather thin,andI didn’tcaremuchforspectacle, somyknowledge ofthatis thin.

Itwasaverypeculiar education. Iamtrulyanexception inthegamut of

Hollywood film-makers, offilm-makers period,because everyoneofthem is informedby thiskindof eclecticadolescent tastewheretheywere weanedonspectacles andboys’adventures andmusicals, andtheyhold thesefilmsnearanddeartotheirhearts.WhereforSteven Spielberg Gunga DinisstillaliveandforScorsese Minnelli isalive,they’re notaliveforme,

andtheyneverwereinanadolescent context.

Iwentthroughthehistoryoffilmsinabrutallyanalytical wayinterms

of whatinterestedme,andwouldsay,‘OK,nowI’vecleanedup Hawks,

FordandWalshandSturges, maybeit’stimeto movefurtherdownthe Sarrispantheon.’ SoI findmyself aloneamongmycolleagues innothaving

childhood memories ofmovies tofallbackon.Mychildhood memories revolvearoundtheological discussions at the kitchentable,around religious proselytizing. Therearenomoviememories, period. Theenormous advantage ofthisfactisthatitsetsmeabsolutely apart. AsI wasbreakingintomoviesIneverfeltthatIwasincompetition with anyone,because Iknewthatwhatever IwasgoingtodoIwastheonlyone thatwasgoingto doit. It justdidn’tmatterto mehowsuccessful my friendswerebecauseI wasn’tmakingtheirkindof moviesandthey weren’tmakingmine.I neverfeltthatinternecine rivalrybecause,say, WalterHillwouldgooffandmakehisJohnFordfilmwhereas Iwouldgo offandmakemyGrandRapidsfilm.That’stheupside.

Thedownside isanintellectual’s perception ofmassentertainment as opposed toachild’s. Ilooked atfilms which I enjoyed, which Ievenloved,

butI havenoconceptofseeingthemwithanadolescent sensibility. It’s different withrockandrollbecause Iremember hearingthatasakid,even thoughit wasforbidden. Butmoviesdon’thavethoseemotional associationsforme,andthetruthisthatthat’saratherdamning curse.When PaulineKaelwritesofme,asshedid,thatPattyHearstistheworkofa brilliantfilm-maker wholackstheabilityto maketheaudience feel,it’s something IhatetohearandIcertainly don’twanttoagreewithit,butto theextenttowhichitistrueitcomesfromthefactthatI’ma film-maker whoneverlearnedtofeelaboutfilmduringhisformative years. KJ:Whichwerethefilms,though,thatyoucametofeelpassionately about

22 Schraderon Schrader

asanadult,duringthisperiodofgorging yourself ontwenty-five movies a week? ps:Mycollege yearshadbeenverymuchinformed byBergman andthat

kindofhyper-intellectual cinema, butwhenIgottoLA I fellinlovewith FordandRenoir, thegreathumanist directors, though atthesametime|

fellinlovewithBresson too.I alsorealizedthatHitchcock wasa great film-maker, andthatVertigo andTheSearchers weretwoofthegreatest filmsevermade. I metRenoirin 1969.Therewasa localman,JoelReisner, whohada

radioshowandhesortofbecame mypatron. Hecalled meupwhenIwas

writingcriticism andsaid,‘Ilikewhatyouwrite.Wouldyoucomeoverto myhouse?’ Hewasa gayJewishguy—he’sdeadnow—whowasafriendof artists;heknewHuxleyandFritzLangaswellasRenoir,andhesortof tookmeunderhiswingandintroduced metothatcircle.

WewouldgouptoRenoir’s housealmost everySaturday, andRenoir wasfascinated withme.Hewasintrigued astowhythisbright, intelligent criticlovedBresson morethanhelovedRenoir,andwewouldalwaystalk aboutthat.ThetruthwasthatI lovedRenoirverymuch.Thethreemost impressive film-makers IevermetwereRenoirandRossellini andPeckin-

pah,allofwhomareveryhumanistic people —evenSam.I justsatat Renoir’s kneethatsummer andhereallyturnedmearoundonalot of things.I stillthinkto this daythat TheRulesof the Gameis the quintessential movie,andthat if youhadto selectjustonemovieto

representall of the cinema,all that it canbe,thenthat is the movieyou

mustchoosebecause it isthenonpareil, humanistically, politically, cinematically. Thatisthegreatfilm. KJ:WhendidyoumeetRossellini? ps:Thathappened afterIhadgraduated fromUCLAin1970andbecome aFellowattheAFI,theAmerican FilmInstitute. Igraduated fromUCLA undercircumstances aspeculiar asIgotin,whichwasthatI’dbeenwriting around a lotandworkingfortheFreePressandsawmycareerasacritic

moving forward andmytimeasastudent coming toanend.

SoIwenttoColinYoungandsaidthattherereallywasn’tanyreasonfor metocontinue atUCLAbutthatIwantedmydegree, andIwasarrogant enoughtosaythatIthoughttheywouldwantmeasanalumnus. Hesaid, ‘Howmuchdoyouhavelefttodo?’,andItoldhimthatIhada language examto take,sixhoursofcoursesanda Master’sthesisto present.He knewthatIhadalreadybegunworkonmybookTranscendental Style,so hesaid,‘OK,submitallthecriticism you’vewrittenandwe'llcallthat yoursixhours;submitthefirstpartofyourbookandwe'llcallthatyour

TheCritic:L.A.FreePressto Transcendental Style 23

5 Youngacademic: Schrader, fellowoftheAmerican FilmInstitute, in1971.

24 Schrader onSchrader thesis;justtakeyourlanguage examandwe'llgiveyouyourdegree.’ SoI did,andwenttotheAFI. TheAFIwastheninitsfirstyearofexistence anditwasreallyasortof country-club organization. Therewereonly,I think,elevenFellows and twentysupportfaculty,andIwastheonlycriticalFellow, whichistosay thatIwasthewholecriticalfaculty, andIwasgiventhreeprofessors anda

screening schedule ofmyown. TheAFIhadalot ofvisiting speakers, andonedayRossellini cameandI

wentto speakto himafterhislecture.Hewasstillpersonanongrata aroundHollywood because oftheIngridBergman scandal. Whenyoufirst sawhimyouwondered, ‘HowcouldIngridBergman haveforsakenher careerforthisman?’;butwhenheopenedhismouthitwasasifyouwere ina smallroomandhehadsuddenly thrownopenallthewindows and madeyourealizehowbigtheworldoutsidewas.Youfallinlovewith

peoplelikethat,andyourealize inaninstantwhyIngridBergman had

fallenforhim,because physical attractiveness palesveryquickly whenset besidea kindof spiritualattractionwheresomeone isactuallymaking yourworldbiggerandbetter.

Rossellini isalmostaloneamongfilm-makers inhaving beenat the forefront ofthreetotallydifferent andoriginal filmstyles. Whenneo-

realism camealonghewasintheforefront ofthat;thencametheEuropean spiritualideafilmsandhewasattheforefront ofthat;andthenthatcool sortofdocumentary stylecameinandhewasattheforefront ofthattoo. He hadthekindof restlessimagination thatthemomenthe touched

anything hemadeitbigger.

KJ:You’ve writtenaboutthelastofthosethreestylesinyourarticleabout

LaPrisedePouvoir parLouisXIV.°

ps:ThatwastheoneI couldbeevangelical about,becausepeoplejust

didn’tunderstand howbrilliant itwas;theyweren’t understanding what

wasgoingon.Theywerekeeping Rossellini inthislittleboxandhedidn’t wantto bein that box;hewantedto turn televisionintoan art.

ButneitherRossellini norRenoirwasthebiggest influence onmeatthe time.Thegreatestinfluence, andthereasonIthinkIwasabletobecome a film-maker, wasCharlesEames,thearchitect. In 1970,Eamescameto giveoneoftheAFI’stalks.I heardhimand thoughtthatthiswassomething extraordinary, anddecided thatIwould do an articleabouthim.Buteventhenthe notionof an articlewas something ofa guisebecause I sensedthatherewasthispersonwhowas standingbyadoorandthatifIapproached himhewouldopenthatdoor forme.

TheCritic:L.A.FreePressto Transcendental Style 25

6 CharlesEamesandhiswifeRayin1976.

26 Schraderon Schrader So I went and interviewedhim,and the interviewbecamemoreand

moreprotracted because Ididn’twanttoleavetheworkshop. Hehadthis hugewarehouse workshopdowninVenicewhereonanygivendayhe

wouldbemaking furniture, making films,making slide-shows, making

toys... itwasa trulyRenaissance environment.

KJ:Wasit particularlythe filmswhichcaughtyourimagination, or Eames’s wholepractice? Ps:Well,Ihadbeenraisedinanenvironment thatbelieved thatideaswere

theprovince oflanguage, andthatifyouhadsomething tosayyouused

wordstosayit,andthatifyouwantedtospeakofbeautyorofspirituality you usedwords.Thisis what Calvinhad used,this is what Lutherhad used,thisiswhatKnoxhadused.WhatCharlestaughtme,andtaughtme

withgreatpatience anddiligence, wasthatanimageoranobjectcanalso

beanidea.

So,forexample, youhavetheword‘wineglass’, a nine-letter linguistic concept, andyouhavethisobject,awineglass, whichisrelatedtotheword bya semanticcodebutwhichisnotthesameidea.Andifyouhavea different wineglass thenyouhavea different ideaagain,andagain;and

onlywhenyouappreciate thatthoseideashavejustasmuchvalidity asthe word‘wineglass’ willyoubevisually literate.

Eamestaughtmethatthereisavisuallogicinlifeandthattobeapoet, orapoetofideas(whichiswhatI calledmypiece),doesn’t meanyouhave touselanguage. IwaslikePaulontheroadtoDamascus when I heardthis. I hadalwaysbelievedthatpeoplewhothoughtvisuallywereinferior

thinkers, andthatpainting wasessentially anillustration ofideas, which is howitwastaughtatCalvin, ratherthananideainitsownright.Whenever

anytrulypowerful ideahitsyouitoverwhelms you,andthatjustknocked meoutandIwaschanged permanently. Today,occasionally, whenI talkwithstudentsI growimpatient with theirquestions andwiththerepetitious thingsthey’resaying.Whenever

thathappens Iremember Charles andthink,‘Jesus, herewasamantelling

mewhatto himmusthavebeenthemostprosaicandmundanetruth imaginable, beinga designerandarchitect,andyethetookthetimeto explainittomepatiently andmakemeunderstand it.Ifhecouldtakethat time,asbusyandimportantashewas,thenwhoam I to thinkI’mtoo

superior topassonthatkindofsimple information tothenextperson?’

KJ:Washispatiencewithyoujusta signofhispersonal generosity, ordo youthinkhesawyouasa kindofprotégé? ps:WhenIlookbackonmylifeandthinkofthevariouspeoplewhohave

TheCritic:L.A.FreePressto Transcendental Style 27

befriended me,whether itbePauline orCharles orwhoever, obviously theysawinmeahungry, thirsty sensibility thatwanted whattheyhadto giveverybadly,andifyou’rea decentpersonthenyourealizethatthisis whatyouareputonthisearthto do.It’sonethingto tryto tellpeople thingstheydon’twanttoknow,butwhensomeone appearsbeforeyou

whois,astheBible says,hungering andthirsting afterrighteousness, then youhavetogiveittothem.

AnotherthingthatEamestoldmehada tremendous impact,though nowitmayseemprosaic.Iwasaskinghimhowhedesigned achairandhe said,‘Well,thefirstthingI didwasto calleveryone onmystaffinand measuretheirasses,because humanphysiology isalwayschanging andI wanttoknowwhattheideaofanassis.’Thenhesaidtome,‘Youliketo thinkyou’redifferent. Infactyoureallydothinkthatyouaresomething different tome;infactyouthinkyouaresomething special,butyouare not—youareweddedtome;youaremorelikemeandalwayswillbemore likemethana treewillbe,andyouhavetoacceptthat.’ Thatmaybea cliché,but I guessthatsimpletruthfedintoallmy

religious training abouthowweareallequalinthesightofGod.Ihadbeen

inLAwatching filmswhichexaltedidiosyncrasy andthecultofpersonalityandherecomesthismanwhosaysthatthecultof personality is transient, thatweareinfactallalikeandthatifyoudon’tunderstand how wearealikethenyouwon’tgetanythingdone.Thatthought,together withthethoughtthatimagesareideas,overturned myworld. KJ:Thatlastpointsoundsreminiscent of someof theargumentsin Transcendental Style,favouring universality ofmeansasagainstidiosyncrasyofpersonality. ps: Yes,a lot of Transcendental Stylewaswrittenaftermytimewith Charles. KJ:Howdidtheideaforthatbookcomeabout? ps:I foundmyselfina uniqueposition.Ihadbeeninvolved witha lotof peopleat Calvinwhowereinterested in moviesbutwereveryignorant aboutthemandhadnoideawhatmadethemgood.ThenI cameoutto

UCLA andgotinvolved withalotofpeople whotalked aboutspirituality infilmandhadabsolutely noideawhattheyweretalkingabout;they’d had no religiouseducation.

So I cameup withthisideafor Transcendental Style,whichwas

published in1972,and I realized thatIwastooyoung towriteitbutthat therewasnobody elseouttherewhowasgoingtowriteit,andthatifI didn’twriteitnowIneverwould,because itmeanta yearwithoutpay.So

28 Schraderon Schrader

oneofthereasonsthereferences aresoguardedisthatIjustfeltIwastoo youngandhadtocovermyself. Thebookjustgoes,Asaidthis,Bsaidthis, CsaidthisandnowI,D,amsayingthis.IfIwroteittodayIthinkIwould makeitmuchlessscholarly. Thebookhadthreestrongpersonalinfluences: Eames;a philosophy professor IhadatCalvin,Nicholas Waltersdorf; andJimKitses, who,asI say,weanedmeoffPauline’s influence andonto F.R.Leavis’s textual criticism.

KJ:Transcendental Stylegivestheimpression of beingtheworkof someone whoisstilla believer.

Ps:Buta believer inspirituality, nota believer inanysectarian notionof God.I wasnolongera member ofmyChurchora believer initsdoctrines.

KJ:Whenhadyoulostyourfaith?Wasit suddenandtraumatic, or gradual?

Ps:It wasgradual.Maybeit beganto hit meafterI camebackfrom militaryschoolthatsummer, butbasically I hadtokeepmymouthshut aboutit untilI wastwenty-one. Whathitmewasthatreligions ofthat

naturearereallysocialinstitutions, notspiritual institutions, andthat

spirituality wasjustan occasional adjunctof its socialandeconomic functions. IjustfeltthatI didn’treallybelonginthisclubanymore. KJ:Thoughat firstsightthebookseemslikeanauteuriststudyofOzu, Bresson andDreyer,infactitisinterested indifferent ideas—ideasthatgo

against whatmusthavebeentheconventional grainatthetime. Ps:Yes,andthatwasfinewithme.I hadastreakthatmademedeeply

enjoyallmyschisms withPauline justasIdeeplyenjoyed talkingtoRenoir aboutwhyBresson wasagreaterdirectorthanhewas.It’sameasure ofthe greatness ofthemanthatI wasinvitedbackweekafterweek,thoughI thinkhewasalsogladtohavesomeone aroundthehousewhohadn’tjust

cometokissthering.

KJ:It’salsoa bookthatshowedyou’dbeenstudying avant-garde filmsby thelikesofWarholandMichael Snow,andthatyouhadacertainamount ofsympathy andregardforthem. ps:Verymuchso,because thosewerefilmsfromthecinemaofdenial,of sparsemeans.ThewholeoftheTranscendental Stylehypothesis isthatif youreduceyoursensualawareness rigorously andforlongenough,the innerneedwillexplodeandit willbepurebecause itwillnothavebeen siphonedoffbyeasyor exploitative identifications; it willhavebeen

TheCritic:L.A.FreePressto TranscendentalStyle 29

refined andcompressed toitstrueidentity, whatCalvin called thesensus divinitatus, thedivine sense. Calvinwasa brutalintellectual, anintellectual parexcellence, andthe goalof allhisworkwasto reducethewindowof faithto as smallan apertureaspossible. Wecandefineandunderstand thewholeworld,and allwehavetoleaveisthistinyholeforfaithtoenterinby.Butofcoursethe

moreyoudefine theworldandthetiniertheaperture, thenthemore

blindingthelightoffaithbecomes initsbrilliance. Transcendental Style usesthesameargument: stripawayconventional emotional associations andthenyou’releftwiththistinylittlepinpointthathitsyouattheendand freezesyouintostasis.

Oneofthethings thatI’vetriedtodoinmyfilms —andIshouldn’t say thisbecause it’sexactly whatpeople criticize mefor— is totrytohavean

emotionally blindingmoment,likeMishima’s suicide;or liketheendof American Gigolo,wherethisspiritualessencesuddenly popsoutofthe flimsyloungelizard;orlikethemomentinLightofDaywhenthegirlis reconciled withhermother,where,despiteallhertoughness, shecan’t

denyanymorethatthereissomething which transcends you,andthatthe

moreyousuppress itthemoreit’sgoingtoknockyouonyourass. Thisisveryhardtodo,andoneoftheproblems I’verunintoisthatit doesn’treallyworkinthecommercial cinemabecause inordertogetthese blindingmomentsyouhaveto denysomuch,andif youdotoomuch denialthenyou’reoutofthecommercial cinema. SowhatI’vetriedtodois

alittlebitofboth.I’vemitigated thedenial, butthenofcourse theblinding

moments don’tstandoutsomuch.

KJ:Didyoueverconsidertheoptionofworkingoutsidethecommercial cinema,asanunderground film-maker?

ps:No,because Ihavetheevangelical impulse, which istheneedtogoout andpreach toasmanypeople aspossible andtoreachallofthem.Ialso

knowthatthetruewaytoreachthemisviaa methodthatisuncommercial.Butwhenyouareworkingina massmedium youhavetoacceptthe restrictions ofamassaudience, whichmeansmillions ofpeople,because to makea movieyouneedto dealwitha minimum oftwoorthreemillion

units.Also,I’mafirmbeliever intheChristian notionofstewardship: if

peoplegiveyoumoneythenitisuptoyoutohaveacoherent visionofhow toreturnthatmoney.Itmaynothappen,butoneveryfilmI’minvolved inI wantallthepeoplewhoinvested togettheirmoneyback. I usedto haveenormoussympathy forGodardwhenhisfilmswere

engaged, butforthelasttwenty yearshe’sbeentalking toanempty room, andwhatsenseisthereinthat?I’msurehewouldsay,‘It’simportant thatI

30 Schrader onSchrader keeptalkingandIdon’tcarethatnooneislistening,’ butIcan’tgoalong withthat.Ithinkthatifyou’reworking inthismedium you’ve gottomake surepeoplearelistening. Ontheotherhand,I dohavea sortofrainbownotionofcommunication,whichis to do withthe levelsof information whichcan be communicated to differentnumbersofpeople.Sayyouhavea professor whohas100percentintensityofcommunication withhistenstudents. Oneofthestudentsgoesoffandwritesa bookwhichhasonlya tenthof thatinformation buta thousandpeoplereadit.Nowa film-maker comes

alonganddelivers onlyatenthofthatbook,buthedelivers ittotenmillion

people.Well,I believethatthere’sa senseinwhichthevalueofallthose levelsof communication canbeseenas equal,thattheprofessorwho teachesthe few and the popularizerwho teachesthe manyare equally

valuable.

Myproblem asanartististhatI seemyself somewaydownthat spectrum. Iseemyself asapopularizer, butinfactIremain apurist.ButI’m

nottheequalofa Freudora Marx,andIdon’twanttotalktojusta few people.SopartofthereasonIputthatBressonian endingontoAmerican Gigolowasa kindof outrageous perversity, saying,‘I canmakethis fashion-conscious, hipHollywood movieandat theendclaimthatit’s reallypure’;andinCatPeopleI couldmakethishorrormovieandsayit wasreallyaboutDanteandBeatrice. That,Isuspect,iswhatmakesmymoviesofinterest.Ialsosuspectthat it’swhatmakesthemproblematical intermsofthecommercial cinema. An oldfriendofminesaystomethatmyproblem isthatIgotoofar,thatright

attheendIalways havetotakethatonesteptoofar.Well, whatthatone stepisisanattempt tomakeitallreallyredemptive, tosay,‘Thislooks

commercial and ordinarybut it’snot; it’sreallyspiritualand extraordinary.’

KJ:Wasitthedesiretoaddressa wideraudience thatfinallyledyouaway fromwritingcriticism? ps:Whathappenedwasthis.AtthetimeI wasa memberofa groupof youngcriticswhowereallinfluenced byPaulineandwejokinglycalled ourselves thePaulettes —RogerEbert,DavidDenby,PaulWarshow, Gary ArnoldattheWashington Postandothers.Wewereallacrossthecountry

andwewereinconstant contact withPauline —youwereonthephoneto hereveryweek,andsenthereverything youwroteandwhentheword

camedownfromNewYorkyoutoedtheline.Shewouldsay,‘There’s this terrificnewfilmcalledBonnieandClyde.It’sbeenmisunderstood andit’s notgettinga fairshake.Wehavetogooutandbeatthedrumsforit.’Nine

TheCritic:L.A.FreePressto Transcendental Style 31

timesoutoftenshewasdeadrightaboutit,andifyoujustfollowed what shesaidyouweremorelikely tobeonthemarkthanoffit.

Allthetimeshewouldgetphonecallsfrommajorpublications saying,

“‘We’re aboutto havean openingfora criticon Newsweekor whatever—

whowouldyourecommend?’ Andtheunstatedunderstanding wasthatif youremained inthePaulinecampyouwouldeventually beplacedinone

ofthesejobsandthenworkyourwayupthesystem. Iremember mybreakwithPauline because itwasverydramatic. Itwas

theendof1971,I hadbeenlivinginLAforsometimenowandhadstarted toyingwiththeideaofbecoming involved intheotherendofthebusiness; eventhoughIwasstillcommitted tobeing a criticIstartedtofoolaround

withwriting scripts. Inordertosupport myself I’dtakenajobasareader forColumbia —youwerepaid$15forascriptand$25foranovel, andyou wroteasynopsis andacritique.Ihadwrittenthingsinthemostsnideway possible, saying,‘Ifyouwanttodoanempty-headed maritalcomedy then thisisthescriptforyou,’whichisthekindofcritique noonewantstoread,

andIgotfiredandre-hired twicebefore wepartedcompany forgood.SoI hadbecome veryconversant withscripts andwroteonecalled Pipeliner, basically inordertoteachmyself howtowriteascript,whichisreallythe onlywayyoucanlearn. I wasinNewYorkandseeingPauline—it wasa dayor twobefore Christmas —andshebrokethebignewsandsaid,‘I’vegottenyouajob— there’sanopeningcomingupin Chicagoandthere’sonecomingupin SeattleandI wantyouto goto Seattle.It’sthebestmovietowninthe country;ithasgreatrepertory cinema, andyouhavethechancetocreatea bodyofworkandinfluence themovie-going public.’ IthinkthereasonshewantedmeinSeattle wasbecause shehadnoone

outthere—it wasliketheheightof theBritishEmpire: ‘Youtake

Rhodesia.’ Isaid,‘Yes,thisisfabulous — this isexactly whatI havewanted

todoandhavebeenworking towards forthelastfiveyears. Butthere’s this otherthing.I’vebeenlivinginLAforsometimeandI’vebeenwritingthis script,andifItaketheSeattle jobIwouldalways wonderwhatwouldhave happened ifIhadstayedonasa screenwriter.’ Paulinesaid,‘Theyneedananswer.’ I said,‘Letmegobackto LAand

thinkaboutit andI’lltellyounextweek.’ Shesaid,‘No.Theyneedan

answernow.’ Isaid, ‘Ican’tgiveyouanswernowbecause goingtoSeattle wouldbea bigachangeinmylife.Itwouldbeafive-year commitment at least.’Pauline said,“They needananswernow,andifyoudon’ttellmeyes now,thentheanswerisno.”

I remember standing upandsaying, ‘Iguesstheanswer isno,”andI

walkedoutandthatwastheendofourcloserelationship. I remember

32 Schrader onSchrader

flying backontheplanetoLAthinking, ‘Well, youjustfucked upyour

wholecareer.Everything you’ve everwantedtodowasjusthandedtoyou andyouturnedit down.Youcan’tmake aliving, you’rein debt,and you’veturneddownthechancetobecomea majorcritic.Well,ifyou’ve

turnedthisjobdownthenitjustmeans you’re nota criticanymore.You justhavetogiveup,packitallinandtrytobeafilm-maker.’ Notes I

Ww

JohnCassavetes’s Faces(1968)depicts,in thedirector’s customary semi-documentary style,themid-life discontents ofagroupofaffluent characters. Among itsleading playersis GenaRowlands, whomSchrader waslatertocastinLightofDay. In May1968,the CannesFilmFestivalwasabandonedafterprotests(supported by Francois Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godardandothers)againstthecommercialism andtriviality ofmanyofthefilmsonshowata timeofnationalcrisis. Masculin/Féminin (Masculine/Feminine) (1966);ABoutdeSouffle (Breathless) (1959);La Chinoise (1967)wereallmadebyJean-Luc Godard(1930—_). Thehighlyinfluential Frenchcinemajournalwhichdeveloped outofLaRevueduCinéma (1951),editedbyAndréBazinandothers.Manyof theyoungcriticswhoworkedon Cahiersinthemid1950swentontobecome theleadingdirectors oftheNouvelle Vague: Jean-Luc Godard,Frangois Truffaut,JacquesRivette,ClaudeChabrol,EricRohmer.In

thelate1960s, Cahiers abandoned itsearlier commitment tothepolitique desauteurs in favour ofstructuralist andMarxist methods. AnEnglish version ofCahiers wasproduced

bytheAmerican criticAndrewSarrisfrom1965to 1967;earlier,Sarrishadbeenthe leadingAmerican proponent oftheauteurtheory. an

JohnFord’sYoungMr Lincoln(1939),oneof thedirector’sfinestfilms,isbasedon a real-

lifemurdertrialat whichAbrahamLincoln(playedbyHenryFonda)wasthedefence lawyer.ThelengthyCahiersanalysisofFord’sfilmappearedinScreen, Vol.13,No.3, Autumn1972,as ‘JohnFord’sYoungMrLincoln;a collective textbytheeditorsof CahiersduCinéma’, translated byHéléneLacknerandDianaMatias. | Schrader’s articleonRobertoRossellini’s LaPrisedePouvoir parLouisXIV(TheRiseof LouisXIV)appearedinhismagazine Cinema, Vol.6,No.3 (1971).Seep. 57.

CHAPTER 3

CriticalWritings Like the early writingsof Godard, Truffaut and Rivette,Schrader’s

criticismhasa doubleinterest:forthelightit castson thehistoryof

cinema, andforthelightitcastsonthefilms hewould goontomake. Most ofthereaders whohavebothered tohuntdownthesearticles inthefiles

havedonesoforthelatterreason,but,aswasarguedintheIntroduction, thiskindofretrospective clue-hunting cantendto drawattentionaway fromtheintrinsic meritsofthepieces. Theselection fromhisearlywritings broughttogether hererepresents a

variety ofstrands inSchrader’s critical work.TheL.A.FreePressreview of EasyRider, whichgothimfiredfromthepaper,isafairindication ofthe

waysin whichtheyoungcriticwaswillingto goagainstthegrainof contemporary opinion.Thereviewof Pickpocket andthe articleon Boetticher bothtouchonsomeofthearguments treatedatgreaterlength inTranscendental StyleinFilm;theBoetticher articlealsooutlines someof hisarguments againsttheauteurist position. In additionto beingstudiesof directorshepersonally admired,the articlesonRossellini andPeckinpah areexamples ofSchrader inmissionaryspirit,tryingtocreateorcorrectthereputations ofmenwhohadbeen neglected ormisunderstood. ‘NotesonFilmNoir’,something ofapioneer-

ingstudyoftheform,expresses Schrader’s dissatisfaction withwhathe

regardsas thesociological biasof American criticism. And‘Poetryof Ideas’(whichSchrader regardsasthebestofhispieces) explains ingreater detailtheexperience which‘overturned myworld’:thediscovery that‘the Eamesaesthetic introduces thenewwayofperceiving ideasintoamedium

whichhasbeensurprisingly anti-intellectual’.

ButifEameswasthemanwhoultimately enabled Schrader tobecome a director,thereisnoshortageofearlyhintsasto thekindofdirectorhe wouldeventually become. Bresson’s influence hasbeencitedmanytimes; thesearticlesalsopointtosomelessobvious masters. Schrader wasdrawn, ontheonehand,totheintellectual detachment ofLaPrisedePouvoir par LouisXIV(judged bymostcriticsatthetimetobe‘cold’and‘boring’); on theother,to TheWildBunch,a filmwhich‘usesviolence to exciteand

34 Schrader onSchrader thenappliesmoreviolence tocomment ontheexcitement’. Mightnotan attempted synthesis oftheseseemingly contraryapproaches lookverylike a Schrader film?Andatleastonepassagein‘NotesonFilmNoir’sounds directly predictive ofSchrader’s mostanguished protagonist: ‘ .. . 1949—

53wastheperiod ofpsychotic action andsuicidal impulse. Thenoirhero, seemingly undertheweight oftenyearsofdespair, started togobananas.’

TravisBicklewasnotfaraway.

EasyRider In a recentlypublishedbook-lengthinterviewwithJorgeLuisBorgesthe Argentinianpoettoldhowhe had firstmetFedericoGarciaLorcawhen

theybothwereyoung,andhowBorges hadtakenaninstantdisliketothe

Spanish poet—playwright.

Lorca wanted toastonish us.Hesaidtomethathewasverymuch troubled abouta

veryimportantcharacterinthecontemporary world.A character inwhomyou couldseeallthetragedyofAmerican life.AndthenhewentoninthiswayuntilI askedhimwhowasthischaracterandit turnedoutthecharacterwasMickey Mouse.Isuppose hewastryingtobeclever. AndIthought,that’sthekindofthing youmightsaywhenyouareveryyoungandyouwanttoastonish somebody. But afterall,hewasagrownman,hehadnoneed,hecouldhavetalkedina different way.ButwhenhestartedinaboutMickey Mousebeingasymbol ofAmerica, there wasa friendofminethereandhelookedatmeandIlookedathimandweboth walkedawaybecause wewerebothtoooldforthatkindofgame,no?Evenatthe time.

InDennis Hopper’s EasyRider,Hopper askshippiecommune leader RobertWalker, ‘Haveyoueverwantedto besomeone else?’Aftera

contemplative pause,Walkersolemnly replies, ‘I’veoftenthoughtofbeing PorkyPig.’Andthegroupfallsintoa respectful silence.EasyRideris permeated withthesententiousness Borgesfoundin theyoungLorca, the sophomoric desireto ‘astonish’ (notin Cocteau’s sense),theself-

congratulatory pietyofanaphorist whohasjustdemolished aseriesof

strawmen. EasyRiderisa veryimportantmovie—andit isa verybadone,andI don’tthinkitsimportance shouldbeusedtoobscurethegrossmisman-

agement ofitssubject-matter. Dennis Hopper’s filmabouttwodrugculture motorcyclists (Hopper andPeterFonda) who,inthewordsofthe

EasyRiderad,‘setouttodiscover America’, hascaptured theimagination oftheabove-andunderground pressalike. Theunderground identification wasinstantandunderstandable. Easy

CriticalWritings35 Riderfuelledtheparanoiawhichisthestapleitemoftheyouthculture

(oftenrightly so).Asa friendsaid,‘It’sa picture thatdoesn’t copout,’ presumably meaning thattheyoungidealists aresenselessly massacred andtheaudienceis leftwithouthope.Thereservations oftheLifeand Newsweek reviewers wereoverridden bytheireagerness toagreewiththe film’spropositions. AsJosephMorgenstern wrote,‘EasyRider’s essential truthisbroughthomebywhatweourselves knowofourtrigger-happy,

hate-ridden nation inwhich increasing numbers ofmorons bearincreasing numbersofarms.’Themassmedia,havingexploited everyotheryouth truth,wasnowusurping youth’sparanoia. Mycomplaint isthatEasyRider,forallitsgoodintentions, functions in the samesuperficial manner‘liberal’Hollywoodfilmshavealways functioned. EasyRider’ssuperficial characterizations andslickinsights

stemfromthesamesoft-headed mentality which produced suchanathema ‘liberal’filmsas Elia Kazan’sGentleman’s Agreementand Stanley Kramer’s DefiantOnes.Butbecause liberalsandleftistsofallvarieties so desperately needthestrongstatement EasyRidermakes,theyarewilling tooverlook thefilm’sshallow,conventional methodofargument. TheDefiantOnes(a 1958sincere,mushyfableaboutracerelations) hada fleeting sociological value(likeEasyRider),butitsvalueasartwas negligible and todaynobodywouldtake its black-and-white moral seriously. Thecharacters ofEasyRiderwillbecomea joketoobecause Hopperhasnottakenthefirststepto protectthemfromtheravagesof time,hehasnotwithdrawn themfromthepuppetworldofpropaganda andmadethemrealhumanbeings. EasyRiderdrawsitscharacters andsituationfromabagofstockmovie trickswhichhavehistorically beenusedto ‘prove’anynumberofcontradictorypremises. Haven’tyoumetallthesecharacters before?—the

good-hearted prostitute, thesimple manofthesoil,thebullycop,the

rednecktownsfolk, thegood-natured drunk,andthestolidpicaresque herowhoisconstantly staringintothefuture.Theflappermoviesofthe twentiesalwaysincludeda sceneofa whimsical character-actor getting drunk,spillingoverhimself, makingfaces,andfinallyconkingout. Todaywe haveJack Nicholson,the small-town,ACLUlawyer, momma’s boy,gettinghighongrass,makingfaces,andfinallyconking out.Thesentiments arethesame,andsoarethegiggles. (Andwhenhesaid witha straightface,‘Youknowthisusedtobea hellofa goodcountry.I don’tknowwhathappened,’ I,forone,couldn’t stoplaughing.) Whenthefreshlyturned-onNicholson is murderedandPeterFonda mumbles something abouthisbeinga goodmanIthoughtI couldseefor onefleeting moment, indoubleexposure, thebulkyfigureofJohnWayne

36 Schrader onSchrader

hovering overthetrustyoldWalter Brennan’s freshgrave. Wearedeepin theheartoftheOldWestwhenFondavisitsa hippie commune andtells theseed-sowing inhabitants, “They’re goingtomakeit.’

Insteadof themusicalredundanciesof MaxSteiner,wenowhaveJimi

HendrixandtheSteppenwolf to reinforce everythematicpassage.One

couldtakesuchtriteset-ups inabetterspiritifHopper hadn’t revealed his sensitivity tobesophomoric atmostevery turn.Hecrudely intercuts the

shoeingof a horsewiththechangingof a motorcycle tyre,dwellson graffitiaboutJesusin a jailanda statueof Christin (ofallplaces!)a whorehouse.

Hopper’s ideaofmaking apointissomething likethis:longtracking shotofrichwhiteSouthern mansions: cut:longtracking shotofpoor

blackhovels.EvenpoorStanley Kramer, whoiseveryfilmstudent’s stock example ofliberalpretentiousness, ismoresubtlethanthis.Hopperfinds nonewmetaphors forthedrugculture,butsimplyadaptsmoviedom’s

hoarysituations to thecontemporary scene.Theliberalclichés have changed, buttheyarestillclichés.

Hopper’svillainis everyliberal’sfavouritescapegoat:the redneck. Thereisnoneedtomotivate, characterize, ordevelopthekillers—movie pasthastaughtusthatSouthern poorwhitescommitsuchheinouscrimes asamatterofcourse.Fondahassaidthattheycouldhavejustaswellsetthe

killing intheNorth.Thisistrue,butitwould havemadeHopper define his

villainsmoreprecisely (unlesshewantedtotransportSoutherners to the North),andwouldhavedeprived himofthefunofwhipping theSouthern stereotype. Surrounded by majorettes(a suresignof decadence) and speaking ina drawl,theredneckistheidealvillainfora jejunedirector— beingforthatvillainwouldbelikebeingagainst,forgoshsakes,LOVE.

aboutSidneyPoitier’s twoThecollegestudentswhocomplain

gobbleupHopper’s Superbigots withnoqualms. dimensional Superspade fenceyouareon. Iguessitmatterswhichsideoftheparanoiac but AfriendofminewholikesEasyRideradmitsthefilmissuperficial, says,“That’s thebeautyofit.Itgetsonlyaboutoneinchintothesehippie

characters, butthatisallthereistothemanyway.’ Irefuse tobelieve that

anyoneisassuperficial asHopper’s hippiesandrednecks —evenwhenthey actthatway.Therearefeelings(perhapsundesirable) I sharewithboth groupsandIwanta filmtoexploreandcomment onthatidentification. WhatmakesEasyRiderlooklikeeveryothergutlesspieceofHollywoodmarshmallow liberalism is Hopper’s refusalto playwithanything buta stackeddeck.Youcannotlosewhenyouplotstereotypes against strawmen.Theproblemfora propagandist likeHopperis thathumans arealwaysmoreinfectious thanslogans, andto riskcharacterization isto

CriticalWritings37 riskfailure.Ifthecharacterization istoohonesttheaudience mightnot identifywiththerightgroup,asinthefirsthalfofLeoMcCarey’s 1952 anti-communist film,MySonJohn,whereMcCarey portrayed communist RobertWalkertooconscientiously. Onecanimagine theformatofEasy Riderbeingusedtoconveyanytypeofagit-prop. ItcouldbeaNazifilmwithHitlerandGoering reviewing theirchoppers throughtheRhineland, finallybeinggunneddownbya rabid,motley, heavilyaccented groupofJewishbankers,scientists, andartists(atleastit wouldhavebeenfunnythatway).Attheriskofbeingfacetious onecould

saythatEasyRiderwasa SamYortyfund-raising film.Theright-wing

voterswouldhavefilledMayorSam’scoffersafteroneviewing. Thereis nodangerthatconservatives wouldbemovedor changedbyseeingthe film;theyreactasautomatically astheleftists. EasyRiderdealswiththemostimportantissuesfacingAmerica —and

forthatreason itssuperficiality isthemoredeplorable. Ifindithelpful to makea distinction between documentary andfiction films aboutpolitical

trends.I recentlysawa powerfuldocumentary calledAmerican Revolution2 whichdealtwithanattempttounitetwoghettomilitantorganizations,onepoorSouthernwhite,the otherthe Panthers.American Revolution 2goesnodeeperintoitscharacters thanEasyRiderandisjust assuperficial, yetIwasmuchmoreaffected byitthanbyEasyRider.There isaneedforanhonestportrayalofeventswhich,however superficial, can informviewersof trendsaroundthecountry.Butwhena film-maker weaves peopleandplacesoutofhisownimagination, heisresponsible for muchmore— he isresponsible fortheirsoulsandmindsaswellastheir actions.

EasyRiderwould havebeenapowerful filmifHopper hadbeenableto catchtheseevents astheyhappen (andIdon’tdoubttheydohappen), but

asaworkofartandimagination itfallscompletely short.I demandmore ofartthanIdooflife;I desirethesensitivity andinsightthatonlyanartist cangive.Andthemoreimportant thesubject-matter, themorecrucialthat insightbecomes.

Ifthemassmedia decides toexploit theHopper—Fonda paranoia itwill

acquiresomething asworthless aslastyear’smodfashions andnudeplays. HopperandFondaare too infatuatedwiththeideaof themselves as

pundits,Christs,martyrs,andPorkyPigsto examinetheirheroes,villains,

or themselves —andthisformofharmless paranoiaiseasilystolenand

marketed throughout themedia. Butwearealltoooldforthiskindof game,no?

L.A.FreePress,25July1969

38 Schrader onSchrader

Pickpocket | A customof medievalarchitecture holdsthat the finalportionof a structureshouldbeleftunfinished, perhapsa cupolaorfillipofdesign,asa testament toman’shumility andhisfaithinGod’spowertocomplete the building. TheworkofRobertBresson strikesusasjustthatfinaltouchof

architecture, sopureitcouldhavescarcely beenmadebyman,andyetso consummate itcapsandsanctifies thewhole human effort.

Ascetic,proud, saintly,the filmsof Bressonrank amongthe finest

expressions ofthehumanspirit.Tofindanotherwhoaffectsusasdeeply andpermanently wemustpressthelimitsofmediaandtime:Dostoevsky, Shakespeare, Beethoven, Breughel. Bressonattemptsandachievesthe highestfunction ofart;heelevates thespirit,notonlyofhischaracters and viewers, butsomehow ofthesystemwhichhasentrapped usall. Pickpocket, Bresson’s fifthfilm(outofeightfilmsina thirty-six-year career),ispresently havingitsWestCoastpremiére tenyearsafteritwas made.Itisoneofthoseconsummate worksofartwhichinoneflashpales everything youhaveeverseen.I wouldbetemptedtosayPickpocket isthe finestfilmI’veseenifBresson hadn’tmadethreeorfourotherfilmswhich affectmeasdeeply.Donotexpectobjectivity; thoseofuswholoveand admireRobertBresson donotsomuchanalyse himasproselytize forhim. Because Pickpocket is suchanunmitigated masterpiece, andbecause Bressonis relatively unknownto themassaudience, I hopeto discuss Pickpocket overatwo-week period.ThisweekIwanttopointoutsomeof thelandmarks ofBresson’s rigidpersonalstyle,andnextweekdemonstratehowBressonbringsthe viewerto hiskneesin the momentof ‘transformation’. I’lladmitthatthistwo-week planhassomepersonal reasons.Firstly,I'llgettwopay-cheques foronearticle,and,secondly, just aswhenJackorBobKennedy’s bodywasstillabovethegroundIcouldnot bringmyself toleavethatpaleTVimage,similarly aslongasPickpocket is showing intownIdon’thavethedesiretotalkaboutanyotherpicture. Pickpocket, likeallofBresson’s films,concerns theprogression ofasoul fromconfinement tofreedom. Sometimes hisheroesarecaughtinactual prisons(AManEscaped), sometimes theyaresubjecttothedivineagony (Diaryofa CountryPriest),andsometimes, asinPickpocket, theyarethe victimsofa lifeofcrime.Theirprogression occursslowly,fitfully, yetas inevitably astheStationsoftheCross.AndwhenBresson arrivesat the finalstation,thesepulchre oftheoldself,whetherthatbedeath,physical freedomorincarceration, thefilmabruptlyends. Michelis a compulsive pickpocket; not for moneyor pleasure,but

CriticalWritings39

7 RobertBresson’s Pickpocket (1959):MartinLassalle.

40 Schrader onSchrader simplybecause itisaprojectanda fulfilment. Herobshisdyingmother, yetweepsat herbedside. LikeDostoevsky’s Raskolnikov, Michelisina

continual debate withthepolice inspector. AlsoliketheheroofCrime and Punishment, Michel contends thatsomemen,because oftheirindispensabilitytosociety, areabovethelaw.‘Buthowdotheyknowwhotheyare?’ theinspector asks.“Theyaskthemselves,’ Michelreplies.Inlong,balletlike,silentsequences Michelperfects hiscraft,butlikeRaskolnikov heis

compulsively drawnbacktothepolice, thecell,andtheloveofJeanne, a long-time familyfriend.In a shatteringly tenderscenehekissesher

forehead, shehishand,andhesaysthroughtheprisonbars,‘Howlongit hastakenmetocometoyou.’ The elevationof the spiritis neveraccidentalin Bresson’s films. Although theylookveryhuman,hisfilmsarehighlystylized. Bresson is

oneofcinema’s greatformalists. Briefly, thismeans thathisintentions are always expressed byhisstyle(“The filmisnotaspectacle, itisinthefirst placeastyle’). Hehasworkedoutaformwhichexpresses exactlywhathe wantstosay.Thisisdifferent fromdirectors whoseformiswhattheywant tosay,orthosewhouseformasformbecause theyhavenothingtosay.It isBresson’s rigid,repetitive directorial influence whichbringsmeaning to

Pickpocket. Thisistheopposite fromthesortofthingGene Youngblood is usuallytalkingabout,andfromthespectacle traditionof Brechtand Godard. Bresson’s styleis,asSusanSontagsays,ofthe‘reflective mode’.Miss Sontagcontinues: ‘Inreflective arttheformoftheworkofartispresentin

anemphatic way.Theeffect ofthespectator’s beingawareofformisto elongate orretardtheemotions.’ ThisiswhyBresson seems soperverse to

theuninitiated viewer; Bresson relentlessly destroys traditional emotional constructs, whichhecalls‘screens’. Evenessentials likeplotandactingcan becomescreenswhichprovidecheapthrillsandspectacle, givingthe vieweran easywayout of the dramaticsituation.AndBressonis determined notto letanythinginterfere withhisspiritandtheviewer’s. Theviewercanhavenospecial interests; hemustbeprepared togiveallor nothing.AbriefrundownwillrevealBresson’s unconventional attitudes towardbasicmovieelements. Acting.Bressondetestsacting—‘itisfortheatre,a bastardart’.Allhis characters areamateurswho,at hisinsistence, mouththeirlinesinthe mostbanalmanner,andwho,infact,looklikeBresson himself. Whenan actoracts,Bresson contends, hesimplifies himself, beingfalsebothtothe characterandtotheaudience. ‘Wearecomplex. Whattheactorprojects is not complex.’ He is alsofearfulof an actorexertingcompetitive

CriticalWritings 41

imaginative power. ‘Youcannot beinside anactor.Itishewhocreates. It isnotyou.’AndinaBresson film,itisBresson whodoesallthecreating. Plot.Bresson haslittleinterestin‘howitwillcomeout’.Although heisan excellent photographer andcutter,Bresson willnotallowtheviewertosee

Pickpocket justfortheaction. Hiselliptical stylecanreveal acomplex plot manoeuvre inthreeblandshots.Bydenying amotion picture itsmotion, hespurnsthemostbasicofcinematic ‘screens’. Thespectator canno

longerexertemotional controlovera screenaction(forwhentheviewer sympathizes withan actionhe canlaterbe smugin its completion). Bresson hasdescribed hisfilmAManEscapedasa singlesequence with

eachshotleading onlytothenext.

Cinematography. Compositional beautyforitselfisanindulgence Bresson

cannotafford.‘Painting’,hesays,‘taughtmeto makenotbeautifulimages

butnecessary ones.’Heisabletocreatethevacuousprettiness ofElvira

Madigan yetalsoknows howdangerous itcanbe.Bresson insists thathis images, likehisacting andplot,beflatandunexpressive. Music.For the most part Bresson’sfilmsare without any music,just

naturalsounds:footsteps,latchesopening,doorscreaking.Music,of

course, isthemostprimitive andoverworked oftheemotional constructs. ButofteninPickpocket Bresson willconclude ascene withagreatblastof

classical musicbyJean-Baptiste Lully.Itisa cocky,defiantgesturebya manwhoknowsjustwhento makethegrandeditorialgesturebutthe circumstances underwhichheemploys histechnique willbediscussed in thenextarticle.

Realism. Bresson’s useofrealismshowshimat hiscunningandpawky best.Bresson insistsonthemostrealistic ofsettings: inPickpocket itisthe GaredeLyon.Yetbyusingnarration,journals,andpleonastic dialogue Bressonundermines hismeticulous realism.Onescenein Pickpocket showsMichelwritinginhisdiary,andthenarratorreiterates whatwe haveread:‘IsatinthelobbyofoneofthegreatbanksofParis.’ Nextwesee Michelgoingintothelobbyofa greatbankandsitting.Whenthesame thingstartshappening threetimessimultaneously weknowwe’rebeyond simplerealismandintothespiritualworldofRobertBresson. AsBresson says,‘I wantto and,indeed,do makemyselfas muchof a realistas possible, usingonlyrawmaterialtakenfromreallife.ButIendupwitha finalrealismthatisnotsimply“‘realism”’. 99 3

42 Schrader onSchrader Examples suchasthesecanbefoundinabundance inPickpocket, oranyof Bresson’s films.Bresson deprives theviewerofeverysuperficial pleasure, yetkeepshimintowbyhintinggreaterandmorelastingpleasures. I’mafraidIhaven’t convinced youofBresson’s greatness, simply toldyou

thathehatesthethings weenjoy mostandthatthereisagoodchance that

Pickpocket willborethehelloutofyou.ButBresson isnotshunning your emotions, he’spostponing themandfullyintendstoreapa bumpercrop whenthefilmisover.Because aviewer’s feelings aredenieddoesn’t meanhe hasnofeelings. Bresson iscuttingshortofasuperficial run-offofemotion,

trying tokeepittogether submerged, intact, sothatinonefinalmoment he canmaketheviewer bringforthallofhisemotions onahigher level. Thatmomentisthe‘transformation’ whenalltheblandcharacters,dull

plots,andflatimagescanmergeintothenewimageswhichtheviewer, nownakedof‘screens’, willhelptocreate.“Theremust,’Bressonsays,‘ata

certainmoment, beatransformation; ifnot,thereisnoart.’ NextweekI’Iltrytoreconstruct whatthattransformation mightbe— right beforeyourveryeyes. L.A.FreePress,25April1969

PickpocketIl Lastweekinthiscolumn Iwroteabouttheformalism ofFrench director RobertBresson. InPickpocket, asinallhisfilms,Bresson uses a rigidand austerestyleto wardoffsuperficial emotional release,intentinsteadon

creatinga ‘transformation’. Hesays,“Theremust,at a certainmoment,be a transformation;if not,thereisno art.’

Transformation forBresson isoftherarestandmostdifficult sort.He

wantsyouto believe insomething youdon’twanttobelieve in—the

supernatural andthespiritual. Andnotjustbecause hischaracters believe inthespiritual, butbecause thereisa spiritual. Heseekstoexpose‘those extraordinary currents, thepresence ofsomething orsomeone, callitwhat

youwish,which confirms thatthereisahandguiding everything’. Religious andsacrilegious artists havebeentrying toaccomplish thisfor

sometime,butnowhere hastheirfailurebeensopronounced asinfilm.To appreciatethe scopeand innovationof Bresson’s art oneneedonly examinepreviousattempts.AndréBazinhaspointedoutthatsinceits origin,paintinghasbeentornbetween twoambitions: theaesthetic and

CriticalWritings43

spiritual, exemplified bythemosaicicon,andthepsychological and

duplicatory, exemplified bythedeathmask. Thefirstambitiongraduallysuccumbed to thelatter,andpainting becameincreasingly realistic.The Byzantine mosaicsyieldedto the

sequential paintings ofHogarth. Cinema, anartoftimeandspace, isthe

logicalresultofthemimetictradition;it wasfirstcalled‘lifeitself’.For thosewhowantedtomakethesupernatural real,thatismakespiritual art, cinemaseemed liketheidealsolution. Sincefilmwasinnately ‘real’,allone hadtodowasputthespiritual onfilm.Thuswehaveahistoryofcinematic magic:theblindaremadetosee,thelametowalk,thedeaftohear,allon

camera. Onthecynical levelwehadthebiblical epicsofDeMilleand

SatanicepicofPolanski; onthesincereleveltherewerethemanyfilms producedby GospelFilms,WorldVision,and otherBillyGrahamorientedorganizations.

Buttheydidn’twork.Weknewthatthedivinefireball ofTheTen

Commandments wasnotconceived inHeaven,butinsomefilmlaboratory,andthattheslapdashconversion of TheRestlessHeartwasnot causedbydivineintervention, butbysomehackscriptwriter. Thesefilms calledattentionto thesupposedly realisticnatureof themedium,and brokeourfaithinit.

Robert Bresson, inoneofthoseoriginal burstsofgenius thatleavethe

restofusnumb,usestherealistic properties offilmagainstitself.Heuses hisnewfreedom —theinnaterealityofthecinema—tocreateicons.The filmsofBresson areblatantly hieratic, themostunabashedly iconographic arttheWesthashadsinceCromwell smashed England’s Catholic statuary.

Thespiritualtransformation incumbent to iconography mustbe

extremely subtle.Bresson wantstoleavetheviewersofree,sounencumberedthathemustperforcecometoagreewithBresson himself. Bresson makesnosecretofthis: Youmustleavethespectatorfree.Andatthesametimeyoumustmakeyourself

loved byhim.Youmustmakehimlovethewayinwhich yourender things. Thatis tosay:showhimthings intheorderandinthewaythatyoulovetoseethem;make

himfeelthem,inpresenting themtohim,asyouseethemandfeelthemyourself, andthis,whileleavinghima greatfreedom, whilemakinghimfree.

Tomaketheviewerfreeallthewhileimprisoning him,Bresson creates realistic images,allthewhileundercutting them.Bresson alwayschooses themostrealisticsettingsandsituations. Hemakesa greatuseoftwoof film’smostcredible devices: thenarrationandtheprintedword.Wetrust the soothingvoiceof a narrator,justas wethinkthereis something innatelyverifiable aboutwordswhicharewrittenonthescreen.Butthen Bresson setshistermites onourcomfortable structure. AsImentioned last

44 Schrader onSchrader

weekhestartsdoubling hisaction andnarration, making thesamerealistic statement overandoveragain. Theaction becomes soostensibly realthat itisSuspicious. Andinthatmagical process liesthesecretofBresson’s peculiar genius. It takesnogreattalenttoignoretheviewer,todeprivehimofthethingshe enjoys.YetBresson bothalienates theviewerandkeepshiminterested. His

realistic andstraightforward technique holdstheaudience’s interest inlieu

ofthecheapvicarious thrills.Bresson makesusfeelthattheremustbe something morethanwhatappearson the surface—andhe doesn’t disappoint us. Bressonculminates his suspicious moodwitha final,blatantantirealisticgesture.Hedefiantly undercuts theweakened realistic structure. Hisfilmsendwithaninexplicably spiritualact:thedeathofa saint,the liberation ofasoul,or,asinPickpocket, anunpremeditated actoflove.We havenotbeensetupforit,yetweacceptit.ItisatthatmomentBresson claimsthe ‘transformation’ occurs.At thismomentall Bresson’s flat images,blanddialogue,and dullcharacterizationunite,transformintoa

newobject.Bresson’s speechconstantly reiterates theneedforthisunion: Ihavenoticedthattheflatteranimageis,thelessitexpresses, themoreeasilyitis transformed incontactwithotherimages. . .Itisnecessary fortheimagestohave something incommon, toparticipate ina sortofunion. . . cinemamustexpress itselfnotthroughimagesbutthroughtherelationship ofimages, whichisnotquite thesamething.

Themoment oftransition presupposes a volitional actbytheviewer. Theviewer, whose feelings havebeenshunned butwhohasfeelings none theless,can,at themomentoftransition, dooneoftwothings:hecan refusetotakethefilmseriously, orhecanaccommodate histhinking tohis feelings. Havingbeengivennoemotional constructs bythedirector,the

viewer constructs hisown‘screen’. Hecreates atranslucent shield through which hecancopewithhisfeelings andthepicture. Thisshield maybevery

simple.InthecaseofPickpocket it couldbe:peoplesuchasMicheland Jeannehavespiritswhicharespiritually connected andtheyneedno earthlyrationalefortheirlove.Bressonusestheviewer’s ownnatural

defences, hisprotective mechanism, tocause himtoofhisfreewillcome to theidentical decision thatBresson haddetermined forhim.

Themomenttheviewercreateshisownshield,themomentoftrans-

formation,Bressonhasaccomplished notonlythetaskoftheartist,butof

theevangelist andtheiconographist aswell.Theevangelist istheoretically a manwhoevokesa conversion notbyhisownsophistry butbybringing

thelistener intocontact withthedivine. InthissenseBresson’s methods greatly resemble theCalvinist andJansenist doctrines ofpredestination.

CriticalWritings45 Thedoctrine ofpredestination holdsthatman,havingalreadybeenchosen byGod,isnowfreetochooseGodhimself. Godistruth;truthmakesyou free;andfreedom ischoosing God.It isa neatjungleoflogicwhichseems quitepreposterous fromthe outside.Yetwhenone is submittedto Bresson’s versionofthedivineagonyit seemsthenaturalthingtodo. Consequently Bresson’s characters, hismovies, andBresson himselfall become icons.Bresson isoftencriticized forhispride,yetprideisoneofthe chiefattributes ofanicon.StPeterwasintolerably cocksure andboastful, butwhenRomanCatholics worshiphimasanicontheyadmitthathis

pridewasjustified because hewasa manofGod. Asaint justifies and

sanctifies hisownpride.Bresson’s artpresumes thattherearemenand worksof artwhichcanserveasicons,andthatonlookers canbepurified andedifiedbycontemplating them.AndBresson fullyintendsto beoneof thoseicons.

Thefinalimage ofBresson’s films isoftenablatant symbol. InDiaryofa

CountryPriestitisactually theshadowoftheCross.InPickpocket itisthe tenderlovesceneofMichelandJeanne.Bresson pullsoutthestops;hecan applyallhisemotional tricks.Themusicsurges,thesymbolis obvious. WhenMichelandJeannekissit isnolongerimportant whether weregard

thatactasplausible, butwhether wearewilling to worship thatact. Bresson hastranscended himself: heisblazed inmosaics insomemoss-

growntemple.

L.A.FreePress,2 May1969

BuddBoetticher: ACaseStudyinCriticism BuddBoettcher isa ‘discovered’ director.Hisfilms,likethoseofsomany

directors, werenotlostbytimebutbythesimple volume ofmotion-picture production. A growing critical effortoverthelastdecade, initiated by

AndréBazinin FranceandAndrewSarrisin America, hasrescuedhim fromtheobscurity reserved forlow-budget film-makers andbroughthim intoa widening circleofcriticalattention. Butthis rescueoperationalsosituatedBoetticher withina certain

criticalmethod,a methodwhichbecame synonymous withthefilms

themselves. Thereisa criticalcopyright whichseemstogovernnew-found artists;fora certainperiodof timethediscovering criticsmayexercise unhindered thecriticalrightsovertheirdiscovery. Thus,Boetticher wasan ‘auteur’director,andhisfilmswere‘auteur’ films.

46 Schrader onSchrader

withthecritical films Boetticher’s nottoconfuse Butonemustbecareful method whichbrought themintothelimelight. Critical methods have trendsandhistories oftheirown,andindividual artistsoftengetsweptup in criticaltrendsnot ideallysuitedto them.Boetticher’s filmshave substantial, universal qualities whichsurpass thelimitations ofhisparticu-

larauteur,hispersonality. Hisfilmsmay,infact,bebetterthaneven Boetticher orhisbestcritics realize.

Boetticher waspartoftheoriginalAmerican-auteur cacheofdirectors. In thespring1963FilmCulture,AndrewSarristhrustliterallydozens ofneglected film-makers on to a generally complacent criticalestablishment.Manyof the directorsSarrisclassified alreadyhad theirown

following, andSarris’s ownthinking derived fromtheauteurapproach formulated byLesCahiersdu Cinémasixyearspreviously, but,forall practicalpurposes,it wasSarriswhocatalysedAmericaninterestin these native directors.Sarris’soriginalblurb on Boetticherwas characteristically slight(ascompared toBazin’s moresubstantial analysis of SevenMenfromNowin 1957),butit didserveto midwifea successionof intelligent English-language criticisms aboutBoetticher. The criticismwhichresultedfrom Boetticher’s ‘discovery’ was,naturally enough,auteuroriented. I haveno desireto rekindlethetiredauteurdebate,or evento pass. judgement ontheeffectofauteurism (it’stoopremature); Isimply wantto

useit asa comparative backdrop toanother —andI thinkpreferable —

criticalmethodwithwhichtoanalyseBoetticher’s films. Theauteurhasmeantmanythingsin theory,butin practiceit has usuallymeanta ratheramiablecombination ofbiographical andpsychologicalcriticism. Sarrisconstantly heldupthetestof ‘personality’ to a director,andthecriteriaheappliedtoa filmweredesigned torevealthe personalitybehindit. He oftenpinpointedthe unique,individualor idiosyncratic aspectsofmise-en-scéne whichbetrayedthedirector’s personality.Auteurism’s biographical—psychological orientationis most obviousin its excesses—the discussions of Hawks’s‘masculinity’, Lubitsch’s ‘touches’, Tashlin’s ‘vulgarity’, Preminger’s ‘cynicism’, orofall

formsof‘hitchcockery’ ingeneral. Buteveninthebestofauteurcriticism (which,at present,is the bestpractising‘school’ of critics:the BFICambridge group,PeterWollen, JimKitses,PaddyWannel,AlanLovell, RobinWood,PeterHarcourt)the biographical—psychological biasis present.Although thesecriticsattempt(and,tovaryingdegrees, succeed) toplaceauteurism withintheformalist, ‘textual’ criticalcamp,animportant, invaluable task,theircriticismis usually,for betteror worse,a formalistapproachto the psychology of a particularindividual. It is

CriticalWritings 47

simply‘excellent’ psychological—biographical criticism, asopposedto the

‘poor’ biog.—psych. criticism manywriters associate withauteurism. Theknowledgeable auteurcriticism ofBoetticher’s filmshasempha-

sizedacentralconflict: thatofthemoralmaninanamoraluniverse. This

conflictmayberepresentedbythestrugglebetweenheroandvillain,man andenvironment,individualandcommunity,or intentanddesire.Ineach

instance a decision fortheRightmustbemadeandupheld bydetermi-

nation,intelligence, wit,and,sometimes, force.JimKitsesin Horizons Westcontends thattheheroesandvillainsaremirrorimagesandthatthe moralstruggle isessentially psychological: trueindividualism vs.narcissism.ToPeterWolleninanarticleinNewLeftReview (No.32)theconflict isprimarily environmental: theindividual trappedinhostile,conformityinducingsurroundings. Opposedto Kitses,PeterCoonradtin a less substantial work(Cinema, IV—4) findsthestruggle morally unambiguous: thejustmanwithina moralvacuum. Allthis is soundcriticism,goodcriticism.Mycomplaintwiththe Boetticher biog.—psych. criticism isnotoneofaccuracy: thepersonality

approach isoftencompletely accurate. Oncehegetsa director onhis psycho-critical couch,Sarrisisremarkably adeptatextracting theper-

sonality fromtheperiphery. AndKitses’ workonBoetticher, inparticular, isastuteandtextual. Instead,mycomplaint isoneofadequacy: isauteurism withitspsychologicalandbiographical underpinnings a sufficient criticalperspective withwhichtoevaluate Boetticher’s films? Themostenduring qualities ofa workof art areoftennotlockedintothecreator’s personality, andno amountofauteurprobingcanrevealthem.Onthecontrary,personality idiosyncrasies maybethemosttransitory aspectsofaworkofart.Idon’t doubtthatBoetticher’s personality isapparentinhisfilms,butIdoubtthat a psychoanalysis of that personality, no matterhowthorough,will

provide thesecret totheirtrueworth.

Boetticher’s reputationhasandwillcontinueto grow,andintime,I think,American criticsmaycometorecognize himasoneofthecountry’s bestdirectors,surpassingsuchpresentlyacclaimed directorsas Von Sternberg, Hitchcock, Lubitsch, orHawks.Hisfilmsdopossess ‘enduring’ qualities,butto fullyappreciate andassessthemanothersetofcritical

principles willhavetoswing intomotion.

Thecentralconflictin Boetticher’s filmsdiscussedbyKitses,Wollen,and

Coonradtoccursnotonlyon theindividual level,butalsoon a more fundamental, archetypal level.Theopposing forceinhisfilmsisnotonly

ofthisworld, eitherpsychological orenvironmental, butalsooftheother

48 Schrader onSchrader

world:theautonomous forcewhich, inJungian terms,imposes itselfon thehumanconsciousness. Allart is moreor lessarchetypal (justas,I

suppose,all art is moreor lessMarxistic),but in Boetticher’sfilmsthe

archetypes areovertandfunctional. Althoughhischaracters wearthe

familiar guiseofindividualism, inamoment ofcrisis theyfunction notas individuals, butasarchetypes. Thearchetypal qualityof Boetticher’s workplacesit outsideof the

exclusivedomainofauteurcriticism,andsituatesit morewithintherealm

of primitiveandarchetypalart. Theprimitiveartist,as describedby Wilhelm Worringer, isonewho‘isconfused andalarmedbylifeandseeks

refuge fromitsapparent arbitrariness intheintuitive creation ofabsolute

values’.In modernarchetypalart the archetypesare lessabsolute, althoughnonethelessdepersonalized andtotemic. Jung’smodernarchetypesmaybeDoppelgdangers (bothanimaandanimus)andconvey moral ambiguity withintheirarchetypal image.Butallarchetypal art,whether primitive or modern,WilburScottwrote,reflects a ‘dissatisfaction with

thescientific concept ofmanas,athishighest, rational’. Archetypal art

stemsfrommagicandreligion,andevenin itsmostsecularformsstill adherestoavestige ofthenotionthattherearemenandobjectswhichcan serveasicons,andonlookers canbeedified andsanctified bycontemplat-

ingthem. Boetticher’s archetypes areprimitive inoriginandfunction andstrive,

withvaryingdegreesof success,towardthe modernandambiguous. Boetticher’s primitivism is mostnoticeable in hisbullfighting films,in whichthearchetypes functionthroughphysicalactsratherthanmoral decisions. Boetticher’s Westerns withRandolph Scottaremorearchetypal inmodernterms,concentrating onthecomplexities andambiguities ofthe moraldecision.Thesemodernqualitiesmaynot be exclusively Boetticher’sbut seemto result from the tension betweenBoetticher,the primitivedirector,and Burt Kennedy,the ironic,sophisticatedscreen-

writer.Boetticher’s Westerns willprobablybehismorelastingachievement,but to trulyappreciate theWesternsonemustgo backto the

bullfighting films, andaprimitive viewoflife.

Boetticher hasdirectedthreefilmsaboutbullfighting: TheBullfighter and the Lady(1951),TheMagnificent Matador(1955),andthe yet unreleased Arruza. Thebullfight hasoftenbeencompared totheMass;itisa comparison whichseparates bullfighting fromthepopularnotionsof‘sport’andsetsit inthetraditionofritual.Thematadorcanbe,likethepriest,a depersonalized,facelessman who does what no other man can do —mediate

betweenthisworldandthenext.It ispossibleforthepriestto havea

CriticalWritings 49

personality, it is evenpossibleforothersto beawareofthatpersonality,

buthemust,in theprocess ofritual,function archetypally. It isnot important todetermine how apriest feels(orevenwhoheis)during the

Mass;similarly it maybenotimportant to determine howamatadorfeels duringthebullfight. Athispuresteachcanbea totemtowhichspectators canrespondcollectively. Asa priestbecomes purifiedhebecomes likean icon;asa matadorbecomes purified hebecomes likethestatuessurround-

ingPlazaMexico. Itisnotsurprising thattheMassandthebullfight are

oftenintertwined inMexican life(andinBoetticher’s films); theyoftenare thereversesidesonthesamearchetypal coin. The difference betweensportand ritualin bullfighting is alsothe difference betweenindividualistic andarchetypal art.Sportis basedon individual performance; weadmire a‘sports star’forhispeculiarskills. Ritualisbasedonform;werespectthearchetype because hecanembody certainidealsgreaterthanhimself. Inritualistic bullfighting, likeprimitive religion, thespectatorappreciates thesymbolic form,theconventions of confrontationbetweenman and bull, betweenhumannature and the

forcesofmystery anddeath.Bullfighting canbeconsidered assport,butits oldest,mostfundamental affinities arewithritual.

InallofBoetticher’s filmsthereisacontinuing tension between sport

andritual,individual andicon.Thistension,whichturnsout to bean ironicassetin the RanownWesterns,is an awkwardliabilityin the bullfighting films.Thecontradiction between thesetwoformsof characterizationis at thesurfaceof thebullfighting films,andthequicksilver

transitions between individual andiconoftenstraincredibility.

InTheBullfighter andtheLadythearchetypal qualityiscalledstature. TheageingmatadorManoloEstrada(Gilbert Roland)andhiswifeCeilo (KatyJurado)havestature;theyoungAmerican producerChuckRegan (RobertStack),whoaspiresto bea bullfighter, doesnot.Reganisinitially

presented inhuman terms, Manolo inarchetypal terms. Regan isaggress-

ive,exhibitionistic, inconsiderate; Manoloismature,contented, serene. Reganisanindividualist; Manoloisa formalist. Manolostudiestheform of bullfighting, not just theskill,andwhenhe performs,he performs formalistically. Heisawarethathistaskasel numerounoentailsmore

thanexhibition ofindividual skill,butalsosomething moreuniversal and ritualistic.

ReganasksManoloto teachhimtheskillofbullfighting, andManolo reluctantly agrees.Reganquicklylearnsthecraft,butgainsnoneofthe stature.Regan’sbullfighting is an extensionof hisexhibitionism, and ratherthanfollowtheslow,methodical courseofanapprentice matador,

Regan wantstoleapaheadtothebigcorrida. Inhisfirstmajorbullfight,

50 Schrader onSchrader

saveshimandishimself heisabouttobegoredwhenManolo however,

fatallygoredintheprocess. Thenthepredictable transformation occurs:Reganreturnstothering, winsthefight,andretiresa sadderbutwiserman.Butthistransformation it alsooccursona levelofmelodrama; occursnotonlyonthepredictable gainsstature.Notjustmaturlevel:Reganmysteriously moreinexplicable ity, skill,or wisdom,but an archetypalstatureof the typeManolo possessed. He takeson Manolo’squalities:he praysto Manolofor strengthandwhenhesuccessfully completes thepasdemortehetellsthe the cape,not his.He guided that h and crowdthat it wasManolo’s

forthe wasa surrogate whohimself forManolo, a surrogate becomes

crowd. The surprisingthing about Regan’stransformation is that he through downfall: his caused h e manner same the it in accomplishes

toshow hesought deathbecause Manolo’s caused Regan exhibitionism. and ofbullfighting theskillfortheessence hehadmistaken off,because triedtoaggrandize himself asamatador. Yetitisthrough exhibitionism thathealsogainsstature.Here-enters theringwitha suicidal bent(having beenwarnedbytwoauthoritiesthat thisbullfightcouldmeanhisdeath);

invictoryordeath.YetonceReganisin heseekstohidefromhisdisgrace

thering,Boetticher justifies hisexhibitionism. Hisexhibitionism becomes theexhibitionism ofanarchetype: heispermitted toshowoffbecause he presentsmorethanhimself,becausehe is Manolocomebackto life. Exhibitionism isafaultintheindividual, butavirtueinthearchetype; and Boetticher makesnoattempttounravelthiscontradiction. Boetticher’s dilemmaseemsto bethis:(1)heseesthematadoras a andindividual ofpsychology perspective personthroughtheconventional (2)he seesthe bullfightitselfas a ritual,a mysterious achievement, forputtingthe mechanism primitiveact, (3)buthehasnoconvenient matadorinthebullring, fortransforming theindividual intoanarchetype. whenheentersthebullring flip-flops character It is naturalthatRegan’s forthefinaltimebecause itprobably flip-flops inBoetticher’s mind.Once tothespirit himself commits hissafetyandpride,mystically Reganforgoes t heoldChuck is nolonger h e of Manolo,andmakesthepassof death, Regan,but hasbeentransformed intoan enduringtype,thematador performing atimeless ritual.ItisfittingthatBullfighter andtheLadycloses witha shotofthebullfighter’s icon:oneofthestatuesofPlazaMexico. Boetticher’s nextfilmaboutbullfighting, TheMagnificent Matador,

theparadoxical inBullfighter: thelatentcontradiction neverconfronted combination ofindividual andiconinoneman.TheMagnificent Matador centresarounda human,psychological struggle, thefearofa bullfighter

CriticalWritings 51

whodoesnotwanthissonto followin hissteps.It concentrates onthe

human sideofthematador andnever seems tocatchthatmagic Boetticher

feelsaboutthebullring.Boetticher’s dilemma,however,becomesvery obviousagaininhislatestfilmandmagnum opus,Arruza. Arruzaisuniquein filmhistory;itisa documentary aboutBoetticher’s matadorfriend,CarlosArruza,madeovera ten-year periodfrom1956to

Arruza’s deathin 1966.Notonlydoesthefilmofferdazzling footage of oneoftheworld’s topbullfighters atwork,butitalsooffers theperspective

ofoneartistuponanother. Arruzaintermittently followsArruza’s familyandfriends,butforthe mostparttraceshiscareerfromvoluntary retirement to comeback success

asa rejoneador (bullfighter onhorseback). Asadirector, Boetticher does nothaveanycinéma-vérité scruples; hebrazenly intercuts between staged

and‘live’scenes.Infact,Arruzaismoretheproductofitsdirectorthan mostdocumentaries. Onseveraloccasions Arruzacomplained thatBoetticherwasforcinghimtoundertakerisksforthesakeofthefilmthathe wouldhaveordinarily refused.Beforethefinaltriumphant fightat Plaza Mexico,Arruzareportedly toldBoetticher that“You’re goingto getme killedforthesakeofyourdamnfilm.’Throughout thefilmthevieweris neversureifheisbeingtreatedtothe‘true’Arruzaornot. Arruzawasmade,saysBoetticher, ‘because mybestfriendhappened to bethebestbullfighter intheworld’.Thiscontradiction permeates Arruza: bestfriendorbestbullfighter? Thetensionbetween thebullfighter—friend andthebullfighter—archetype isasobviousinArruzaasinTheBullfighter andtheLady. OnonehandBoetticher seesArruzaasapalandalongtime companion. Heisinterested inCarlos’s emotions, hispersonality quirks,hisrelationshiptohisfamilyandfriends.Therearemanyscenes designed toshowthe humansideofArruza,sceneswithhiswife,hischildren, andhisbullsat Pasteje.Forthe mostpart theseare the ‘staged’scenes,contrivedto

demonstrate Arruza’s humanity asifitwereevidence tobepresented ina

courtroom.Forexample,Arruzain close-uplookswistfullyoverhis farmlandas thenarrator(Anthony Quinn)states,‘Arruzawasbored.’ Suchascenefailsfirstofallonthelevelofaudience psychology: Boetticher

cannotforceaudiences toreademotions intoinexpressive faces,andthe audience inturnreactshostilely atbeingaskedto.But,moreimportantly,

Boetticher’s owninterestinArruza. thescenefailsbecauseit misdirects Arruza’smost interestingand worthwhilecharacteristic is not his emotions, andBoetticher seemstoknowit.Thesecommonplace emotions aretoopettyandmundane foracharacter ofthesizeBoetticher hasmade

Arruza. Boetticher’s heartdoesnotseem tobeinthistextbook psychology.

52 Schrader onSchrader

inthe asanicon,anarchetype seesArruza Ontheotherhand,Boetticher

It isinthisthatArruzaistrulyunique, ritualofthebullfight. longstanding admireshim.The‘live’ andit is forthis,oneexpects,that Boetticher theyarebasedonthe scenesarestructuredformalistically; bullfighting

Oncein the ring,Arruzais an of returnandrepetition. principles heperforms, whenever play.Arruza, morality inanunchanging Everyman thesamethings,makesthesamemovesandpasses,andthe doesessentially spectator. thesameattitude,thatof distantandattentive viewerassumes ofapsychoanypretence t wo-dimensionally; A rruza nowsees Theviewer

andthesame endsthesamewayitbegan, Arruza studyvanishes. logical andtheLadyends,witha shotofoneofthestatues wayBullfighter thePlazaMexico—but thistimethe statueis of Arruza surrounding himself.Thefilmconcludeswitha freeze-frameof Arruzain action,and the narrator,afterbrieflytellingof his senselessdeath (hewaskilledin a

Thefilm carcrash),statesthatnomanisdeadaslongasheisremembered.

Themood statue. shotofArruza’s long-angle thencutsto aconcluding, into transformed hasbeen Arruza idolatrous; andintentareconsciously

at thegateof the an icon,andnowstandspermanently, hieratically, to anotherofthe bullfighter’s temple.Theshotisindirectcontradiction finalscenes,thatof SehoraArruzaandherchildrenwatchingCarloson TV.Arruza,nowcastin ironbeforethePlazaMexico,hasnodistinctive

ornot whether unimportant anditseems nowifeorchildren, personality,

likethelosingofit. heeverdid.Nothingbecomes Arruza’s personality Boetticher-the-friend AgainBoetticher’s dilemma ispainfully apparent. andneuroses much seesCarlosasa skilful,talentedmanwithproblems Mexicans many a s A rruza sees Boetticher-the-spectator likeanyoneelse’s.

oftheir symbol asa primitive seenthematador, intuitively havealways

canshifthisattitude collective unconscious. AsinBullfighter, Boetticher thereisa striking quicklyandwithoutwarning.Beforethefinalbullfight shottakenfromwithinArruza’s carasit entersthePlaza.Thepointof Butonce viewisArruza’s, andtheviewersenseshisfearandtrepidation. insidethebullringthepointofviewbecomes thatof thespectator,and Arruzahimselfispartofa largerdrama. BuddBoetticher isprobablythemostprimitive film-maker inAmerican history.Movieswerebornof the twentiethcentury,a by-productof capitalism andtechnology, andalthoughtheywereoftennaive,simplemindedandsentimental, theywereseldom primitive. Manyfilmspresently considered primitive areonlyterseorsimplistic. Filmshaveoftenstudied theindividual plight,seldomthecollective one. Boetticher isintuitively obsessed withtheprimitive dilemma: at what

CriticalWritings53

pointdoestheindividual become archetypal? Itisatheme ofconsiderable

intellectual depth(althoughBoetticher himselfmaynot be a manof intellectual depth)andgoesto theoriginsof art.It is primitivein the bestsenseoftheword,neithervulgarnorjejune,buthieraticandarchetypal.

Theremarkable achievement ofBoetticher’s Westerns isthattheycan

makethetransition fromindividual toicon,becoming moremodernand ambiguous in theprocess.BurtKennedy’s screenplays seemedto have provided Boetticher withthebridgeheneeded. Kennedy’s scripts‘sophisticate’Boetticher’s archetype: theyforcehimintoaworldfilledwithirony,

darkhumour, pessimism andmoralambiguity. Theintense pressure of adapting Kennedy’s scripts (some oftheWesterns weremadeontwelve-

dayshooting schedules) temporarily forcedBoetticher outofhisdilemma: Scottbecamea modernarchetype,a manwhosensedthe difference between individual andiconandcouldvacillate between them.

Thedifference between ArruzaandScottisthedifference between a morality basedonaction(good works) anddecision (grace). Inanarticle

on moralityplays(to whichBoetticher’s filmshavemanyaffinities) MarvinHalversonmakesa contrastbetweenmedievaland modern moralities, anditisa contrastveryapplicable toBoetticher’s bullfighting filmsandWesterns. Themedieval moralityplayisbasedonthebeliefthatmanjustifies himself before Godbyhisgooddeeds.ManproveshimselfworthyofGod’sacceptance bythe multitude ofhisgoodworks.ThusEveryman setsforththemedieval notionthat man,assistedby the variousinstrumentalities of the church,saveshimself.

However, theexperience oftwentieth-century mandoesnotsubstantiate sucha view, forhehasfound thesignNoExIT posted atthedead-end roadofautonomy.

Thusthedifferences between moralityplayssymbolize notonlythechanges in dramaduringtheintervening centuries buttheyalsoembody a contemporary way ofunderstanding lifeandadifferent comprehension ofChristianity. Therefore one mightproperlyassertthattherearetwotypesofmoralities: a moralityofworks anda moralityofgrace.

Theconcept ofgraceiscrucial inmodern morality films (such asRobert

Bresson’s AManEscaped) anditthrustsBoetticher’s primitive archetype intoamoderncontext.IntheRanown Westerns Randolph Scottdoesnot savehimselfbyhisskillas theprimitive, Arruza,hadto. Instead,his weaponsareintelligence, wit,and,mostofall,a thoroughgoing senseof morality.Withtheexception of SevenMenfromNow,Scottis not a particularly skilfulgunfighter; he oftenfindshimselfat the mercyof others.IneachWestern hislifeissavedbyhisenemyatleastonce,andin Buchanan RidesAloneheissparedfivetimes.Hesurvives simplybecause

54 Schrader onSchrader heisRight,justashisfoesfailbecause theyareWrong.Thereisnoearthly reasonwhyScottshouldbevictorious; inany‘normal’ courseofeventshe wouldbedeadbythesecondreel.Timeaftertimeherecklessly layshislife onthelineforhismoralsenseofright,andtimeaftertimeheisexonerated. Heseemssustained andguidedbyanexternalsourceheknowswilljustify him.Boetticher’sScottis, in a strangeway,likeBresson’sJoanof Arc,a

personwholivesbya specialcallandisnotrationally responsive tothe dangersofearthlyexistence.

Itisthrough thismysterious grace thatScottexists, anditishisdecision

for gracethat allowshimto functionarchetypally, likea horseback Everyman.Grace,evenin its secularform,is not somethinga mandoes

likegoodworks,but it is something that is bothgivento himand something hemustchoose.Thedilemma oftheRanownWesterns, like modernmorality plays,isnotoneofworksbutofgrace,notofactionbut

ofdecision. Butthedecisions arenoteasy;theyarecomplex andambiguous:a manmustbeawarethatgraceexists,knowthatitispossible for

himto makea decisionfor it, makethat decision,and standby it to the

pointofdeath. IntheRanowncycletheBoetticher—Kennedy characters saveordamn

themselves throughmoraldecisions. Scottcontinuously confronts his

enemywiththemoralquestion. InComanche StationRichard Rustsaysof adeadcompanion, ‘Itain’thisfault.Allheknewwasthewildside.’Scott replies,‘Amancan crossoveranytime.’AndRustreturns,‘Itain’tthat

easy,itain’tthateasyatall.’

‘Crossing over’ isnotamatter ofphysical action, butofmoraldecision.

Scottknowsthatcrossing over‘ain’teasy’,buthealsoknowsthatitcanbe done,andthereforehenevervacillatesfromhismoralstance.Grace,this

extraordinary powerScottpossesses, isavailable toeverycharacter ifhe willonlychooseit.Sometimes thevillains(whoareverymuchlikeScott

himself) seem predestined torejection ofthisgrace. ‘Icometoofartoturn backnow,’Claude AkinsaysinComanche Station before heshoots itout

withScott.ButScottrejectsmoraldefeatism; whenRichard BooneinTall T statesthat‘Sometimes youdon’thavea choice,’ Scottreplies,‘Don’t you?’Andrarely—veryrarely—itispossible foravillaintocrossoverand

makethedecision fortheright,asPernell Roberts doesinRideLonesome. Humour, ormoreaccurately wit,isameasure ofthe‘modernity’ ofthe

Scottarchetype. ManolaandArruzaarerelatively humourless men;they perceive andexecutetheirtaskina straightforward manner.Incontrast, RandolphScotthasanendearing, laconicsenseofhumour.Hedislikes confronting an opponentphysically, preferring to useword-playand

parable.He employs a crackerbarrel Socratic method:questioning,

CriticalWritings55 teasing,suggesting. Scott’staskis onlystraightforward in principle;in

reality itisambiguous andcircular. Scottnotonlyfindsironyinexistence,

butdelights init.Scott’s witisadefence mechanism: heknowsthatifheis patienttimewilljustifyhis virtue,and ironyprovidesthe necessary distanceso that he canbe patientandwaitfor eventsto taketheir inevitable course.Virtuepersonified in an expedient worldis an ironic situation,andScott’sironyallowshimtoexistintheworld.

Scott’s deepironyisunique inBoetticher’s filmsandisprobably aby-

productoftheworkingrelationship withscreenwriter BurtKennedy. One mighthypothesize theBoetticher—Kennedy interaction likethis:Kennedy soughtto ‘playwith’theScottcharacter,leadinghimintoconfusing, embarrassing, anddemeaning situations. ThescriptshaveoftenledScott intodegrading circumstances designed ifnotto demeananarchetype at

leastto ‘humanize’ him:inTallT heawkwardly bumpshishead,in

Comanche Stationhehobblesabout,howling inpainafteranointmentis pouredon his knee,and in Decisionat Sundownhe learnsthat his supposedly virtuouswifewasnotsopureafterall.PerhapsBurtKennedy isnotdirectly responsible forthesespecific incidents, butthismuchistrue: theyarethetypeof indignities whichKennedy likesto inflictuponthe

heroesofhislaterWesterns (TheRounders, TheWarWagon, Support

YourLocalSheriff),andtheydonotoccurin Boetticher’s bullfighting filmswhichwerenotscriptedbyKennedy. Intoeachofthesepotentially demeaning situations comesBoetticher’s matadorarchetype, determined to accomplish histaskformalistically, precisely, andsuccinctly. Buthe

can’t:instead, hemustavoidthesnares Kennedy haslaidforhim.Outof thisBoetticher—Kennedy tension evolves amodern, ironic archetype. Scott gainsself-consciousness andinsight,seeingtheironyandseeming futility oflife,yetnonethelesschoosesVirtue,becoming a modernarchetype — thatis,a primitive figurewhocanexistina contemporary situation.

Scott’s decision forgraceisexemplified byironicwitbecause itoften

takesasenseofironytoacceptgraceinamodernworld.Theemphasis on decision intheRanownWesterns situatestheminthemodernarchetypal tradition:in thebullfighting films,asin Everyman, thearchetype must onlyperformtheritual,thegoodwork,whereasinthewesterns,asin contemporary morality playslikeCharles Williams’s GrabandGrace,the

archetype mustmakethedecision inreceiving gracetofunction arche-

typally.Randolph Scottcanfunctionasaprimitive archetype likeArruza, but he canalsofunctionin a muchmoredemanding and rewarding manner,likea modernarchetype.Scottcanbridgethe gapbetween individual andiconbecause heknowsthatthegapismoral,notphysical,

andthatthebridge ismadeofdecision andgrace.

56 Schrader onSchrader Theoutershellofthisarticlehasbeenthemetaphor ofcriticalmethod. The ambivalence that Boetticher canhaveabouthischaractersis likethe ambivalence a criticcanhaveaboutBoetticher. CarlosArruzamaybe considered a greatexhibitionistic sportsstar,orhemaybeconsidered a

faceless archetype; BuddBoetticher maybeconsidered anidiosyncratic

director,orhemaybeconsidered anarchetypal director. Thechoices opentoBoetticher andhiscriticsmaybecompared towhat Jungcalledindividualization andindividuation. Bothmethods wereopen to a psychiatrist; bothwereaccurate.Individualization concentrated on the uniquenessof a singlepersonality.Individuation, whichJung favoured,searchedoutthenon-idiosyncratic, universalqualitiesof the humanpsyche.Individualization soughtto discoverhowmenwere different; individuation soughttodiscover howtheywerealike. Someartistsseetheworldasanextension oftheirownpersonality, and

individualization serves themall.Otherartists, likeBoetticher, integrate

theirpersonality withuniversal, pre-existing archetypes, andindividuationbestrevealstheircontribution. Theauteurapproach, totheextentthatitemphasizes theuniqueness of Boetticher’s personality, resembles individualization inpsychiatry; itseeks outhissuperficial characteristics. Whenauteurcriticism concentrates on Boetticher’s personality itmisses thecrucial,archetypal qualities ofhisart. KitsesfaultsArruzabecause‘itspowerisdiminished bythenatureofits fundamentally statichero’.Anarchetypal analysis, however, revealsthe stasisisbasictoArruza’s character asBoetticher understands it,andthat stasisis, in fact,responsible for thepowerof the film.In describing Boetticher’s artasindividualistic, Wollen writes,‘Forindividualism, death isanabsolute limitwhichcannotbetranscended’; yettheendingofArruza seemstocontendjusttheopposite, thatdeathisprecisely thelimitwhich theindividual-become-archetype cantranscend. The psychological—biographical criticalmethodbypassesthe most enduringqualitiesof Boetticher’s art. CarlosArruza’smostendurable qualitywasneitherhispersonality norhisemotional depth,buthisability

to function archetypally. BuddBoetticher’s mostendurable qualityis

neitherhis‘personality’ norhisneuroses, buthisintuitive needtointegrate hispersonality intoarchetypal structures. Boetticher’s filmshavenot foundwideacceptance in theAmerican criticalcommunity. Partiallythisisbecausemanymass-media reviewers

condescendingly reject‘discovered’ auteurdirectors outofhand(Stanley Kauffmann’s jabatBoetticher criticism inareview ofDonSiegel’s Two

MulesforSisterSarais a recentexample); partiallyit isbecauseofthe

CriticalWritings 57

limitations ofthebiographical—psychological method itself—Boetticher’s ‘personality’ iscertainly lessrichthanthoseofmanyotherAmerican directors: Welles, Chaplin, Hitchcock, Hawks,Peckinpah. Butprimarily it is becauseaudiencesand criticshaveoftenbeenslowto appreciatethe

greatintuitive,primitiveart thatis allaroundthem.Thedilemmas of archetype andgracearesituatedin suchcommonplace conventions in

Boetticher’s filmsthatmanyintellectuals cannotrecognize them.They search fortranscendence intheyear2001,in‘Jupiter andbeyond’, when

perhapstheclosestthingtoanarchetypal ‘transcendence’ hasoccurred in theseneglected Randolph ScottWesterns. W.H. Auden,in ‘FortheTimeBeing’,contraststhetwogroupsof

visitors to themanger, theWiseMenwhospentan‘endless journey’ through ideasandideastoreachtheChristchild,andtheShepherds who

cameimmediately, instinctively to thesameplace.Otherartistshave founddifferentmetaphors forsayingthesamething.InBresson’s PickpocketMichel,afterhisspiritual‘liberation’ inprison,saysto Jeanne, ‘Howlongithastakenmetocometoyou.’InBoetticher’s RideLonesome PernellRoberts,afterhehasfinally‘crossed over’(theonlyonetoeverdo sosuccessfully inaBoetticher Western), saystoScott,‘Funny, howathing looksonewayandturnsouttobetheother.’ Cinema, Volume 6,No.2,1971

RobertoRossellini: TheRiseofLouisXIV RobertoRossellini’s TheRiseofLouisXIVwasmadein 1966andfirst shownintheUnitedStatesatthe1967NewYorkFilmFestival. Itwasan unpropitious premiére. Thethemeofthefestival was“TheSocialFilmin Cinema’ andtherewasa specialseminaronthesubject‘Reality Cinema: WhoseTruth?’Thesewerethehalcyon(somewouldsaycorrupt)daysof cinémavérité:fourofthemanydocumentary filmsshownat thefestival wentontoobtaingeneralreleaseandahithertounknown degreeofboxofficesuccess: TiticutFollies, Don’tLookBack,Warrendale, Portraitof Jason,asdidadocumentary reconstruction filmmaking freeuseofcinéma véritétechniques, BattleofAlgiers. Lostinthisrushforcinematruthwas oneofthepioneersofthetechniques ofhand-held cameraanddocumentaryreconstruction himself,RobertoRossellini, andfewtooktimeto noticethat themasterhadgonehisownway,bypassing manyof his disciples. Because ofthecoldcriticalreception ofTheRiseofLouisXIVat

58 Schrader onSchrader thefestival, Rossellini wasunabletogeteitherthetelevision ortheatrical releaseforwhichhehadbeennegotiating. TheNewYorkFestival wasonlya microcosm forRossellini” s difficultiesinthesixties.Onseveral occasions hehadpublicly quarrelled withthe leadersof the cinémavéritémovement. At the 1963UNESCOfilm conference heaccused JeanRouchofsubstituting superficial andimmediate truth for moraltruth. (‘Rouch,’Rossellinitold the directorof La

PunitionandChronicle ofa Summer, ‘youhaveatalenttocreateandyou use it to tear down’(Artsept,April—June 1963).In turn cinémavérité

theoristLouisMarcorelles accused Rossellini of‘forget(ting) hisownearly films’andof ‘pointless aestheticism’ (SightandSound,Summer1963). Thecinémavéritéspokesmen carriedtheday;theirfilmswerereleased, exhibited andpraised.Rossellini wasunabletoworkinthecommercial cinemaandlikeJeanRenoirturnedtoFrenchtelevision forsupport.His 1957filmIndiawasneverreleased inFranceandhissubsequent documen-

taryreconstructions, AgeofIron(1965)andTheRiseofLouisXIV

(1966),wereonlyexhibited commercially inFranceandItaly. Butlastyear(1970)whenTheRiseofLouisXIV was finally released in NewYorkthecriticalapathyhadturnedto enthusiasm. TheNewYork Times,whichin 1967haddescribed Louisas ‘amountingbore’,now

wrotethat‘itissurely a masterpiece’. TheNewYorker, Newsweek, and NewRepublic allfollowed suitwithlaudatory reviews, andLouishadan unexpected six-week NewYorkrun,outgrossing Truffaut’s WildChildin

thesameart-housecircuit.Aftera decadeofcinémavéritéfilms,audiences

andcriticsseemed morewilling toacceptadocumentary approach, which

sought truthnotintheimmediate moment butinstudyandreflection. The

successful 1970releaseofTheRiseofLouisXIVmaysignala returnto whatRossellini calls‘moralresponsibility’ indocumentary films,andit willhopefullyreturnRossellini to a pre-eminent placein thefieldof documentary anddocumentary reconstruction. Rossellini ispioneering a methodoffilmreconstruction ofthedistantpastwhichmayhaveasfar-

reaching implications asdidhispost-war reconstructions oftheimmediate

past.

TheRiseofLouisXIVreconstructs thekingshipofLouis(Jean-Marie Patte)fromthedeathofhisgodfather Mazarin(Silvagni) in1661,when Louiswastwenty-two, tohisconstruction ofVersailles inthe1680s.At theoutsetofthefilmthekingisa fopandapawnofhisguardians. After Mazarin’s protracted deathheunexpectedly announces ‘Iwillgovern’ and beginsto consolidate hispower.TheQueenMother,Anneof Austria (Katharina Renn),isgracefully removed fromherpositionofpowerand

CriticalWritings59

thevainFoquet (Pierre Barrat) isgracelessly arrested inhisowncapital. Louis’ riseisclimaxed whenheconstructs theimmense Versailles, populatesit with sycophants,and establishes extravagantrulesof court mannersanddressto woothenobleclassawayfromtheirlocalpower basesandplacethemunderhisfinancial mien.His‘dandyism’ istrans-

formedintoa powerstructure, andhiseldersarethepawns.These Machiavellian manoeuvres completed, theking,inthefinalsceneofthe film,slowlystripshimself ofhismanyoutergarments andcontemplates a maximbyLaRochefoucauld: ‘Neitherdeathnorthesuncanbefaced steadily.’ Theultimate fantasyofthearistocrat hasbeenfullyachieved and

theworld’s lastgreatmonarch isfirmly established. TheRiseofLouisXIV is thesecond inaseries ofnonfiction historical filmsRossellini hasmadesince1964.Theothersinclude: TheAgeofIron (1964)infiveone-hour episodes, ActsoftheApostles (1968)infouronehourandonehour-and-a-half episodes, andSocrates (1970).Inaddition hehascompleted a scriptaboutCaligula andispresently writinga script ontheAmerican Revolution (fortheUSbicentennial celebration).

Louisisevidence ofatheory andmethod offilm-making Rossellini has

developed throughoutthesixties.Thetheory,at itssimplest,is oneof didacticism: filmmustsetitsrootsininformation andideas.Butunlike cinema’s othergreatcontemporary didacticist, Godard,Rossellini has turnedtohistoryforhissubject-matter. Itisonlyinthepastthatideascan

beisolated anddefined. Rossellini seems moreinterested inunderstanding

whathashappened thaneffecting whatwillhappen. Asearlyas1958Rossellini statedthese‘humble’ intentions: ‘WhatIam tryingtodoisapieceofresearch, adocumentation, onthestateofmanall overtheworld.. . asIfinddramaticsubjects Imaymovetowardsfiction

film.Butthefirststagehastoberesearch, theobservation, andthishasto

be systematic’ (Sightand Sound,Winter1958-9).Thefirststageof Rossellini’s methodis,similarly, studyandresearch. Afilm-maker must learneverything hecanabouthissubject-matter, bothfromhistoryand art,documents oftheperiodandsubsequent studies.Thesehistorically verifiable factsmustthenbe presentedon screenin the mostcoldly objective mannerpossible: theycannotbetampered with.Thefilm-maker cannotlethisegooremotions (orthoseofhisactors,cameraman oreditor) editorialize uponorempathize withthosefacts.(Rossellini faultsFellini’s Satyricon andVisconti’s TheDamnedfordoingthis.)Thepastcannotbe predicated uponpresent-day knowledge andattitudes. Nooneinvolved in

aRossellini filmcanproject, act,orinterpret whathedoes;therecanbeno

attempttodirectlyevokeaudience empathy. Thisfalse‘objectivity’ (pretending the past is beyondinterpretive

60 Schraderon Schrader alteration),of course,is an interpretationof itsown,but itseffecton the

vieweris cruciallydifferentfromconventional filminterpretations of history.Because Rossellini makesnoattempttoplungetheviewerintothe dramaof thepast,makingthepastrelevantto hisimmediate feelings (muchof Louisseemsrightlyirrelevant), the viewerhas a senseof detachment ratherthaninvolvement, ofawareness ratherthanempathy. Hecanfixhisattentiononthesubtler,morerevealing aspects ofthepast— thewaymeetings areconducted, gestures aremade,curtainsarehung.Itis

atthislevel, withinratherthanbeyond history, thatonefindsRossellini’s

‘interpretation’ ofLouisXIV. ThesecondstageofRossellini’s method,therefore, isaesthetic: organizationandrefinement. Ifitisalsoentertaining, ironicandinterpretive, asit is,thenthesequalities areextensions oftheaestheticism. Thefactsofthe pastmustbeframedandorganized insuchamannerastorevealtheir —not

Rossellini’s, notour—intrinsic truth.Thistruthmustnotonlycorrespond

tohistory,buttoart,notonlytothepoliticallegacyofLouisXIV,butto themoralandartisticlegacyaswell.

Here,then,istheparadoxofRossellini’s method:ononehandthefilm-

makermustbefactually faithfultothepast,notinterjecting hisemotions

orinterpretations; ontheotherhandhemusthave a sufficient aesthetic visionto structure scenes andeventssothattheyrevealtheirintrinsic ‘truth’andarenotsimplyanecdotal yarnsorcinémavéritésnatches oflife. Howdoesa film-maker frameandorganize thepastsothatitrevealsits essentialtruth, both factualand moral,withouthimselfbecomingthe

creatorofthatpast?

Rossellini isexploring somenear-virgin territory inthefields ofdocu-

mentaryreconstruction andhistorical presentation, andit isdifficult to knowwhatyardstickof successor failurecanbeappliedto a filmlike Louis.Onemustbecarefulnotto applyinappropriate criteria,suchas thoseusedbyMarcorelles; itmakeslittlesensetofaultRossellini fornot

beingDonPennebaker. Rossellini’s method iscertainly opposed tothatof

thecinémavéritéfilm-makers, butitisalsoinopposition toalmostevery previously successful methodofhistorical filmpresentation. It isunlike thatofJohnFord,whichseeksthemythological truthofthepast;it is unlikethatofPennandPeckinpah, whichseeksthemoraltruthsofthe presentin the past;it is unlikethat of the Encyclopedia Britannica

documentarians, whichseeksthefactualtruthofthepast.Thosewho

searchoutpastmodelsforeverycurrentsuccess(Otempora,O mores, HermanWeinberg!) willhavea difficult timefindingsuitableprecedents forRossellini’s recentseriesofhistorical documentaries. TheRiseofLouisXIVshouldbeanalysed, Ithink,firstandforemost as

CriticalWritings 61

Rossellini intended it,ashistory. Itshould notbeinitially thought ofasa Roberto Rossellini film,orasa parable formodern times.Louis’ filmic

pastshouldhavea validityas past.Thetestof thepastshouldbe as thoroughaspossibleandshouldinclude,one,thetestof factuality: is Louistrueto the letterof historybooklaw?Two,the testof past

credibility: dotheactions andideasofthefilmnaturally springfromits moodandstyle, ordoesitfalsely useacontemporary sensibility toportray

pastevents?Three,thetestofpresentcredibility: withoutviolating the necessary isolationofpastcredibility, doesthefilmcontaintheseedsfor subsequent culturalandpolitical events? Four,thetestofartandartefacts: isthefilmtruetothespiritoftherelicsofLouis’reign,inart,literature,

songs, religious texts?

If LouisXIVpassesthetestofthepast,thenit isonlynatural(and necessary) toaskwhy.Howcan a filmseemtobetruetothepastwhenitis necessarily thecollaboration between present-day artistsandmodernfilm communication? Askedin thisway,the questioncangivea clueto

Rossellini’s trueaesthetic ‘interpretation’ ofthepast.

Todocument thereignofLouisXIVRossellini soughttheaidofscholar PhilippeErlanger, whosemonumental studyofLouishasrecentlybeen publishedin English.Erlangersuppliedthe originalstoryand data, ensuring thefilm’s adherence tothehistorical evidence. Theydidnotstack Louis’career,butinsteadattempted topresentallsidesofit equally:his success aswellasfailure,hiscleverness aswellashisblinding vanity.Louis is bothpoliticallybrilliant:he ensureshispowerby cuttingthe ties betweenthenobilityandthepeasantry; andshort-sighted: heimplicitly rejectshisEconomic Minister’s adviceto tiehimselfto thepeasantry by cuttingtaxes.Neitheroftheseeventsisgivenweightovertheother;they containequallyimportant information about a politically complex figure. LouisXIVnotonlygivesfacts,however, it alsoconveys thesenseof timeandplaceinwhichthosefactshavemeaning. Thissenseisnotonly revealed intheobviouscharacteristics oftheperiod,likerampantsycophantism,thepoliticalvacuumoftheupperechelons ofpower,andthe totallackof moraldirectionfromtheChurch,butalsoin thesubtler socialaspectssuchasdress,gaitandgesture. Thefilmopens,forexample, withthedeathofCardinalMazarin,the King’s godfather. AtMazarin’s bedside thecourtdoctorsonebyonesniffa basinofhisurineandaftersomecontemplation ordebatetheydecidethat

although hisdeathisimminent Mazarin shouldbebledanyway. The bleeding begins: thelivid,sweating Mazarin winces inpainasthebloodis drainedfromhisemaciated body.Fromthispointtheexcretory smellonly

62 Schrader onSchrader growsstronger.Severalhourslater,shortlybeforetheyoungking’slast visittohisbedside, Mazarin paintshimself withrougeandmake-up togive himselftheillusionof health.Thefalseness andshamareapparentto

everyone, yettheyarenonethelessessential andeffective forbeingfalse.

SuchisLouis’world. Thecompositions andeditingreinforce thecumulative smellofstench. Eachframehasanornate,sicklyloveofdetail.Therearefewclear-cut lines:redsandyellowsbleedintoeachother.Therearefewwideopen

spaces: mostscenes takeplaceinclaustrophobic, baroque rooms withthe sycophants crowding theframeforaplacenearLouis. Untiltheconclud-

ing,thematicsceneLouisisneverseenalone.Allofhisactivities, lovemaking,eating,dressing, strolling, arepublicspectacles. Louisdoesnot alleviate thisclaustrophobic decadence: heheightens andmanipulates it. Attheoutsetofthefilmthemembers ofthecourtwearrelatively sombre,

blackandwhitecostumes, butwhenLouisintroduces hisnewsybaritic modeofdress,theframebecomes increasingly cluttered withtrainsand rufflesandunfriendly, clashing colourschemes.

YetRossellini’s stoicalcameraneverreactsagainstthisaccumulationof

discordantdetail.It doesnot,likeVisconti’s camerain TheDamned,

zoom, trackandjumpabouttheseluridsettings. Thestolidcamera simply sits,soaking everything intoitsdispassionate gaze.Rossellini’s camera is

likeoneofLouis’courtiers: itwatches, itknows,itobeys.Forthemodern vieweritisasifMazarin’s basinofurineissittingonapedestal atthefront ofthetheatre;everyone knowsitisthere,thesmellgrowing increasingly rank,yetnoonegetsuptoremoveit.

TheRiseofLouisXIVhasanalmost terrifying sense ofpastcredibility:

thoseludicrouscostumesandrisiblecourtmannersareno longerthe senseless affectations onealwaysthoughttheywere,butaretheprecise machinations ofpower.Noactionseemstoosilly,nopretence toogreat: thesearethemarksofatrulytotalitarian government whichcantransform

vanityintoasource ofpower. Without violating thisimmediate senseof

thepast,Louisalsooffersa present-day credibility: theseedsofanarchy andrevolution lieeverywhere dormant.Asthespectator’s desiretoclean outthecluttered frame,tooverturnthatbasinofdeadman’spiss,grows, so doeshis comprehension of the unrestrained frenzyof the French Revolution. InRossellini’s filmthereisboththeimageofcomplete order andrestraintandthesuppressed rageforchaos. LouisXIV is alsotrue,at thefourthlevel,to theartoftheperiodit portrays.ThereremainsnothingtodaywhichhassurvivedLouisXIV quiteaswellasVersailles itself.Longafterhispowerhasvanished, his legendfaded,hispoliticaleffectdiminished, Louis’masterwork stilltells

CriticalWritings63

8 ‘Claustrophobic, baroqueroomswithsycophants crowding theframe’: Rossellini’s TheRiseofLouisXIV(1966).

64 Schrader onSchrader

hisstory.Ithasanorder,asymmetry, atotallyunfunctional ornateness which represents Louis betterthanallthehistorical records. Inthesehalls, balustrades andgardenstheSunKingstillshines.TheRiseofLouisXIV

has the sameorder,decadenceand vanityas Versailles.LikeVersailles,

Rossellini’s filmhasbotha senseofsymmetry andcircuitousness. There arenocleanlines,nofunctionality: everything seemspompandcircum-

stance, andtheunderlying structure iseverpresent. LikeVersailles, Louis

XIVgivesthemodernspectatortheimmediate senseofananachronistic past:liketheoldrelic,it hassurvived to giveusinformation aboutand ideasofthepast. Thereisa naturaltendency to saythatthepastofthefilmisRossellini’s pastanditsLouisisRossellini’s Louis(asJoséLuisGuarnerdoesinhis recentbookonRossellini), butthisisunfairto theintentofRossellini’s methodandmissesthetruevalueofhiswork.Rossellini doesnotcareto makethepast‘relevant’ or‘personal’; heonlydesirestogiveitvalidityas past.Ifthepastisvalidaspast,Rossellini wouldsay,thenitisnecessarily relevantto allhumans.WhenaskedhowLouisXIV relates to ustoday, Rossellini replied,‘Idon’tknowandI don’tcare.Whatisrelevantisto knowthefactsofhistoryandbecause wearethesameitisgoodtoknow’ (Medium, Winter67-8).ThefilmicLouisisfirstofallhistory’s Louis,and it is Rossellini’s methodwhichhas enabledhistoryto take sucha

meaningful form.Notuntilonefirstrealizes theaudacity andgenius required toputhistory’s Louisonfilm,canonetrulyappreciate Rossellini’saccomplishment. Rossellini’s contribution is simplebutcrucial;he allowsthepastto standinitsownright;heassembles themanythreadsofhistoryandartso thattheyrevealtheirintrinsictruth.Likeothermastersofvisualcompo-

sitionandstructure, Rossellini’s powerliesinhisability toJetanimage revealitselfratherthanmakeit revealitself.Noemotional or editorial contrivances areforcedupontheimage:itisnotmadetotwistorturn,to runor jump,to hideor camouflage. Rossellini hasgreatrespectforthe powerofthephotographed image,foritscomposition andlinesofforce,

forits‘inner dynamic’. TheRiseofLouisXIVevidences athoroughgoing economy ofartistic means.Therearemanylongtwoormoreminutetakesandaminimum of lateralcameramovement. Theactionanddécorareprecisely organized withintheframeandthecameraexamines themfromafixedposition. The settingsarefixed:thecharacters enterintothem,discussmatterstrivial

andweighty, andexit.Theemphasis throughout thefilmremains onthe

ornatedécor,theelaborate, meticulously constructed late-baroque world

CriticalWritings 65

ofVersailles andseventeenth-century France. Thereislittle‘acting’ perse. Theactorsarenon-professionals whorecite theirlinesbyroteandwithout

inflection. Theeditingisalsoextremely functional: itisthenecessary glue whichaffixesonetableautothenext. Yetalltheseseemingly anonymous techniques areguidedbyRossellini’s directorial hand.Itishewhoframeseachimageandsetseachshotnextto

itsneighbour, andiftheaccumulation oftheseframes seems toreveal

Louis’true history,its vanity,powerand moralvapidity,thenit is Rossellini whohasallowedittohappen. Rossellini’s formaltechniques donotmeanthatLouiswasanymore quiescent thanourselves orthathisregime issomehow bestrepresented by

thelongtake.Theseareinsteadthetechniques whichbestenablethe viewer tounderstand thepast.Likehistory itself,Rossellini’s filmasksto

beanalysed ratherthanparticipated in.Thismaynotseemunusualforthe historian,butit isrelatively uniqueforthefilm-goer. Rarelyisa viewer ableto intellectually analysea subjectas he is watchingit: detached comprehension is inevitably sacrificed to therelentless marchof melodrama.What'stheuseofhistoryif thekidsdon’tdigit?Thebookish historian maywantfilmtohelphimexperience thepast,buttheintellectuallystarvedmovie-goer needsfilmto helphimunderstandit. And Rossellini, likea fewgreatdidacticists, canwalkthistightropebetween empathyandawareness. Thevalueofanalysing asubject asyouseeitissimply thatyouseemore. Theviewercanstudytheseemingly insignificant eventsandobjectswhich wouldnormally passhimby.Itislikeseeinga filmforthesecondtimethe firsttime.Therearenocompelling plotsor strongcharacterizations to monopolize theviewer’s interest, theviewer hasthetimeandinclination to examineallthatRossellini presents: notonlythethemesbutthedetails, notonlythedialogue butthecompositions. Inthisdetached perspective Louis’colourscheme playsasimportant a roleasitspolitics. Thetruthof thepastliesas muchin theforgottengestureas in theconsequential execution, andiftheviewercanbeawareofthembothsimultaneously thenhe understands it more.Whena viewermakesthe connections between theseemingly trivalandthesupposedly weighty, hegoesbeyond

history-book factstoacomprehension oftheunityofatimeandplace: its

facts,customs, morality, ideas. Rossellini’s ‘interpretation’ of history,therefore, iselusivebecauseit isaesthetic. OntheonehandRossellini, likeaphilosopher andhistorian, hasa firmlyrootedunderstanding ofandrespectforman’spast,onthe otherhand,likean artist,he has the abilityto recreateit. Neither ofhisoccupations, historianandartist,seemssubservient to theother,

66 Schrader onSchrader andhisrecentfilmshavethe unexpected impactof bothhistoryand art.

Somereviewers, suchasPenelope GilliattoftheNewYorker, werea bit

takenabackto findRossellini ‘ofallpeople’ espousing a cold,factual cinema. Thiscertainly seems atoddswithhistextbook reputation, which

presently hashimcastastheneo-realist directorofOpenCityandPaisan, filmswhose‘realism’ wasmorepersonalthancold,morepoliticalthan unbiased, morenaturalistic thanobjective. Tomanyfilm-goers Rossellini

is stilltheneo-realist heroof Siegfried Kracauer andJohnHoward

Lawson,andtheyfinditdifficult torealizethathehasgrownwhiletheir viewpoint hasremained fixed.(Likea star,a directorcanbecome critically typecast.)Theevolutionof Rossellini’s documentaryaesthetic,however,

couldcatcheventhemostastutemovie-goer bysurprise:in thesame month(March,1963)Rossellini wasattackingRouchfor cinematic

immorality, Truffaut wasexplaining thedebtofRivette, Godard, Rouch

andhimself tothedirectorofOpenCityandPaisan(Roberto Rossellini, Editions Seghers). AndréBazin,in1957,wasoneofthefirsttodefendRossellini fromthe

charges whichwouldbelevelled against himinthesixties. Bazincontended thatRossellini’s Voyage inItaly(1953) wasnotabreakfromthe

neo-realist principles, buta continuation andextension ofthem.‘With him,’Bazinwrote,‘neo-realism naturallyrediscovers thestyleandthe meansofabstraction. Fortorespectrealitydoesnotmeantoaccumulate details;onthecontrary,itmeanstostriprealityofeverything thatisnot

essential, toachieve totality insimplicity’ (Qu’est-ce queleCinéma? IV).

IfBazinwerealivetodayI’msurehecouldadaptthetermneo-realism to describeTheRiseof LouisXIV,buttheessentialpointis notoneof semantics. Rossellini’s recentfilmsare a refinement of hisneo-realist techniques, nota breakfromthem.Whatmanyviewers thoughtwasthe heartof hisneo-realist styleturnedout to be thevignettish, personal periphery, andhehasgradually strippedit away.Theheartofhis‘neorealist’ documentary approach isaesthetic perception: thesettingofrealist tableauxsidebysideinsuchamannerastorevealtheirlastingvalue,their autonomous validityaseventsandideas. Itisthisrare,elusive aesthetic perception whichsomanyhistorical films

anddocumentaries lack.Ofallthedocumentaries whichreceived greater

favourthanLouisXIVatthe1967NewYorkFestival, nonecouldoffer itsmoralandintellectual complexity. Thecinémavéritédocumentarians playedan indispensable rolein the film-making of the sixties,they revitalized filmtechnique andbroughtthemanonthestreetinfrontofthe

CriticalWritings67 camera.Butit is time,I think,forthecinémavéritéfilm-makers to be revitalized themselves, andforthistheycandonobetterthantoreturnto thefootsteps oftheiroldmentorRobertoRossellini. TherecentMayslesbrotherscinémavéritéfilmGimmeShelter,for example,is a shameless mixtureof panderingandprofiteering. Their subject-matter rangesfromthedeathofamantothedeathofamovement, yettheypretendtobetheeverpresent innocents. TheMaysles couldpoint theircameraintherightdirection, buttheysimplywerenotequipped to givetheirsubject-matter themoralandhistorical perspective itdemanded.

Theageingyouthmovement desperately needsa Rossellini: onewho respects theintegrity ofhismaterial, understands it,andcanorganize it.

ForthethirdtimeinhiscareerRossellini hasreturnedto thecreative forefront ofhistrade.InhisfirstOpenCityperiod,inhisearlyfiftiesfilms withIngridBergman, andnowinhishistorical documentaries, Rossellini has shownfilm-makers a new,distinctlymoraldirection.Whenthe

treatment ofreality onscreen isagainatacrucial stage, whenGodard is

driftingawayintorhetoric,whenmanycinémavéritéfilm-makers have optedfor the faciletruth and the quickdollar,whenthe Newsreel documentarians proceedasif therewereno past,Rossellini hasagain shownustheway. Cinema, Volume 6,No.3,1971

SamPeckinpah Going toMexico ‘TheWildBunchissimply,’ saysdirectorSamPeckinpah, ‘whathappens whenkillersgo to Mexico.’Andin the beleaguered careerof Sam

Peckinpah Mexico hasbecome increasingly theplacetogo.Itisaland _perhaps moresavage, simple, ordesolate, butdefinitely moreexpressive. SamPeckinpah’s Mexicoisa spiritualcountrysimilartoErnestHemingway’sSpain,JohnLondon’s Alaska,andRobertLouisStevenson’s South Seas.Itisaplacewhereyougo‘togetyourself straightened out’. TheWildBunchisPeckinpah’s firstunhampered directorial effortsince RidetheHighCountryin1962.Theintervening sevenyearshadbrought personalbickerings, thwartedprojects,blacklisting —andbelatedcritical acclaim. CriticscalledRidetheHighCountryan‘American classic’, and Peckinpah wrangled forTVwritingassignments. WhenPeckinpah finally regained hisvoicehefoundithadchanged. Theviolence hadlostitscode, becoming insteadsomething deeperandmoredeadly.Thenewviolence

68 Schraderon Schrader

responded totheyearsfreshinPeckinpah’s memory, thenewmoodofthe

country, but,moreimportantly, toafeature ofhispersonality which had

previously wornmorepoliteguises.

AfterworkingfordirectorDonSiegelandon“TheWesterner’ TVseries, Peckinpah’s firstfilmwasa small-budget Western, DeadlyCompanions

(latercalledTrigger Happy), which henowdescribes as‘unmanageable’

and a ‘failure’. Butit did catchthe attentionof RichardLyonwho broughtPeckinpah to MGMandproducedHighCountrythat same year.A yearlaterin theWinter1963issueof FilmQuarterly,editor ErnestCallenbachwroteaboutHigh Country:‘Whenit appeared no onetookit terriblyseriously. Butas timeworeon,itsunobtrusive virtuesbegantoseemmoreappealing, andbynowitishardtoseewhat American pictureof1962couldberatedaboveit.’Butin1962MGM,like thedailyreviewers, wasunprepared forthisleisurely moralfable;High Countryfilledout the secondhalfof doublebillsin neighbourhood theatresanddrive-ins. RidetheHighCountrywaspainfully anoldman’spicture,allthemore painfulbecauseits directorwasonlythirtysevenyearsold.Twoold gunfighters, JoelMcCreaandRandolph Scott,arereducedtoguarding a $20,000goldshipment fromasmallminingtown.Inanextention oftheir earlierrolesMcCreaextolsthevirtuesof theclassicWesterncodeof honourandScotttemptshimtorunoffwiththegoldtheybothadmitthey

welldeserve fortheirselfless pastofgunfights andwound-mending. After

ascuffle Scottbecomes reconciled toMcCrea’s code,notbecause thecode isparticularly appropriate, butsimplybecausetheyareoldWesterners. Together theystandoffthreecoarse,half-crazed brothers. Inthefusillade McCreaiskilledanddiesahero’sdeathsaying,‘Iwanttogoitalone,’as

hisbullet-ridden corpse sinkstothebottom oftheframe. RidetheHigh Country haditbothways:itpresented oldWesterners caught upintheir ownoutdatedmyth,andalsojustified theirexistence intermsofthatmyth. BritishcriticRichardWhitehall wrotethatHighCountry‘isnotonlya celebration ofthemyth,itisalsoa requiem’. SamPeckinpah’s filmmore

acutely captured theWesterner’s oldagepangsthandidtwofilmsofthe sameperiodbyoldWesterners aboutoldWesterners, JohnFord’s The ManWhoShotLibertyValance andHowardHawks’RioBravo.Like McCreaandScott,FordandHawkscouldclosetheircareerswithhonour

anddignity: Peckinpah hadtolookbeyondthemythandsituateitintime. Inretrospect theSamPeckinpah ofHighCountryseemstobeplayingthe

gameofWestern directors likeFord,Hawks, George Sherman, Delmer DavesandBuddBoetticher. Inmanywayshewasplaying thegamebetter,

CriticalWritings69

butit stillwasn’tPeckinpah’s game.RidetheHighCountry wasa prologue, notanepilogue. RidetheHighCountryandPeckinpah’s TVprogrammes demonstrate certainvalueswhich,priorto TheWildBunch,haveinvariably been associated withthedirector. In1963hetoldFilmQuarterly, ‘Myworkhas beenconcerned withoutsiders,losers,loners,misfits,rounders—individualslookingforsomething besides security.’ Theseheroes,oftenoldin bodyas wellas mind,fallbackon certainvirtues:biblicalstoicism, practicality, primitivism, andhonour.WhenaPeckinpah character makes theeffortto verbalize hisdesires,whichisrare,theyareoftenbanal.In

Peckinpah’s DickPowell Theater episode “The Losers’ (1963) LeeMarvin tellsKeenan Wynn, ‘Peace ofmindandanunderstanding heart.That’s all

weneed.’Thisis not obvioussatire,butpurePeckinpah hokum;the insidiousparody comesin when his characters,in rare moments,can

actuallycomeneartoobtaining sucha goal. ThecruciallineinRidetheHighCountry, alinebywhichPeckinpah has

oftenbeencharacterized, wasasimple profession byJoelMcCrea: ‘Iwant

camefromPeckinto entermyownhousejustified.’ Thelineoriginally and pah’sfather,a SuperiorCourtJudgeofFresnoCounty,California, beforethatitcamefromtheGospelofStLuke,theparableofthePharisee mostvividmemories ofhisMadera andthePublican. SomeofPeckinpah’s

County, California, childhood werehisfamily’s dinner tablediscussions aboutjustice, lawandorder.‘Ialways feltlikeanoutsider,’ hesays.Itwas

inthestrongbiblical senseofthePublican thatPeckinpah soughttojustify hischaracters —andhimself —andithasbeenhisdesiretojustifyhimself in hisownwaythathasinformed hisearlywork.InHighCountryMcCrea, Scott,andafanatically religious farmerswapbiblical texts,eachtryingto

makehispoint.McCrea loses thebattleofthetext,butwinsjustification in thebattleofhonour.Thefarmerdeprives hisdaughter ofa fulllife;

McCreareturnsit to herbysacrificing himselfmeaningfully. Boththe farmerandthegunslinger died,butonlyonewenttohishomejustified. Peckinpah hasno qualmsaboutaddingthesecondhalfof thebiblical

injunction regarding justification, ‘Whom he justified, themhe also glorified.” McCrea’s glorification wasexplicit, unsubtle, andshattering.

Honestyandpurityofintent(andtherebyjustification) nolongercome naturallyto theWesterner (astheydidto theVirginian); theymustbe foughtforanddefended. Peckinpah’s characters areruthlessly cynical

aboutwaystoprotect theWesterner’s codeagainst thecorrosive influence

of‘civilization’. Thecodeisnotagame,butmustbedefended ineveryway

70 Schrader onSchrader possible, evenunsporting ways.In‘Jeff’, Peckinpah’s favourite episode of ‘TheWesterner’ series,a bare-knuckled boxer-pimp complains thatthe Peckinpah hero,DavidBlasingame (BrianKeith),isn’tbeinga good sportsman. ‘You’re a badloser,MrBlasingame,’ theheavysays.‘Isure am,’repliesBlasingame. ‘Thisisn’ta game.’ AsinallWesterns, thegunisimmediately behindthecode.Sooneror lateritcomesdowntokilling.Likethecode,thegunisnotaplaything. In another‘Westerner’ episode, ‘HandontheGun’,Blasingame tellsacocky Easterner, ‘Agunain’ttoplaywith.It’stokillpeople.Andyoudon’ttouch it unlessyouplantoshoot,andyoudon’tshootunlessyouplantokill.’ Implied inthatlogical progression werethetenetsthatyoudon’tkillunless youhaveto, or youdon’tkillwithouta purpose.In hisearlywork Peckinpah clungtenaciously totheWestern code.RidetheHighCountry wasgreatasa ‘Western’ — at heartit functioned thewayWesterns were

supposed tofunction. Buttherewasalsoa strongsenseofexpectation. SamPeckinpah wasyoungandstrong;thecodewasoldandweak. Something hadtogive.

Butnothinghada chancetogive.AfterHighCountrycameSamPeckinpah’ssevenleanyears.Peckinpah underwenta seriesof reputationdamaging producerclashes. AndasOrsonWelleslearnedsowell,oncea film-maker’s reputationis damagedin Hollywood nothingshortof a miracle canretrieve it.Nolongeristhebumscript,themeddling producer, therestrictive budgettoblame,butthefaultalwaysfallson‘that’director, thekissofdeath.

Major Dundee wasCharlton Heston’s idea.HehadseenHighCountry, lovedit,andproposed HarryJulianFink’s scripttoPeckinpah. Major

DundeewasPeckinpah’s firstbigbudgetfilm(costing $23millioncomparedwith$813,000for HighCountry).ProducerJerryBresler(The Vikings, DiamondHead,LoveHasManyFaces)wasdescribed by a memberof thecastas ‘wall-to-wall worry’.In a powerplaywiththe studio,Columbia, HestonandPeckinpah wontherighttoshoottheentire filmonlocationinMexico,andalso,supposedly, finalcutprivileges. But afterthefilmwasshotHestonandPeckinpah’s influence begantowane. Peckinpah’s finalcutranthreehours.Columbia wanteditshortened, and Peckinpah cutit to twohoursandfortyminutes,suggesting thatten

minutes should gobackin.ButBresler gotnervous, Peckinpah assumes, andcutthefilmtoundertwohours.Peckinpah asked thathisnamebeleft

offthecredits,contending thatthefilmwasneitherthelongpowerful film heintended, northeshortactionfilmit couldhavebeen.Peckinpah still regardshistwohourfortyminuteversion asanexcellent film,butthereare

CriticalWritings71 fewto verifyhis opinion.Againstcontractualobligations neitherof Peckinpah’s cutswaseverpreviewed. Hestonwasoneofthefewwhosaw

it,andhelikeditsomuchthatheoffered toturnbackhissalaryifthe picture wereleftuntouched. Peckinpah alsooffered todefermostofhis

salary,but ColumbiawonthedayandMajorDundeepremiered as a double-bill featurein multiplesituations.Theanonymous Newsweek reviewer knewwhereto settheblamefortheDundeefiasco.Hisreview began,‘ThinkofYosemite Falls,or suicides fromthetopoftheEmpire StateBuilding, orthestreaking ofmeteorites downward towardtheearth, andyougetsomeideaofthedeclineinthecareerofSamPeckinpah.’ Like WellesaftertheJourneyintoFeardébacle, Peckinpah sawhisreputation plummet withoutbeingabletodoa thingaboutit. AnotherHollywood producerplayedthenextpartin thedeclineof Peckinpah’s career.He accusedPeckinpahof beinga ‘perfectionist’, addingthatPeckinpah wantedtomakeadirtymovie(sexisaremarkably

minorfactorin Peckinpah’s films,andwhatever thereis is farfrom

titillating). Peckinpah foundhimselfon thestreet.A projectedfilmfor MGMandanotherfor Hestonfailedto materialize. ‘Igotangryand namednames,’Peckinpah says.“ThenI spentthreeand a halfyears withoutshootingacamera.That’swhatyoucallblack-listing,’ Peckinpah

says.‘Imade aliving,butforadirector therecanbenothing butmaking a

film.Itwasa slowdeath.’Duringthosethreeanda halfyearshewrotea WesterncalledTheGloryGuys,whichwasfilmedbyArnoldLavenin byRobertTowneanddirected 1965,andVillaRides,whichwasrewritten byBuzzKulik.Peckinpah’s onlyminortriumphduringthisperiodcame

whenhefilmed Katherine AnnPorter’s NoonWineforABC’s ‘Stage 67’ programme. Peckinpah’s adaptation starredJasonRobards,Olivia DeHavilland, PerOscarsson, andTheodore Bikel,andwonthepraiseof criticsas wellas MissPorter.Thatyearthe ScreenDirectors’ Guild ironically selected Peckinpah oneofthetenbesttelevision directors.

Inlate1967producer PhilFeldman selected SamPeckinpah todirectThe secondproducing effort(thefirstwasFrancis Ford WildBunch,Feldman’s Coppola’s You’re a BigBoyNow).‘Itwasnicetogetpickedoffthestreet reflects.“Thispicturecame andgivena $5millionpicture,’Peckinpah aboutonlybecauseof twowonderfulreasons:PhilFeldmanandKen

Hyman.’ Although Peckinpah didn’t havefinalcutrights, TheWildBunch wasshotandedited thewayhedesired. ‘Agoodpicture isusually 70per centofyourintentions. RidetheHighCountrywas80percentforme.I’d sayTheWildBunchwasabout96percent.I’mverysatisfied.’ Peckinpah’s originalcutof TheWildBunchran overthreehours.

72 Schrader onSchrader WarnerBros.wasunderstandably queasyaboutmanyof the graphic

scenes ofkilling. Twodisastrous previews (oneinKansas Cityandthe otherinHollywood) hadindicated somedegree ofaudience revulsion. ‘I

hopeyoudrowninapoolofMaxFactorTechnicolor blood,’oneUCLA graduatefilmstudenttoldPeckinpah. WarnerBros.stuckwithPeckinpah, however,lettinghimcutthe filmdownto its presenttwohoursand

twenty-three minutes. “There wasneverdangerofan“X”ratingfor violence,’ Peckinpah says.‘Wehadan“R”rightfromthebeginning. I

actuallycutoutmorethanWarnersrequested. Therewerecertainthings Warnerswantedcut,butIwentfarther.I hadtomakeitplaybetter.’To makethefilmplaybetterPeckinpah excisedmuchoftheexplicitviolence

in theinitialfightscene,particularly thedisembowellings, lettingthe

violence comeattheaudience moregradually. Included inthe4percent Peckinpah regretted losingwasaflashback ofWilliam Holden(inaddition tothepresenttwoflashbacks ofRobertRyanandHolden). Theflashback, whichis curiouslyincludedin the international print,revealedhow Holdenhadreceived a legwound.* Atonepointinthepre-release intrigueofTheWildBunchPeckinpah fearedthatitwouldreceive theinadequate distribution ofhisearlierfilms. ‘Itwasa funnything,’hesays.“TheEuropean distributor sawitandsaid, “Roadshow’’. Thedomestic distributorsawit andsaid,‘“‘Double-bill’’.’ ThistimePeckinpah wonthebattleandTheWildBunchcameto be regardedasWarnerBros.’‘picture ofthesummer’ andreceived amassive publicity campaign. TheWildBunchisagainaboutoldWesterners andkilling. LikeMcCrea and Scott,the WildBunchare battle-weary veteransof manymovie Westerns:WilliamHolden(8Westerns),RobertRyan(14),ErnestBorg-

nine(10),EdmundO’Brien (10),BenJohnson(16)andWarrenOates(8). WarnerBros.wantedtocasta‘young leadingman’intheroleofHolden’s

sidekick, butPeckinpah balked.‘Someone saidwhataboutoldErnie

*On18JulyWarnerBros.cutfiveminutesfromthedomestic printofTheWildBunch.The originalideawas,Peckinpah says,to cutouttheflashbacks intwotheatres.Insteadthree scenes wereexcised in400theatres. Theflashback ofRyan’s captureandHolden’s escapeina brothelwascutout,aswastheflashback to thedeathof Syke’snephewCrazyLee(Bo Hopkins,whosays‘T’ll hold’emheretillHellfreezesoveroryousaydifferent, MrPike’). Particularly damaging wasthedeletion oftheentireLasTrancasbattlescene,mentioned later in thisarticle.Thebattlesequencerevealedtheothersideof Mapache’s character,the machismo in battleanddefeat.Withoutthe sequence, Mapacheis onlycomicrelief,a drunkensot.Thereasonforthe18Julycut,theNewYorkTimesNewsService reported, was toshortenthepicture,therebyallowing thedistributors morescreening timesperday.One theatre,however, thePacific PixinHollywood, usedtheextratimetoinserta ‘TomandJerry’ cartoon.Peckinpah isnolonger‘verysatisfied’. —P.S.

CriticalWritings 73

Borgnine and I said,“Gotoit.”’Theyearis1914,thepickings areslim, andthekillersaretired.‘Thisis aboutwhatBillHoldenis today,’ Peckinpah says,‘fifty,middle-aged, wrinkled, nolongertheglamour boy.’

Holden talks wistfullyabout givingup the Bunch’soutlaw existence.

“We're gettingold.We’ve gottothinkbeyond ourguns. . .I’dliketomake onegoodscoreandbackoff,’he tellsBorgnine. ‘Backoffto what?’

Borgnine replies. Ontheactionlevel, TheWildBunch isthemostentertaining American

picturein severalyears.Thescenesflowevenlyandquickly,andthe highpointsseem to pile on top of each other. The editing (by Lou

Lombardo, assisted byPeckinpah) issuperb,ifonlyforitsunostentatious-

ness.Although TheWildBunch hasmorecutsthananyotherpicture in Technicolor —3643—itflows naturally andsmoothly. Lombardo skilfully intercutsslowmotionshots(takenat 25,28,32,48,and64framesper

second)withnormalaction,demonstratingEisenstein’s theoryofcollision

montageevenbetterthanthemasterhimself, whoseassemblages always

seemed moredidactic thannatural. Someone suggested toPeckinpah that theeditingofTheWildBunchwasasgoodasanyintheKurosawa samuraiepics.‘Ithinkit’sbetter,’hereplied.

‘TheWildBunchis a verycommercial picture,thankGod,’Peckinpah says.‘Ijusthappenedto putsomeofmyselfintoit.’It isimportantto

Peckinpah thatTheWildBunchbea ‘commercial’ picture andplayto

largeaudiences, andnotonlytoretrieve itslargebudget(approaching, by commonestimate,$8 million),Peckinpah’s filmspeaksin common, proletarianthemesandis effective for eventhe mostunsophisticated audiences. Its firstappealis to thevulgarsensibility: callouskillings,

bawdyjokes,boyishhorse-play. TheWildBunchflauntsthevulgar

exhilaration ofkilling.LikethebestofAmerican filmsofviolence, The WildBunchhasit bothways:it usesviolence toexciteandthenapplies moreviolence tocomment ontheexcitement. Andlikesuchindigenous, murderous American masterpieces asUnderworld, Scarface, TheKilling, BonnieandClyde,TheWildBunchputsthestingerinthebutterfly; the violence movesbeyonditself,becoming something muchmorevirulent: artifice. Peckinpahcarefullymanageshis violence,bargainingbetweenthe violencethe audiencewantsandtheviolencehe is preparedto give. Peckinpah usesviolence thewayeverydramatisthas,to maketheplot turn.Thenheappliesvicarious violence totheplotmechanism. Wedon’t reallycarewhetherit’slogical ifso-and-so iskilled;weneedmorebloodto

satiateourappetite. Most‘serious’ warfilmsdonotprogress beyond

74 Schrader onSchrader vicariousness; wesimplywanttobebetterwarheroes.Atthefinallevel, themostdifficult, Peckinpah goesbeyondvicariousness tosuperfluity. We nolongerwanttheviolence, butit’sstillcoming. Violence thencaneither becomegratuitous ortranscend itself.Peckinpah enjoyswalkingthethin

linebetween destructive andconstructive violence. Formuch ofthefilmhe

allowstheviolence to vergeongratuity,until,at onemoment,it shifts gearsandmovesbeyonditself.ForPeckinpah, thismoment occursduring the literalMexicanstand-offat Mepache’s AquaVerdeencampment. Holdenshootsthegeneralastwohundredsoldierswatchon.Asilence

falls;noonemoves. Afewsoldiers tentatively raisetheirhands; theWild Bunchers lookateachotherandbegintolaugh.Thisiswhattheirlives haveledto,onebriefmomentbetween lifeanddeath.Andintodeaththey

plunge,the goreand bodiesmountinghigherandhigher.

RobertWarshow wrotethattheWestern waspopularbecause itcreated

a milieuin whichviolence wasacceptable. Afteryearsof simplistic Westerns, Peckinpah wantstodefine thatmilieu moreprecisely. Violence, Peckinpah seemsto say,isacceptable andedifiable primarily forthe spectator. Itmayalsobeedifiable fortheparticipant, butonlytotheextent that it is suicidal.LiketheWesterncode,it succeedsmostwhenit is self-

destructive. Tobeofanyvalue,violence mustmovefromvicariousness to

artifice. Thespectator mustbeleft‘disinterested’ intheArnoldian sense, evaluating whathehadpreviously revelled in. Inthepost-slaughter epilogue ofTheWildBunchPeckinpah rubsthe

spectator’snoseinthekillinghehassorecentlyenjoyed.Newkillersarrive

to replacetheold.Awayoflifehasdied,butthedyingcontinues. Ina

departing gesture ofshocking perversity Peckinpah brings backthefade-in fade-out laughing facesofeachoftheWildBunch killers tothestirring chorusof ‘LaGolondrina’. ThisisSamPeckinpah’s MountRushmore: fourworn-outfrontiersmenwhoran out of landto conquerandwentto

Mexicoto killandbekilled.Itisa blatantparodyofFord’sLongGrey

Lineandthepetulant perversity ofit,likethefinalgunning downof Bonnie andClyde, throws theviewer outofthemovie andintotherealm of art.Itisoneofthestrongest emotional kickbacks ofanyfilm.Theviewer

leavesthetheatrealone,shattered, tryingtosortoutthemuddlePeckinpah hasmadeofhisemotions. AfriendafterseeingTheWildBunchforthe firsttimeremarked, ‘Ifeeldirtyallthewaythrough.’ Peckinpah wouldn’t

haveitanyotherway.

TheWesterners ofTheWildBunchhaveonlytheremnants ofthecode. Theymouthmanyof the familiarplatitudesbut thehonourandthe purposeareabsent.Thecynicism hashardened;it no longerprotects

CriticalWritings75

another setofvalues, butisawayoflifeinitself.WhenAngel, theonly Mexican WildBuncher, grieves overhisrecently murdered father, Holden

perfunctorily admonishes him,‘Eitheryoulearntolivewithitorweleave youhere.’AsHoldenexplains later,‘$10,000 cutsanawfullotoffamily ties.” TheWildBunchdohavetheirparticular code,whichtheyliketothink

separates themfromtheothers. Concerning Mapache, Borgnine remarks, ‘Weain’tnothing likehim.Wedon’tkillnobody.’ WhenBenJohnson

threatens toleavetheBunch, Holdenwarnshim,‘IeitherleadthisBunchor enditrightnow.’Andlater,‘When yousidewithamanyoustaywithhim.If youcan’tdothatyou’renobetterthananimal.You’refinished. We’re finished.’ ButtheironyoftheWildBunchisthattheyarefinished, andthat

theyarelittlemorethananimals. TheBunch hastakenonthecharacteristicswhichMcCrearepudiated inHighCountry. WarrenOates,playing oneofthevulgarized, psychopathic Hammond brothersinHighCountry, explodes infrustrated angerduringthefinalshoot-out, wildlyshooting at somenearbychickens. InTheWildBunchthereisasimilarscenewhenBen

Johnson, afterheandOateshaverefused topayayoung whoreanhonest wage,playswitha babysparrow, killing it.Unlike Blasingame inThe

Westerner, theWildBunchdrawtheirgunsoften,withlittlepurposeand obvious delight. McCrea andScotthavedied,theHammond brothers have firmedupandheadedforMexico. ItcouldbesaidthattheBunchrepresents ‘better’ Westerners, incontrasttothebroadcomedy bountyhunters,but

thiswasnotPeckinpah’s primary intent. ‘Iwanted toshowthateachgroup

wasnobetterthanthenext,’hesays.Theonlythingthatdistinguishes the WildBunchistheirabilitytodieappropriately. TheWildBunchis not a ‘Western’ in the senseof RidetheHigh Country.(Peckinpah claimsthatneitherisaWestern. Although hedoesn’t mindbeinglabelleda “Western director’, hestates,‘Ihavenevermadea ““Western’’. Ihavemade alot offilmsaboutmenonhorseback.’) Thefilm isnotaboutanantiquated Western code,butaboutWesterners bereftof the code.TheBunchare not Westernerswho kill,but are killersin the

West.RidetheHighCountrygavea perspective onwhythecodewas valuable; TheWildBunchgivesa perspective ontheagethatcouldbelieve

theWestern codewasvaluable.

Themetaphor fortheoldmenofTheWildBunchbecomes, ironically, children.Peckinpah doesnotemphasize theirhonour,buttheirinfantilism.Thefilmbeginswiththeframeofthenaivelycruelvillagechildren. AfterMapache’s disastrous defeatatthehandsofVilla,ayoungmessenger

boyproudly strutswiththegeneral awayfromthebloody LasTrancas

battlescene.Itisachildwho,inthefinalbattle,terminates themassacre by killingHolden.AtAngel’s village(ascenewhichPeckinpah considers the

76 Schrader onSchrader mostimportantin thefilm),anoldvillagerandpeasantrevolutionary, ChanoUreuta,characterizes theBunchinaconversation withHoldenand O’Brien. ‘Wealldreamofbeingchildren,’ hesays,‘eventheworstofus.

Perhaps theworstmorethanothers.’ “Youknowwhatwearethen?’

Holdenasks.‘Yes,bothofyou.’Ureutareplies.‘Allthreeofus!’Holden laughs.Peckinpah conceived ofhischaracters aschildren andmadeobject lessonsof themthe waywe do of children.“Theyare all children,’ Peckinpah says.‘Weareallchildren.’ In TheWildBunchPeckinpah comesto termswiththemostviolent aspectsofhispersonality. Along-time acquaintance ofPeckinpah recently saidofhim,‘IthinkheisthebestdirectorinAmerica, butIalsothinkheis afascist.” Hewasusingtheterm‘fascist’ personally ratherthanpolitically. Peckinpah hasa violent,domineering streak.ThereisinPeckinpah the beliefthattheultimatetestofmanhoodisthesuppression ofothers.He

maintains animpressive collection ofguns,andhisCalifornia homeis keptupby‘Spanish domestics’, householders whodonotspeakEnglish. Peckinpah is,in a sense,a colonialin hisownhome.A goodfriendof Peckinpah recalled thatoncehecameintothedirector’s officeandfound himintentlywatchinga cageon hisdesk.In the cagewasa resting rattlesnake andapetrified whitemouse.Therattlerhadalreadyeatenone

mouse; probably thesurvivor’s mate,andwasnowcontentedly digesting

thelargebulgeinitsstomach.‘Whodoyouthinkwillwin?’Peckinpah askedhisfriend.“Youwill,Sam,’thefriendreplied. ThefascistedgeofPeckinpah’s personality doesnotmakehimparticularlyunique.Itisatraitheshareswithdirectors likeDonSiegel, Howard Hawks,SamuelFuller,AnthonyMannandalltherestofuswhohave

always wanted tobelieve thatthosehorse-riding killers werereally making

theWestsafeforthewomenfolk. WhatmakesPeckinpah uniqueishis abilityto comefaceto facewiththefascistqualityof hispersonality, Americanfilms,andAmerica,andturnitintoart.(Irealizethat‘fascist’isa

particularly viciousepithet.Butitsviciousness implies pain—andpainis

thecathartic emotion Peckinpah experiences ashemoves awayfromthe

oldWestofyouth.) In TheWildBunchSamPeckinpah staresintotheheartof hisown fascism. Whathadbeenformerly protectedbythecodeislaidbare.The Westerngenreisideallysuitedtosuchanexamination; Jean-Luc Godard hasnotedthattheWestern istheonlysurviving popularfascistartform.In thepasttheWesternhadbeenableto perpetuate themythof itsown altruism,but,forPeckinpah, thatmythhaddieditshonourable deathin HighCountry. TheWesterners ofTheWildBunchhavelosttheircode— onlythefascism remains. ThepowerofTheWildBunchliesinthefactthat

CriticalWritings77 thisfascismisnotpeculiarto Peckinpah, butisAmerican at heart.The America whichcreatedtheWestern(andtheCommunist Conspiracy) is theAmerica Peckinpah determined toevaluate inhisownlife. Like America’sformer macho-in-residence, Ernest Hemingway,Sam

Peckinpah fightshisprivatebattlesinpublic,bothinlifeandart,butunlike Hemingway Peckinpah comesincreasingly totermswithhisownpersona

asheages.AsHemingway approached deathherelied increasingly onhis

code;asPeckinpah growsolderheprogressively discards his,preferring to confrontdeathhead-on.TheWildBunchis TheOldManandtheSea withoutaboat,a greatfish,oranativeboy.Thegreatanguish ofTheWild Bunchistheanguishofa fascistpersonality comingtotermswithitself: recognizing itsloveofdomination andkilling,andattempting toevaluate It.

Thenewpsychopaths inthebestofrecentAmerican films—Bonnieand Clyde,PointBlank,PrettyPoison—havehada strongenvironmental contextinwhichtomaketheirkillings plausible, whetherit betherural Texasof theDepression era,garishnewLosAngeles, or thepolluted Massachusetts countryside. Codeless, SamPeckinpah goestothelandhe lovesbesttorecreateandunderstand hisviolence: Mexico. Peckinpah has livedinMexicooffandonduringthepastfewyears(arefugefromthe Hollywood ordeal)andis a studentof Mexicancustomsandhistory. “Mexico isthegreatestplace,’Peckinpah says.‘Youhavetogothere,just tositbackandrest.Youhavetogotheretogetyourself straightened out.’

Peckinpah thinks ofTheWildBunch asaMexican film.‘Itiswhatreally

happenswhenkillersgotoMexico.Itismycomment onRichardBrooks and TheProfessionals.’ Brooks’s1966south-of-the-border adventure storytreatedMexicoasfacilely asit didtheAmericans whowentthere; JohnHuston’s1948TreasureofSierraMadreismuchmoreto Peckin-

pah’sliking. ‘Treasure ofSierra Madre isoneofmyfavourite films. Infact, TheWildBunchissortofearlyHuston.EversinceIsawthatfilmI’vebeen chasingHuston.’It wasnotso muchHuston’smoralistic storywhich impressed Peckinpah, buthisexpressive useoftheMexicanmilieu(of TreasurethelateJamesAgeewrote,‘Idoubtweshalleverseea finer

portrait ofMexico andMexicans’). Mexico hadlentadepthtoTreasure, a depthPeckinpah wanted topursue inTheWildBunch. Ageeto thecontrary,Huston’s characterization ofMexicans wasnotso muchincisive asit wasstereotyped —a faultwhichPeckinpah unfortunatelyshares.Mexicansfit into pre-existing categories: federalistas,

78 Schrader onSchrader

bandolPeckinpah’s bandits, Mexican LikeHuston’s caudillos. rurales, sense erosspeakbroken English, havebadbreath, andpossess acharming Gold-HatinTreasure(‘Badges? Wedon’t of humour.AlfonsoBedoya’s needno stinkingbadges’)istheprototypeofJorgeRussek’sLtZamorrain

youongreatbraveryyouhave TheWildBunch(‘Iwantto congratulate were wantedto showthattheMexicans (allvarieties) done’).Peckinpah

the nolesspsychopathic thantheAmericans, butcompared totheBunch (witha fewnotableexceptions likeAngel’s girlTeresaandthe Mexicans

oldUrueta)seemcolonialsubjects.

ButTheWildBunchisonlysecondarily abouttheindividual psychology

oftheMexicans; itisprimarily concerned withthemoodoftheircountry. whogo Peckinpah’s filmisnotaboutMexicans, butmurderous Americans Mexicois muchmorepowerfully drawnthan to Mexico.Peckinpah’s resembles theMexicoof LuisBunuel’s Huston’sandmoreaccurately films.AlthoughPeckinpahdoesnot achievethe individualMexican

deun psychology offilmslikeLosOlvidados, Subdida alCielo, Ensayo

savagemoodof Crimen,Nazarin,heis ableto capturetheirrationally Mexico.Thecomparison wouldpleasePeckinpah. ‘IlovedLos Bufuel’s hesays.‘Iknowthatterritorywell.I’velivedthere.I would Olvidados,’ liketo makeChildrenof Sanchezoneday.TheWildBunchis onlya Theopening shotofthetauntedscorpion inTheWildBunchis beginning.’ almostidenticalto the openingshot of Bufuel’s1930L’Aged’Or,

Peckinpah sayshehasnever seentheBufiuel film(theideaforthe although

battlein TheWildBunchoriginated withactor-director ant-scorpion Mexico,like EmilioFernandez,who playsMapache).Peckinpah’s isa placewhereviolence isnotonlyplausible, butinescapable. Bunuel’s, wasrecently askedwhichfilmsstoodoutbestinhismemory. Peckinpah Point,Rashomon, MyDarlingClementine, Hestartedtoreply,‘Breaking AceintheHole,’andthenheabruptlyadded,‘Ifyoureallywanttoknow JoséCelacalled aboutTheWildBunchyoushouldreadabookbyCamilo dePascualDuarte.’Itisfromthesensibility ofPascual Duarte, LaFamilia drawsthe a seminalbookin modernSpanishliterature,thatPeckinpah ofTheWildBunchmeaningful. On frameinwhichtomaketheviolence

levelthereisaninstant meeting oftheminds between themostimmediate Cela’sdedication to PascualDuartecouldserve Celaand Peckinpah. for TheWildBunch:‘I dedicatethisthirteenthand as the frontpiece editionofmyPascualDuartetomyenemies whohavebeenof definitive suchhelpto me in mycareer.’TheWildBunchsharesthemesand withPascualDuartewhichdonotfigureinPeckinpah’s earlier sentiments

‘I’mnotmadetophilosophize,’ Pascual writes inhisdiary,‘Idon’t films.

formakingbloodto havetheheartforit.Myheartismorelikeamachine

CriticalWritings 79

bespiltina knifefight. . .”McCrea andScottwerephilosophers first,

killerssecond:HoldenandBorgnine arelaconicpsychopaths likeDuarte. Pascual’s wifesaysto him,‘Bloodseemsa kindoffertilizer inyourlife.’ Pascualdedicateshisdiaryto ‘Thememoryofthedistinguishedpatrician DonJesusGonzalezdelaRiva,CountofTorremejia,who,at themoment

whentheauthorofthischronicle cametokillhim,calledhimPascualillo,

andsmiled.’ Peckinpah tellsasimilar story:‘Ioncelivedwithawonderful

maninMexico. Hewasthemosttrustworthy manIhaveevermet.I would havedoneanythingforhim;I wouldhaveputmyfamilyinhiscare.He tookmeforeverycent.Atruefriendisonewhoisreallyabletoscrewyou.’ LikePascual,theWildBunchdisguise theirbarbarityinboyishinno-

cence. Whenever Pascual mentions hogsorhisbehind headds‘begging

yourpardon’andthengoesontodescribe themostsavageacts.Justbefore theinitialmassacre inTheWildBunchtheBunchstrollinsouciantly down themainstreet,helping anoldwomanacrossthestreet.Likethescorpiontorturingchildren ofTheWildBunch,thechildren ofPascualDuartetease

injured dogs,sheep, anddrown kittens inthewatering-trough, lifting them outofthewaterfromtimetotime‘toprevent theirgetting outoftheir

miserytooquickly’. LikePascual, theWildBuncharepicaros,menwho roamthecountryinanever-ending war,spawning arichheritage ofdeath andsuffering. ItisintothistraditionofSpanish suffering, thetraditionof Cela,thatPeckinpah thrustshisbattle-weary Westerners. Mexicorepresentsan older,moreprimitiveculture,a placewhere violence canstillhavemeaning onthefunctional level.Astheworksof OscarLewisindicate,theMexicanpeasantstillregardsthemacho—the

MexicanWesterner—asapracticalprototype,andnotjusta mythological

figure.MexicoistheidealplaceforanoldWesterner to go to givehis

violence meaning. TheAmerican frontier hasbeensuperseded bythemore sophisticated mayhem ofthecity,butinMexico thereisanon-going

traditionofsignificant violence. Thereyoucanfilla hero’sgrave,evenifit is a shallowone.InMexicoyoucanextendtheexternalfrontier,and postponetheconquest oftheinternalfrontier.TheMexicoof 1914was theWildBunch’s Vietnam, a placewherethewolfoffascism goestowear thesheepskin ofpurpose. Mexicocannotjustifythe Westerner’s fascism,butit canbringthe Westerner toanhonourable end.IfHolden,Borgnine, OatesandJohnson doentertheirhomesjustified it isnotbecause ofanyintrinsicvirtue,but becauseoftheirenthusiastic demise.Deprived ofboththemythical and functional qualities ofhischaracter, Holdendiestheonlywayheknows how— withhisbootson.ButPeckinpah hasthesensitivity, self-awareness, andfeelingforAmerica andMexicotogivehisdeathpoignancy andart.

80 Schraderon Schrader

TheWildBunchisa powerfulfilmbecauseit comesfromthegutof America, andfromamanwhoistryingtogetAmerica outofhisgut.The traumaofex-patriotism isacommon themeinAmerican art,butnowhere isthepainquitesoevident asinthelifeofSamPeckinpah. TheWildBunch istheagonyofa Westerner whostayedtoolong,andit istheagonyof America. Cinema, Volume5,No.3,1970

NotesonFilmNoir In1946Frenchcritics,seeingtheAmerican filmstheyhadmissedduring

thewar,noticedthenewmoodofcynicism, pessimism anddarkness which hadcreptintotheAmerican cinema. Thedarkening stainwasmost evidentin routinecrimethrillers,butwasalsoapparentin prestigious melodramas. TheFrenchcinéastes soonrealizedtheyhadseenonlythetipofthe iceberg: astheyearswentby,Hollywood lighting grewdarker,characters

morecorrupt, themes morefatalistic andthetonemorehopeless. By1949 American movies wereinthethroesoftheirdeepest andmostcreative

funk.Neverbeforehadfilmsdaredtotakesuchaharshuncomplimentary lookatAmerican life,andtheywouldnotdaretodosoagainfortwenty years. Hollywood’s filmnoirhasrecentlybecomethe subjectof renewed

interest among movie-goers andcritics. Thefascination filmnoirholdsfor

today’syoungfilm-goers andfilmstudentsreflects recenttrendsinAmericancinema:American moviesareagaintakingalookat theunderside of theAmerican character, butcompared tosuchrelentlessly cynical filmnoir asKissMeDeadlyorKissTomorrow Goodbye, thenewself-hate cinema

ofEasyRiderandMedium Coolseems naiveandromantic. Asthecurrent political moodhardens, film-goers andfilm-makers willfindthefilmnoir

ofthelatefortiesincreasingly attractive. Thefortiesmaybetotheseventies whatthethirtiesweretothesixties. Filmnoiris equallyinteresting to critics.It offerswritersa cacheof excellent, little-known films(filmnoirisoddlybothoneofHollywood’s bestperiodsandleastknown),andgivesauteur-weary criticsanopportunityto applythemselves to thenewerquestions of classification and transdirectorial style.Afterall,whatisafilmnoir?

CriticalWritings81

Filmnoirisnotagenre(asRaymond Durgnat hashelpfully pointed out

overtheobjections ofHighamandGreenberg’s Hollywood intheForties). Itisnotdefined, asaretheWestern andgangster genres,byconventions of settingandconflict,butratherbythemoresubtlequalitiesoftoneand mood.Itisafilm‘noir’,asopposedtothepossible variantsoffilmgreyor filmoff-white. Filmnoir is also a specificperiodof filmhistory,like German Expressionism or theFrenchNewWave.Ingeneral,filmnoirrefersto thoseHollywood filmsofthefortiesandearlyfiftieswhichportrayedthe worldofdark,slickcitystreets,crimeandcorruption.

Filmnoirisanextremely unwieldy period.It harksbackto many

previousperiods:Warners’thirtiesgangsterfilms,the French‘poetic realism’of Carné and Duvivier,Von Sternbergianmelodrama,and, farthestback,GermanExpressionistcrimefilms(Lang’sMabusecycle).

FilmnoircanstretchatitsouterlimitsfromTheMaltese Falcon(1941)to

TouchofEvil(1958), andalmost everydramatic Hollywood filmfrom

I94I to 1953containssomenoir elements.Thereare alsoforeign

offshootsoffilmnoir,suchas TheThirdMan,BreathlessandLeDoulos.

Almosteverycritichashisowndefinition offilmnoir,anda personal list offilmtitlesanddatestobackit up.Personal anddescriptive definitions,

however, canget a bitsticky. Afilmofurbannightlife isnotnecessarily a

filmnoir,anda filmnoirneednotnecessarily concerncrimeandcorruption.Sincefilmnoirisdefinedbytoneratherthangenre,it isalmost impossible to argueonecritic’sdescriptive definition againstanother’s. Howmanynoirelements doesittaketomakeafilmnoirnoir? Ratherthanhaggledefinitions, Iwouldattempttoreducefilmnoirtoits

primary colours (allshades ofblack), thosecultural andstylistic elements towhichanydefinition mustreturn.

Attheriskofsounding likeArthurKnight, Iwouldsuggest thattherewere fourconditions inHollywood inthefortieswhichbroughtaboutthefilm

noir.(Thedanger ofKnight’s Liveliest Artmethod isthatitmakesfilm

historylessamatterofstructural analysis, andmorea caseofartisticand socialforcesmagically interacting andcoalescing.) Eachofthefollowing four catalyticelements,however,can definethe filmnoir; the distinctly

noirtonalitydrawsfromeachoftheseelements. Warandpost-wardisillusionment. TheacutedownerwhichhittheUS aftertheSecond WorldWarwas,infact,a delayed reactiontothethirties. AllthroughtheDepression, movieswereneededto keeppeople’s spirits up,and,forthemostpart,theydid.Thecrimefilmsofthisperiodwere HoratioAlgerish andsocially conscious. Towardstheendofthethirtiesa

82 Schraderon Schrader

darkercrimefilmbeganto appear(YouOnlyLiveOnce,TheRoaring

Twenties) andwereitnotforthewarfilmnoirwouldhavebeenatfull

steambytheearlyforties. TheneedtoproduceAlliedpropaganda abroadandpromotepatriotism athomebluntedthefledgling movestowardsa darkcinema,andthefilm noirthrashedaboutinthestudiosystem,notquiteabletocomeintofull

prominence. During thewarthefirstuniquely filmsnoirsappeared: The

MalteseFalcon,TheGlassKey,ThisGunforHire,Laura,butthesefilms lackedthedistinctly noirbitetheendofthewarwouldbring. Assoonasthewarwasover,however, American filmsbecame markedly moresardonic —andtherewasaboominthecrimefilm.Forfifteenyears thepressuresagainstAmerica’s amelioristic cinemahadbeenbuilding up,and,giventhefreedom, audiences andartistswerenoweagertotakea lessoptimistic viewofthings.Thedisillusionment manysoldiers,small

businessmen andhousewife/factory employees feltin returning to a

peacetime economy wasdirectlymirroredinthesordidness oftheurban crimefilm. Thisimmediate post-wardisillusionment wasdirectlydemonstrated in filmslikeCornered, TheBlueDahlia,DeadReckoning andRidea Pink Horse,inwhicha serviceman returnsfromthewartofindhissweetheart unfaithfulor dead,or hisbusinesspartnercheatinghim,or thewhole society something lessthanworthfighting for.Thewarcontinues, butnow theantagonism turnswithanewviciousness towardstheAmerican society itself.

Post-war realism. Shortly afterthewareveryfilm-producing country

hada resurgence ofrealism.InAmerica it firsttooktheformoffilmsby such producersas Louisde Rochemont(Houseon 92nd Street, Call

Northside777)and MarkHellinger(TheKillers,BruteForce),and directors likeHenryHathaway andJulesDassin.‘Every scenewasfilmed

ontheactuallocation depicted,’ the1947deRochemont—Hathaway Kiss of Deathproudlyproclaimed. Evenafterde Rochemont’s particular ‘MarchofTime’authenticity fellfromvogue,realistic exteriors remained apermanent fixtureoffilmnoir. TherealisticmovementalsosuitedAmerica’s post-warmood;the

public’s desire foramorehonest andharshviewofAmerica would notbe satisfied bythesamestudiostreets theyhadbeenwatching fora dozen years.Thepost-warrealistictrendsucceeded inbreakingfilmnoiraway fromthedomainofthehigh-class melodrama, placingit whereit more properlybelonged, inthestreetswitheveryday people.Inretrospect, the pre-deRochemont filmsnoirslookdefinitely tamerthanthepost-war

realistic films. Thestudio lookoffilms likeTheBigSleep andTheMaskof

CriticalWritings 83

Dimitrios blunts theirsting,making themseem politeandconventional in

contrastto theirlater,morerealisticcounterparts. TheGermaninfluence. Hollywood playedhosttoaninfluxofGerman expatriates inthetwenties andthirties,andthesefilm-makers andtechnicianshad,forthemostpart,integratedthemselvesinto theAmericanfilm

establishment. Hollywood neverexperienced the‘Germanization’ some

civic-minded natives feared, andthereisadanger ofover-emphasizing the German influence infilmnoir. Butwhen,inthelateforties,Hollywooddecidedto paintit black,there

wereno greatermastersofchiaroscuro thantheGermans. Theinfluence of Expressionist lightinghas alwaysbeenjustbeneaththe surfaceof

Hollywood films, anditisnotsurprising, infilmnoir,tofinditbursting outfullbloom. Neither isitsurprising tofindalargenumber ofGermans andEastEuropeans workinginfilmnoir:FritzLang,RobertSiodmak,

BillyWilder,Franz Waxman,Otto Preminger,John Brahm,Anatole

Litvak,KarlFreund,Max Ophiils,John Alton,DouglasSirk,Fred Zinnemann, WilliamDieterle,MaxSteiner,EabeeG. Ulmer,Curtis

Bernhardt, Rudolph Maté.

OnthesurfacetheGermanExpressionist influence, withitsreliance on artificial studiolighting, seemsincompatible withpost-warrealism, with itsharshunadornedexteriors;butit is theuniquequalityoffilmnoir thatitwasabletoweldseemingly contradictory elements intoa uniform style.The bestoir technicians simplymadeall the worlda sound stage,directingunnaturaland Expressionistic lightingon to realistic settings.In filmslikeUnionStation,TheyLivebyNight,TheKillers thereis anuneasy,exhilarating combination ofrealismandExpressionism.

Perhaps thegreatestmasterofnoirwasHungarian-born JohnAlton,an Expressionist cinematographer whocouldrelightTimesSquareatnoonif necessary. No cinematographer betteradaptedthe old Expressionist techniquesto the new desirefor realism,and his black-and-white photography insuchgrittyfilmsnoirsas T-Men,RawDeal,I theJury, TheBigComboequalsthatofsuchGermanExpressionist mastersasFritz WagnerandKarlFreund.

Thehard-boiled tradition. Another stylistic influence waiting inthe

wingswasthe‘hard-boiled’ schoolofwriters.Inthethirtiesauthorssuch asErnestHemingway,DashiellHammett,RaymondChandler,JamesM.

Cain,HoraceMcCoyandJohnO’Haracreatedthe‘tough’, acynical way ofactingandthinkingwhichseparatedonefromtheworldofeveryday emotions —romanticism witha protective shell.Thehard-boiled writers

hadtheirrootsinpulpfiction orjournalism, andtheirprotagonists lived

84 Schrader onSchrader

outa narcissistic, defeatist code.Thehard-boiled herowas,inreality, a

softeggcompared to hisexistential counterpart (Camusissaidto have basedTheStranger onMcCoy), buttheywerea gooddealtougherthan anything American fictionhadseen.

Whenthemovies oftheforties turnedtotheAmerican ‘tough’ moral understrata, thehard-boiled school waswaiting withpre-set conventions ofheroes,minorcharacters, plots,dialogue andthemes.LiketheGerman expatriates,thehard-boiledwritershada stylemadeto orderforfilmnoir;

and,inturn,theyinfluenced noirscreenwriting asmuchastheGermans

influenced noircinematography. Themosthard-boiled ofHollywood’s writers wasRaymond Chandler

himself, whosescriptofDoubleIndemnity (fromaJamesM.Cainstory) wasthebestwrittenandmostcharacteristically noiroftheperiod.Double

Indemnity wasthefirstfilmwhichplayedfilmnoirforwhatitessentially was:small-time, unredeemed, unheroic; itmadeabreakfromtheroman-

ticnoircinema ofMildred Pierce andTheBigSleep. (Initsfinalstages, however, filmnoiradapted thenbypassed thehardboiledschool.Manic,neurotic,post-1949filmssuchas KissTomorrow Goodbye,D.O.A.,WheretheSidewalkEnds,WhiteHeat,TheBigHeat

areallpost-hard-boiled: theairintheseregions waseventoothinforold-

timecynics likeChandler.)

Stylistics. Thereisnotyetastudyofthestylistics offilmnoir,andthetask iscertainly toolargeto beattempted here.Likeallfilmmovements film noirdrewuponareservoir offilmtechniques, andgiventhetimeonecould correlateits techniques, themesand causalelementsintoastylistic

schemata. Forthepresent, however, I’dliketopointoutsome offilmnoir’s recurring techniques. —Themajorityofscenesarelitfornight.Gangsters sitintheoffices at middaywiththeshadespulledandthelightsoff.Ceilinglightsarehung lowandfloorlampsareseldommorethanfivefeethigh.Onealwayshas

thesuspicion thatifthelights wereallsuddenly flipped on,thecharacters wouldshrinkfromthescene likeCountDracula atnoontime. —AsinGermanExpressionism, obliqueandverticallinesarepreferred tohorizontal. Obliquity adherestothechoreography ofthecity,andisin directopposition to thehorizontalAmerican traditionof Griffithand Ford.Obliquelinestendto splintera screen,makingit restlessand unstable.Lightentersthedingyroomsoffilmnoirinsuchoddshapes— jaggedtrapezoids, obtusetriangles, verticalslits—thatonesuspects the windows werecutoutwithapenknife. Nocharacter canspeakauthoritativelyfromaspacewhichisbeingcontinually cutintoribbonsoflight.The

CriticalWritings85

Anthony Mann/John AltonT-Men isthemostdramatic butfarfromthe

onlyexample ofobliquenoirchoreography. —Theactorsandsettingareoftengivenequallightingemphasis. An actorisoftenhiddenin therealistictableauofthecityat night,and,more

obviously, hisfaceisoftenblacked outbyshadow ashespeaks. These shadow effects areunlikethefamous Warner Brothers lighting ofthe

thirtiesinwhichthecentralcharacter wasaccentuated bya heavyshadow; infilmnoir,thecentralcharacterislikelyto bestandingintheshadow. Whentheenvironment isgivenanequalorgreaterweightthantheactor, it, of course,createsa fatalistic,hopelessmood.Thereis nothingthe

protagonist cando;thecitywilloutlast andnegate evenhisbestefforts.

—Compositional tensionispreferred tophysical action.Atypicalfilm noirwouldrathermovethescenecinematographically aroundtheactor thanhavetheactorcontrolthescenebyphysicalaction.Thebeatingof RobertRyaninTheSet-Up, thegunning downofFarleyGrangerinThey

LivebyNight, theexecution ofthetaxidriver inTheEnforcer andofBrian

Donlevy inTheBigComboareallmarkedbymeasured pacing,restrained angerandoppressive compositions, andseemmuchclosertothefilmnoir spiritthantherat-tat-tatandscreeching tyresofScarface twentyyears beforeor theviolentexpression actionsof Underworld U.S.A. tenyears later. : —ThereseemstobeanalmostFreudian attachment towater.Theempty noirstreetsarealmostalwaysglistening withfreshevening rain(evenin LosAngeles), andtherainfalltendstoincrease indirectproportion tothe drama.Docksandpiersaresecondonlytoalleyways asthemostpopular rendezvous points. —Thereisa loveofromanticnarration.InsuchfilmsasThePostman Always RingsTwice, Laura,DoubleIndemnity, TheLadyfromShanghai, Outof thePastandSunsetBoulevard thenarrationcreatesa moodof tempsperdu:an irretrievable past,a predetermined fateand an allenveloping hopelessness. InOutofthePastRobertMitchumrelateshis historywithsuchpatheticrelishthatitisobviousthereisnohopeforany future:onecanonlytakepleasureinreliving a doomedpast. —A complexchronological orderis frequently usedto reinforcethe feelingsof hopelessness andlosttime.Suchfilmsas TheEnforcer,The Killers, MildredPierce,TheDarkPast,Chicago Deadline, OutofthePast andTheKilling useaconvoluted timesequence toimmerse theviewerina time-disoriented but highlystylizedworld.Themanipulation of time, whetherslightorcomplex, isoftenusedtoreinforce a noirprinciple: the howisalwaysmoreimportantthanthewhat.

86 Schraderon Schrader

Themes. Raymond Durgnathasdelineated thethemesoffilmnoirinan

excellent articleinBritish Cinema magazine (“The Family TreeofFilm

Noir’,August1970),anditwouldbefoolishformetoattempttoredohis thoroughworkinthisshortspace.Durgnatdividesfilmnoirintoeleven thematiccategories, andalthoughonemightcriticize someofhisspecific groupings, hedoescoverthewholegamutofnoirproduction (themati-

callycategorizing over300films). IneachofDurgnat’s noirthemes (whether Black Widow, Killers-on-therun,Doppelgdngers) onefindsthattheupwardlymobileforcesof the thirtieshavehalted;frontierism hasturnedtoparanoiaandclaustrophobia.Thesmall-time gangster hasnowmadeitbigandsitsinthemayor’s chair,theprivateeyehasquitthepoliceforceindisgust,andtheyoung heroine,sickofgoingalongfortheride,istakingothersfora ride.

Durgnat, however, doesnottouchuponwhatisperhaps themost overriding noirtheme: thereisapassion forthepastandpresent, butafear of the future.The zoir hero dreadsto look ahead,but insteadtries to

survive bytheday,andifunsuccessful atthat,heretreatstothepast.Thus filmnoir’stechniques emphasize loss,nostalgia, lackofclearpriorities,

insecurity; thensubmerge theseself-doubts inmannerism andstyle.In suchaworldstylebecomes paramount; itisallthatseparates onefrom meaninglessness. Chandlerdescribed thisfundamental noirthemewhen hedescribed hisownfictional world:‘Itisnotaveryfragrantworld,butit istheworldyoulivein,andcertainwriterswithtoughmindsanda cool

spiritofdetachment canmakeveryinteresting patterns outofit.’

Filmnoircanbesubdivided intothreebroadphases. Thefirst,thewartime period,1941—6 approximately, wasthephaseoftheprivateeyeandthe lonewolf,ofChandler,HammettandGreene,ofBogartandBacall,Ladd

andLake,classydirectorslikeCurtizandGarnett,studiosetsand,in

general, moretalkthanaction. Thestudio lookofthisperiod wasreflected

insuchpicturesasTheMaltese Falcon,Casablanca, Gaslight, ThisGun for Hire,TheLodger,Womanin theWindow,MildredPierce,Spellbound,TheBigSleep,Laura,TheLostWeekend, TheStrangeLoveof MarthaIvers,ToHaveandToHaveNot,FallenAngel,Gilda,MurderMy Sweet,ThePostman Always RingsTwice,DarkWaters,Scarlet Street,So DarktheNight,TheGlassKey,TheMaskofDimitrios, TheDarkMirror. TheWilder—Chandler DoubleIndemnity provided a bridgetothepostwarphaseoffilmnoir.Theunflinching noirvisionofDoubleIndemnity cameasashockin1944,andthefilmwasalmostblocked bythecombined effortsofParamount, theHaysOfficeandstarFredMacMurray. Three

CriticalWritings87

yearslater,however, DoubleIndemnitys weredropping offthestudio assembly lines.

Thesecondphasewasthepost-warrealisticperiodfrom1945—9 (the datesoverlapandsodothefilms;theseareallapproximate phasesfor whichtherearemanyexceptions). Thesefilmstendedmoretowardthe problems ofcrimeinthestreets,politicalcorruption andpoliceroutine. LessromanticheroeslikeRichardConte,BurtLancaster andCharles

McGraw weremoresuited tothisperiod, aswereproletarian directors like Hathaway, DassinandKazan.Therealistic urbanlookofthisphaseisseen in suchfilmsas TheHouseon 92ndStreet,TheKillers,RawDeal,Actof

Violence, UnionStation,KissofDeath,JohnnyO’Clock, ForceofEvil,

DeadReckoning, RidethePinkHorse, DarkPassage, CryoftheCity,The

Set-Up,T-Men,CallNorthside 777,BruteForce,TheBigClock,Thieves Highway, Ruthless, Pitfall,Boomerang!, TheNakedCity. Thethirdandfinalphaseoffilmnoir,from1949—53, wastheperiodof psychotic actionandsuicidal impulse. Theoir hero,seemingly underthe weightoftenyearsofdespair,startedtogobananas. Thepsychotic killer,

whohadinthefirstperiodbeena subject worthyofstudy(Olivia de

Havillandin TheDarkMirror),in theseconda fringethreat(Richard Widmarkin KissofDeath),nowbecametheactiveprotagonist (James Cagneyin KissTomorrowGoodbye). JamesCagneymadea neurotic comeback andhisinstability wasmatchedbythatofyoungeractorslike RobertRyanandLeeMarvin.Thiswasthephaseofthe‘B’noirfilm,and ofpsychoanalytically inclined directors likeRayandWalsh.Theforcesof

personal disintegration arereflected insuchfilmsasWhiteHeat,Gun Crazy,D.O.A.,Caught,TheyLivebyNight,WheretheSidewalkEnds, KissTomorrowGoodbye,DetectiveStory,In a LonelyPlace,I theJury,

Acein the Hole,Panicin theStreets,TheBigHeat,On Dangerous Ground,SunsetBoulevard.

Thethirdphaseisthecreamofthefilmnoirperiod. Somecritics may

prefertheearly‘grey’melodramas, othersthepost-war‘street’ films,but filmnoir’sfinalphasewasthe mostaesthetically and sociologically piercing. Aftertenyearsofsteadilyshedding romanticconventions, the laternoirfilmsfinallygotdowntotherootcausesoftheperiod:thelossof

public honour, heroic conventions, personal integrity, and,finally, psychic stability. Thethird-phase filmswerepainfully self-aware; theyseemed to knowtheystoodat theendof a longtraditionbasedon despairand disintegration anddidnotshyawayfromthatfact.Thebestandmost characteristically noirfilms—GunCrazy,WhiteHeat,OutofthePast,

KissTomorrow Goodbye, D.O.A., TheyLivebyNight,TheBigHeat— standattheendoftheperiodandaretheresultsofself-knowledge. The

88 Schrader onSchrader

9 FilmNoir:RudolphMate’sD.O.A.(1950),thesourceforSchrader’s unfilmed scriptCovertPeople:Neville Brand,EdmondO’Brien, MichaelRoss.

CriticalWritings89

thirdphaseisrifewithend-of-the-line noirheroes: TheBigHeatand

WheretheSidewalk Endsarethelaststopsfortheurbancop,Aceinthe Holeforthenewspaper man,theVictorSaville-produced Spillane series(I theJury,TheLongWait,KissMeDeadly)fortheprivateeye,Sunset Boulevard fortheBlackWidow,WhiteHeatandKissTomorrow Good-

byeforthegangster, D.O.A. fortheJohnDoeAmerican. Bythemid-fifties filmnoirhadgroundto a halt.Therewerea few

notablestragglers, KissMeDeadly, theLewis—Alton TheBigCombo, and filmnoir’sepitaph,TouchofEvil,butforthemostparta newstyleof crimefilmhadbecome popular. AstheriseofMcCarthy andEisenhower demonstrated, Americans were

eagertoseeamorebourgeois viewofthemselves. Crime hadtomoveto

thesuburbs.Thecriminal putona greyflannelsuitandthefootsorecop wasreplacedbythe‘mobile unit’careering downtheexpressway. Any attemptat socialcriticism hadto becloakedinludicrous affirmations of theAmerican wayoflife.Technically, television, withitsdemandforfull

lighting andclose-ups, gradually undercut theGerman influence, and colourcinematography was,ofcourse,thefinalblowto thenoirlook. Newdirectors likeSiegel, Fleischer, Karlson andFuller,andTVshowslike Dragnet,M-Squad, LineupandHighway Patrol,steppedintocreatethe newcrimedrama.

Filmnoirwasanimmensely creative period—probably themostcreative in Hollywood’s history;atleast,ifthiscreativity ismeasured notbyitspeaks butbyitsmedianlevelofartistry.Pickedatrandom,afilmnoirislikelyto bea better-made filmthana randomly selected silentcomedy, musical, Western andsoon.(AJosephH.Lewis‘B’filmnoirisbetterthanaLewis ‘B’Western, forexample.) Takenasawholeperiod,filmnoirachieved an unusually highlevelofartistry. Filmnoirseemedto bringoutthebestineveryone: directors, cameramen,screenwriters, actors.Againandagain,afilmnoirwillmarkthehigh pointonanartist’scareergraph.Somedirectors, forexample, didtheir bestworkinfilmnoir(StuartHeisler, RobertSiodmak, GordonDouglas, EdwardDmytryk, JohnBrahm,JohnCromwell, RaoulWalsh,Henry Hathaway); otherdirectors beganinfilmnoirand,itseemstome,never regained theiroriginalheights(OttoPreminger, Rudolph Maté,Nicholas Ray,RobertWise,JulesDassin,RichardFleischer,JohnHuston,Andréde

Toth,RobertAldrich); andotherdirectors whomadegreatfilmsinother mouldsalsomadegreatfilmsnoirs(OrsonWelles,MaxOphiils,Fritz Lang,EliaKazan,HowardHawks,RobertRossen,AnthonyMann, JosephLosey,AlfredHitchcock, StanleyKubrick). Whetheror notone

90 Schrader onSchrader agreeswiththisparticular schema, itsmessage isirrefutable: filmnoirwas goodforpractically everydirector’s career.(I'wointeresting exceptions to

provethecaseareKingVidorandJeanRenoir.)

Filmnoirseemstohavebeenacreative release foreveryone involved. It gaveartistsa chancetoworkwithpreviously forbidden themes,yethad conventions strongenoughto protectthemediocre. Cinematographers wereallowed tobecome highlymannered, andactorsweresheltered bythe cinematographers. It wasnotuntilyearslaterthatcriticswereableto

distinguish between greatdirectors andgreatnoirdirectors.

Filmnoir’sremarkable creativity makesitslong-time neglectthemore baffling.TheFrench,ofcourse,havebeenstudentsoftheperiodforsome

time(Borde andChaumenton’s Panorama duFilmNoirwaspublished in

1955), butAmerican critics untilrecently havepreferred theWestern, the musical orthegangster filmtothefilmnoir.

Someofthereasonsforthisneglectaresuperficial: othersstriketothe heartofthenoirstyle.Fora longtimefilmnoir,withitsemphasis on corruptionanddespair,wasconsidered an aberrationoftheAmerican character. TheWestern, withitsmoralprimitivism, andthegangster film,

withitsHoratio Algervalues, wereconsidered moreAmerican thanthe

filmnoir. Thisprejudice wasreinforced bythefactthatfilmnoirwasideally suited tothelow-budget ‘B’film,andmanyofthebestoir filmswere‘B’films. Thisoddsortofeconomic snobbery stilllingersoninsomecriticalcircles:

high-budget trashisconsidered moreworthy ofattention thanlow-budget trash,andtopraisea‘B’filmissomehow toslight(often intentionally) an ‘A’film. Therehasbeenacriticalrevival intheUSoverthelasttenyears,butfilm

noir lostout on that too. Therevivalwasauteur(director)oriented,and

filmnoirwasn’t.Auteurcriticismis interestedin howdirectorsare

different; filmnoircriticism isconcerned withwhattheyhaveincommon.

Thefundamental reasonforfilmnoir’sneglect, however, isthefactthat it dependsmoreonchoreography thansociology, andAmerican critics havealwaysbeenslowontheuptakewhenitcomestovisualstyle.Likeits protagonists, filmnoiris moreinterested in stylethantheme;whereas American criticshavebeentraditionally moreinterested inthemethan style. American filmcriticshavealwaysbeensociologists firstandscientists second:filmisimportantasit relatesto largemasses,andifa filmgoes awryit isoftenbecausethethemehasbeensomehow ‘violated’ bythe style.Filmnoiroperates onopposite principles: thethemeishiddeninthe

CriticalWritings 91

style,andbogusthemesareoftenflaunted(‘middle-class valuesarebest’)

which contradict thestyle. Although, Ibelieve, styledetermines thetheme ineveryfilm,itwaseasierforsociological criticstodiscuss thethemesof theWestern andgangster filmapartfromstylistic analysis thanitwastodo forfilmnoir.

Notsurprisingly itwasthegangster film,notthefilmnoir,whichwas

canonized inThePartisan Review in1948byRobert Warshow’s famous essay,‘TheGangster asTragicHero’.Although Warshow couldbean

aesthetic aswellasa sociological critic,hewasinterested intheWestern andgangsterfilmas‘popular’ artratherthanasstyle.Thissociological orientationblindedWarshow, as it hasmanysubsequent critics,to an aesthetically moreimportant development inthegangster film—filmnoir.

Theironyofthisneglect isthatinretrospect thegangster films Warshow

wroteaboutareinferiortofilmnoir.Thethirtiesgangster wasprimarily a reflection ofwhatwashappening inthecountry,andWarshow analysed this.Thefilmnoir,althoughit wasalsoa sociological reflection, went furtherthanthegangster film.Towards theendfilmnoirwasengaged ina

life-and-death struggle withthematerials it reflected; it triedtomake America accepta moralvisionoflifebasedonstyle.Thatverycon-

tradiction —promoting styleinaculturewhichvaluedthemes —forcedfilm noirintoartistically invigorating twistsandturns.Filmnoirattackedand interpreted itssociological conditions, and,bythecloseofthenoirperiod, createda newartisticworldwhichwentbeyonda simplesociological reflection, anightmarish worldofAmerican mannerism whichwasbyfar

morea creation than areflection.

Because filmnoirwasfirstof alla style,becauseit workedout its conflicts visually ratherthanthematically, because itwasawareofitsown identity,it wasableto createartisticsolutions tosociological problems. AndforthesereasonsfilmslikeKissMeDeadly, KissTomorrow Goodbye andGunCrazycanbeworksof art in a waythatgangsterfilmslike Scarface, PublicEnemyandLittleCaesarcanneverbe. Theselection ofthefollowing sevenfilmsbytheLosAngeles International FilmExposition reflects a desiretoselectnotonlythebestnoirfilms,but alsosomeofthelesswellknown. KissMeDeadly.Madein1955,KissMeDeadlycomesattheendofthe periodandisthemasterpiece offilmnoir.Itstimedelaygivesitasenseof detachment andthoroughgoing seediness —it standsattheendofa long sleazytradition. Theprivate-eye hero,MikeHammer,undergoes the finalstagesof

degradation. Heis a small-time ‘bedroom dick’,andhasnoqualms

92 Schrader onSchrader

aboutitbecause theworldaround himisn’tmuch better. Ralph Meeker, in

hisbestperformance, playsHammer, a midgetamongdwarfs. RobertAldrich’s teasingdirection carriesnoirtoitssleaziest, andmost perversely erotic.Insearchofan“eternal whatsit? Hammeroverturns the

underworld, causing thedeathofhisfriendintheprocess, andwhenhe

finallyfindsit,it turnsoutto be—jokeofjokes—anexploding atomic bomb.Thecrueltyoftheindividual isonlya trivialmatterina worldin whichtheBombhasthefinalsay.Hammer canbeseenstruggling tosafety asthebombejaculates, butforallpractical purposes thefortiesprivate-eye

tradition isdefunct. Written byA.I.Bezzerides. Photographed byErnest Laszlo. Produced byVictor Saville. WithRalph Meeker, Maxine Cooper,

Nick Dennis,Gaby Rodgers,Juano Hernandez,Paul Stewart,Albert Dekker,ClorisLeachman,JackElam.

GunCrazy.AnearlyBonnieandClydevariant,JosephH.Lewis’s Gun

Crazyincorporates boththeBlack Widow andon-the-run themes. John DallandPeggy Cummins playawinsome couple spinning ata dizzying rateintotheexhilarating worldofaction,sex,loveandmurder.Dallis confused,innocentand passive,Cumminsis confused,vindictiveand active;togetherthey makean irresistiblypsychopathicpair. And their

deadliness issanctified bythefactthattheyknowtheyarespecialpeople

andwillbegiven therightbytheAmerican ethictoactouttheirsymbolic

fantasies. GunCrazy’s lightingisnotasnoirasotherfilmsoftheperiod,butits portrayalofcriminal andsexualpsychopathy verymuchis.Thereareno excuses fortheguncraziness —itisjustcrazy. GunCrazyhasthreetourde forcescenes:the brilliantly executed Armourrobbery,thefamousone-take Hampton heist,andthemeeting at thecarnival whichisaballetofsexandinnuendo moresubtleandteasing thanthemorefamoussparringmatches ofBogartandBacallorLaddand Lake.1949.WrittenbyMackinlay KantorandMillardKaufman. ProducedbytheKingBrothers. Photographed byRussell Harlan.WithJohn Dall,PeggyCummins,BarryKroeger,AnnabelShaw,HarryLewis, Frederick Young. TheyLivebyNight.Madeinthesameyearas GunCrazy,Nicholas Ray’sTheyLivebyNightisanotherBonnieandClyde/on-the-run film. Ray’sheroes,FarleyGrangerandCathyO’Donnell, asthetitleimplies, reallydolivebynight,andthechoreography isstrictlynoir. UnlikeGunCrazy,Grangerand O’Donnell are not psychopathic; rather,thesociety is,asitmakesthemintobiggerandbiggercriminals and finallyconnivesto gundownthe unsuspecting Granger.There’san excellent bitbyIanWolfeasa crookedJusticeofthePeace,andMarie

CriticalWritings93

Bryantsings‘YourRedWagon’ inthebestnoirtradition. Written by Charles Schnee. Photographed byGeorge E.Diskant. Produced byJohn Houseman. WithFarleyGranger, CathyO’Donnell, HowardDaSilva, Jay C. Flippen,HelenCraig,WillWright,IanWolfe,HarryHarvey.

WhiteHeat.Therewasnodirectorbettersuitedtoportrayinstability thanRaoulWalsh,andnoactormorepotentially unstablethanJames Cagney.Andwhentheyjoinedforcesin 1949for WhiteHeat,they produced oneofthemostexciting psycho-sexual crimefilmsever.Cagney playsanageingOedipalgangsterwhositsonhismother’s lapbetween boutsof pistol-whipping hiscohorts,planningrobberiesandgunning downpolice. Inanexuberantly psychotic endingCagney standsatopanexploding oil tankeryelling, ‘Imadeit,Ma!TopoftheWorld!’ We’ve comealongway fromScarface wherePaulMuniliesinthegutterasaneonsignironically flashes, ‘Cook’s Tours.SeetheWorld’.Cagney, nowthenoirhero,isnot so muchinterestedin financialgainand poweras he is in suicidal showmanship. Cagneytappedthesameveinthefollowing yearwhenhe produced andstarredinGordonDouglas’s KissTomorrow Goodbye, one ofthebestofthelateoir films.WhatDouglas lackedasadirector, Cagney madeup in justplaincraziness. 1949.WrittenbyIvanGoffandBen Roberts.Photographed bySidHickox.Produced byLouisEdelman. With JamesCagney,VirginiaMayo,EdmundO’Brien, MargaretWycherly, SteveCochran, JohnArcher. OutofthePast.JacquesTourneur’s OutofthePastbrilliantly utilizes thenoirelement ofnarrationaswellasthethemesofBlackWidowandonthe-run.Agangster (theyoungKirkDouglas inoneofhisbestroles)sends hisbestfriendRobertMitchum toretrieve hisgirlfriend, JaneGreer,who hasrunoffwithhismoney.Mitchum,ofcourse,teamsupwithGreerand

theyhidefromDouglas. Mitchumnarrateshisstorywithsuchpatheticrelishthatheobviously drawscomfortfrombeinglove’sperennialfool.Tourneurcombines Mitchum’s narration,JaneGreer’selusivebeautyanda complex chronologyinsuchawaythatthereisnohopeforanyfuture;onecanonlytake pleasurefromreliving a doomedpast.1947.WrittenbyGeoffrey Homes. ProducedbyWarrenDuff.WithKirkDouglas,RobertMitchum, Jane Greer,RhondaFleming, SteveBrodie. PickuponSouthStreet.SamFuller’s 1953filmsacksinwithanoddnoir bedfellow —theRedscare.Thegangsters undergo a slightaccentshiftand becomecommunist agents;noideological conversion necessary. RichardWidmark, a characteristic noiractorwhohasneverdoneas

welloutside theperiodaswithinit,playsa two-time loserwhopicksthe

94 Schrader onSchrader

purseofa ‘commie’ messenger andendsupwitha pieceofmicrofilm.

WhentheStateDepartment finally huntshimdownandbeginsthelecture, Widmark replies,‘Don’twaveyourflagatme.’ Thesceneson the waterfrontare in the bestnoirtradition,but a

dynamic fightinthesubway marksFullerasa director whowouldbe bettersuitedtotheaction-crime school ofthemiddle fifties. Written by

SamuelFuller.Photographed byJoe MacDonald. ProducedbyJules Schermer. WithRichardWidmark, JeanPeters,ThelmaRitter,Murvyn Vye,RichardKiley. T-Men.AnthonyMann’s1947filmwasphotographed byJohnAlton,

themostcharacteristically noirartistoftheperiod.Altonalsophoto-

graphedJosephH. Lewis’sTheBigComboeightyearslaterandthe cinematography is so nearlyidenticalthatonehasmomentary doubts aboutthedirectorial difference betweenMannandLewis.Ineachfilm lightonlyentersthescenein oddslants,jaggedslicesandverticalor horizonal strips. T-Menisabastardchildofthepost-war realistic schoolandpurportsto be thedocumented storyof twoTreasuryagentswhobreaka ringof counterfeiters. Complications setin whenthegoodguysdon’tactany differently fromthebadones.Intheendit doesn’tmatteranyway,since theyalldieinthelate-night shoot-outs. 1948.WrittenbyJohnHiggins. Photographed byJohnAlton.Produced byEdwardSmallandAubrey Schenck. WithDennisO’Keefe, AlfredRyder,MaryMeade,Wallace Ford,JuneLockhart,CharlesMcGraw,ArtSmith.

Originally published 1971(pamphlet toaccompany shortseason programmed bySchrader forLosAngeles FilmFestival); FilmComment, Volume8,No.1,Spring1972

PoetryofIdeas:TheFilmsofCharlesEames They’re notexperimental films, they’re notreally films. They’re just

attemptstogetacrossanidea.

—CharlesEames CharlesEameswasbaffled bythefactthatanyonewouldwanttowritean articleabouthis films.‘Whenaskeda questionlikethat,about“my approachtofilm’’,’ Eamessaid,‘Iwouldalmostreply,“Whome,film?”I

CriticalWritings95

don’tthinkofitthatway.Iviewfilm alittlebitasacheat; I’msortofusing atoolsomeone elsehasdeveloped.’

Becauseof hiscasualattitudetoward‘Film’—hisdebunking of the romanticmythof the ‘artistpersonality’ andhisconceptof filmas a primarilyinformational medium—CharlesEameshasbeenable,in his recentfilms,to give‘Film’whatit needsmost:a newwayofperceiving ideas.Asfilmsmoveawayfrom a periodinwhichtheywerecontentto showonlywhattheyfelt,andattemptlittlebylittletoalsotellwhatthey think,manyofthemosttalentedfilm-makers, youngandold,aretryingto graftontomovies thecerebral sensibility theyhavesolongresisted. Eames personifies thissensibility, a sensibility sosynonymous withhislifeand workthathecannotconceive ofhimselfasonlya ‘film-maker’. TherearemanywaysonecanthinkaboutCharlesEames.Hedefies categorization; he is architect,inventor,designer,craftsman,scientist, film-maker, professor. Yetinallhisdiversity Eamesisonecreator,andhis creationisnota seriesofseparateachievements, buta unifiedaesthetic withmanybranch-like manifestations. Eames’sfilmsdo not function independently, butlikebranches; theydonotderivefromfilmhistoryor tradition,but froma culminantculturewithrootsin manyfields.A

capsulized biography cangive,inthemostvulgar way,thescopeofhis

career;but, as always,Eamesremainsgreaterthan the sumof his avocations.

Bornin StLouisin 1907,Eamesstudiedarchitecture at Washington University, in 1930startedhisownpractice,andin 1940marriedRay

Kaiser, apainter withwhom hesubsequently shared credit forallhiswork.

In1940EamesandEeroSaarinen collaborated ondesigns fortheMuseum ofModernArt’sOrganicFurniture Competition. Fromthesedesigns came a generation of Eameschairs:fromtheluxuriousblack-leather Eames loungechairtotheomnipresent moulded fibreglass stacking chairs,which,

within twenty years, hadreceived suchmassacceptance thatEames’s way ofsitting was,inafundamental sense, everybody’s wayofsitting. In1941,

to encouragethe wartimeproductionof theirfirstchairprototypes, CharlesandRayperfected aninexpensive lamination processforwood veneers, andinthesameyearCharleswenttowork,temporarily, forthe artdepartment ofMGM.Inbetween chairs,theCharles EamesWorkshop produced toys,furniture, gliders, legsplints,andmagazine covers.In1949 Eamesdesigned theSantaMonicaHouse(wherehestilllives),which,like thechairs,wasa modelof simplicity andvariety,andsoonbecamea standardtextbookillustration. TheEamesfilmscommenced in 1950andoverthenextfifteenyears theywonawardsattheEdinburgh, Melbourne, SanFrancisco, American,

96 Schrader onSchrader

Mannheim, Montreal andLondon filmfestivals. ‘ARough Sketch fora Sample Lesson foraHypothetical Course’, presented byCharles andRay

(withGeorgeNelsonandAlexander Girard)in1953attheUniversity of Georgiaand UCLA,wasthe firstpublicpresentation of multi-media techniques.In 1960Eames’srapidcuttingexperiments in the CBS

‘Fabulous Fifties’ special wonhimanEmmy forgraphic design. During thisperiod Eames designed a series ofWorld’s Fairpresentations: in1959 themulti-screen presentation fortheUSexhibitat Moscow,in 1962a

multi-screenintroductionto the USScienceExhibitat Seattle(whereit is

stillshown),in1964theIBMOvoidPavilion, andthefilmpresentations in

it,attheNewYorkFair.OvertheyearsEames hasprepared courses and

lecturedacrosstheworld,andwillthisfallholdtheCharlesEliotNorton ChairofPoetyatHarvard. CharlesEamescanweavein and out of thesediverseoccupations becauseheisnotcommitted to anyofthem.Heis,inthefinalaccount, committed toa wayoflifewhichencompasses themall.Thetoys,chairs, filmsare the availabletoolsthroughwhichEamescan actualizehis lifestyle. Thecommondenominator ofEames’s occupations isthatheis, elementally, onething:a problem-solver, withaestheticandsocialconsiderations. Heapproaches lifeasasetofproblems, eachofwhichmustbe defined, delineated, abstracted, andsolved.Hisarchitect’s mindvisualizes complexsocialpatterns,twistingandfoldinglikea three-dimensional blueprint. Herespects the‘problem’ notonlyasa meanstoanendbutas anaesthetic pleasureinitself.Although Eamesrarelyrhapsodizes about anything,hismost‘emotional’ proseis savedfor a description of the problem-solving process: Theabilityto makedecisions isa properfunctionofproblemsolving. Computer problems,philosophical problems,homelyones:thestepsin solvingeachare essentially the same,somemethodsbeingelaboratevariationsof others.But homely orcomplex, thespecific answers wegetarenottheonlyrewards oreventhe greatest.It is in preparingtheproblemforsolution,in thenecessary stepsof simplification, thatweoftengaintherichestrewards. Itisinthisprocess thatweare apttogetatrueinsightintothenatureoftheproblem. Suchinsightisofgreatand lastingvaluetousasindividuals andtousasasociety. —fromThink,theIBMNew YorkFairpresentation

ForEames,problemsolvingisoneoftheanswersto theproblemof contemporary civilization. Not onlydoeshisproblem-solving process providebeautyandorder,butitconstitutes theonlyoptimistic approach to thefuture.HeiscurrentlyworkingfortheHeadStartprogramme, a

taskhefeelsisvitalbecause:

CriticalWritings97 youhavetoteachchildren tohavea genuine respect foralargenumber ofevents andobjects which arenotofimmediate gaintothem. Itistheonlythingwhich puts

ahumanbeinginasituation wherehecanpromptly assess thenextstep.Whether it isin theghettoor Appalachia, kidsgettheirbeginning havingrespectonlyfor thingswhichhavean immediate payoff,andthisis nowayto runa railroad, particularly whenyoudon’tknowwhatthenextproblemwillbe.

Eames willnotindulge inthedespair ofacomplete overview, notbecause

it isillegitimate, butbecause it can’tsolvetheproblems. ‘Youcan’ttake

too broada perspective,’ he says,quotingNobelPrize-winning physicist

RichardFeynman; ‘youhavetofinda cornerandpickawayatit.’ CharlesEamesis,inthebroadestsenseoftheword, a scientist. Inhis

filmintroduction to theUSScience Exhibit attheSeattle Fair,Eames

prescribed whatthatrarecreature, thetruescientist, shouldbe,anditisa description ofCharlesEames:

Science isessentially anartisticorphilosophical enterprise carriedonforitsown sake.Inthisitismoreakintoplaythantowork.Butitisquiteasophisticated play

inwhich thescientist views nature asasystem ofinterlocking puzzles. Heassumes thatthepuzzles havea solution, thattheywillbefair.Heholdstoafaithinthe

underlying orderoftheuniverse. Hismotivation ishisfascination withthepuzzle itself—hismethoda curiousinterplay between ideaandexperiment. Hispleasures arethoseofanyartist.Highonthelistofprerequisites forbeinga scientist isa qualitythatdefines therichhumanbeingasmuchasitdoesthemanofscience, that

is,hisabilityandhisdesiretoreachoutwithhismindandhisimagination to something outside himself. —fromHouse ofScience Tocounterthatthepuzzlesdon’thavea solutionandarenotfairisto begthequestion,becausethescientistdoesnotadmitthesepossibilities intohisworkingdefinition. Because hispleasures ‘arethoseofanyartist’

thescientist sustains hisworldnotnecessarily byempirical proof,butby his‘faithintheunderlying orderoftheuniverse’. InthiswayEames’s

scientistmayseemsimilarto thescientists of theEnlightenment who constructed elaborate fictions oforder,onlytohavethemcollapse withthe nextwaveofdata.ButunliketheNewtonian cosmologist, Eamesdoesnot statethatthesolvable problem isnecessarily amicrocosm fortheuniverse,

whichmayhavenosolution. Eames isdescribing aWeltanschauung, not

the universe.A corollaryargumentlevelled(oftenby artists)against Eames’s scientistaccuseshimofbeingshallowly optimistic, unawareof man’scondition. C.P.Snowdefended scientists againstthischargeinhis “TwoCultures’ lecture:‘Nearlyallofthem[thescientists] —andthisis wherethecolourofhopegenuinely comesin—wouldseenoreasonwhy, justbecause theindividual condition istragic,somustthesocialcondition be.’It is a fallacyof menof lettersto equatecontemporaneity with pessimism — as ifBeckett’s ‘it’crawling inthemudwasunavoidably the

98 Schrader onSchrader manofthefuture.OneoftheexcitingthingsaboutEames’s film-maker, likehisscientist, isthathechallenges thehegemony ofpessimism inthe contemporary arts. Although Eames’s structuring oftheproblem mayseemantiquated (and thisis debatable), hissolutionsareundeniably modern.Hisstatement aboutthedesigning of a chairisnotonlya remarkable accountofthe creative process, butalsoapioneering approach toartinasociety inwhich theindividual hasbecome progressively functionalized andcollectivized: Howdoyoudesigna chairforacceptance byanotherperson?Bynotthinkingof whattheotherguywants,butbycoming totermswiththefactthatwhilewemay thinkwearedifferent fromotherpeopleinsomewaysatsomemoments, thefactof thematteristhat we’rea hellofa lotmorelikeeachotherthanwe’re different,and

thatwe’recertainly morelikeeachotherthanwe’relikeatreeorastone.Sothen yourelaxbackintothepositionoftryingtosatisfyyourself —exceptforarealtrap,

thatis,whatpartofyourself doyoutrytosatisfy? Thetrapisthatifyoutryto satisfy youridiosyncrasies, thoselittlethings onthesurface, you’re dead,because it

isinthoseidiosyncrasies thatyou’redifferent fromotherpeople.Andina sense whatgivesa workofcraftitspersonalstyleisusuallywhereitfailedtosolvethe problemratherthanwhereitsolvedit.That’swhatgivesittheNoguchi touch,or whatever. Whatyoutrytodoissatisfyyourrealgutinstincts andworkyourway

through youridiosyncrasies, aswehavetriedinthestuffwe’ve done,thefurniture ortheideas. Youknowit’stoughenough justtomakethefirststepofunderstandingwithouttryingtointroduce ourpersonality ortryingtooutguess whattheother guy’sthinking. The Eameseshaveconstructedstructures—a house,chair,film—in

which people candefine themselves notbytheiridiosyncrasies butbytheir similarities. Thesestructures permit problem solving —andtherefore give

the scientisthope.To somethesestructureswillseemartificialand solipsistic, butinanagewhichhassoruthlessly degraded man’sindividualityanyattempttorestructure theconceptofhumanism willnecessarily seemartificial.

FromEames’s sensibility havecometwocontributions: onepertaining

primarily toarchitecture anddesign, whichhasalreadybeenincorporated intotheinternational culturalmainstream, andanothermostapplicable to film,whichis beingdeveloped andexistsonlyas potentialfor mass audiences.

Eames’s firstcontribution concerns whatBritish criticPeterSmithson

calls‘object-integrity’. TheEamesaesthetic respects anobjectforwhatit

is, whethermachine-madeor hand-crafted,and is based on ‘careful

selection withextra-cultural surprise, ratherthanharmony ofprofile, asits criteria—a kindofwide-eyed wonderofseeingtheculturally disparate togetherandsohappywitheachother.’Smithson goeson,‘Thissounds

CriticalWritings 99

likewhimsy, butthevehicles areordinarytoculture.’ Eames’s vehicles, his ‘structures’, makeitpossible foranobjecttohaveintegrity. TheEamesaestheticbroughtart intothe marketplace throughthe assembly line.Therewasneitherfearofnorblindobedience towardsthe

machine. Themachine, likeitsheirthecomputer, aretoolswhich mustbe

usedbytheartistaswellastheentrepreneur. Itisproletarian art:‘Wewant togetthemostofthebesttothemostoftheleast,’Eameshassaid;‘inthe finalanalysisIwantto tryto reachthegreatestnumberofpeople’.The Eameschairstandsasa tributetotheuniversality ofhisaesthetic; atthe sametimebeautifulandfunctional, it is beingmanufactured in every continentexceptAfrica.‘Bythelatefifties,’ writesSmithson, ‘theEames wayofseeingthingshadina sensebecome everybody’s style.’ Eames’saestheticis in oppositionto oneof theoldercanonsof art criticism, Ruskin’s theoryof ‘invention’. In ‘TheNatureoftheGothic’

Ruskin instructed customers topurchase onlygoodswhichshowed the handoftheinventor, rejecting anything copied orundistinctive, evento

thepointof preferringtheroughto thesmooth.TheEamesaesthetic contendsthat the customer,who organizesthe lifecontextin which objectsexist,is asmuch a creativeagentastheartist,andthatit ishis creativeimperative to organizeandrespectthe‘inventive’ aswellasthe

commonplace objects. ‘Ifpeople wouldonlyrealize’, Eames said,‘that

theyhavetherealstuffintheirhand,intheirbackyards,theirlivescould bericher.Theyareafraidtogetinvolved.’ ThesecondEamescontribution resultswhentheEamesaestheticof object-integrity iscarriedintotheelectronic age.Therearetworeasons:

firstofall,acomputer cannot haveobject-integrity thewayachairoratoy

traindoes.A chairis essentially shape,colour,andmovement, but a computer ismuchmore.Torespectacomputer onemustunderstand how itthinks,mustappreciate Boolean Logic.AsEames’s objectsbecame more complex, hisapproachnecessarily becamemorecerebral. Secondly, theobject-integrity aesthetic isnowconfronted byanobject-

lesssociety. “Theconscious covetors aregrowing tremendously,’ Eames

hassaid,

andthecovetables inoursocietyareshrinking tremendously. There’snotmuch worthcoveting. I feelthata lotofthisvacuumisgoingtobebeautifully filledby certainmasteryofconcepts, mastery of,say,theFrenchorRussian language. And thebeautyofthisisthatthecoinoftherealmisreal.Itmeansinvolvement onthe partoftheguythat’sgettingit.He’sgotit,allhehastodoisgiveofhimself. Alotof thisisgoingtohavetocomethroughfilm.

Eames’s secondcontribution, then,concerns thepresentation ofideas throughfilm.Hismethodisinformation-overload. Eames’s filmsgivethe

100 Schrader onSchrader

viewer moredatathanhecanpossibly process. Thehostat theIBM Pavilion succinctly forewarned hisaudience: Ladiesand gentlemen, welcometo the IBMinformation machine.Andthe information machine isjustthat—amachine designed tohelpmegiveyou alot of information inaveryshorttime.—fromThink

Eames’s information machine dispenses alotofdata,butonlyoneidea. Allthedatamustpertain directly tothefundamental idea;thedataarenot — superfluous, simplysuperabundant. Eames’s innovation, itseemstome,is ahypothesis aboutaudience perception which,sofar,isonlyprovedbythe effectiveness ofhisfilms.HisfilmspursueanIdea(Time,Space,Symmetry, Topology) whichinthefinalaccounting muststandalone,apartfromany psychological, social,ormoralimplications. Theviewermustrapidlysort out and prunethe superabundant data if he is to followthe swift progression of thought.Thisprocessofelimination continues untilthe viewerhasprunedawayeverything butthedisembodied Idea.Bygiving theviewermoreinformationthanhecanassimilate,information-overload

short-circuits the normalconduitsof inductivereasoning. Theclassic moviestapleisthechase,andEames’s filmspresentanewkindofchase,a

chasethrough aset ofinformation insearch ofanIdea.

Tobemosteffective theinformation cannotberandom,asina multimedialightshow,orsimply‘astounding’, asinthemulti-media displays at Expo’67whichRaydescribed as‘ratherfrivolous’. TheIdeaconveyed by theinformation musthaveintegrity, asevidenced byitsproblem-solving potential,intellectual stimulation, andbeautyofform.Themulti-media ‘experience’ isacorruption ofinformation-overload inthesamewaythat theBarbaraJonesandPeterBlake‘found-art’ collages arecorruptions of object-integrity —theypresentthe innovationwithoutthe aesthetic. Throughinformation-overload, theIdeabecomes thenewcovetable, the

object which hasintegrity inanobjectless society. Toparaphrase Eames, it

isinthequestoftheIdeathatweoftengaintherichestrewards. ThefilmsofCharlesandRayEamesfallintotwocategories. Thefirst, the ‘ToyFilms’,primarilyuse the firstEamescontribution, objectintegrity; thesecondthe‘IdeaFilms’, usethesecondEamescontribution,

information-overload. Through precise, visual, non-narrative examination thetoyfilms reveal

thedefinitive characteristics ofcommonplace objects.Thetoyfilmswere thenaturalplacefortheEameses tobegininfilm,fortheyfoundinsimple, photographed objects—soap-water runningoverblacktop, toytownsand soldiers,bread—thecharacteristics theyweretryingto bringoutinthe

furniture design:

CriticalWritings 101 Inagoodoldtoythereisapttobenothingself-conscious abouttheuseofmaterials

—whatiswoodiswood; whatistinistin;andwhatis castisbeautifully cast.— from Toccata forToyTrains Eames’s filmcareerisoftenequatedwithhistoyfilms.Because ofthis mistaken assumption, theEamesfilmshavealreadyseen acriticalriseand fall.Eames’s filmsreceived theirinitialrecognition duringtheheydayof

theNorman McLaren pixillation, theearlyfifties, whentheMuseum of Modern ArtandtheEdinburgh FilmFestival acclaimed theearlytoyfilms,

Bread,Blacktop, Parade.Eames’s reputationrosewithMcLaren’s, and fellwithit.TheEameses became typedasthetoyfilm-makers, andcritical interestdiedoff. TheEameses continued tomakefilms,toyfilmsaswellasideafilms.The

toyfilms haveprogressed throughout theintervening years, using‘toys’ of

variedcomplexity, theSantaMonicaHouse,baroquechurches, toytrains, theSchuetzcalculating machine,theLickObservatory. Eachtoyfilm presents astructure inwhichobjectscan‘bethemselves’, canactlike‘toys’ in the samewaythat humans,givena certainstructure,canact like children. Theobjectneednotbeonlyfunctional; itcanassumea number ofpositions. TheLicktelescope isatonetimepractical, cumbersome, odd, andbeautiful. Onefeelsthesamerespectforthetelescope thattheLick astronomer mustfeelafteryearsofcollaboration withtheinstrument. It cohabitsthesamestructure, hasmeaning, bothfunctional andaesthetic, and,inbrief,hasintegrity. Thelatesttoyfilm,andthebest,isTops,a seven-minute studyofjust whatthetitlesays,tops.Topsisarefinement ofthetoyfilmtechnique. The

structures aresimplified: thereisnonarration, scantier backdrops, less

plot;andtheobjectassumes a greaterimportance withinthestructure. Topsof everyvarietyare presented.Theviewerstudiesthe ethnic impulses, theformvariations, thecoloration, andthespinning methods of

tops.ThefirsthalfofTopspresents topsinalltheirdiversity, gradually

“narrowing thescopeofitsinvestigation to simplerandsimplerforms:a jack,a carrom,and,finally,a spinning tack.Thisisa momentofobjectintegrity: allthecomplexity andvariationoftopshaveresolved intothe basicformoftwoplanes,oneofthemsuspended bythebalanced forcesof

gravity andgyroscopic momentum. Theunaware viewer realizes thathe

hasneverreallyunderstood evenaninsignificant creationlikeatop,never accepted it onitsownterms,neverenjoyedit.ThesecondhalfofTops, whichdepictsthe‘fall’ofthetops,movesbackto morecomplextops, againstblankbackgrounds, givingtheviewerachancetoseethesametops

again,butwiththeneweyesofinsight andsensitivity. Eames feelsthatthetoyfilmsareasessential astheideafilms. ‘Idon’t

102 Schraderon Schrader

thinkit’sanoverstatement’, heremarked, ‘tosaythatwithouta filmlike Topstherewouldbenoideafilms.It’sallpartofthesameprocess,andI thinkI couldconvinceIBMof that, if necessary.’

Fromtheoutsetoftheirfilm-making, theEameses werealsomaking

another sortoffilm,afilmwhich dealtwithobjects withcerebral integrity.

Eames’sfirstideafilm,A Communications Primer,resultedfroma problemEamesrealized hehadtostatebeforehecouldsolve.Hesays,

I hadthefeelingthatintheworldofarchitecture theyweregoingtogetnowhere unlesstheprocessofinformation wasgoingto comeandentercityplanningin

general. Youcouldnotreally anticipate astrategy thatwould solve theincrease in population orthesocial changes which weregoing onunless youhadsome wayof

handling thisinformation. Andsohelpme,thiswasthereasonformakingthefirst film,becausewe lookedfor somematerialon communications. Wewentto Bell

Labsandtheyshoweduspicturesofamanwithabeardandsomebody says,‘You willinventthetelephone’, orsomething. Andthisisaboutallyouget.Sowemade a

filmcalled Communications Primer, essentially forarchitects.

Innovation isoftenaby-product ofEames’s problem solving, aswhen

CharlesandRaydeveloped a lamination processforwoodveneersto permitmassmanufacture oftheirchairs.Similarly, Eames, inhisdesireto solvethecomplex, non-immediate problems ofthecity,andinhisdesireto

bringintegrity to thecomputer, developed a revolutionary method of information presentation. In1953Charles andRaypresented ‘ARough Sketchfora SampleLessonfora Hypothetical Course’, thefirstmultimediademonstration. ‘ARoughSketch’ notonlyfeaturedthreeconcurrentimages,but alsoa livenarrator,a longboardof printedvisual

information, andcomplementary smells pipedthrough theventilation system. Eames’s technique ofinformation-overload hasprogressed justashis toy-filmtechnique has,andsomeofthefirst‘revolutionary’ filmslook ratherprimitivecomparedto his recentwork.Eameshas developed several methods ofinformation-overload. Themostbasic,ofcourse,isfast cutting(TwoBaroque Churches has296stillshots,roughly oneeverytwo seconds). Heoftenhasseveralscreens(themostbeingtwenty-two atthe NYFair,althoughnotalltheimages wereprojected simultaneously), but hasrealized thatamultiplicity ofactionononescreencanoftenhavemore impactthanasingleactiononseveralseparatescreens. Hehasoftenused animation tosimplify data,sothatitcanbedelivered fasterwithclarity. OneofEames’s mostsuccessful techniques istosplitthescreenbetween liveactionand animation,eachof whichaffectsthe mentalprocess differently. Eamesalsocounterpoints narration, soundeffects, music,and imagestopresentseveralrelatedbitsofdatasimultaneously.

CriticalWritings103 Thesetechniques willcertainly fade,justasdidtheMcLaren aspectsof hisearlierfilms.Multi-media projections area bitpasséjustnow,and Eamesisn’tdesigning anyatthemoment. But,nonetheless,Eames’s films holdupphenomenally well,becausetheyarebasedonanaesthetic, not justaninnovation. (Eames’s specific techniques haveseveralcompetent practitioners: WheatonGalentine’s 1954Treadleand Bobbincorrespondsto Eames’s toyfilms,DonLevy’s1964TimeIs corresponds to Eames’s ideafilms.)Eventhoughthespecific techniques andinsomecases

theveryideasofhisearlier films maybecome antiquated, Eames’s wayof

livingseemsasimmediate todayasever.Thesolutions maynolongerseem pressing,but hisproblem-solving processstilloffersbeautyandintellectualstimulation. TwoofEames’s recentfilms,Powersof TenandNationalAquarium Presentation, arerefinements oftheidea-film technique justasTopsisa refinement ofthetoyfilms.Thesetwofilmsrepresent thetwosortsofideas Eamesdesigns,thesingleor theenvironmental concept,andaremore universal thanEames’s earliercomputer ideas.Because oftherichness of theaesthetic Eamesbringstothesefilms,theideastheyportrayinevitably strikedeeperthanoriginally intended.

Powers ofTenwas a‘sketchfilm’ tobepresented atanassembly ofone

thousandofAmerica’s topphysicists. Thesketchshould,Eamesdecided, appealto a ten-year-old aswellas a physicist; it shouldcontaina ‘gut feeling’ aboutdimensions intimeandspaceaswellasa soundtheoretical approachtothosedimensions. Thesolutionwasacontinuous zoomfrom thefarthestknownpointinspacetothenucleus ofacarbonatomrestingin

aman’s wristlyingonMiami Beach. Thecamera zooms fromtheman’s

wristto a hypothetical pointin spaceand zoomsbackagain,going throughtheman’swristtothefrontieroftheinneratom. Goingout,thespeedofthetripwas107°metrespersecond* — that is, ineach10secondsoftraveltheimaginary voyagercoveredro timesthe

distance hehadtravelled intheprevious 10seconds. Inthisschema atrip

fromthenucleusofthecarbonatomtothefarthest-known reachesofthe universe takes350seconds. Thisinformation ispresented inseveralways: therightcentralsectionofthescreenpictures theactualzoom,attheleftof the screena dashboardwithseveralclocksshowsthe totaldistance travelled, thepoweroftenachieved, thetraveller’s time,theearthtime, andthepercentage ofthespeedoflight.Adispassionate femalevoice—a robotstewardess —describes everysecondof thejourneyin full,rapid x

=

“Timedividedby10isthe‘power’ —inotherwords,after40seconds, youare10-to-thefourthmetresaway,oronefollowed byfourzeros(10,000).

104 Schrader onSchrader

detail.Thenarratoralsosupplies extraneous, unexpected information. ‘Wehavenowreached thepointwhere wecanseethedistance lighttravels inoneminute,’ shesays,andashortburstoflight,oneminutelong,passes beforeoureyes.In addition,thereis an eeriescoresuppliedbyElmer Bernstein ona miniature Japanese organ. Handling information insuchaway,PowersofTenisabletogivemore

datamoredensely thanamulti-screen presentation. Thepictorial areaof

the screenin itselfhas morevisualinformationthan the mindcan assimilate.Everyspoton the imageis a continuoustransformation:skin becomesa wrist,wrista man,mana beach,beacha peninsula,andsoon,

eachchange thesquare oftheprevious change, andeachfasterthanthe

viewercanadjusthisequilibrium. Thezooming image,initself,isonlyan ‘experience’ andcouldeasilybeusedina lightshow(asithasbeenatthe Whiskey AGoGoinLosAngeles). ButtheironyofPowersofTenisthat thenarrationandthedashboard demandexactly whattheviewerisunable to do: makecerebralsenseof the fantasticvoyage.The monotone narrationandanimated dashboard affecttheothersideofperception; they usetheconventional methods ofappealing toreason.Fromthefirstframe ofthiseight-minute filmthespectatoris at a perceptual fail-safe point; bothhismentalandemotionalfacilitiesareover-taxed. Astheviewer backsofffromsuch afail-safe point,ashehasto,hetakeswithhimcertain

souvenirs —individual datawhich ineachcasewillbedifferent, butmostly anIdeawhich inthiscaseisaboutthedimensions oftimeandspace.

Theinterstellar roller-coaster rideof Powersof Tendoeswhatthe analogous sequence in2001:ASpaceOdyssey shouldhave:itgivesthefull impact—instinctualas wellas cerebral—of contemporary scientific theories.(In comparison2001, like Expo ’67, seems‘astounding’.)It

popularizes (inthebestsenseoftheword)post-Einsteinian thoughtthe waythetelescope popularized Copernicus; andtheeffectis almostas upsetting. Thespectatorisinperspectiveless space;thereisnooneplace wherehe canobjectively judgeanotherplace.Justas thevacationing hayseed beginstothinkofhimself asacitizenofthecountryratherthanof justSiouxCenter,andthejet-setter beginstothinkofhimself asacitizenof

theworldratherthanofjusttheUnited States, sothetime—space traveller

of Powersof Tenthinksof himselfas a citizenof the universe,an unbounded territory. Eamesapproached theprobleminuniversal terms(topleasethetenyear-oldas wellas thenuclearphysicist) and,as in designing a chair,

sought tofindwhatwasmostcommon totheirexperience. Sophisticated

scientific datawasnotthedenominator (although thefilmhadtohandle suchmatterswithcompleteaccuracyto maintaincredibility),but it was

CriticalWritings105 thatinchoate‘gutfeeling’of newphysicswhicheventhemostjaded scientist, asEamessays,‘hadneverquiteseeninthiswaybefore’. Justasit took a morecomplexand intellectual structureto givea computer integritythana toytrain,so it tooka morecomplexandintellectual structureto givethe powers-of-ten-extended-through-space-and-time ideaintegritythanBoolean Logic.PowersofTengoesbeyonda simple explanation of thepowersof ten (whichEameshaddonein hisIBM

Mathematics PeepShow byusingtheparable ofthechessboard andsacks

ofgrain),andconcretizes a conceptoftheuniverse truetocontemporary experience. AndtheIdeaiscovetable. NationalAquarium Presentation resulted fromamoreearthlyproblem. Aquarium is,simplyenough,a reportoftheDepartment ofInteriorona proposed NationalAquarium. Aftertwoyearsofresearch anddesign,the

Eames officepresented theDepartment oftheInterior notwitha vol-

uminoussheathofblueprints, butwitha ten-minute colourfilmandan illustrative booklet.Theproblemwasnotonlytodevelop thedesignand rationalefortheAquarium, butalsoto persuadean economy-minded Congress to layoutthecashforsucha project.Whendealingwiththe

government, filmisthepetitioner’s idealmedium: ‘I’ve discovered’, says Eames, ‘thatnoteven a senator darestostandupandinterrupt a film.’ AgainEameshadtostatetheproblembeforehecouldsolveit:

Aquarium wasn’t a sellingjob,itwasareport.MikeKerwin, avenerable member ofCongress, wasinterested inthisandthiswasto beMikeKerwin’s monument. ButMikeKerwin didn’thaveanyideareallyofwhatanaquarium shouldbe.Ashe or someoneelsesaid,‘Anything to keepthoselittlechildrenfrompeeingin the Capitol.’ Thisisabouttheleveltheseprojects getstarted.Theonlythingyoucando istrytocreatea levelsomeone elsewouldbeembarrassed tofallbelow.

NationalAquariumPresentation constructsthe Aquariumin ten

minutes, fromoverall conception tominute detail. Stepbyrapidstepthe filmdiscusses therationale, decides onalocation, landscapes theenviron-

ment,constructsthe building,detailsthe departments, andtakesthe vieweron a guidedtourofthefinished institution. Diversemethodsof informationpresentationare used:graphs,animation,models,liveaction,narration,music.

Theguiding principles oftheAquarium arenotsimplyaquaticcuriosity or research.LikeallofEames’s creations, theAquarium isfoundedon organization, practicality, intelligence, andenjoyment. Aquarium makes surethattheviewerdoesn’t mistake thosefishforsomething inessential to man.OnewhowishestoattacktheAquarium mustattacktheprinciples it isbasedon.Thetruefunction oftheAquarium isstatedintheconcluding linesofnarration:

106 Schraderon Schrader

Stillthegreatest souvenirs oftheAquarium maybethebeauty andintellectual

stimulation it holds.Theprincipalgoalismuchthesameasscience, to givethe visitorsomeunderstanding ofthenaturalworld.IftheNationalAquarium isas goodasitcanbe,itwilldojustthat.—fromNationalAquarium Presentation

EventhoughCongresshasyetto givefinalapproval,theNational

Aquarium exists.Itexistsnotonlytothearchitects, towhomitalways exists,butalsotothosewhohaveseenEames’s film.Afterseeingthefilm, viewers speakoftheAquarium inthepresent;thefactthattheycannotgo to Washington andexperience theAquarium tactilelyisonlya chronologicalmisfortune. Theviewerhasalreadyexperienced thefulldelights of

theAquarium, itsbeauty andintellectual stimulation. When theAquarium isfinallybuilt,itseemstome,itwillnotbebecause thegovernment really feltthatitwasneeded, butbecause theAquarium hasalreadyexistedinso manyminds—Congressmen, scientists, bureaucrats —that a physical structure wasnecessary toconcretize thecinematic experience. And,ifthe

Aquarium isbuilt,itwillbeararedemonstration oftheRealpolitik power ofanidea. TheironyandpowerofNationalAquarium isthatitisgreaterthanthe Aquarium evercanbe.InitsfinestformtheAquarium existsinthemind, andthephysical structure canonlybeapaleimitation ofthedream.Eames callsNationalAquarium a ‘fiction ofreality’, andlikethebestfictions itis moremeaningful thanitsreality.Eames hasconstructed theAquarium like

Borges constructed theLibrary ofBabel inhisshortstoryofthattitle.Like

theAquarium theLibraryisrealbecause itisdefinitive, itcanencompass allreality. Justasthewriterof‘Library ofBabel’ wasabletodefinehimself asa member oftheLibrary,itispossible todefineoneselfasamember of theAquarium. TheAquarium hasallthevirtuesofameaningful existence; itoffersa wayofperceiving theoutsideworld,one’sneighbour, andone’s self.AndevenifoneisonlyavisitortotheAquarium, asweallmustbe,the Aquarium presentsthevirtuesofbeautyandintellectual stimulation that onewouldbeembarrassed tofallbelow. Theradical,wonderful thingaboutEames’s Aquarium isthatyoucan

livethere.Oneofthepleasures andlimitations ofTraditional cinema is

thatitisidiosyncratic: onlyFellinicanfullyliveinFellini’s world,Godard inGodard’s, HawksinHawks’s (greatfilmstranscend theselimitations to varying degrees). Likeanarchitect, Charles Eames buildsfilm-structures in whichmanypeoplecanlive,solvetheirproblems,andrespecttheir environment. Thethreefilmsdiscussed, Tops,PowersofTen,andNational Aquarium Presentation, total lessthan twenty-five minutesof screentime.To extrapolate anenvironmental aesthetic fromaten-minute sponsored film

CriticalWritings107 likeNationalAquarium manyseemliketheheightofcriticalmannerism to some,and it is certainlypossiblethat Eames’sfirstfilmsare not as importantasIthinktheyare.Butinexamining hisfilmsindetail,onefinds theessential qualities ofcontemporary art.TheEamesaesthetic persona-

lizesassembly-line art,givescreatorpowerto theconsumer, permits individual integrity withinadehumanized collective, andallows thefield

tohaveasmuchvalueastheitemswithinit. Infilm,theEamesaesthetic introduces a newwayofperceiving ideas intoamedium whichhasbeensurprisingly anti-intellectual. Cinema threw everyotherart intothe twentiethcentury,WylieSyphercontendsin

Rococo toCubism, andremained woefully inthenineteenth itself. Much

of the upheavalin contemporary filmshas beenthe protestof the romantic—idiosyncratic traditionagainstitself.Eventhebestof recent films,likePersona,BelledeJour, TheWildBunch,are too inherentlya

partofthetraditiontheyprotesttopositanalternative cinema.Thefew

film-makers handling ideastoday,Robbe-Grillet, Rohmer, Godard, Resnais,seem tofailbecause theycannot escape theromantic perspective. The Frenchintellectualcinema(theonlyintellectualcinema)vergeson bank-

ruptcy;its failuresare as disastrousas Godard’sOnePlusOne,its successes asminimalasRobbe-Grillet’s Trans-Europe Express.Because

Eames comes fromanother discipline withapre-existing aesthetic heis abletobringinnovation toanartwhich intheareaofideasisonlyspinning

itswheels.ItisEames’s aesthetic whichisultimately theinnovation. Eamesreturnstofilminalimitedandexploratory mannerwhatCubism tookfromit intheearly1900s.WhatSypherwroteofthecubistartof Cézanne, Eliot,Pirandello, andGideisnowtrueofEames’s films: Havewe not beenmisledby the nineteenth-century romanticbeliefthat the imagination meanseitheremotional powerortheconcreteimage,themetaphor alone.Wehavenotsupposed thereisa poetryofideas.

FilmQuarterly, Spring1970

CHAPTER 4

TheScreenwriter:TheYakuzato TheLast

Temptation ofChrist

JACKSON: Whatapproachdo youhaveto themechanics of writinga screenplay? SCHRADER: Well,firstofall,screenwriting isn’treallywriting:it’sreally partoftheoraltraditionandithasalotmoretodowiththedayyouruncle wenthuntingandthedogwentcrazyandthebirdgotawaythanit does

withliterature. Oneoftheindispensable waysofjudging whether anidea willworkasa filmstoryisoralpresentation —youhavetotellyourstoryto someone. Whenyoufirstgetanidea,maybeit’sfiveminuteslong,thenthemore

youtellit,themoreyouelaborate onitandthelonger itgrows. When the storygetsuptoaboutforty-five minutes inlength andisstillholding your listener’s attention,sothatyouknowthatifyouwalkoutoftheroom they’llfollowyouto askwhathappensnext,thenyouknowyouhave something thatwillprobably workonscreen.It’saverygoodwaytoweed out the ideasthat aren’tgoingto work.It’sextremely debilitating to

spendsixmonths onascript getting angered andanguished andthento

findout thatthere’sreallynot a moviethere,so workingin thisway savesyouatremendous amountoftimeonuseless andcounter-productive work. Onceyougettothatstageyoucanwriteoutanoutline,alistofscenes. I

favour usinganoutline thatispaced outintermsofpagecounts. Ifyoudo

that,youalwaysknowwhereyouarein termsof thefilm’srhythm.If you’rewritinga scenethatyouprojected tofallonpage49andit’sfallen onpage53,youcanlookbackoveryouroutlineandseewherethosefour pageshavecreptinandwhetheryouwanttokeepthemandcutfourpages

fromelsewhere ornot.I compare ittorunning along-distance racewhere youhavefamiliar landmarks andyoucanlookatyourwatchandsee whetheryou’refasterorslowerthanusual.

KJ:Whatsortoflengthisyouraveragescreenplay? ps:Istartedoutthinking thatascriptshouldbeabout115pagesandthenI

wentdownto100andthento105.Oneversion ofTheLastTemptation of

TheScreenwriter: TheYakuza to TheLastTemptation ofChrist 109

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110 Schraderon Schrader

Christwasdownto99,andthatwasforatwo-and-three-quarter-hou

movie,but I generallythinkthat for a two-hourmovieabout105is right.

kj: Do youconcentrate firstof all on alternatingactionsceneswith exposition scenes,oronthedisposition ofthecharacters, orwhat? ps: Obviously therearetechniques of pacingthatyouhaveto follow. Whenever twocharacters meetrepeatedly therehastobesomeintervening actionthatwilldefinetheirrelationship, sothatwhenyououtlineitona singlepageyoucanseethevariousthingsthathappenin betweenthe

meetings. Thesamethingapplies tocomic relief, ortoaction scenes: you

canseeatoncethatthirtyminuteshavegonebyandthecharacters have donenothingbuttalk,soyousay,‘Maybe I shouldmovethescenewhere thecarexplodes backhere.’ IntheAmerican Gigolooutline,forexample, youcanseeatoncethat

JulianandMichelle havetomeeteighttimes, soyoucanarrange thescenes aroundthosemeetings accordingly. Writing dialogue comes fairlylate, andifyou’vebeentellingyourstorytopeopleasyou’vegonealong—‘He saysto her,soshesaysto him’—thenyoushouldalreadyhavea pretty goodsenseofwhatthedialogue shouldbe.

KJ:Whatwasthefirstscreenplay youwrote? Diditdrawonideas fromthe

directorsyouhadwrittenaboutasa critic? ps: Myfirstscreenplay wascalledPipeliner,andyes,it wassortof a Bressonian piecewhichallhingedonanirony.Itwasabouta youngman in LAwhoistoldbyhisdoctorsthathehasonlya shorttimeto live,so hegoesbackto thenorthernpartofMichigan wherehewasraisedand

worksonanoilpipeline forthewinter, which issortofasuicidal occupa-

tion.Hefeelsthathehasbeenreleasedfromthebondsofconventional moralitybyhisimpending death;he startsbreakingandentering,and hasanaffairwiththewifeofanoldfriendofhiswho’snowbecomethe townsheriff.Theupshotof it isthathecausesan enormousmess,the

marriage breaks up,somebody commits suicide andsoon,butattheend

of thefilmhe’sstillaliveandhasgoneintoremission andisobviously goingtobeallright. KJ:Wasanythinginthefilmautobiographical apartfromthelocale? ps:Thecharacter reallycamerightoutofBresson, withthesenseofahigher

personal morality thathetakesfromCrime andPunishment inPickpocket; it wassortofa crossbetweenPickpocket andDiaryofa CountryPriest, meanttoevokethatsortofbarrensterility ofthelandscape.

TheScreenwriter: TheYakuza toTheLastTemptation ofChrist 111

KJ:Itsounds veryaustere. Wasiteverclosetobeing financed? ps:Ithinkitwasjustaswellthatitnevergotmade,butthebusiness of

tryingtogetitfinanced wasa verygoodschool;Ihada goodlookatthe denizens ofthedeepthatinhabitfilmfinancing andthenexttimearoundI wasmuchmoresavvyaboutwhypeopleputupmoneyforfilms,whichis

animportant partofbeingafilm-maker. I’vealways feltthatIcouldhave

made a lotofmoneyifI hadgoneintobusiness; I havea noseforit,and that’swhyI’veneverbeentooobsessed aboutmakingafortuneinmovies. IfI’dreallybeeninterested inbecoming a millionaire I’dhavegoneinto someothertrade.

Anyway, aroundthistimemymarriage brokeupandIhadtoquitthe AFI,because I’dchallenged George Stevens overthewayhewasrunning it.AfterthefirstyeartheAFIstartedtorunoutofmoneyandtheyhadto makecutbacks, butinsteadofmakingcutsinthesideoftheInstitutethat fed into the studiostheycut backon archival,libraryand critical

functions. SoIstarted apetition toremove George Stevens, andeventually therewasa bigboardmeeting fullofthestudioheadsandcaptains of industrywhowereGeorge’s friends.

Itwasasuicidemission,ofcourse,butsomebodyhadtotelltheboardin

themostblunt,unflattering termsthattheAFIwasgoinginthewrong direction. Well,I lost,andeventhoughGeorge wasniceaboutitandsent

someone tosaythattherewerenohardfeelings, Iknewthatafterpublicly attackinghiminthemostbrutaltermstherewasnowayI couldstay.

KJ:Yousuddenly foundyourself outofwork? PS:Iwasoutofwork;IwasoutoftheAFI;Iwasindebt.Ifellintoaperiod ofrealisolation, livingmoreorlessinmycar.Agrimtime.Andoutofthat isolationcameTaxiDriver,whichwaswritteninjusttendays;thefirst draftwasaboutsevenandtherewritewasthree.Itjustjumpedoutofmy headlikeananimal.AssoonasIhadwrittenitIgaveittoaliteraryagent whohadbeenhelpingto supportme,andthenI justdriftedaboutthe countryforsixmonths.

KJ:Whenwasthis? ps:Thesummerof 1972.I wentto Michigan fora while,thenup to Montreal, thenMaine,andendedupinWinston-Salem, NorthCarolina. I wasbasically justlivingonfriends’ couches andtryingtogetmyselfback topsychological health.TheonlyplanI hadatthetimewastonegotiate

withsomeone aboutopening arepertory theatre inGrand Rapids, butthat neverhappened. Then,whenIwasinWinston-Salem, Igotaletterfrommybrotherthat

112 Schraderon Schrader

11 TheYakuza (Sydney Pollack,1974):RobertMitchum as HarryKilmer.

TheScreenwriter: TheYakuza to TheLastTemptation ofChrist 113 hadbeenbangingaroundthecountryafterme.HewaslivinginKyoto,

where he’dgonetoescape thedraft,asamissionary. Ihadadeferment on medical grounds, soIwasn’t worried aboutVietnam.

Mybrotherhadfallenonhardtimeshimselfandhismarriage hadalso brokenup.Hehadtakentowatching lotsofJapanese gangster movies. So IcalledupmyagentfriendinLAandsaid,‘I’vehadthisfascinating letter frommybrother.I thinkthatit mightbea verycommercial ideatodoa Yakuzafilm,a kindofJapanese versionoftheKung-fu films.’ Heagreed thatitwasverycommercial andsohepaidformeandmybrothertocome backto LAtowriteit.WestartedwritingroundaboutThanksgiving ina one-bedroom apartmentweweresharing;wehadfinished byNewYear andbyFebruary thescript,whichhadbeenwrittenpurelyonspec,gotinto an auctionand wassoldfor $325,000,whichwasan extraordinary

amount, especially atthattime.

KJ:Didthishelpresolveyourpersonalcrisistoo? PS:Yes,becauseitgavemea cleardirection. Ihada place. KJ:YouwerereportednottobetoohappywiththewaythefilmofThe Yakuzaturnedout.Whatwereyourmainobjections? ps:Myobjections atthetimeweredifferent frommyfeelings today.Atthe timeIwasbeingverysnottyaboutitandIdon’treallythinkIunderstood howcollaboratively filmsaremade.Whatessentially happened wasthat thedirector,Sydney Pollack, wasnotterriblycomfortable withmakinga

puregangster filmsohebrought inBobTownetoheighten theinter-

nationalromanticelement,andI thinkthat the finalfilmsortof fell between twostools.Butoncehewascommitted tomakingthefilm,itwas myjobtotrytohelphimmakethefilmhewasbestat,ratherthansnipeat himfromthecornerandassumethatkindofarroganthighgroundthat writersliketoassume.

KJ:Andyoustartedworkingonotherscreenplays at aroundthissame time?

ps:Yes.WhenI camebackto LAtoworkonTheYakuza I alsostarted doinga littlefreelance criticism, andI dida reviewofBrianDePalma’s Sisters,whichI liked.I wenttointerview DePalmaforanarticleandwe struckupa friendship; IlethimreadTaxiDriverandhelikedita lotand wantedtodoit. Hewaslivingoutonthebeachatthattime,andhewalkeddownto a neighbouring housewhereMichaelandJuliaPhillips lived.Theyhadjust producedTheStingandtheywereinterested indoingTaxiDriver,but

114 Schrader onSchrader

a“ pe ce he

a Aii NK hi oe

12Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958): James Stewart, KimNovak. 13,Obsession(Brian DePalma,1976):CliffRobertson, Genevieve Bujold.

TheScreenwriter: TheYakuza to TheLastTemptation ofChrist 115

theyfeltitwouldbeidealforDeNiroandScorsese, whowasjustcutting MeanStreets. Sothatwaswhen Ifirst metMarty. Thatwhole summer of 1973wasveryheadybecauseeveryweekenda lot of peoplewould

assembleat Michaeland Julia’shouse—myself,Gloria and Willard

Huyck,JohnMilius,SteveSpielberg, DavidWard,Scorsese; andJohn

Dunne andJoanDidion livedrightbehind. Johnrecently toldmethathe usedtolookatthathouseasa sortofgenerator forthenewHollywood — alltheseegosbangingaround.

KJ:Didyousharethatfeelingatall?

ps:Yes.Eventhough wewererelatively unknown therewas a realfeeling thattheworldwasouroyster. Steven haddoneDuel;Martywasgetting readytodoAliceDoesn’t LiveHereAnymore; Bobby DeNirohadjust

gottheroleinGodfather PartTwo;I hadsoldTheYakuza forthishuge sum.

KJ:IfMichael andJuliaPhillips weresointerested inTaxiDriver, whydid younotstartinonitrightaway?

Ps:Well,at thetimewecouldn’tputthefilmtogetherbecausewestill didn’thavetheclout.Therewasachancetodoitwithanotheractor— Jeff Bridges —butwejustheldoutandayearwentby.Alicecameonanddid

well;Bobby wonanOscarforGodfather Two;andBrianwasoffmaking thenextscriptIwrote,‘Déja-Vu’, orObsession asitwaseventually called.

Thatcameoutofa discussion IhadwithBrianaboutVertigo, anditwas essentially asortofremakeoftheHitchcock film,setinFlorence andNew Orleans.Thefilmthatgotmadehadto bedonequitecheaply,andmy

scriptwasheavily cutsoIdropped outofit. ThescriptofTaxiDriver keptbanging around, andeveryone would say, ‘Gee,thisisfabulous, butit’snotforus.’Butafterawhilewewereallhot

enough,thefilmwaslowbudgetenoughat $2million,andMichael,Julia,

Bob,MartyandIjustsaid,‘OK,we’llmakeit.’

Taxi Driver KJ:Whatdo youthinkit wasaboutthescriptthatexcitedpeopleso much? PS:It’sa veryexciting scripttoread.Ithadthesamecompelling urgency

thatthefinished moviehas.Youreadthefirstpageofit,whichisa characterdescription ofTravisBickle, andyouknowyou’reona ride.

116 Schraderon Schrader

KJ:Weremanychangesmadebetweenthedraftyougavetoyouragent friendandthescreenversion? ps:Veryfew.Martywantedtwothingsadded:a sceneforAlbertBrooks

anda scene forHarvey Keitel. Iwasopposed tothisbecause everything in themovie should takeplacefromthetaxidriver’s pointofview,andifhe doesn’tseeit,itdoesn’t exist.I said,“Youcan’tlettheaudience knowthat there’sanother world out there, otherwise,they won’t buy into his,

becausehisis a ratherunsavoury one.’AndI turnedoutto be right, because intheendMartydidcutthescenethatheshotforAlbert;andfor thesceneheshotforHarvey, whichistheoneofhimandJodiedancing, he hadtoputinashotofBobbyfromanotherscene,lookingupatawindow, sothatitlookedasifhewaswatchingthem.Ithinkthereasonthatthefilm worksisthat you’regivenno alternativeworldto Travis’s.

kJ:Doyouthinkthatthefilmcaughtsomanypeople’s imaginations because ofitsstrongsenseofpent-up anger? ps: Yes.Godardoncesaidthatallgreatmoviesaresuccessful forthe

wrongreasons,andtherewerealotofwrongreasonswhyTaxiDriverwas

successful. Thesheerviolence ofit reallybroughtouttheTimesSquare

crowd. ButI havenorealquarrel withthat.I thinkthatfilmscanbeextremely

violentprovidedtheyunderstand therootcausesoftheviolence. I think TheWildBunchisa greatfilmbecauseitunderstandshowdeeplysickitis,

andletsyouknowhowsickitis;soitnotonlyexploits yourvicarious need forviolence, butundermines itatthesametime.I thinkfilmsthatanalyse

violence inthatwayareentirely justified. KJ:Buttheviolence inTravisisnotheldupforanalysis ina sociological or psychological way,is it? Thefilmseemsto havedistinctspiritual ambitions.

ps:Yes.Travis’s isnota societally imposed loneliness orrage,it’san existential kindofrage.ThebookIreread justbefore sitting downtowrite thescriptwasSartre’sNausea,andif anythingis themodelfor Taxi Driver,that wouldbeit.

KJ:Andtherearereferences toBresson aswell—the lineaboutthinking he hasstomach cancer...

ps:Andthescenewherehemakesthegunslide,whichissortofanallusion to Pickpocket. Originally Martyshotthat sceneso that it lastedten minutesormore,dwelling onthesensuous mechanics oftheprocess. I thinkthatwhatmakesthefilmso vividis whathasmadeallmy

TheScreenwriter: TheYakuza to TheLastTemptation ofChrist 117

collaborations withScorsese interesting, whichis thatwebothhave

essentially thesamemoralbackground —akindofclosed-society Christian morality,thoughmineis ruraland Protestantandhis is urbanand Catholic;mineis NorthEuropeanandhisis SouthEuropean. Wecan basically agreeoneverything inlife,butwedon’texpressit inthesame way.I oncedescribed thefilmasthestoryofa Protestant kidfromthe snowcountrywhowandered intoacathedral inthemiddleofNewYork City.Thatconflict ofsensibilities iswhatmakesitvibrate. KJ:Presumably therewassomething aboutTravis’s characterthatreflectedanaspectofyourown—theloneliness, therage,thewishfora kind ofpurgation? ps:AtthetimeIwroteitIwasveryenamoured ofguns,I wasverysuicidal,

I wasdrinking heavily, I wasobsessed withpornography inthewaya lonely person is,andallthoseelements areupfront inthescript. Obviously

someaspectsareheightened —theracismofthecharacter, thesexism. Like everykindofunderdog, Travistakesouthisangerontheguybelowhim ratherthantheguyabove.WhentheyeditedthefilmforTVI didn’tso muchmindhavingto losetheviolence, buttheyhadto removehuge

sections ofnarration because ofthevirulent anti-black andanti-women

characterizations. Heappeared avery sillykindofguybecause therewas noedgetohisanger;youjustwantedtoslaphiminthefaceandsay,‘Come

on, comeon.’

Infact,inthedraftofthescriptthatI sold,attheendallthepeoplehe

killsareblack.MartyandthePhillipses andeveryone said,no,wejust can’tdothis,it’sanincitement toriot;butitwastruetothecharacter.

KJ:It’scuriousthatheshouldbesoracist,giventhatyourfirstimpulse towardsfictioncameaboutbecause ofwitnessing racialbullying. ps:Well,that’sreallywhatartisabout,youknow.I thinkoneisstunginto

progressive, positive behaviour byan awareness ofthegreatlureof

negative thought;it’stheawareness ofprejudice insideyouthatspursyou ontoridyourself andothersofit.Oneofthethingsyoushoulddoinartis liftuptherockandlookatthosethingsinsideyou.

KJ:ThewordsinTaxiDriver,boththedialogue andTravis’s voice-over, areterrific.Aretheyas youwrotethem,or didtheycomeaboutfrom improvisation?

ps:ThenarrationisasIwroteit.Thedialogue issomewhat improvised — notto theextentofRagingBull,say,butthemostmemorable pieceof dialogue inthefilmisanimprovisation: the‘Areyoulookingatme?’part.

118 Schraderon Schrader

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14 ShootingTaxiDriver:Schrader andMartinScorsese onlocationin NewYork.

TheScreenwriter: TheYakuza to TheLastTemptation ofChrist 119

Inthescriptitjustsays,“Travis speaks tohimself inthemirror.’ Bobby

askedmewhathewouldsayandIsaid,well,he’salittlekidplayingwith gunsandactingtough.SoDeNirousedthisrapthatanunderground New Yorkcomedian hadbeenusingatthetimeasthebasisforhislines.

KJ:Wastheblackcomedy clearfromtheoutset,ordidthatalsodevelop fromDeNiro’sperformance? ps:BothMartyandI wereveryattractedto theperverse singularity of vision—someone whosays,‘I’vegottagethealthy’ whilehe’sswallowing

pills—andtotheself-contradictory nature ofthecharacter, which iswhere alotofthathumour comes from.Travis can’tseethatheistheonemaking

himselflonely.Heistheonemakingtheworldsordid,andyoucometo realizethatthegimmick ofthemovieistomakeyouidentify withhimfor simplerreasons,suchasfeeling oppressed bythecity,andthengradually you’remadeawarethatyouhaveidentified withsomeone youdon’twant toidentify with,butnowit’stoolate.

KJ:Oneofthemostdisturbing qualities ofTravisishisfeelingofsexual disgustandrage.Doeshisattempted relationship withtheCybill Shepherd character amounttoanattemptathealthwhichjusthappens tofail,orhas hesomehow willedthatfailure? PS:Hewillsit, thoughnotconsciously. TaxiDriver’splotstructureis fairlysimple.Youhavethispathologically lonelymanconfronted with twoexamples offemininity, oneofwhichhedesiresbutcannothave,the otherof whichhe canhavebutdoesnotdesire.Now,obviously he’s chosenobjectswhichwillexacerbate hisownpathology —hedoesn’t really

wanta girlwhowillaccepthim,andwhenit seemsasiftheCybill Shepherd charactermay,theninthatunconsciously destructive wayhe takesherintoanenvironment thatwillshowherhisrealugliness sothat shewillhavetorejecthim. KJ:Takinghertothepornocinemaisn’tjustnaivety?

PS:Itplayslikenaivety —thecharacter would say,‘Oh,stupid me,whydid

Igothere?’—buttherewassomething inhimthatreallywantedtoshove

her facein the filththat he felt,to dirtyher,to say,‘Lookat this:thisis

whatI’mreallylike.Howcouldyoulovesomeone likeme?’ Andthen,fromthatstepwhereyouhavethesetwofeminine figures who

mustbeunresolved, youjustmove ontothetwofatherfigures. Hedecides tokillthefatherfigure ofthegirlwhorejected him,which ofcourse isa reflection ofhisownfatherfigure,andwhenheisthwartedbythathe movesontothepimp,theotherfatherfigure.Thatisn’tmeanttoindicate

120 Schraderon Schrader

thatapimpandapolitician areoneandthesame,butinhismindtheyare identical asfatherfigures. Ofcoursetheironyofthefilmisthatsociety puts

valueononeandnottheotherandsayshe’sa hero.Butitdidn’treally makeanydifference tohimwhich onehewasgoing toget. KJ:Doestheendofthefilmindicatethathe’spurgedhimself andisnow safeandsane?

ps:No,I thinkthesyndrome isjustgoing tostartalloveragain.

KJ:Didyourfeelings aboutthefilmchange aftertheHinckley affairatall?

ps: No. I’mnot opposedto censorshipin principle—wecanallagreeon

censorable thingslikechildpornography —butIthinkthatifyoucensora filmlikeTaxiDriverallyoudoiscensora film,notconfronta problem.

Thesecharacters arerunning aroundandcanbetriggered byanything, mostoftenbyadvertisements orinnocuous images. Afewyearsagotheydidastudyaboutincitement torape,andoneofthe thingsthatcroppedupmostoftenwastheoldCoppertone suntanoilad— it hada littlepuppytuggingat a girl’sswimsuit. It hadjusttheright mixturefortheserapistsofadolescent sexuality, femalenudity,rearentry,

animals, violence . . .SoIthinkthatifyoudogetinvolved inthiskindof

censorship youstillenduphavingRaskolnikov, youjustdon’thaveCrime andPunishment. KJ:ButTaxiDrivernowseemsa different kindoffilmthanitdidbefore—

moreprophetic, morediagnostic.

ps:WhenI talktoyoungerfilm-makers theytellmethatitwasreallythe filmthat informedthem,that it wastheir seminalfilm,and listeningto

themtalkIreallycanseeitasakindofsocialwatermark. Butitwasmeant asapersonalfilm,notapoliticalcommentary. Therewasaverygoodfeeling aroundthemakingofthefilm;everything feltrightaboutit,andI remember thenightbeforeit openedweallgot togetherandhaddinnerandsaid,‘Nomatterwhathappens tomorrow we havemadeaterrificmovie,andwe’redamnproudofitevenifitgoesdown thetoilet.’AndthenextdayIgotupandwentovertothetheatreforthe noonshow.Therewasalonglinethatwentallthewayaroundtheblock,

butIabsolutely hadtobeletin.Andthen I realized thatthishugelinewas

alreadyforthetwoo’clock show,notthenoonshow!SoI raninsideand watchedthefilmandeveryone wasstandingatthebackandtherewasa senseofexhilaration aboutwhatwehaddone.Weknewwe’dneverrepeat it.

TheScreenwriter:TheYakuzato TheLastTemptationof Christ 121

Rolling Thunder andOtherScripts ps:Around1974to 1975IwassofullofideasIwaswritingfasterthanI couldmakedeals;theideaswerecoming outofthetoasterlikepoptarts.I wrote‘Déja-Vu’, RollingThunder,Quebecois andothersallinthesame year.I lookbackonthosedayswithgreatfondness, theideasweresohot

andheavy.

KJ:Doyoufindithardertohaveideastoday? Ps:Yes,firstofallbecause Idon’thavethatangrypassion, thatcridecceur, thatneedjustto leanoutofthewindowandyell.I havea muchmore

resolved lifeandIdon’tneedtofantasize thatmuch. Somixthatwiththe

kindofcalculation thatcomesafteryearsofworking—whereyouknow youshouldn’t bewritingsomething because itwon’tgetmade. . .Atthat timeIjustdidn’tcare:Ihadtowritethemandwritethem. KJ:Wereyoutryingtobreakintodirecting too?

PS:Rolling Thunder wasgoing tobemyfirstfilmasadirector. Thatfilm

hasanironichistory.Ioriginally soldittoLarryGordonatAIP,andthen LarrymovedfromAIPtoColumbia andtookitwithhim,andthenheleft Columbia andtookittoTwentieth CenturyFox,madeitthere,andthen Twentieth solditbackto AIPagainandtheyreleased it.

ThestoryofRolling Thunder wasreallybotched intherewriting. The

maincharacterinthefilmwasmeanttobethesamesortofcharacteras Travis,withthatsameanti-social edge.Thecharacter, asIoriginally wrote him,wasa Texastrashracistwhohadbecomea warherowithoutever havingfireda gun,and camehometo confrontthe TexasMexican community. Allhisracismfromhischildhood andVietnamcomesout,

andat theendingof thefilmthere’san indiscriminate slaughter of

Mexicans,meantas somekindof metaphorfor Americanracismin Vietnam. InordertogetitmadeatTwentieth, theyinsisted thatthatracistelement betakenout,whichistheequivalent ofgivingTravisBicklea dog.Once youtakeout the perversepathologyof thesecharacters,ratherthan becomefilmsaboutfascismtheybecomefascistfilms,andthat’swhat happened toRollingThunder. KJ:There’s anideaincommon between Rolling ThunderandTheYakuza todowiththemutilation ofthehand—inTheYakuzaa ritualcuttingoff, inRollingThunderdamagebyagarbage-disposal unit.

122 Schraderon Schrader

pS:That’s acommon fantasy ofallwriters, because youwritewithyour

handsandtheself-destructive impulse inawritertakesthatform.It’slikea painterfantasizing aboutblinding himself. Iremember ascenefromaJoan CrawfordfilmcalledAutumnLeaves,whereCliffRobertsonplaysa writerwho’shavinganaffairwithanolderwomanandshegetsfurious

withhimandtakesthetypewriter andsmashes hishands.It’sa pure writer’sfantasy. Theotherscreenplay I wrotewhichgotmadearoundthisperiodwas OldBoyfriends; JoanTewkesbury madeit in 1979.Thatwasa script whichhad a sex-change operation,as Lightof Daylaterdid.It was

originally called ‘OldGirlfriends’, aboutamanwhowentbackandlooked uphisoldgirlfriends. Itdidn’treally work,andIrealized thatifIturned roundthe sexesit wouldbelessprosaic,moreinteresting.

I hada production creditonthefilmbecauseIhelpedsetit up,andI mistakenly thoughtat thetimethatI shouldn’t directit,becauseI, asa

man,couldn’t reallypenetrate thefemale psyche sufficiently andsoon. Thereweren’t manyopportunities forwomen directors atthetimeandI sawmyselfasbeingabletoalleviate thesituation, soIsupported Joan.In retrospect IwishIhaddirectedit. Kj:Why?

ps:IthinkIwasyielding toakindofinsecurity bysaying thatI shouldn’t

doit.IthinkIdidknowhowtodirectit,andthatIcouldhavedone a better job,oratleasta morepiercing job.I don’tthinkthatithasenoughofan author’sedge.I wouldhavepushedthingsmoreandmadethemmore edgy,morespooky,morescary,withcharacters thataremoremesmeriz-

ingandmoreobsessive.

KJ:Sothefinished filmwaslikeasentimental journey,whereyouwantedit tobea painfulreworking ofthepast? ps:Yes,andIwantedthecharacters tobegrander.Youknow,everything I’vedonehasbeeninformed bybiblical characters. That’sourmythology.

EventhelatestscriptI’vewritten, Forever Mine, which isanattempt ata kindofpopular romantic thriller, hasallkindsofechoes ofJoseph andhis brothers.

KJ:Whatelsewereyouwritingat thisperiod?

ps:TherewasQuebecois, whichwasa disguised remake ofaJapanese

gangster filmsetinMontreal, aboutthebattlebetween twocrimefamilies, oneFrench—Canadian andtheotherItalian— American. Itfocuses ontwo brothersintheFrenchfamily,oneofwhomisanadoptedAmerican who

TheScreenwriter:TheYakuzato TheLastTemptationof Christ 123

15 RollingThunder(JohnFlynn,1977):William Devaneas CharlesRane.

124 Schrader onSchrader

16 TaxiDriver(MartinScorsese, 1975):RobertDeNiroasTravisBickle: A manandhisroom’.(1)

TheScreenwriter: TheYakuza to TheLastTemptation ofChrist 125

endsuptakingoverthefamily because therightful heirisinvolved inthe

Quebecois revolution. Soit’ssortof AmericaversusCanada,French versusItalian,andbrotherversusbrother,alllinedup.Ithinkthereasonit didn’tgetmadewasthatImiscalculated andwroteitjustasthegangster trendwascomingtoanend.Iwouldstillliketoseeitmade.

ThentherewasTheHavana Colony, allaboutthefallofHavana, which

I wroteforParamount, butboththatandQuebecois wereboughtby WarnerBrothers.HavanaColonyhas sincebeenrewrittenby other writers;in fact,I had occasionto rereadit for the firsttimein yearsthe

otherweek,because Sydney Pollack ismaking itandhehadneverinfact readmyoriginal. Ithinkitholdsupwell,butSydney’s scriptisbased upon

JudyRascoe’s version.

CloseEncounters andCovert People KJ:Isittruethatyouwerealsoinvolved inwritingthefirstdraftofClose Encounters oftheThirdKindforSpielberg? ps: Yes.Thatcameoutof thegroupthatspenttheirweekends at the

Phillipses’ beachhouse. Steven hadtoldMichael andJuliathathewanted todosomething aboutflying saucers, sotheyputustogether andIwrote

thefirstdraft,butStevenandI hada fallingoutalongstrictlyideological lines,whichwasquiteaninstructive disagreement — it saysalotabouthim anditsaysa lotaboutme. Myscriptcentredontheideaofamodern-day StPaul,a guynamedPaul

VanOwen, whose jobforthegovernment istoridicule anddebunk flying saucers.Butthenoneday,likeStPaul,hehashisroadtoDamascus —he hasanencounter. Thenhegoestothegovernment; he’sgoingtoblowthe lidoffthewholething,butinsteadthegovernment offerhimunlimited fundstopursuecontactclandestinely, sohespendsthenextfifteenyears tryingto do that.Buteventually he discovers thatthekeyto making

contact isn’toutthereintheuniverse, butimplanted inside him.

AbouttheonlythingthatwasleftofallthatwhenStevenfinallymade thefilmwastheideaofthearchetypal site,themountain that’splantedin hismind,andsomeof theending.WhatI haddonewasto writethis characterwithresonances ofLearandStPaul,a kindofShakespearean tragichero,andStevejustcouldnotgetbehindthat,andit becameclear thatourcollaboration hadtoend. Itcamedowntothis.I said,‘Irefusetosendofftoanotherworld,asthe firstexampleofearth’sintelligence, a manwhowantstogoandsetupa

126 Schraderon Schrader

McDonald’s franchise,’ andSteven said,“That’s exactlytheguyIwantto

send.’Steven’s Capra-like infatuation withthecommon manwasdiametrically opposed tomyreligious infatuation withtheredeeming hero—1

wanted a biblicalcharacterto carrythemessage to theouterspheres,I wantedtoformmissions again.Fortunately, Steven wassmartenoughto realizethatIwasanintractable character andhewasrighttomakethefilm thathewascomfortable with. KJ:Didyouretaina creditonthefinalversion?

ps:No,at Steven’srequestI withdrewfromthecreditarbitration,whichis

something I’vecometoregretinlateryears,because I hadpointstiedto credit.SoIgaveupmaybea coupleofmilliondollarsthatway,butthat’s thewayithappens.

Thenin1978,shortly afterBlueCollar, Iwrotea scriptthatwasnever made,calledCovert People, which wasakindofdisguised remake ofthe oldfilmnoir,D.O.A.I wrotethatafterI wrotethecriticalessayonfilm noir;therewerea numberof filmsI hadunearthedin thatpieceand broughttoattention —OutofthePastwasoneandD.O.A.wasanother.

KJ:DidthescriptofTaxiDriver oweanything toyourviewings offilms

noirs? ps:Nottoomuch— the darknessoffilmnoirattractedme,butTaxiDriver

reallycomes,asIsay,outofFrenchexistential fiction. Thedarkness offilm

noirismuchmoresocially motivated thanitisinTaxiDriver: youhave theseheroes who’ve gotadirtydeal;they’ve comebackfromthewarand theirwifehasgoneandtheydon’thavea job...

KJ:ButyoucouldsaymuchthesameofTravis,who’sa Vietnam veteran. ps:Well,Ididn’treallymakehimaVietnam vet,that’spartofthesubtext.

It’sassumed thathehassomekindofsearing memory andthathe’shad

somefamiliarity withweapons,butit’snotmeantto bea storyabout Vietnam andVietnam isneverdiscussed. There’s areference onhisjacket to ‘KingKongCompany’, whichcouldbe a referenceeitherto the Vietcong ortothemovie.It’ssomething whichisjustlefttobeinferred. CovertPeoplewasaboutthreegovernment employees, twomenanda

woman, andthewoman ismoving fromonemantotheother.Oneofthe

mendiscovers thathe is dyingandthediagnosis is thathe hasbeen poisoned, sohetriestotrackdownthekiller.Whatemerges isthatallthree ofthemhavebeeninvolved inclandestine operations —theyeachhadovert andcovertjobs—andthathisfriendshaddevised thepoisonforanother

purpose andthengiven ittohimunwittingly.

TheScreenwriter: TheYakuza to TheLastTemptation ofChrist 127 KJ:Wasthatnotmadebecause itwasfelttobetoodark? Ps:I guessso.Eithertoodarkor toodifficult —thebuzzwordsof my problems ingettingfilmsmade.Maybejustnotverygood. KJ:In interviews around1979youalsomadereference to a filmabout HankWilliams. Ps:Yes,thatwaswrittenandIdidalotofresearch onit.Iwouldn’t want tomakeittodayevenifsomeone offeredmethechance,because I’vedone

myfilmaboutasuicidal artistinMishima andIdidmyfilmaboutmusic in LightofDay.

KJ:Wasthereanything elseaboutthetopicthatespecially interested you? ps:Hewasa realmomma’s boy;hecouldn’t resolvehisfeelings towards womenexceptintermsofmommaidolatry, sothatwasaninteresting kind

ofpathology. Thentherewasthefactofhisbeing soemotionally loose, not inchargeofhisemotional lifeatall—theoppositeofMishima, whowas verysecurely tiedtothedeckintermsofhisowninnercalculations. KJ:Youmakehimsound alittle likeTravis.

ps:Therewasdefinitely thatelement toit.HankWilliams wasgoingto

be structuredin an unusualway.I haveproblemswithconventional biographical films;I justcan’tbearto seemoviesaboutrealevents that falsifythem.Alltheforays’ve madeintobiography haveended uphavingpeculiarstyles:onHankWilliams itwascalled‘SixScenes from

theLifeofHankWilliams’, likeMishima was‘ALifeinFourChapters’ — it justtooksixseparate months fromafive-year periodandfocused onthe thingsthathappenedin thosemonths.RagingBullalsohadthatodd structure,and Patty Hearst,eventhoughI didn’twrite it, has an odd

structure.I’vemoreorlessdecided tostayawayfrombiography infuture

because IfindthatIalways impose thesestructures sothatIdon’thaveto fabricate events —thefabrication occurs inthestructure ratherthanin

theepisodes.

Mosquito Coast,Gershwin andOthers KJ:ApartfromTheLastTemptation ofChrist,theonlyscreenplay you’ve workedonthatcamefroma novelwasTheMosquitoCoast,wasn’tit? ps: Yes.Thatwasto payforthewholeMishimaepisode.I wentfora

couple ofyearswithout earning anymoney because ofMishima, soIwrote

128 Schraderon Schrader

TheMosquito Coastjustbefore I leftforJapaninlate1983andIwrotea screenplay aboutGeorgeGershwin assoonas| gotbackin1984. KJ:SoMosquito Coastwasacommission ratherthansomething youhada burningdesiretowrite? ps: Well,I lovedthebookandI lovedthecharacterof thefather—a terrifically self-destructive character—so theywerecongenial areasforme. KJ:Couldyouhavewrittenascreenplay fromabookthatyouhadlittleor nointerestin,ormusttherealwaysbesomeelement thatfitsinwithyour privateinterests? ‘ps:Yes,therehastobesomething, somedoorintothematerialthatwill openforyou.ThebigproblemwithMosquito Coastwasoneofcondensation;ithadsuchsweepintermsoftheeventsthatitwasimpossible toget it allintoa two-hourformat.ButI wasdeadsetonbeingfaithfulto the book.I don’tthinkthefinished filmreallyworkedinthewaythebookdid, whichwas,ratherlikeTaxiDriver,to havea characterwho’sinitially charming andattractiveandwhosuckersyouin,sothatbythetimeyou realizehowmadyourguideisyou’realreadyoutinthewilderness with him. Oneoftheproblems wasthecastingoftheleadrole.Itwaswrittenwith JackNicolson inmind;hewastheonlyactorIcouldimagine whowould havethatkindof absolutecharm.Butforonereasonor anotherJack becameunavailable andsotheywentwithHarrisonFord,whodoesn’t havethatreptilian charm.Hedoesn’t suckeryouinthefirstfifteen minutes andsothemovieisineffectover,because he’sonlygoingtobecomeless andlesslikeable. KJ:There’s something ofa representation ofAmerican virtuegonesourin theHarrisonFordcharacter,likea crossbetweenBenFranklinanda frontiersman. Istheideaofexamining theAmerican psycheonethat’sof interestto yous

ps: Yes,butonlyin thesensethateverynationalis interested in local

mythology. ThatsideofthefilmisreallyallPaulTheroux’s vision, and|

sawthescriptasbeinginservice toTheroux. Thetruthisthat,inaway,it’s actuallyeasiertowriteoriginalscriptsthantoadaptbooks,because when youwriteanadaptation youhavetwoemployers, thepersonwho’spaying youandtheauthorofthebook,bothofwhommilitateagainstyourown

creativity andmakewriting aslower andmoredifficult process. When you

writeanoriginalyou’reonlyconstrained byyourownimagination and howfastyoucanwork;therearen’tsomanyscriptconferences.

TheScreenwriter:TheYakuzato TheLastTemptationof Christ 129

17 MosquitoCoast(PeterWeir,1986):HarrisonFordas AllieFox.

130 Schrader onSchrader KJ:WasGershwin alsoa commissioned script? Ps:Yes.ItwasaprojectthatcamefromScorsese andDeNiro,whoboth havea loveformusicals thatIdon’treallyshare.Thegreatproblemwith thatscreenplay isthatyouhaveacentralcharacter whoselifereallydidn’t

haveagreatdealofdrama.Hewanted music andfameandmoney and

women,andhegotallfourandthendiedattheageofthirty-nine. Itwasn’t atorturedlife—itwasanall-American success story.Again,Ijustcouldn’t seeinventing somekindof ersatzdrama,soI hadto createthedrama structurally.

WhatI didwasto comeupwithnineapproximately chronological

thematicchapterswithtitleslike‘Women’, ‘Classical’, ‘Hollywood’, ‘Psychoanalysis’ andsoon,andthenineachofthosechapters, whichwere abouttenminuteslongandshotinblackandwhite,we’dshootforwardin

timefollowing thattheme.Attheendofeachchaptertherewouldbea

musical section indifferent formats bydifferent artists, aGershwin song which would encapsulate thattheme. Soafter‘Women’ itwould be‘IJust Can’tGetStarted’andafter‘Psychoanalysis’ itwas‘HowLongHasThis

BeenGoingOn?’

Itwasa veryadventurous structureandI thinkit’sa verygoodscript, butbythenatureofthematerialit’sa veryexpensive piece,at least$25 millionorso,and,asHollywood learnedfromPennies fromHeaven, you don’tmaketheseexperimental filmsatthatprice.* Because youneedmusic rights,youneedWarnerBrotherswhoownsthem,andWarnersisn’t abouttomakea $25millionMishima oranotherPenniesfromHeaven. Ontheotherhand,they’renotgoingtorelinquish thescriptbecausethat meansrelinquishing thepossibility oftheirmakingthemoreconventional Gershwin filmtheywouldliketomake. KJ:DidyoualreadyknowGershwin’s musicwell,ordidit needa lotof research? Ps:Ididalotofresearch. Oneofthebenefits ofthisoccupation isthatyou reallydo getto playin someoneelse’ssand-box.Yougetto immerse

yourself intheworldofDetroit autoworkers orpornography orJapanese culture;itgivesyoua chancetopourintothosefields.

KJ:Didyouwriteanythingelsearoundthistime? Ps:TherewasaVietnam scriptcalledRoundEyeswhichIwroteforAlan Ladd,whostillwantstomakeit,butI thinkitstimehascomeandgone.

It’saboutamanwhogoestoVietnam tofindhisbrother’s daughter, who’s

anAsian,andthenfallsinlovewithhisbrother’s ex-wifeandthenfinds outhisbrotherisstillalive.ShadesofTheThirdMan.

TheScreenwriter: TheYakuza toTheLastTemptation ofChrist131

RagingBullandTheLastTemptation ofChrist Ps:MardikMartin’s draftofRagingBullwasascriptthatScorsese andDe

Nirohadbuttheyjustweren’t happy withit.Theycouldn’t getagoonit,

sowhenBobcamebylatein1978,whileIwasshooting Hardcore, Iwent straightfromshooting Hardcore intowritingRagingBull,editingmyfilm bydayandwritingbynight. Mymaincontribution to it wasthecharacterofJoeyLaMotta.Jake didn’tlikehisbrothermuch,sohewasn’tinthefirstdraftandtherewasno dramathere.I didsomeresearch, metJoeandhestruckmeasmuchmore interesting. Youhadthesetwoyoungboxers,theFighting LaMottas,and onewassortofshywhiletheotheronehadalot ofsocialtools,soJoeyquit fighting andmanaged hisbrother.TheonlythingJakewasgoodatwas

taking a beating, hewasn’t aterrific boxerbuthecould takeabeating and meanwhile Joeywasoffmanaging andgetting allthegirls.Soinjecting that siblingrelationship intothescriptmadeita financeable film. KJ:Wastheflashback structurealsoyours? Ps:Ithinkso.

KJ:Whatwasthemainpointofthatstructure asfarasyouwereconcerned —thefactthatLaMottafounda newwayto bea performer, a public figure? PS:I thinkMartywasmoreattractedtothatelement thanIwas.Iwasvery

muchattracted tothenotionofhishands.LaMottafeltthathishands weresmallandineffectual, thattheyweren’t really boxer’s hands, andthe

climaxofmyscriptwasascenewhichMartyandBobchosenottodo,or ratherdidina different fashion. Itistheprisonscene.Jakeisinthecellandhe’stryingtomasturbate and isunsuccessful, becauseeverytimehetriesto conjureupanimageofa womanhe’sknown,healsoremembers howbadlyhe’streatedher,sohe’s notabletomaintainanerection. Finallyhetakesitoutonhishands;he blameshishandsandsmashes themagainstthewall.I’mnotsurewhy,but theywereuncomfortable shootingthisandsoit became‘Iamnot an animal’instead. KJ:You’ve saidthatyourcharacters aredrawnfromtheBibleinoneway oranother;isthattrueofyourJakeLaMotta? Ps:Notsomuchwithhim,because you’redealing witharealperson.But there’sobviously a pseudo-religious masochism to it —regeneration by

132 Schrader onSchrader

18 RagingBull(MartinScorsese, 1980):RobertDeNiroasJake LaMotta.

TheScreenwriter: TheYakuza to TheLastTemptation ofChrist 133 blood,ritualbeating—andthataspectofit certainlyappealedto both Martyandme. KJ:Scorsese hasspokenofitasa filmaboutredemption. ps:Yes,butredemption throughphysicalpain,liketheStationsofthe Cross,onetormentafteranother.Notredemption byhavinga viewof salvation orbygrace,butjustredemption bydeathandsuffering, whichis thedarkersideoftheChristian message.

KJ:Itendswithaquotation fromtheBible: ‘Iwasblind,andnowIsee.’

Wasthatinyourscript? ps:That’spurelyMarty.I hadnoideaitwasgoingtobethere,andwhen| sawitIwasabsolutely baffled. Idon’tthinkit’strueofLaMottaeitherin reallifeorinthemovie;Ithinkhe’sthesamedumblugattheendasheisat

thebeginning, andIthinkMartyisjustimposing salvation onhissubject byfiat.I’veneverreallygotfromhimaterriblycredible reasonforwhyhe didit;hejustseemed tofeelthatitwasright.

KJ:InthefilmLaMottaisjealousalmosttothepointofinsanity. Isthat

trueoflife,ordidyouintroduce thattheme? PS:It’sputinabit.Some ofitistodowiththatkindofhidden sexual bond

betweenbrothers.Thesexuality of thesiblingsexpresses itselfbyJake beingconvinced thathisbrotherhascheatedhim.

KJ:TheotherstrangethingaboutJake’ssexuality ishishabitofremaining

celibate beforebigfightssoasnottosaphisenergy. Thatmaybea

commonathlete’s myth,butit alsoalignshimwithyourotherpent-up, celibatecharacters. Ps:Yes,that’stheDeadlySpermBackup.MartyandI callit theDSB.I

don’tknowwhether wecoined itorjustheardit,buttheideacomes up againinTheLastTemptation, where Jesuscomes outsideandoneofthe

characters says,“That’s whathappens whenyoudon’tsleepwithwomen — yourspermgoesuptoyourbrainandmakesyoucrazy.’ KJ:Couldyoufindanyaffinities between yourSites andLaMotta’s thathelpedyouwriteit? Ps:Notreally.I wouldnothavedonethisonmyown,andI don’tthink Martywouldhave,either,butit wasBob’spassion.Martyis fondof sayingthatTaxiDriverismyfilmandRagingBullisDeNiro’sandThe LastTemptation ofChristishis.

134 Schrader onSchrader

KJ:Thescriptlooksveryloosely structured atfirst,butthenyoustartto notice allsortsofconnections andparallels being setupbetween situations andlines. Ps:Oneofmyvicesasa writer,andI reallydon’tthinkit’snecessarily a goodthing,isa kindofundueparallelism, a kindofbook-end mentality thatwantstohaveeverything balanced andneatlystructured. Oneofthe

reasons TaxiDriver issogoodisthatitappears random, butevery scene

logically leadstothenextanditallfitsin. WhenI wasa criticI wasveryfondof thesemi-colon; I lovedthat parallelstructure ofonelongsentence, semi-colon, anotherlongsentence. PaulineKaeloncedescribed mystyleastherevenge ofthesemi-colon. I havetowatchoutforscriptsbecoming justa littletooneatlystructured. That’spartlyaproductofmyparticular college education, focused heavily on goodEnglishandcorrectprose.AsI said,myfavouritewritersin college weretheVictorians. KJ:It doesn’tseemto haveinhibitedyourabilityto writedemotic dialogue, ortoportraycharacters likeLaMottawhoarenexttoinarticulate. ps:Thisgoesbackreallyto theforkintheroadbetweencriticism and fiction.Ifoundmyself writinganddirecting thekindofmovieIwouldnot haveapproved ofasa critic.Thetwoprocesses arediametrically opposed. Criticism isessentially acadaverous business: youperformanautopsyon

something andtrytodetermine howandwhyitlived. Screenwriting and film-making aremuchmoreembryonic —something isgrowing andyou

havetonourishit andnotpassjudgement onituntilitisborn.Soallthe thoughtprocesses thatarevalidforcriticism areoftencounter-productive infictionwriting.Youhavetowhackyourself ontheheadandsay,‘Don’t

getsoliteral. Noteverything hastofit.’

KJ:Doyouhaveanyspecialtechnique foravoidingthatkindof selfcensorship? Ps:I usedtowriteat nightandI usedtowritedrunk.I wrotedrunkfor

fifteen years, butnowI’mtooold—Ican’tdoitanymore,ittakestoolong torecover. Mylatestscript,Forever Mine,isthefirstI’vewritten sober.

There’snotreallythatmuchdifference; it’sjustthatwhenyou’resober yourcriticalfaculties starttogetintheway,butwhenyou’redrunkyouget grandiose andemotional andstarttogowiththeflow.

KJ:HowdoyoufeelaboutRaging Bullnow? ps:Ithinkit’saterrific movie, butit’sjustnotthatclosetomepersonally

TheScreenwriter: TheYakuza to TheLastTemptation ofChrist 135

because LaMottaisnotthekindofcharacter Iwouldhaveimagined on myown.Christisthekindofcharacter Iwould haveimagined. KJ:Whichyouhada chancetodonext... Ps:Well,ifyou’ve beenfoolingaroundwithredemptive themesinvarious surrogate guises,tacklingtheprototype isprettyirresistible.

KJ:Whatwasthehistory ofyourinvolvement withthefilm?

ps:BarbaraHershey gaveMartyacopyofthebookduringtheshooting of

BoxcarBertha,andhe’dwantedto doiteversince.Hefirstmentioneditto

mearoundthetimeofTaxiDriver,buthewasn’tabletoraisethemoneyto

secure therights. Thenin1980or1981hefinally bought therightsandI

wrotethescriptinthesummerandfallof1981.

KJ:WhywasScorsese intentonusingtheKazantzakis novelratherthan goingstraighttotheGospels? ps:Thegreatness ofthebookisitsmetaphorical leapintothisimagined temptation;that’swhatseparatesit fromthe Bibleand makesit a commentary uponit. If I couldhavecomeup witha similarkindof inspiration Iwouldhavelovedtodosomething likethatmyself —ifIhad writtena ChristfilmfromtheBibleI wouldhavehadto comeupwith something similartokeepitfresh,somehook.ThegreathookofTheLast Temptation is theideaofthereluctantGod,thepersonwhomGodis imposing himself on—that’spureKazantzakis. KJ:Howdidyougoaboutadaptingsucha difficult book? ps:AssoonasI readitIknewthatithadtoopenwithnarration, andwitha description ofa migraine. AndassoonasI knewthat,I knewthetone— thereisthiskidwiththeseviciousheadaches andhejustdoesn’tknow

whattomakeofthem.

It’sa 600-page novelanda 100-page script,soIhadtothrowoutalot, andthenIaddednewscenesaswell.Essentially whatIdidwastomakea longlistofeverything thathappensinthenovel,everysingleevent,and thenput a checkmarkbesidetheeventsthatrelatedto thingsI was interested in—howtheyrelatedtothestruggle ‘WhatdoesGodwantof

me?’; orhowtheyrelated tothecentral triangle ofthefilm,which isJesus,

JudasandMagdalene —andjustfocusonthoseelements. Ijustliftedoutallthescenes thathadthemostchecks onthemandchose maybethirty-five scenes thatstoodoutasbeingfocused onwhereIwanted togo.ThenI wovethemtogetherandsaidgoodbye toeverything elsein

thebook,cutting itdowntoaboutseventy oreighty pages.

136 Schrader onSchrader

KJ:AttheendofTranscendental Style youcontrast religious filmswhich

haveover-sparse meanswiththosethathaveover-abundant means,such asCharltonHestonasMoses.Wastheproblemofover-abundant means something whichcrossedyourmind?

ps:TheLastTemptation ofChrist isnotareligious ortranscendental film inthatway.It’sreallymuchmorea psychological filmabouttheinner tormentsofthespirituallife;it’snottryingtocreateaholyfeeling. That’s whatthebookislike,that’swhatMartywantedandthat’sthescriptI wrote.It’satorturedhumanstruggle abouta common manpossessed by Godandfighting it.Godisa demoninthatway. KJ:Istheidiomofthecharacters yours?

ps: Yes.That’sjusta casewhereyouhaveto bitethebullet.Youcan’tdoit

inKingJamesEnglish andyoucan’tdoitinAramaic, whichwouldbethe onlywayto makeit realistic. Youhaveto assumethatthesepeopleare

conversing inanormal fashion andinordertomakeitsoundasifyou’re hearing theseconversations forthefirsttimeyouhavetousea fresh, idiomatic dialogue. Peoplewillrecoilatthatbecause itviolates allthey’ve readandheardovertheyears,butthat’sjustunfortunate —there’s noother solution.

KJ:Didthescriptgothrough manyrewrites?

ps:Yes,JayCocksrewroteitrepeatedly, butnothingreallychanged with theexception ofoneor twosceneswhichweredroppedandthescene whereSaulkillsMaryMagdalene whichwaschanged because Martyjust feltyoucouldn’t showapregnant womanbeingkilled,sonowshediessort ofmiraculously. KJ:ApartfromKazantzakis, werethereanyothersourcesfortheideas aboutspiritualstruggle andtorment? Someofitseemslikeanotherreturn toBresson. ps:Yes,it’sobviously thatinthenarration.TheonesceneI didaddthat wasn’tinthebookwastheonewhereChristtakesouthisownheart.Itjust hitmeandIlovedthesceneandMartylovedit,andthensomeone pointed outtome— I hadn’tthoughtofitatthetime—thatthatistheemblem of CalvinCollege, theheartinthehand. KJ:DidyouandScorsese havetheological discussions whenyouwere preparing thefilm? ps:MartyandIneverreallycollaborated overa desk;wereallydon’twork thatway.I understand howhethinksandfeelsandItalkwithhimandtry

TheScreenwriter: TheYakuza to TheLastTemptation ofChrist 137

tofindoutwhere heiscoming from,butthenIgooffandwriteandwhenI

comebackheacceptsitornot.Whathedoesn’taccepthechanges onhis own.I don’tbotherhimwhenhedirectsandhedoesn’tbothermewhenI

write.

KJ:Atwhatpointdidyoubecome awareofthefundamentalist ragethat

wasabouttocomedownonyou? Ps:I reallydidn’tthinktherewasgoingtobethatmuchtrouble.I come froma background wheretheological debateisa staple,andconsidered conducive tofaithratherthandetrimental toit.Itwasfundamentalist, but

it wasintellectually oriented ratherthanfaithoriented, whichisthe

inheritance ofJohnCalvin:Christianity is basically logic.Mostof the peoplewhoprotested camefromanotheraspectofChristianity whereit’s practically allfaith.Whathappened withthefilmwasthattheEvangelical Rightpre-empted the debate.Theygot out thereearlyand started

characterizing thefilminaninaccurate way.TheRight hadfallen onhard

timesandthiswasa greatwaytocallontheirsupportandraisemoney. TheyframedthedebatebysayingthatHollywood isattacking ourLord andwearedefending ourLord.Well,youknow,thecoffers ofChristianity springopenwhentheyhearthat argument,and the mainstream of

Christianity hasto sidewiththefundamentalists whenthedebateis couched inthoseterms. Thefilm wasrushedintothetheatres toputanend tothepropaganda. Butnoneofusthoughtthatitwasgoingtobeabigproblem untilabout 1983whentheRightstartedmarshalling theirforceswhentheyheardthat themoviewasunderway.

KJ:Doesthetheological debateinthefilmcomestraightfromKazantzakis,orisitonethat’sofsomeoldervintage? ps:Therearetwoelements in thebook.Oneis a kindofNietzschean superman struggle, andtheotherismoreEastern, moremystical. Because ofmybackground, Iskewed ittowardstheNietzschean andCalvinist and awayfromthemystical. Thestruggle to beGod,thestruggle withone’s ownsenseofdivinityisan Ubermensch problem. Inthefilmyoucansee the progression fromGreekOrthodoxto DutchCalvinistto Roman Catholic, andIthinkthatlayer-cake aspectofChristian theology isoneof thethingsthat’sinteresting aboutthefilm. KJ:Doesanyonestrandpredominate? Ps:Wehiton allthree,buttheendof thefilmis a kindof superman triumph— callingyourselfbackto theCrossbyforceofwill—andthe

138 Schrader onSchrader

19TheLastTemptation ofChrist(Martin Scorsese, 1988): Willem Dafoe asJesusofNazareth.

TheScreenwriter:TheYakuzato TheLastTemptationof Christ 139

emphasis isdefinitely onthemanwhowillshimself backtotheCross ratherthanontheGodwhoputshimback. KJ:But the filmneverquestionsthe realityof divinityor the fact that

Christ’s callisa realone.

ps:No.Oneofthepleasing aspects ofthewhole controversy washowthe whole debate became refocused ononeoftheearlydebates oftheChurch.

Thetwomajorheresies whichemerged intheearlyChristian Churchwere the Arianheresy,fromArius,whichessentiallysaidthatJesuswasa man whopretendedto be God;and the otherwasthe Docetanheresy,which

saidthatJesuswasreallyGodwho,likeaverycleveractor,pretended tobe

aman.Sotheycalled a council andbranded bothphilosophies asheresy;

butinfacttheChurchhastendedanyway togoonitsmerryDocetan way, beingmuchmorecomfortable withtheideaofGodpretending tobeman thanmanpretending tobeGod.TheLastTemptation ofChristmayerron thesideofArianism, butit doeslittleto counteract the2,000yearsof

erringontheotherside,anditwaspleasant toseethisdebatefromthe earlyChurch splashed alloverthefrontpages. KJ:Whatwasyourreactiontoallthearguments? ps:Thepicturewasa provocation andI enjoydebateandargument. It wouldbeveryhypocritical tosaythatyoudon’tenjoyitwhenyouinciteit.

KJ:Didthedebateshurtthefilmoryourcareer,orwasitsuccessful asa resultofthem? . ps:I thinkthatbecauseofallthepublicity peopleassumed thatthefilm woulddobetter,butit’sathree-hour filmaboutthenatureofJesus;itwas alwaysa speciality-audience film.Thepublicity andthecensorship probablyendedupbalancing eachotheroutandintheendaboutthesame numberofpeoplesawitaswouldhavedoneotherwise. Mostofthepeople whowereprotesting don’tgotofilmsanyway. KJ:Isthereanything aboutthefilmthatyou’reparticularly pleasedwith?

Ps:IthinkWillem Dafoedid aterrificjob.Invariably, whenyouwritea

scriptyouwritesomescenes thataremarginal andusuallydon’tendupin thefilm,evenifyoudirectityourself, butyouhavetowritethemjustin casetheactorrisestotheoccasion andtheyworkafterall.They’re usually theverybaldsceneswherethecharacter discusses thethemeofthemovie andmoreoftenthannottheyenduphittingthefloor.WhatI wasmost pleasedwithisthatDafoemanaged topullallthosespeeches off.WhenI

140 Schrader onSchrader watched thefilmforthefirsttimeIhalfexpected themnottobethere,but theywereandIwasextremely pleasedbythat. KJ:Lookingbackoverthethreefilmsyou’vewrittenfor Scorsese,what—

apartfromtheredemptive theme you’ve already mentioned —do youthink

givesthema common thread? ps: They’reall of the samecloth:they’reaboutlonely,self-deluded, sexually inactive people.

KJ:Whatisitaboutcelibacy thatmakes itsuchafascinating subject for

yous

ps: It certainlyreflectsthe upbringingI had,whichwasverypuritanand taughtthat sexwasforprocreation,not forpleasure.It allcomesfromSt

Paul—marryifyoumust,butmarryto havechildren, notforpleasure.

NowourChurch, likeotherlittlepockets ofconservatism, hasbecome progressively integrated intotherestofAmerica. I’msureit’snottaught thatwayanymore.

Note

1 Though itreceived someenthusiastic reviews foritslavish recreations ofclassic MGM

musicals anditsmordantwit,this1981American adaptationofDennisPotter’sBBC television series(directed byHerbertRossandstarringSteveMartinintheroleoriginally takenbyBobHoskins) provedtobea box-office failure.

CHAPTER 5

TheDirector:BlueCollarto TheComfort

ofStrangers BlueCollar

JACKSON: Whendidyoufirstrealize thatit waspossible tobecome a

director? SCHRADER: Well,therewasa groupofus—kindoftop-gun,freshnew writerswhowantedtodirect,likeJohnMiliusandWalterHill—andthe strategy weallusedwastobuildyourpriceupsufficiently highasawriter

andthengiveascriptawaysothatyoucoulddirect it.TheveryfirstscriptI

wrote,Pipeliner, | alsowantedtodirect,soIhadmyeyeonbeinga director fairlyearlyon.A screenwriter is notreallya writer;hiswordsdonot thatare appearon thescreen.Whathedoesis to draftoutblueprints executed byateam.Soifyouwanttobeincontrolofwhatyouaredoingas

a writeryoueitherhavetobecome a novelist likeGoreVidalorJohn

Gregory Dunneoryouhavetogetintodirecting. Beinga screenwriter isin theendratherunsatisfying foranartist.It’sverysatisfying commercially andit’sa pleasantlifestyle, butintheendyoudon’treallyfeelyouhave anything thatrepresents you. I wentaboutBlueCollarin a verymethodical way.I wroteit asan ensemble piecesoIcouldgetthreehotyoungactorswhowouldworkfor

minimum, andwithwhomI couldmakedealsindependently, andI

followed theDonSiegel maximoftakingtheplotsfromthreemovies and puttingthemintoone. KJ:Wheredidthemainplotideacomefrom?

ps:That’s complicated. Whathappened wasIwasspeaking attheWriters’

Guildin1977anda mannamedSydney Glasscameuptomeafterwards andaskedmeifhecouldtalkaboutanidea,soIsaidyes.Hecamebymy placeandsaidhewantedtowriteascriptabouthisfather,whowasablack autoworkerin Detroit.Andin myconversation withhimI started

spinning outthisstory,andsaid,youknow,there’sa muchmore interesting storyherethanadefeated manwhocommits suicide, andthat’s abouta manwhocommitsmetaphorical suicidebystealingfromthe

142 Schrader onSchrader union,theorganization whichissupposed toprotecthim.ThenI started thinkingaboutitlaterthatday,andIknewwhenhelefttheroomthathe wouldneverwriteit;hejustwasn’tpicking upontheideaatall.SoIcalled mybrotherLeonardandsaid,‘Ijustgavea wonderful ideatosomebody andhe’snotgoingtowriteit,solet’suswriteit.’ KJ:Whycallinyourbrotherratherthanwriteitalone? ps:Iwaswritingsomething elseatthetime— maybeitwasHavanaColony

—and Ididn’t havethetimetowritetwoscripts simultaneously, soIwould bewriting onemoreorlessduringthedayandtheotherintandem at

night;it’seasiertodothatwhenyouhavea partner.Sowewroteit,and thenjustasIwasabouttostartshooting thisguywenttotheblackcaucus attheWriters’ GuildandsaidIhadstolenhisidea.Now,I hadregistered theideaassoonasI cameupwithit,andhehadn’twrittena word,but

therewasahighly politicized atmosphere atthattimeandtheGuildsaid thattheywouldnotcleartherightstothescriptuntilthiswasresolved, soI hadtositdownandmake a dealwiththem. KJ:Whatwasitthatyouespecially likedaboutthemainidea?

pS:Justtheself-destructiveness ofthemetaphor aboutpeople whowould attacktheorganization thatwassupposed todefend them.Andhowthat kindofdead-end mentality isfosteredandengendered bytherulingclass inordertokeeptheworkingclassatoddswithitself. KJ:Thoughthereisnorepresentative oftherulingclassinthefilm.

ps:Theunionofficials areseenastherulingclass.I believe thatall

organizations ofthatsortendupbeingundemocratic, theyendupbeing clubs,andI guessthisreallycomesfrommyfeelings abouttheChurch. PeopleaskmeaboutthewayI brokeintoHollywood andsay,‘Howdid youdoit?’,because theyseeHollywood asakindofmonolithic structure. I

usually replythatwhenyou’ve beenraised inanenvironment which seeks tocontrol yourprivate thoughts, dealing withanenvironment thatonly wantstocontrolyourphysical deedsisrelatively easy.Hollywood doesn’t reallycarewhatyoubelieve;alltheywantyouto doisto behavein a certainwayinordertomakemoney. I’vealwaysfeltuncomfortable inclubsofanysort,including myown Guilds,theWriters’andtheDirectors’. I’vebeenat oddswiththemall along.I’ma bigadvocate ofthatkindofcapitalist ‘makeyourownway’ ethic:ifapersonhasingenuity, hecansurvive inthisworldwithoutfalling undertheinfluence ofclubs.Butthecapacityofthehumanpsychefor formingthatkindofcountry-club mentality istriedandtrue;it doesn’t

TheDirector:BlueCollartoTheComfortofStrangers143

20

BlueCollar(1977):RichardPryorasZekeBrown.

144 Schrader onSchrader matterwhetherit’stheTeamsters or FidelCastro—in theendcertain peoplearegonnarunitandcertainpeopleain’t.Theadvantage oftheWest isthatyouhavemoreroomandthattoacertainextentyou’reencouraged totrytooutwitthesystem. KJ:Unionpoliticsandworking-class problems aren’tonthefaceofitvery appealing subjects forfinanciers. Howdidyougetthebacking? Ps:Isolditonthecaperaspectmostofall.Butanotherproblemcameup

withthecasting: I knewitwouldhavetohaveblackcharacters, andI wanted todosomething aboutthepettystruggles andthephysical needs thatmakeupday-to-day lifeandnotsimplify myblackcharacters oron the otherhandbe too softor affectionate towardsthem.Now,you

couldn’thavetwowhitesandoneblack,becausehewouldhaveto assume

theSidneyPoitierrole,thedecentblackguy;otherwise it wouldbetwo

nicewhites and a blackvillain. Sotomakeyourmaincharacter complex, therehadtobeasecond blackguytobounce offfrom,soitwouldn’t be racist,whichwaswhyithadtobeanensemble piece. KJ:SoRichardPryorwasnevermeanttobethestar?

ps:No.Alotofthedifficulties onthefilmcameoutofthefactthatIhad approached Richard andHarvey Keitel andYaphet Kottoseparately and

thattheywerethestarofthemovie,because ledeachof themtobelieve that’swhatittooktogettheminvolved. introducing threebullsintoachinashopandasking Youwerebasically themtogetalong,andyoucan’treallyblamethebullswhenthingsstart

getting wrecked. Veryearlyon,bythesecond orthirddayofproduction, Richardbecameconvinced thathe wasplayingthe blacksidekickto Harvey’sTerryMolloy,and Harveybecameconvinced that he was playingEd McMannto Richard’s JohnnyCarson,and Yaphetwas convinced thattheywerebothtryingtoacehimout,andthingsgotvery heavy. Wewereshooting inautoplantsinDetroitandKalamazoo inthemiddle of a heatwaveandprettymuchwhatwashappening on-screen started happening off-screen. Nota daywentbywithoutsomesortofconfrontation.Rightafteryousaid‘Cut’,a fightwouldstart.Afteraboutthree weeksin,Iwasinthemiddleofthesetandallofasudden I startedcrying

andIjustcouldn’t stop,something I’dnever donebefore. TheADgrabbed meandtookmeoutsideandwalkedmearoundtheblockandIsaid,“This isnotworking.Themovieisnevergoingto getfinished andI’mnever goingtoworkagain.’Buthecalmed medownandwalkedmebackinandI guesseveryone realizedI wasn’tas muchtheironmanas I hadbeen

TheDirector: BlueCollartoTheComfortofStrangers145

appearing. Richard looked atmeandsaid,‘You pussy—are yougonna bea

andI said,‘OK,Richard, I’msorry.Itwon’t manornotonthismovie?’, happenagain.’

KJ:Didthingsimprove fromthatpointon?

ps:No,therewereotherproblems. PartofitwastodowithRichard’s style ofacting. Being primarily versed instand-up comedy hehad a creative life

ofbetweenthreeandfourtakes.Thefirstonewouldbegood,thesecond wouldbe realgood,thethirdwouldbe terrificandthefourthwould probablystartto falloff.WhereasHarvey,withhistheatricaltraining,

veryself-analytical, wouldworkonthemeaning ofthesceneintheearly takesandthenaftertentakeshe’dbeterrific. Well, there’s virtually noway

youcanfilmthosetwomentogether,soyou’dhaveto rehearseHarvey witha stand-inandthenbringRichardinwithoutanyrehearsal. TheotherthingthatRichardwoulddowhenhefelthisperformance goingflatwastoimprovise andchangethedialogue justlikehewouldhave

doneinfrontofaliveaudience, andhewould never tellmeoranyone what hewasgoingtodo.InonecaseIhadatwo-shot ofRichard andHarvey

whereRichardjuststartedflying,andofcourseHarveytriedtotophim, andassoonasthathappenedRichardjustsortoftookoffandbecame brilliant.

Harvey brokea takeoncebecause hefelthimself beingknocked outof shot.I hadtograbHarvey andgethimdownonthefloorandyellathim,

‘Don’tyoueverbreakshot!’,because Richardwasrightbehindmetrying togetathim. Sotheshootingstrategybecameverylimited:‘IknowI mayonlyhave onetakewiththeseactors,sowhat’sthebestone?’,andyou’dworkout

theminimum coverage youneeded andthat’sallyougot.Sometimes if

theywerein a goodmoodyoucouldactuallytry something alittle different, butbythetimeweshotthelastscene,theonewithallthreeof themonthesofaaftertheparty,theyhadn’tbeentalkingtoeachotherfor alongtime,andIhadfallenintoaprolonged patternofscriptnegotiations whichusuallybeganthenightbeforeandwentonintothemorningof shooting, talkingtoeachofthemuntiltheywereallhappywiththeothers’ improvisations. NowthedaybeforethesofasceneRichardhadhitYaphetwithachair on-camera, soIknewitwasgoingtobetough.Welitthescenewithextras, puttheirnameson thesofawithpiecesof tape,andthecrewwereall warned.Thethreeofthemcameintotheroominsilence, therewasno discussion, Isaid‘Action’ andwedidthefirsttake,whichrantoaboutfour orfiveminutes—muchtoolong.SoI said,‘OK,that’sverygood,butit’s

onSchrader 146 Schrader

ae

aecuieed

®

-_

=

a

21BlueCollar:Thefinal-set upoftheshoot:Yaphet Kotto,Harvey Keitel,RichardPryor.

TheDirector:BlueCollartoTheComfortofStrangers147 toolongforus.We’regoingtogorightagain.Noonemove,noonetalk, let’sjustdoita littlefaster.Action.’ Wedidthattakeonthesamereelof filmandthatwastwoandahalf minutes. I said,‘Cut’,andRichardgotup, wentdownstairs, gotinhiscaranddrovehome.Endofmovie. KJ:Allthismusthavegivenyoua completely different perspective onthe jobof beinga directorthantheoneyou'denvisaged whenyouwerea critic.

Ps:Itdid.I saidafterwards thatifthiswaswhatmovie-making waslikeI didn’twanttodothisanymore.Onthatfilm,Iveryquickly learned to

confine myselftotalentmanagement, tomakingsuretheactorsstayedin characterandthestoryline remained coherent. I handedovershotselectionandlighting andblocking essentially tomycrew.I didn’thavetimeto explorethoseareas. KJ:Didyouhavea strongsenseofwhatitsvisualstyleoughttobebefore shootingstarted? ps: I had a strongersense,I’lltellyou,but thenthe locationsthemselves

indicatevisualstyleto a largedegree.Whenyou’reshootingina factory

youdon’thavetodancearoundmuch;it’snotlikehaving toshootin

offices andmotelroomswheretheenvironment issosterilethatyouhave tobeimaginative. KJ:Butsomeofthesequences areverystrikingly done—Kotto’smurder withpaint-sprays, forexample, orthecreditsequence.

ps:Yes,well,someof theeffectofthatopening cameoutinpost-

production,whenmycomposer JackNitzschewasworkingon that musicallinefromtheBoDiddleysong,whichin turnisfroma Muddy Waterssong.ButI lovethatsenseina movieas it startsthat’slikethe crankinga roller-coaster makesasit approaches thetop,thatsenseof

exhilaration, andI lovetoinduce that.Also,I thinkopening sequences

lendafilmaverystrongsenseofauthorship. Oneofthethingsanaudience wantsmostintheopening moments ofa filmisthesensethatsomeone isin control.Iremember watching theopening ofDeliverance," justseeing that cargoingupandhearingthevoicesandsaying,‘Thisguyknowswhathe’s

doing. Icanjustsitbackandenjoythemovie.’

KJ:OneofthestrangethingsaboutBlueCollaristhatalthough there’s not aninordinate amountofphysical violence, itfeelslikea violentfilm. Ps:Yes,itdoes.Atthattimepeoplewerealwayssayingtome,‘Oh,you

makesuchviolent films,’ andI’dsay,‘No,they’re psychologically violent,

148 Schrader onSchrader

buttheyaren’t really thatphysically violent.’ Inmywhole career I’vekilled aboutasmanypeopleas,say,WalterHillkillsinhalfanhour,sothe sensation ofviolence comesfromsomething quitedifferent, whichismy senseofclaustrophobia.

KJ:Literal claustrophobia?

ps:Yes,I’vehada bigproblemwiththisallmylife.Finally,inmylate twenties, throughpsychoanalysis, I gotoverthemostseveresymptoms, likebeingunabletorideinanelevator —thesedaysI’lltaketheelevator up, butI’llstillwalkdownstairs. Sopartofthepsychological violence inthe filmsisto dowithpeoplewhofeelthemselves pennedupandstrikeout irrationally, flailing attheircondition inaself-destructive way,inthesame waya personlockedin a closetwillsmashhisheadintothedoorand knockhimselfout.In fact,I hadan episodelikethatwhenI wasan undergraduate, whenI snuckintotheheatingsystemwitha friendtoset offasmokebomb.Thejanitorsawusgoinandlockedthedoorbehindus, andIhadaterrible claustrophobic attack.Myfriendpickedupatwo-byfourandwasgoingtoknockmeoutbecause Iwassocrazy,buteventually inmypanicI knocked thedooroutofitscementcasing.Obviously these feelings havetheirhistoric,sexualorigins,butgrowing upinarestrictive environment doesn’thelp.

KJ:Didtheclaustrophobia alsohavea social dimension?

ps:Yes.EventhoughI wasa middle-class kid,thefactthatwelivedina poorpartoftowngavemethesensethatrichpeoplearen’tgoingtogive youanything, you’regonnahaveto takeit.ThatAnimals song,“We’ve GottaGetOutofThisPlace’,wasa realstrongsongforme,anda real

strongfeeling forme.

KJ:Whenthefilmcameouta lotofpeoplemadetheassumption thatyou mustbea Marxist,andyouseemedtogooutofyourwayto undeceive them. ps:Yes.Thereis anAmerican publication, a leftishpublication, called

Cineaste which heralded measthenewMarxist hope.Well, Ididn’t mind

thepraise,butIknewIwasn’tgoingtoliveuptoit,soItriedtoshowthem thatthiswasn’twhereIwasheaded.Iwasn’tthenewHaskellWexler. KJ:Sohowwouldyoudescribe thepoliticsofBlueCollartoday?

PS:Itspolitics arethepolitics ofresentment andclaustrophobia, the feeling ofbeingmanipulated andnotincontrol ofyourlife.

TheDirector:BlueCollarto TheComfortofStrangers149 Hardcore KJ:Thatsenseofemotional violence isalsostronglypresentinthelater partsofHardcore, whichalsohasastrangeandextremist moralstance,as iftheonlytwooptionswhichexistedweretheextremerectitudeofthe GeorgeC.Scottcharacter ortheextreme depravity ofthepornographers. Thereisnomiddleground. Ps:Yes,that’sa kindofadolescent hyperbole I’mnotveryhappywith.It’s certainly a movieI couldneitherwritenordirecttoday. KJ:You’ve outgrown thosenotions? ps:Orthoseurges.

KJ:Perhaps themostsurprising thingaboutitonfirstviewing isthatyou expectthefather,JakeVanDorn, to berevealed as somesortof a

hypocrite, andthenitgradually dawnsonyouthatthefilmisgenerally endorsing hispointofview. ps:Yes.Myfavourite lineinthefilmiswherehesays,‘Idon’tcarewhat’s

happening intheworld,I don’tcarewho’sonJohnnyCarson, I really don’tcare,’andthat’sanattitude Ireallyrespect. I’vemadetwomoreor lessautobiographical films—Hardcore,whichis aboutmyfather,and LightofDay,whichisaboutmymother—andIthinktheybothmayhave failedcommercially because they’rea littletoopersonal. There’salsoa delicious lineinHardcorethat’stakenfromoneofmy

uncles, whichisatthebeginning, attheChristmas party.Thekidsare

sittingaroundwatching someinnocuous TVspecial andtheunclewalksin andturnsofftheset—thisissomething thatactually happened tome—and hesays,‘Doyouknowwhomakestelevision? Allthekidswhocouldn’t get alongheregoouttoHollywood andmakeTVandtheysenditbackhere. Well,I didn’tlikethemwhentheywerehereandI don’tlikethemnow

they’re outthere.’ Andthisstruck measabsolutely true.That’s whatweall

do, you know:misfitsfromsmalltownsacrossAmericago out to Hollywood, makeTVandmoviesandpumpit backintoourparents’ homesandtrytomakethemfeelguilty.

KJ:ButtheparadoxofHardcore isthatyou’re usingthemeansofthe

misfitkidstoendorsethevaluesofyourfather. ps:Ortryingto.IwishIhadsucceeded more.

150 Schrader onSchrader

22 ShootingHardcore(1978):Schraderwith GeorgeC. Scott(Jake VanDorn).

TheDirector:BlueCollarto TheComfortof Strangers 151

KJ:Where doyouthinkitfails? ps:I thinkI succumbed tothesortofglorified, prurient natureofthe

sexualunderworld. Thesecondhalfhasa kindof kid-in-a-candy-shop feeling thatI’muncomfortable with.SinceIdidn’tparticipate inthesexual liberation ofthesixties,though I participated inthepolitical liberation and thedrugliberation, mysexualfreedomtookthisratheraberrantformof an obsession withpeoplewholivedtheforbiddenlife.Wherethefilm becomes untruetoitselfiswhenyoufeelthedirector’s prurience andnot thecharacter’s. KJ:Howdidthestoryevolve? Isit truethatWarrenBeattywasgoingto playtheleadat onetime?

ps:Yes.Another thingthatdissatisfies meaboutthefilmisthatI changed

theendingandneverreallygotittowork.I wroteitasa father—daughter storyandthenWarrengotinvolved andfelthewastooyoungtoplaya fathersothecharacterhadtobea wife.Thatwasa goodlessoninsome ways,spending everymorning goingthroughthatrelentless processofhis, thewayhewearsyoudown,andswearing at theendofit thatI would neverwriteatthebehestofanactoragain. Anyway, WarrendroppedoutandtheprojectmovedtoColumbia, who hadGeorgeC.Scott,butbythattimetheendinghadalreadychanged. Originally Ihadthedaughter beingkilledinacaraccident, orinsomeway completely unrelatedto pornography, sothefathergoesonthiskindof journeythroughhellseeking toredeemhisdaughter, findsoutthatshehas

beenkilledinsomemundane wayandthenhastogohomeandlivewith

whathe’slearned.Butthestudiofeltthatit hadto havea moreupbeat ending,to dowiththeredemption ofthechild,soI changedit,though neitherI norGeorgewaseverreallysatisfied byit.

KJ:Youdescribe histripasa‘journey through hell’. DoesCalvinism havea highly defined notionofwhathellislike?

Ps:Well,it’scertainly nofun.I remember mymotheroncetellingmewhat hellislike,andI can’timaginea morevividimage.Shetookmyfinger, tooka pinandprickedme.Shesaid,‘Nowyouknowhowthatfelt?The momentthepinwentinyourfinger?’ I said,‘Yes.’ Shesaid,“That’s what

hell’s likeallthetime.’

KJ:Butistherea strongtraditionofvisualrepresentations ofhell? Ps:Youmeanfireandbrimstone andthingslikethat?No,it’sgenerally a veryintellectual ideaofhell,definedastheeternalabsence ofGod.

1§2 Schrader onSchrader

23 Hardcore: ‘Ajourney throughHell’:JakeVanDorn aloneintheporno districtofLosAngeles

TheDirector:BlueCollartoTheComfortofStrangers153 KJ:Istherestillapartofyouwhichbelieves inthathell? ps:No,itdoesn’tmakeanysense. KJ:Butthere’sonesceneinHardcorewhereGeorgeC.Scottoutlinesthe

harshertenetsof DutchCalvinism byexplaining whattheacronym

TULIPstandsfor,”anditseemsasifthefilmsympathizes withhimatthat

point. Ps:Yes,it’sa sceneI’mgreatlyfondof,but. . . no,it doesn’treallymake

sensetomeanymore.

KJ:Asa child,didyoueverbelieve thatyouwereoneoftheelect? ps:Oh,I knewIwasoneoftheelect. KJ:Justbyvirtueofbelonging totheChurch? ps: Thisgetsintoa verycomplextheological area.Calvinism hasthis

dreadful predestination problem, whichis alsodescribed in thefilm,

because ifGodisomniscient thentheelecthavetobeknown;therehaveto bepeoplewhoareinandout,andifthat’sthecasethenwhyshouldyou bothertobegood?Calvinism sortofsolvesthatbysayingthatunlessyou acceptthefactthatyou’reintheelectthenyou’renotintheelect.Andthis

iswheretheycomeupwiththenotionoftheunforgivable sin. . .

KJ:Whichisbeingdebatedat theChristmas dinnerat thebeginning .. . PS:Right,andtheunforgivable sinisthesinagainstgrace.Therearetwo typesofgrace:universal grace,inwhicheverything participates andwhich

makes thetreesgrow;andspecific grace, which isthebloodofJesus. Ifyou rejectgracethenthatistheunforgivable sin.I remember worrying asa

childthatImightcommititandendupinthatplacewherethey’realways sticking pinsinyourfingers. KJ:Onthesubjectofreligious mysteries, isn’ttherea crypticmeaning in

JakeVanDorn’s name?

ps: Yes.Dornmeans‘thorn’—originally he wasgoingto be called Zondervall, whichmeans‘fallofman’inDutch—butthekeywordinthat namewasJake,because ofJacobwrestling withtheDevil,averypowerful imageformeandonewhich I usedinthinking aboutTheLastTemptation ofChrist.Wrestling allnightwiththeDevilandfinding outinthemorning thathewastheAngelofGod. KJ:Didyouoftengiveyourcharacters symbolic names? Ps:Yes,andI stilltryto.TravisBickleIthinkwasaverygoodname,and

24 TaxiDriver:TravisBicklealoneinthepornodistrictofNewYork.

25JohnWayne asEthanEdwards aloneinthefinalshotofJohnFord’s TheSearchers (1956): ‘Thepriceofvengeance isthatyouhavenohome.’

TheDirector:BlueCollartoTheComfortofStrangers155 thatcamefromtheromantic, softsoundofTravis,meaning ‘travel’, and thehard,unpleasant soundofBickle, whichItookfrom a littleradioshow abouta couplewhoalwaysarguecalledTheBickersons.

KJ:WhentheCIAmanaskshimforhisname,Traviscallshimself ‘Henry

Krinkle’.

ps:That’sforcomicreasons,andbecause, asWalterMatthausays,Kis funny. KJ:JulianKay,inAmerican Gigolo,isn’ta funnyname. ps:Hewasoriginally goingtobeJulianCole—JulianfromLeRougeetle

Noir and Colefrom ‘cold’,and then it turnedout therewas a man in

Westwood calledJulianColesoIchanged thenametoKay,fromKafka’s JosephK. KJ:Apartfromliteraryandbiblicalreferences, yourfilmsalsoalludetoor drawon otherfilms.Oneof thefilmsbehindHardcore,andalsoTaxi Driver,isJohnFord’sTheSearchers.* Couldyouexplainwhythatissuch animportant filmforyouandforotherdirectors ofyourgeneration?

ps:Acouple ofreasons. Oneisthefrailty ofthegreatAmerican hero,the

psychological instability ofthepioneer.AnotheroneI likeevenmoreis NakedSpur,whereJimmyStewartactuallystartscryingashegetsonhis horse—takingthegreaticonographic heroandbreaking theicondown. ThatwasalwaystheappealofTheSearchers. Anotherappeal,besides theenormous technical expertise ofthefilm,is thatit’sthekindofbigromanticmoviethatintellectual film-makers can respondto,inthesamewaythatLawrence ofArabiawillalwaysmean morethanGoneWiththeWind,becauseyouhavea characteryoucan identifywith,andtheJohnWaynecharacter in TheSearchers isoneall film-makers canidentifywith.Wayneis playingwithhispersona;he

hardlyeverplaystheoutsider, butthisisa manwhoisdeprived ofthe

pleasures ofhearthandhomebecause hehasbloodonhishands.Atthe endof themoviehe walksawayandthedoorcloseson him;he has returnedthelostchildtothehomebuthecan’tenter.Italsohasresonances ofMoses,whostruggled throughthedesertandwasnotallowed toenter

thePromised Land— it hasgreattraditional resonances.

KJ:It’salsoa filmaboutvengeance, whichissomething youseemtohave beenpreoccupied withinyourearlyyears. Ps:Yes,andthepriceofvengeance isthatyouhavenohome.Andthat’s

veryappealing ina complex waybecause there’s atruthinit;whenyou

156 Schrader onSchrader

indulge intheseextreme formsofbehaviour youhavetopayaprice,and

eventhoughyou’reactingat society’s behest,thatdoesn’tmeanthey’ll forgiveyouforit. KJ:Buttheimplication of therevisedendingof Hardcoreis thatJake

VanDorn willmanage toreturnhome.

ps: Yes,I supposethatif I’dreallybeentrueto TheSearchers thenhe

wouldn’thavebeenableto, that theidealizedworldwhichis summoned

upinthathymn,‘Precious Memories’, whichIuseasthetitlemusicforthe filmwillhavebeenlostto himbecauseofhisimmersion in a worldof

violence. Intheoriginal ending thePeterBoyle character says,‘What doI

donow?’,andJakesayssomething totheeffectof,‘Well, yougohome,try toforgetit.’‘Howisthatpossible?’ ‘That’s yourproblem.’

KJ:Youshottheopening ofHardcore inGrandRapids,soitwasakindof homecoming foryoutoo.Didyouexperience nostalgia orlesspleasant sensations? Ps:Well,I’mstillverymucha sonofGrandRapids;I’mstillintensely moralinthesensethatI believe thatactionsdohaveconsequences and that,whilethatdoesn’tmeanit’swrongtobehavebadlyattimes,itdoes meanyouwillhavetopaytheprice.Yes,therewasanelement ofnostalgia

aboutgoingback.Iusedanumber ofmyfamily andmycollege friends.

Mymotherisinthefamily-reunion scene,andanoldfriendisplayingthe piano,singing oneoftheoldCalvinCollege songsfromthefifties —‘C isfor thecountless thingsshetaughtme. . .’—andsoon.

KJ:Howdidyourmotherreacttobeingina filmcalledHardcore? ps:NooneinGrandRapidsreallyknewwhatthemoviewasaboutatthe time,andit wasn’tcalledHardcorethen—it wascalled‘Pilgrim’. My motherdiedbeforethefilmcameout,andmyfather’s solecritiqueonmy workcameayearorsolater,whenheadmitted thathehadseenthefilm. KJ:Whatdidhesay? PS:Hesaidthathewasgladmymotherwasn’talivetoseeit. kJ:Hedidn’trecognize himself inJake? Ps:I don’tthinkso.I thinkhejustsawit asan attackonhimandon everything hebelieved in.Butthenhewasalsoinvolved intheopposition to TheLastTemptation ofChrist. KJ:Afterall the troubleson BlueCollar,Hardcoremust have beena

comparatively painlessexperience.

TheDirector:BlueCollarto TheComfortofStrangers157 PS:Infact,itwasalsoa difficult experience. GeorgeC.Scottwasunhappy atthetime.Hehaddirecteda coupleoffilmswhichhadn’tdonewelland hewasresentful aboutthat.Also,hehada drinkingproblem. Onenightwewereshooting inSanFrancisco, intheTenderloin area.It wasaboutmidnight, andwewereplanning towrapthatpartoftheshoot, flytoSanDiegothenextdayandstartworkagainonMonday. AllGeorge hadto dointhescenewasentera barandlookaround,andI knewI could

lightthatsectionveryquickly, whereastheothersections wouldtakean

hourortwo.Nownormally Iwould haveshothimfirst,butIchecked with theADandsaid,‘CanweletGeorge sitinhistrailerfortwoorthree

hours?’andeveryone said,‘Sure,he’saprofessional.’ Butthen,whenthe timecameforhisscene,I startedsendingemissaries tohistrailerandhe justwouldn’tcomeout.SofinallyI wentto seehimmyselfandhewas

sitting atthebackofhistrailerwithanempty bottleofvodkainfrontof himandhewasdrunkandhewaspissed off. Iwalkedinandsaid,‘Hi,George,’ andhesaid,‘Thismovie’s apieceof

shit.’SoI startedto reasonwithhim,but he said,‘Thisis shit.You’rea

terrificwriter,butyou’rea terribledirector.Youshouldnotbedirecting.’ SoIsaid,‘Yes,George,Iseeyou’reright.I’vemadeaterriblemistake, but

nowIhavetofinish thejob,sowillyoucomeandhelpme?’Hesays,‘T’ll

comeononecondition.’ ‘Whatisit,George?’ ‘Youhaveto promiseme you'llneverdirectagain.’ SoIgotdownonmykneesandpromised andhegotupanddidhisoneminuteshot,thenwefinished themainpartoftheshoot.Thentherewasa hiatusandwewentbackto Michigan to shoota springscenejustfora

couple ofdays.We’re sitting inthebarofthehotelandGeorge isatthebar

andI’mata tableandallofasuddenIhearthisbooming voice,‘Schrader!’ Iwalkoverandhe’sgotVariety inhishandsandthere’sanannouncement that I’mgoingto do AmericanGigolowithJohnTravolta.He said,

‘Schrader, youpromised meyouwould never direct again.’ Isaid,‘George, whatcan I say? I lied.’

American Gigolo ps:American GigolowasthethirdscriptI hadstackedupreadytodirect.I wantedtobuilda careerandIwantedtohaveatleastthreeshotsfromthe gunbeforetheytookit awayfromme,soduring1978I wasshooting Hardcoreat the timeBlueCollaropenedandI wasshootingGigolo shortlyafterHardcoreopened.

158 Schrader onSchrader KJ:Unlikethefirsttwofilms,itdoesn’thaveanyreference totheworldof

yourchildhood.

ps:No.Oneimportantthingto remember aboutfilm-making, or about anyartisticenterprise, isthatit isforthemostpartproblemsolving.It’s notnecessarily ideologically oriented, orshouldn’t be.Youareconfronted

withcertain problems andyoutrytodevise anappropriate solution — it

goesbacktowhatCharlesEamessaidaboutmeasuring people’s asses. TheideaforGigolocametomeatatimewhenIwasteaching atUCLA, andIwasjustspeculating intheclassaboutwhata character inastudent’s scriptmightbedoing.Isaid,‘Ishea banker,ishea lawyer,ishea cop,ishe

a gigolo... whatkindofa manishe?’AndlaterthatdayI wasonthe couchat myshrink’sofficeandweweretalkingabouttheinabilityto expresslove,and all of a suddenI thought,“‘That’s it —there’sthe metaphor, there’sthetheme.’ Thethemeistheinability toexpress love,the metaphorisa gigolo.Well,onceathemeandametaphor hit,that’sreally it;plotandexecution arerelatively easyafterthat. Thehardestthingisfindinga themewhichhaspersonalpowerforyou andametaphor thathassocialresonance. Whenyou’retryingtowriteyou spendalotoftimewandering aroundhopingforthesetwotomeet.Arthur Koestler wrotea bookcalledTheActofCreationwherehesaysthatall greatideasarealwaysa sortofHegelian mix,andCharlesDarwinwas a mixtureof anthropology andmathematics. He broughttwothings

together thatpreviously seemed to havenoconnection andyougot

Darwinism. ofthegigolo Anyway, [hitonthisthemeandIrealized thatthecharacter themoviehadtobeabout wasessentially acharacter ofsurfaces; therefore to reflectthis surfaces, andyouhadto createa newkindof LosAngeles newkindofprotagonist. Well,whatbetterwaytodothisthantobringin

outsiders forwhom thereisnooldLosAngeles? SoIwenttowhat I called

mynewAxispowers,fromMunichandMilan,andI gotthevisualstyle fromArmaniandScarfiotti andthemusicfromGiorgioMoroderfrom Germany. Theimposition oftheseveryEuropean sensibilities startedto createthekindofnewLAIwanted;IprettymuchsatatNandoScarfiotti’s

kneeinthesamewayIhadsatatEames’s kneeyearsbefore andlethim teachmeaboutvisualthinking.

KJ:Gigoloisyourfirstfilmwitha verydistinctvisualidentity. Ps:Yes.I playedaroundwithitinHardcorebutnotverywell.I endedup

trying tousegelstocreate stylebutthat’snothowyoudoit;since thenI’ve triedtostayawayfromgels.Iprefertomakecolour inthesetandinthe

wardrobe,ratherthanrelyongels.

TheDirector:BlueCollarto TheComfortofStrangers159

26 TheConformist (Bernardo Bertolucci, 1969):Jean-Louis Trintignant confronts hisoldprofessor.

160 Schraderon Schrader

KJ:Wasit Scarfiotti’s workonTheConformist thatledyoutoseekhim out? ps: Yes,TheConformist wasa veryimportantfilmformygeneration, becauseit wasa filmthatreintroduced theconceptofhighstyle.Movies usedto havehighstylein thethirtiesandfortiesandthengradually, throughthefiftiesandsixties,theybecame morerealistic, lessproduction-

designed, andTheConformist became a realsortofrallying cry.It’s

influenced a lotofpeople—Scorsese, Coppola— to createfilmsofhigh style,andnowit’sfinallyreacheditsconclusion inthingslikeMiamiVice. YoucantraceMiamiVicerightthewaybacktoTheConformist, because MichaelMann,who’sa friendofmine,wasveryimpressed bythework Scarfiotti didonbothGigoloandScarface, andthat’swhathe’striedto emulate. Anyway, I sentNandothescriptandexplained whatI wantedandhe roseto thebait.I thinkthewholesexualchicof thefilmappealedto him. KJ:Whenyousay‘sexual chic’,doyouthinkofitasaneroticfilmorasa coldfilmwheretheeroticism isdisplaced frombodiesandontothings? Ps:Thelatter.Eventhesexscenes areverycold;thesexscenewithRichard GereandLaurenHuttonisactuallyGodardian; alltheimagesinit are fromTwoorThreeThingsIKnowAboutHer.Thetrickofthefilm—andI guessifIevertrytodoanything resembling transcendental stylethismight

beit—is totrytocreate anessentially coldfilminwhich aburstofemotion transforms itattheend,which iswhyIhadtheaudacity totaketheendof

Bresson’s Pickpocket andputitinthere.

KJ:There’s anotherdirectreference toBresson, isn’tthere? ps:Yes,thebarber-shop scene,whichistakenfromPickpocket, whichin turnistakenfromCrimeandPunishment, withitsmoraldebatebetween theInquisitorandthecriminal.Thecriminalsaysthatsomepeopleare abovethelawandtheInquisitor says,‘Buthowdotheyknowwhothey are?’Thecriminalsays,“Theyaskthemselves.’

kJ:Thatseemsto havesomeaffinities withCalvinist notionsabout

accepting thatyouareoneoftheelect. ps: Yes,I thinkso.

KJ:DoyouthinkthatGigolowouldhavebeena verydifferent filmifyou

hadusedJohnTravolta asoriginally planned? ps:That’s hypothetical. Idon’tknow.It’seasyforpeople tosay,‘Ohyou

TheDirector:BlueCollarto TheComfortofStrangers161

weresoluckytogetGere,” butyoujustdon’tknow.Itwould havebeena different film. KJ:I takeitthatthefilmismeanttobeambiguous untilveryneartheend aboutwhetherornotJulianisinnocent?

PS:Yes,Iwastrying tokeepthatambiguity. Julianisalounge lizardand you’re never quitesureabouthim,but]hadtopullback alittlebit:Ididn’t wanttomakehimtoounlikeable.

KJ:Audiences, especially maleaudiences, respondstronglyto thescene

where Julianlaysouthisshirtsandties.. . pS:Theartistathispalette...

KJ: ... but are you supposedto find that narcissismappealing, somethingto participatein vicariously, or are youmeantto findit off-putting?

ps:Well,Icertainly participated. Letmeexplain this a little.IfIchartout

mylife,I cametoHollywood asanoverweight kidfromtheMidwest who alwaysworeundershirts andtoomanyclothes.Gradually Isuccumbed to thephysical cultureofLosAngeles, whichIthinkisoneofthebestthings theplaceeverdidforme.I losta lotofweightandI becameinterested in

presenting theproperLAimage. Thisisa business basedonlooksand style,andifyoudon’thaveeitherofthosethings it’sjustanencumbrance

intryingtosellyourself. Ifsomeschlump comesinthey’regoingtothink it’saschlump movie,whereas ifsomeone walksinwho’sthehippestthing thisweek,they'llbeimpressed andthink,‘Well, he’sontopofit.’Sothat’s oneofthefeelings thatwentintoGigolo. Theotherwasto dowiththefactthatI camefroma background in whichphysical contactwasrare,andinmyfamilywasexacerbated tothe pointatwhichmyfatheractually shookwhenheheldyou.SowhenIcame to LAIwasveryuncomfortable withthatkindofkissy/holdy feeling, but thenI startedmovingingaycirclesandgoingtogaydiscosandIfounda wayintophysicalcontact,becauseit washarmless. I meanI couldgo dancingstrippedto thewaist,huggingandholdingmen,andfeelcompletelyreleased andliberatedbecause I knewnothingwouldcomeofit;I knewintheendIwasnotgoingtohavea sexualcontact. AlotofpeoplehaveaskedmewhyI havethisstrongconcernforand evenloveforgays,andwhymybestfriendsoverthelasttenyearshave beengay,andwhetherit meansI’mreallyin thecloset,butit’sreally

because ofthatliberation: Icouldn’t gettherethrough theheterosexual

doorsoIwentthroughtheotherdoorandthencamebackround.

162 Schraderon Schrader

27 American Gigolo:RichardGereasJulianKay:‘Amanandhisroom’.(2)

TheDirector:BlueCollarto TheComfortofStrangers163

kJ:Gigolo seemstohavebeenaimedasmuchat a gayaudience asa

straightone—therearea lotofgaycharacters, there’sanairofsexual ambiguity thatmatchestheambiguity ofthecharacter, andGere’sgood lookshavesomething slightly androgynous abouttheminthefilm. Ps:Well,youknow,a certainamountofandrogyny isdesirable inmovie

actors.Allthegreatstarsworkbothsidesoftheline;theyhavetobe appealing tobothmenandwomen sexually. ThisgoesbacktowhatIwas sayingaboutParkerTyler,anditincludes actorsyoudon’tusually thinkof as androgynous.Ifyoulookat thewayJohnWaynewalks,hewalksjust

likeJackBennywiththatswishylittlegait,likehewasholdingsomething

uphisass.I thinkallactorsareawareofthis.Butoneoftheironies ofthe filmwasthatthough thecircle Iwasmoving inwhenImadeitwasseventyfivepercentgay,andthemoviedoeshavethatgayfeelingyoumention,

whenGigolocameout it wasviciouslyattackedin the gaypress,largely

becausethetwovillainsaregay.AtthetimeI thoughtit wasjustan

interesting idea;Ididn’t seeitinpolitical termsatallandwasveryhurtby

allthecriticism,but now,in retrospect, I canseethejusticeof those arguments moreclearlythanI couldatthetime. KJ:Oneofthescenesinthefilmwhichseemsto beaboutthatsenseof narcissism andphysical cultureisthescenewhereJulianworksoutwhile

learning Swedish forhisnexttrick.Butit’salsolikethescenesof

purification whichhappeninyourotherfilms—TravisBickleholdinghis handovertheflames,Mishima at thegym... ps:That’sBresson again,andbeforeBresson it’sDostoevsky, Camusand Sartre.It’stheexistential hero—whatIlike tocall‘amanandhisroom’ stories.Youhavethesetwocharacters, themanandhisroom— I lovethe kindofmovies thatareaboutthosetwo.Pickpocket islikethat,Diaryofa CountryPriestis,AManEscapedis.InfactI havea newideawhichI haven’twrittenyetaboutanoldercharacterinhisforties—anotherman andhisroommovie. Kj:Apartfromtheideaofloneliness andreclusiveness, thereisalsosome notionofsubduing thebody. Ps:Calvinwrotethatthebodyistheprison-house ofthesoul,andthatitis a hindranceto spirituallifewhichhasto beovercome —theideaofthe monastic lifeistodojustthat.Thatkindofnotionstillsurvives inmyfilms in theseintense,solitarylives.I’velivedaloneforlongperiodsof time myself;I’mnot a personwhoreallydemandsor needsconstantcompanionship. Itakevacations alone,I’velivedalone.I don’treallymindmy owncompany.

164 Schrader onSchrader Theotherwayinwhichthemonastic ideaiscreatedisinthedesignof Julian’s room.Myideaofawell-decorated roomisfourwhitewallswitha littlecrossovera cot.If youanalyseJulian’sroomthere’snophysical decoration at all;it’sallstructuraldecoration, andtheon-going motifis whetherornottohangapainting.Hehasa wholestackofpaintings and hecan’tdecidewhethertohangone. KJ:OneoftheotherthingsthatmadeGigolosuccessful wasitsmusic—the

theme song‘CallMe’byBlondie wasahitand,asyousuggested before,

Moroderwassomeone youturnedtoforhelpinmakingLosAngeles seem new.Couldyouexplainyourprinciples inusingparticular composers and

scores?

ps:Conventional moviemusicdoesnotreallyappealtome.Forthemost

part,musicinmovies is simply a reinforcement ora reflection upon emotion; scores havea tendency torunbehind themovie likea mirror reflecting it—happy, sad,suspenseful andsoforth,andtheydon’treally

havealifeoftheirown.It’sasiftheaudience doesn’thavetheintelligence to realizethe kindof scenethey’rewatching,and I’vealwaysfoundthat

insulting. SoI’vetriedto findmusicwhichhadalife ofitsown,which

meantgoingintomusic thatwasn’t yetinthevernacular offilms. Forthe

firsttwoI usedJackNitzsche, whohadjustcomeoutofrockandroll, workingwithPhilSpectorandtheRollingStones,butbythetimeGigolo camealongthat soundwas alreadyin the mainstream,so I turned to

GiorgioMoroder.ThenforMishima Ihadtheoddconceptofanoperatic

score, soIwentontoPhilip Glass. LightofDayhadtobea returntorock androllbecause thatwasitssubject, butforPattyHearstIwentbackto theGlasstypeofscoreandgota youngcomposer calledScottJohnson.

KJ:Butthepointgenerally isto havemusicthatexistsinsomekindof tensionwiththeimageratherthansimplytellingyouwhattheimageis

about?

Ps:Right.

KJ:Youexplained thatthefilmbeganwiththemetaphor ofa manwho’s incapable ofexpressing love.Doyouthinkthatmetaphor isrealized inthe

finished film,ordiditbecome somewhat clouded byyourotherinterests in

narcissism andsoforth? ps:Itmayhavebeen.It’sthestoryofacharacter whoselifeispredicated on notsurrendering towomen,butonservingthemandtherefore standing distantfromthem.Bresson’s filmsendwithmoments ofgrace—justasat theendofPickpocket themaincharacter accepts thegraceofJeanne,soat

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28 Pickpocket: Thefinalscene. d Gere, 29 American Gigolo(1979): Thefinalscene:Richar LaurenHutton.

166 Schraderon Schrader

theendofGigolo Julianaccepts thegiftthatthiswoman hasgivenby sacrificing hersocial position. KJ:Doyouthinkofthatasaspiritual grace,orisitagraceyouconstrue in

secular,emotionalterms?

PS:It’stheacceptance ofunconditional goodness, whichisthesameas

spiritualgrace.YouaccepttheideathatChristdiedforyouandyoudid nothingtodeserve this;it’sa giftandyoujusthavetobeopenenoughto acceptitinordertobecome whole.Whenit’sthecaseofsomeone offering theirlove,youjusthaveto swallowyouregoandacceptthefactthat someone lovesyoueventhoughyoudon’tdeserve theirlove. KJ:WhenGigolowasfinished, didyoufeelthatyou'dfinallymadea film thatboreyourpersonalsignature? PS:I feltthatIhadarrivedasa director;Ifeltconfident aboutmovingthe cameraandplacingthecamera.Isawthemovieforthefirsttime;I sawthe wholenotionofvisualthinkingthathadfirstbeensuggested to meby Eames—itnowproperlymadesensetome. ButthenwhenI wrotemynextscript,‘Bornin theUSA’—whichI eventually madeasLightofDay—1foundthatIcouldn’t getitoutatthe time,sowhentheopportunity camein1979todoCatPeople,whichwas nota scriptI hadwritten,I decidedtodoit inordernottodoa personal film.Oneofthereasons‘BornintheUSA’wasrunningintodifficulties wasthatitwasjusttoopersonal,soI said,‘OK,I’mgoingtodoa genre film,a horrorfilm,a special-effects filmthatwillnotbeaboutme,andthat willbeaverysalutaryexercise.’ Well,intruth,whenIlookbackonit,Isee CatPeopleasbeingalmostthemostpersonalfilmI’vedone.

CatPeople KJ:Howdidthattransformation froma genrepieceto a personalfilm comeabout?

Ps:Mainly inthewayweevolved thecharacter ofthezookeeper played by

JohnHeardasa sortofpursuerofaBeatrice figure.He’samanwholives withanimalsbecausehedoesn’tlikehumansverymuch.Andthenhis Beatrice appearsandhisgreatestfantasyhascometrue,because Beatrice is ananimal.Well,aswedeveloped thecharacter heevolved moreandmore

alongthelinesofmyself, andthenduring theactualshooting ofthefilmI

becameinvolved withNastassia Kinskiandbecame obsessed withher.So

TheDirector:BlueCollarto TheComfortofStrangers167 thestoryofthefilmstartedto becomeverypersonal,somuchsothatI wasn’treallyawareofhowperverseit wasgetting.I remember onthe openingnightgoingwitha producer, JerryBruckheimer, to thecinema, andweweresittinginthebackrowwithagroupofgirlsinfrontofus.And

itcametothatscene whereheistyinghertothebedtothestrains ofthis

liturgic,primitive music;itwasshotasa religious ceremony butitwasa zoophiliac bondagescene,andI remember thisgirlinfrontofmegoing, ‘OhmyGod,’andIturnedtoJerryandsaid,‘Ithinkwewentalittle toofar

here.’

KJ:WastheBeatrice ideaintheoriginal script?

PS:It’stheopposite sideofthecoinfromthe‘We’ve GottaGetOutofThis Place’ feeling, anidealized version ofwhattheshining goalis,andthatmay taketheformoftheredemptive momentor,insexualterms,theformof Beatrice, thefemaleequivalent ofChrist. KJ:There’s actuallya pointinCatPeoplewherethezookeeper listenstoa tapeofa translation ofLaVitaNuova.WhendidyoucomeacrossDante? AtCalvin? ps:No,itwaslater.AtCalvinItooka courseonMilton,butIwasmore

attractedto Dantebecause I likedtheideaofthatsortof romantic

obsession. Beatricewasalwaysa morecompelling figureto methan Milton’s Satan,eventhoughSatanisoneofthegreatfigures inliterature. ButTaxiDriverhastheBeatricetheme,Obsessionhasit, and,ofcourse,

it’soneofthereasonsI likeVertigo somuch.TheimageofBeatrice also appearsinCatPeopleintheformofa sculpture, a bustofherwhichyou seeat onepoint;I keptit afterwefinished thefilmandit’sstillin my study. KJ:Whatotherchanges didyoumaketothescript? ps:Theoriginalhada veryconventional ending.Therewasa bigdark houseandthemonsterwaskilledandthehousewasburneddown.Sothe

bigchange Imadewasthathedoesn’t killthemonster; hemakes loveto

herandputsherina shrineandliveswithher.

Kj:AmI rightinthinking youdon’tcareforhorrorfilmsverymuch? ps:Ilikeexistential horror.I thinkthegreatestmetaphor inthecinemais in TheExorcist,whereyougetGodandtheDevilin thesameroom

arguing overthebodyofa littlegirl.There’s notamorepristine debate imaginable — it’s literally SatanandJehovaharguing overwhowillpossess thisgirl.I meanthat’sa horrorfilm,thatistrulygreat.Inthesameway,

168 Schraderon Schrader

30 CatPeople:JohnHeardasOliver,AnnetteO’Toole asAlice.

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31 CatPeople(1981: Nastassia KinskiasIrena,theBeatrice figure.

170 Schrader onSchrader Rosemary’s Babyhasdeepspiritualconnotations. I likethosekindof horrorfilms. KJ:Didyoutrytomakeit thatkindofhorrorfilm,ortrytoadaptyour

ownconcerns tothedisciplines ofthegenre?

ps:TheNewsweek reviewsaiditwasa moviefortheJungatheart,andI guessthat’sprettymuchwhatIwanted:theideaofmythandthekindof primalimagesthatareembedded inourgenes.Theonlymomentinthe filmIreallyregretisintheautopsyscene,wheretheman’sarmlashesout

fromthecat’sbelly. Thatwas a littletoogenre forme,butina filmlikethat

youhavetohavecertainofthoseelements.

KJ:Doesthatinterestinmythmakeyou,likelotsofotherfilm-makers, an

admirerofTheHeroWithaThousand Faces? ps:lamanadmirer, thoughI’m a Freudian aswell,andIvacillate between

thetwo.ButatonetimeIwasabigreader ofJoseph Campbell andI’dlike

to do anothermythickindof film,thoughit dependson the right circumstances. Aswe’retalkingcertainkindsofthemesemerge;Imove between Kammerspiel filmslikeHardcore andLightofDay,suicidal glory filmslikeMishima, existential maninhisroomstorieslikeTaxiDriverand

Gigolo, andBeatrice filmslikeObsession andthisnewscript,Forever

Mine.

KJ:ThefantasyaspectsofCatPeople, thetransformations andthetimeless otherworldofthecatmyth,arereminiscent ofCocteauinsomeways.

Ps:Well,whenyoushootanyfilmtherearealways acouple oftapesyou lugalongwithyouandyouplaytheminyouroffice continually withthe

soundoff.OnGigolo,besidesTheConformist, it wasL’Eclisse;> there wassomething aboutthoseanglesandthatsensibility. AndonCatPeople thetapesItookalongwereBeautyandtheBeastandOrpheus, whichare obviously nonpareil landmarks inthehistoryofmovies. Therewillnever beanotherCocteau. KJ:CatPeoplewasyoursecondfilmwiththe‘newAxis’ofScarfiotti and Moroder,buttheeffectofthecollaboration isverydifferent thistime— Gigoloisshinyandcold,butthisfilmisheavyandsensual. pS:That’spartlyjustthedifference betweenLAandNewOrleans, which

isthemostunAmerican towninAmerica; fivedifferent flagshaveflown

overitandit’sthemostLatincityintheStates.Itriedtoreflectthatinthe casting,to havea gumbokindof castto tunein withNewOrleans’s gumbo-pot ofracesandnations.

|

TheDirector: BlueCollarto TheComfortofStrangers171

32Schrader directing CatPeople.

172 Schrader onSchrader

Thefilmowesa lottoNandoScarfiotti; infact,I triedtogethimacopossessory creditonthefilmbecause hewashaving problems withthe

unionandcouldn’tgethispropercreditas productiondesigner.Cat Peopleisverycolourco-ordinated, insalmonredsandchartreuse greens, rightfromtheopening whereyouhavethosegreenletterscoming overred sand.

KJ:Didyoulookmuchattheoriginal CatPeople, ordidyoustayasfar

awayfromitasyoucould? Ps:Totellyouthetruth,I don’tthinkmuchofthefilm.Itwasinteresting in itsuseofshadowsandsoforth,butI didn’tfindit verygoodandI was perturbed thatpeopleweretryingtocompare thetwo.Inretrospect, Iwish I’dchanged thetitlebecause thentherewouldn’t havebeenthecomparisons. KJ:Butthereareacoupleofsmallquotations fromit,aren’tthere,likethe swimming poolscene... ps:AndthescenewhereNastassia isinthebartalkingtoherfriendandthe womancomesupandsays,‘Mihermana . . .”Yes,that’salittletipofthe hattotheoriginal. KJ:Cat Peoplehad all theelementsofa hit movie—fantasy,horror,sex,

evena themesongbyDavidBowie.Wasitinfactsuccessful? ps:No.Gigolowasverysuccessful, butCatPeoplewasn’t.It reallyfell between twostools:itwasanattempttohavethingsbothways,whichisto havea classyfilmanda horrorfilm.Well,thehorroraudience wentand said, ‘Hey,this doesn’tlook likea horror film,it’snot for us’,and the

sophisticated audience wentandsaid,‘Hey,thisisjustahorrorfilm.’Soit wasn’treallysatisfying totheaudience.

Mishima KJ:Howdidyoufirstbecome interested inYukio Mishima?® ps:Mybrother wasinJapanatthetimeofthesuicide. Ihadheard alittle

bit aboutMishimabefore;I thinkmybrotherhadoncemethimat a cocktailfunction.Butthesuicidecapturedtheworld’simagination, of course,andit certainly capturedmine.Mybrothertoldmea littlemore

abouthimandthenIstarted delving intothesubject. Wewanted todoit almost fromthattimeonbecause Mishima wasthesortofcharacter I’d

TheDirector:BlueCollarto TheComfortofStrangers173

liketohavecreated ifhehadn’talready existed. Hehasallthepowerof

fiction,infactheisafictional creaturebecause heisacharacter createdby a greatwriter.

KJ:It wasthelifeanddeathratherthanhiswritingswhichfirstdrew you? PS:I dobelieve thatthelifeishisfinalworkandIbelieve thatMishima saw itthatwaytoo.Hesawallhisoutputasawhole,fromthetackysemi-nude photographs to the Chinesepoetryto theDostoevskian novelsto his privatearmy—it wasall Mishima.Andthe public,particularly the

Japanese public, wanted tosliceitupintobitsthattheycouldappreciate andherefused toletthem.Hesaid,‘Ifyouaccept me,youhavetoaccept thehighandthelow;it’sallpartofmyoutput.’

KJ:So you wereinterestedin his attemptto be a sort of modern Renaissance man?¢

ps:That,butalsothefactthathewasthemostWestern ofallJapanese

writers.HecourtedtheWestandtriedtoemulateWestern styles.Iwould certainlyneverhavethoughtofdoinganotherJapanesewriter.Plus,of course,thefactthatthegreatdilemma hefacedwasa Westerndilemma

too:forthemodern writer,whendoeslifesupersede writing, whenare wordsinsufficient?

Hewasthefirstmanreallyto formulatea problemwhichhasbeen bedevilling writerseversincetheadventoftelevision, whichisthatwriters arenowa lot betterknownasperformers in themediathanfortheir writing.Mishimagotwisetothatchangeveryearly,andnotonlydidhe

getwisetoit,hebrought ittoitsfullylogical andhideous conclusion: he wrotethefirstchapter andthelastchapter, heopened uptheissuefor debateandthenheclosedit.

KJ:Theseareobviously problemsthatyoufaceaswell—theneedto be PaulSchrader theinterviewee aswellasSchrader thedirector.

ps:Yes,andthere’s alsothedesiretobea fictional creature yourself. I

don’thaveitasbadlyasanumberofothersdo,butit’scertainly there.I’m suresomething likeithasalwaysinfected artists:Wagnerwasashameless showboat, buttodaythereachofglobalmediahasmadeitpossible fora ‘Wagner’ tobecomebetterknownthanhismusic. kj: Is therean additionalappealin theJapaneseaspectsof Mishima’s story,though?Itseemsasifyouhaveastrongaffinity forJapanese culture —youwroteaboutOzu,yourfirstsoldscriptwasTheYakuza...

174 Schrader onSchrader

ee

33 Mishima (1985):KenOgataasYukioMishima: ‘Amanand hisroom’,(3)

TheDirector:BlueCollarto TheComfortof Strangers 175

PS:Ithinktheaffinity isthis,andit’sthesameonemybrother experienced whenhelivedinJapan:Japanisaverycodified littlemoraluniverse with verystrictruleswhich govern allforms ofbehaviour anddecorum. It’snot unusualfora personto fleeoneprisononlyto findthatsameprisonin anotherplace.Soalltheconfining aspectsofthecultureofGrandRapids, whichmybrotherandIrebelled againstbutthencametomiss,wefound

againinJapan,butsince wewerestrangers inastrange landwedidn’t feel sohidebound bythem.

KJ:We’vebeentalkingaboutthe autobiographical contentof your screenplays, andMishima isstrikinginthatregardbecause he’sthefirstof yourcharacters, apartfromthezookeeper inCatPeople,who’sreallyan intellectual. He’scertainly thefirstwho’sanartist. ps:Andhe’smiddle-aged. Mishima satiatedtheurgeI hadto doa film abouta suicidalartistwhichhadbegunwithHankWilliams; onceI did Mishima InolongerhadthedesiretodoHankbecause Williams wasthe uneducated, unself-aware nativeartistandMishima wastheopposite.I wasmuchhappierdealing withthequestion inMishima’s terms,because I donotthinkthatthesuicidal impulse intheartsisaproductofignorance orimmaturity. Ithinkit’sapartoftheartisticprocess. KJ:Doyouthinkofitasa terriblefailing,oristhereasideofyouwhichis attractedtothesesuicidalurges? Ps:Well,thereis.Mishimasaidsomewhere thatlifeis a lineofpoetry writtenin one’sownblood,andhehadintended,afterhehaddisembowelled himself, totakeabrushandwriteonelastkanji.Hedidn’thave thestrength todoit,butthatwouldhavebeenthewriter’s farewell anditis notunlikeChristology —ChristtakingonthesinsoftheworldthroughHis agonyandtransforming theworldthatway.

Longbefore ImadeMishima, people would criticize meforTaxiDriver, saying thatIglorified theimpulse ofsuicide through thepersonage ofan

ignorantman,andIwouldsay,‘No,thesuicidal impulse hasnothingtodo withlackofeducation; it’stodowiththeartisticimpulse totransform the world.’ThebestexampleI couldthinkofwouldalwaysbeMishima. I

thinkthegreatdifference between TaxiDriver andMishima isexemplified ina linefromTheYakuza, whereoneofthecharacters saysthatwhen someone intheWestcracksuptheyopenthewindows andshootatpeople outside,whereasa Japanesewhocracksupwillclosethewindowsand shoothimself.In that waytheJapaneseresponseis themoreproper because theactoftransformation andaggression isdirectedatitsproper source.

176 Schrader onSchrader

34 Mishima: YukioMishima’s Seppuku.

TheDirector:BlueCollarto TheComfortofStrangers177

KJ:When youcametoplanMishima, didyouhavetheideaofechoing the

stylesandmethodsoftheJapanesecinema? Ps:Thesections ofthefilmwhichshowthelastdayofMishima’s lifeare essentially doneina kindofCosta-Gavras style.Buttheblack-and-white

material doesechotheGolden AgeoftheJapanese cinema, thefilmsof Ozu,Naruse andMizoguchi.” Ofcourse thedramatized sequences ofthe

novelsarethenewJapan,as seenthroughtheeyesof ourproduction designer, EikoIshioka.

KJ:Those sections havesomeveryunusual colours. Didyouuseaspecial typeofstock?

Ps:No,it’salldoneinthelightingandthesets.Eikoonlydidthesetsfor thenovelsections; anotherdesigner didtherealistic sets.I wantedthereto bea verycleanbreak.Eachofthethreenovelsections iscolour-coded to

makethefilm a littlemorecomprehensible, because itissuchajigsaw ofa film.Thefirstnovelisgoldandgreen; thesecond novelispinkandgrey; andthethirdoneisshu— a kindoforangethattheyuseintemples —shu andblack. KJ:Howdidyoudetermine whichof thepassagesyouweregoingto

dramatize? Wasitacaseofreading through theentire Mishima ceuvre and

seeingwhatcaughtyourattention,or didyousetoutknowingroughly whatyouwanted? ps:Again,thisisamatterofproblemsolving. Youfindpassages thathave achronological progression sothattheyfitinwiththelife:youhadtohave

anearly,amiddle andalatebook,andyouhadtohavepassages which fit

intotheseparatethemes,sothatthelastone,whichisaboutMishima the revolutionary, leadsyoutothatsectionof‘Runaway Horses’ fromTheSea ofFertility; andfortheearlyobsession withbeautyyouhavethefamous novelGoldenPavilion. Themiddlesectionwasa littlerough,though.I hadwantedto use Forbidden Colours,whichisMishima’s onlyovertlyhomosexual novel, but part of his widow’spost-mortem businessis to whitewashthe bibliography. Shehastriedto playdowntheanti-social aspectsof her husband’swork,the politicsandthe homosexuality; shereallyhates Forbidden Colours, thoughIthinkit’saterrificbookandIthoughtIcould eventually beatherdownaboutit.Intheend,itbecame adeal-breaker: she agreedto givemetherightsto theothernovelsif I agreednotto do Forbidden Colours.SowhatIdidwastoresorttoanothernovel,Kyoko’s House,whichIthinkshehadassumed Iwouldnotknowaboutbecause it’s neverbeentranslated intoEnglish. AndinthestoryoftheactorIfoundthe

178 Schrader onSchrader same kind of sexualambivalenceand narcissismI had wanted from

Forbidden Colours. KJ:Didyouhavea modelin mindfor thiskindof interweaving of biography andfiction,ordidtheformsimplyevolve fromthenatureofthe thingsyouwantedtodemonstrate aboutMishima? ps:No,therewasn’ta model.I becameawareofthisonedayduringthe

shooting, whentheJapanese AD,whowasthecrewmember closest tothe

movie,saidthatIwastheonlypersonwhounderstood howthemoviewas working, andthatifIweretobeincapacitated there’dbenowaytofinishit becausenooneelsehadtheplanintheirhead. KJ:Didyoualwaysintendthefilmtohaveanoperaticfeeling?

ps:Ithinkthatmayhavecome fromPhilGlass, whom Iapproached when

wewerestillatthescriptstage.Philhaswrittenanumberofbiographical operas—Einstein,Gandhi,Akhnaten—andI askedhimto approach Mishimain thesameway.SohedelvedintoMishima’s workandthe biographies andthedraftsofthescript,andwrotea scorewithoutseeing

anyofthefilm,onethatcouldbeplayed asanindependent work.Ithen

tookthatworkandsortofdeconstructed it,repeating sections, extending andcondensing, andcutthewholemovietothat;Ithenpresented himwith thescoreinapasticheversionthathehadtorecompose totheimages.

kJ:Howstrongly didyoudirecthimintheearlystages? Ps:Beyond saying thatIneeded amartial theme forthelastdayandthena

sicklynostalgia themefortheearlierstuff,I reallytriedtostayoutofitas muchaspossible.OnotherscoresI’veworkedonI havebeeninvolved moreclosely anddictatedthescoretoalargedegree. Thewayyoudothatis

tocreate aguide track,editing thefilmtoapre-existing piece ofmusic you

feelisright,andthenyouhandittoyourcomposer andsay,“ThisiswhatI wantthemusicto soundlike,’andhewillthenhomogenize yourguide tracks.Inthatwayyou’ve moreorlessghosteda score.ButIdidnotwant toghostthescoretoMishima andI didnotwanttoinhibitPhil.I said,‘I'll maketheboatandI’llpeopleit,butyou’vegottomaketheriver.’ KJ:Howdidyougoaboutfinancing suchanambitious andapparently uncommercial film? Ps:Itwasreallysomething ofaconjob.Firstofall,asIsaid,Ihadtogetthe widow’s supportandthattookquiteafewyears,tripsbackandforthand thekindofcourtshipthattheJapaneserequire.Shortlybeforeshooting

TheDirector: BlueCollartoTheComfortofStrangers 179

35 Mishima: TherebelcadetsinRunaway Horses.

180 Schraderon Schrader

beganitbecame apparenttoherthatalotofhercomments werenotbeing adheredto,soshethrewupherarmsandwedirected herattentiontothe contract,whereshe’dalreadysignedawaythoserights.That’swhenshe turnedonthefilm,butbythattimewewerealreadyinmotion.Ithinkwe weresuccessful inraisingmoneybecausepeoplesimplydidn’tthinkwe wouldgetawaywiththeproject,andbythetimetheyrealizedthatwe reallyweregoingtomakeititwastoolatetostopus;sotheyconcentrated insteadonstopping thereleaseofthefilm,whichtheydid.

Halfthemoney inthefilmcamefromWarners andhalfcamefromFuji

andToho.It wasa verystrangestory.OurJapaneseproducer,Mata Yamamoto, isveryinternationally orientedandhewantedto makean international film—theJapanesehavethissortof inferiority complex whichisthattheymakeallthehardware fortheinternational market,but theycan’tmakethesoftware, thefilmsandtelevision programmes. Soour

producer backed thefilmhimself uptoabout$1million ofhisownmoney. Well, whenthepressure thatthewidow wasexercising through theold-boy networkstartedcomingdownonthefilm,thismanwasintrouble.The

pressurewasonlygentle,butinJapangentlepressureusuallyworks.These

fellows cametoseetheproducer andsaid,‘Weknowthatwepromised to

giveyouthismoney, butthesituation haschanged.’ Hewentbacktothem andsaid,‘You havetofinance me.I’mpractically amillion dollars indebt onthisone,andifyoupulloutI’llbebankruptandwillhavetodowhatis necessaryto protectmyfamily.’InJapanthatphraseisa kindofcode:ifa

mancommits suicideovera business debt,hisfamilyandhiskidsgetto keeptheirhouseandsavings anddonotassume thosedebts.Now,ifhehad

committed suicide, therewouldhavebeenrepercussions throughout

Japanese business. Someone atFujiandatTohowouldhavehadtoresign andsoon,andnoonewantedtobeputinthatembarrassing position.So apparently theycametohimonenightandgavehim$2.5millionincash, andsaid,‘Wedidnotgiveyouthismoney’; andstilltothisdaytheydeny

thattheygavehimanymoney, though ifthefilmiseverreleased inJapan theystillownit. Oncewehadthat$2.5million, Iprevailed onLucasandCoppola, who

wereveryflushat thetimeintheirpowerandtheirreputations,to induce

Warnerstoputuptheotherhalf,butIdon’tthinkanybody whoinvested

money inthatfilmeverexpected togetitback.Sowhile making themovie I hada verypeculiar luxury, which wasthatofmaking a filmthatnooneever

expectedto makea dime.Ontheotherhand,thatentailedenormous pressureandresponsibility, becausetherewasno wayyoucouldturn roundandsay,‘Hey,look,I triedtomakea buck,I failed,toobad.’The

onlycriterion Icouldholdthefilmuptowasthatofexcellence.

TheDirector:BlueCollartoTheComfortofStrangers181

KJ:Willthefilmnever beshown inJapanbecause ofthewayyoutreated the

subject,orsimplybecause Mishima isstilltoomuchofa scandal? Ps:He’stoomuchofa scandal. Japanisaconsensus society, andnomatter howmanytimesyousaythat,youcan’tsayitenough.WhenMishimadied

peoplesaid,“Give usfifteenyearsandwe’lltellyouwhatwethinkabout

him,’butit’sbeenmorethanfifteen yearsnowandtheystilldon’tknow whattosay.Mishima hasbecome anon-subject —afascinating one.People readabouthimbutthereisnoofficialviewpoint, sothatifyou’reat a dinnerpartyandhisnamecomesupthere’sjustsilence. Now,thatatmosphere ofculturaldiscomfort isamplified bythefactthat oneofthepreceptsoftheJapanese psycheisthatoutsiders reallycannot

understand them;upuntila hundred yearsagotheydidnotevenbelieve

thatit waspossiblefora Westerner to speakJapanese.Soiftheydon’t understand Mishima, howcan a foreigner possibly hopeto?Andtheninto thatenvironment youinjectthisright-wing pressurethatcomesfromthe widow,andthefactthatit’sanAmerican— whomtheRighthatebecause of

theMacArthur-imposed constitution —whoispresuming tomakea film abouttheiricon.It’salmost asifyoutriedtogototheNearEasttoshoota filmaboutMuhammad.

KJ:Weretherethreatsofviolence?

ps:Wehadsomethreats during thefilming, andalsotherewererumours

thatifthefilmwereevershowninJapantherewouldbebombings. Atone timeIthoughtImightbeindangerandforawhileItooktowearing aknifeproofvestwhenI wasworkingoutsideon thestreets,butthenit was explained to methatforeigners, likedrunksandbabies,werenotreally responsible fortheiractionsandthatifanyonewasgoingtobeattackedit

wouldbetheJapanese forletting medothis.Ourcastandcrewwerevery muchhand-picked, notonlyfortheirtalents butalsofortheircourage and independence.

KJ:KenOgata’sperformance capturesverywellthatpartlyWestern sense ofcharmthatMishima’s biographers talkabout.

ps:Yes,butoneoftheunfortunate things aboutcasting Ogataisthathe

bisexuality. Ogata’simageandpersonaareverymuch lacksMishima’s lower-middleor working-class heterosexual and, thoseof a somewhat Wesearched longandfar tryashemight,thatisstillhowheisperceived. tryingto findan actorwhohad that sexualambiguityand we just

couldn’t. Wesucceeded muchbetterinthecasting ofKenjiSawada as theactorinthemiddle novel. He’sa rockstar,a kindofMickJagger in

Japan.

182 Schraderon Schrader

KJ:Thedirectlyhomosexual elements inMishima arequiteunderplayed, though. Ps:There’sonelittlesceneina gaybarwherehe’sdancingwitha young

man,soit’sexplicit tothatdegree, andthough it’snotthecentrepiece that thegaypresswouldhavelikedtohaveseen,it’scertainly notignored as somecriticshavesaid.

KJ:Wasthatwhattheywanted? Ps:Yes,because Mishima isalsopartofthegaypantheon, butthatwasn’t

thereasonIwantedtomakethefilm.I wanted toexplore theart—life dilemma;the homosexuality fedintothat, but it wasn’ta necessary component ofit.Thesamedilemma couldhaveexistedinaheterosexual. I feltthatunderplaying thehomosexual aspectsdidn’tundermine thepiece, thoughI had problemsintroducing evenas muchas I did.I had to

document everybitof thatmovie.I didinterviews withallsortsof

witnesses andthereisnothinginthebiographical sections thatisn’twell documented — there isvofictioninthatpartofthefilm. KJ:Didyouendupfeelingsympathy forMishima’s politicalbeliefs?

PS:I’vegotintoarguments with alot ofpeople aboutthis,butIgenuinely believe thatitwasalltheatre —well,that’s notfair:sayseventy-five percent

theatre.Hedidhavea fixationontheEmperorandhedidhavea very strongsexualfixationon militarism, but his interestswereprimarily ritualistic andartistic.Whenitcamedowntohard-core politicshewasn’t

really thatinterested. Itwasalldressing up,D’Annunzio style.

KJ:You’ve expressed dissatisfaction aboutthewaysomeofyourfilmshave turnedout.DoyoufeelthataboutMishima? ps: No, it’sthe filmI’?dstand by; as a writerit’sTaxiDriver,but as a

directorit’sMishima. There’s anelement ofperverse joyinit—justthefact

thatnoonehaddoneanything likethatbefore andnoonethought Icould doit.Preminger saiddirectors always lovetheirbastard children mostand there’sanelementofthefactthatit’sjustsoimplausible I actuallygotit done. ButthoughIdon’tgenerally lookatmyfilmsagain,I canstillwatchthe endofMishima, andwhenhebecomes onewithhisthreecreations Istill get chilledbythat.Ithinkit’sjustterrific. KJ:Diditgiveyouthesenseofhavingdonesomething you'dfindithardto liveupto?

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36 Mishima: KenOgataasYukioMishima.

184 Schrader onSchrader

Ps:Yes,buttherelative painofthatpalesbeside thesense ofliberation that you’ve donesomething thatyou’re proudof.There’s nosense worsethan

thefeeling thatyou’reneverquitegoingtodothatonethingyouwantto putonyourtombstone.

LightofDay ps:AsImentioned before,LightofDaywasoriginally called‘Borninthe

USA’. IwroteitrightafterAmerican Gigolo butIjustcouldn’t getitgoing, andthenI realized thattheobstacle toitwasthatthebrother—brother configuration I hadinit wasjusta littletoofamiliar,a littletooEastof Eden-y,toolikeCainandAbel,andwhenIchanged ittoabrother—sister relationship ithadanewspin.

KJ:Whatinvolvement didBruce Springsteen haveintheproject? Hehasa

songcalled‘Borninthe USA’andhewrotethetitletrackforLightof Day...

ps:When I firstwrotethescript,1979,Brucewasflirting withtheideaof becomingan actor;in fact,he had beenoffereda milliondollarsby

Twentieth Century-Fox todoanyfilmhewanted. IwentdowntoJersey to discuss thescriptof‘Born intheUSA’ withhim;wetalked, andthenIgot

wordbackfromhimthathehaddecided hedidn’twanttobeinvolved in movies. He’sacontrolfreak,andtheideaofsubmitting himself tosomeone else’sfantasywasmorethanhecouldtolerate. Then,whenIwasinJapanforMishima, Icameacrossthisalbumcalled

BornintheUSA, andIthought ‘Uh-huh, familiar.’ Ibought thealbum and

hehadbeenniceenoughtocreditmeonthesleeve. Anyway, Springsteen isamanofenormous integrity; heisexactlywhat heappearstobe,andI knewthatmydaywouldcome.Sureenough,one daythephonerang.Wewentandhaddinnerandheexplained tomethat

whathadhappened wasthatthescripthadbeenlyingaround onhistable andhejustcouldn’t shakethetitlefromhishead.Heapologized, and because heknewIwasnowmaking thefilmhesaid,‘Youcanhavethesong forfreeifyouwant,orI'llwriteyouanewoneforfree.’Ielected totakea newsong,sohewrote‘LightofDay’.

KJ:Wasthefilmalwaysgoingtobeaboutrockandroll? Ps:Yes.Thefirstscriptwasprettymuchliketheoneweused,exceptthatit wasabouttwobrothers.

TheDirector:BlueCollarto TheComfortofStrangers185

KJ:You’ve saidthatthisfilmisthecompanion-piece toHardcore: afilm

aboutyourmothertomatchthefilmaboutyourfather.Doesthatmakethe JoanJettcharacter yoursurrogate? Ps:I’msortofsplitinhalf;partofmeisinJoanandpartisinMichael J.

Fox,butthedeathscene between themother andJoanasitappears inthe filmismoreorlesswordforwordwhatI wentthrough withmymother. KJ:Thatmusthavebeenpainfultofilm. PS:Well,youknow,that’swhatyoudofora living:youpickatyourown

wounds, andthedeeper andmoreprivate thewound, themorespecial itis toyouandpossibly themoreitcanmeantosomeone else.

KJ:Wastherethatsamekindofreconciliation andforgiveness between you andyourmotherasthereisinthefilme ps:Yes.Whenmymothersaid,‘Promise meyouwilljoinmeinheaven,’ I

said,‘Yes.’ Whatelsedoyoudo?

KJ:Soinonesensethedaughter’s commitment toplayinginrock-and-roll bands,whichthemotherdisapproves of,isa displaced versionofyour commitment tomakingfilms,whichyourmotherdisapproved of?

ps:Yes,yes.Butoneofthethings Iwastrying togetacross inLightofDay wasrockandroll’s function ineveryday life.Somany rock-and-roll movies revolve aroundtheCinderella mythoffameandwealthandgirls,andwhat ismissedinallthosefilmsisthatrockandrollhasa day-to-day practical function inthelivesofthousands ofpeopleandthousands oflittlebandsin thousands oflittlecitiesallovertheworld,andthatalltheselittlebandsjust

goandkickitoutontheweekends. Theymayhavedreams ofglory, but

whatit’sreallyaboutisrelease.SoI didn’twanttomakea movieabout fantasy,Iwantedtomakeamovieabouttherealities ofrockandroll. KJ:Theendofthefilmcertainly catchesthat,withthefreezeonJoanJett’s

grinning faceafterthey’ve performed thetitlesong—despite herdefeats andhermother’s death,there’s stilla kindofrelease whensheperforms. HowdidyoucometocastJoanJett,who’sa professional rockmusician withnotmuchactingexperience, insuchanimportant part? ps:Whathappened wasthatIgotmyself intooneofthosedreadful boxes.I

hadsworn thatIwould castthegirl’s partfirstandthenthebrother, andI

foundthissinger—notJoanJett—whowasnotverywellknownandwho hadasoftkindofsensuality, butwhoalsolookedquitealotlikeMichael J. Fox,whoIknewwasinterestedindoingthefilm.I thought,‘Oh,ifshedoes

itandMichaeldoesitthenthetwoofthemaregoingtobeterrific.’ Sowe

186 Schraderon Schrader

wentahead andcastMichael andthendiscovered thatthisgirlhadsigned a contract toanother filmandwasn’t available. Jthenhadsecond thoughts aboutMichael because IJstill didn’t wanttocasttheboypartfirst,butby thisstageIwastoldthatifIdidn’tuseMichael we’dnevergettomakethe film.SoI endedupcastingJoanonthebasisofthescriptandnotonthe basisofhercloseness toMichael, anditjustneverworked.

KJ:Shegivesa strongperformance. Ps: It’sa goodperformance, but there’sa degreeto whichcastingis predestination andthatpieceofcasting justdidnotwork:itdidn’tworkon paper,itdidn’tworkonscreen.Iremember goingtomyagentandtalking aboutit.I said,‘Look,I thinkIcanmakethisa goodfilmbutIdon’tthinkI

canmakeit a successful film.I justdon’tthinkit’sgonnawork.’Andhe said,‘Well, ifyoudon’tmakeitthiswayyou’renotgoingtodoitatall,and

howwillyoueverknow?’ SoI wentaheadanddidit,andofcourse as

you’reshootingyouconvince yourself thatyou’repullingthingsoff,but myoriginal qualmswereright:it’sjuststillborn inthecasting. That’snotto sayMichael didn’tdoagoodjob;it’sjustthataudiences didnotwanttosee himina subordinate, working-class, non-humorous role,period. KJ:Therearethreedifferent strandsofrockrepresented inthefilm:thesort ofsmall-town Springsteen musicoftheBarbusters; theheavymetalofthe bandthatJoanJettrunsofftojoin;anda kindofeffetesynthesizer band. Didyouhavetoresearch thatworld,orwasrockmusicsomething youstill

haveaninterest in Ps:I’mstillinterested. Everyone ofmygeneration wasinformed byrock,

because itwasourliberation. Springsteen saidsomething wonderful when BobDylanwasinaugurated intotheRockandRollHallofFame;hesaid thatElvisfreedourbodies,butDylanfreedourminds.Everyone hasone

figure intheirliveswhom theyfinally havetobendthekneeto,who’s their

NumberOne,andformeBobDylanisthatNumberOne. Kj:Youmadea rockvideowithhim,didn’tyou?

ps:Yes.WewenttoTokyotodothat,theyearafterwefinished shooting

Mishima. Thevideodidn’treallyworkout,butI stillhaveenormous respect forhim,eventhough itsoonbecame cleartomethatweliveintwo different worlds.I’m alinear thinker,Bobisapoeticthinker.Ithink1,2, 3,

4, A, B,C; he thinks1, A, Blue,Green,D. Onenightin TokyoI started

pontificating abouthisuseofassociative imageryandhetookumbrage,

because hedidnotseeitasassociative; hethought itwasabsolutely clear andlucid.

TheDirector:BlueCollarto TheComfortofStrangers 187

37 Lightof Day(1987):JoanJett and MichaelJ. Fox.

188 Schraderon Schrader

kJ:DoyouthinkoneofthereasonsforthefailureofLightofDaywasits attemptto do at leastthreethingsat once—to returnto thekindof working-class frustrations ofBlueCollar,toinvestigate rockmusicandto be an autobiographical statementaboutyourrelationship withyour

mother? Ps:Itmayhavebeenthat.Being ambitious doesn’t necessarily meanyou

willfail,butwhenit doesn’tsucceed thenyoulooklikea fool,because you’vetriedmorethanyoushouldhave.I don’tdwellonfailures;once they’re donethey’re done.EvenwhenIintroduce myfilmsatfilmfestivals I

don’twatchthemagain. Theproblem isthatallyouseeisthebad. Ontherareoccasions Ilookatoneofmyfilms Icantellyouexactly howI

feltonthedayofeveryscene,because somuchofdirecting isspontaneous;

youapproachthedaywithcertainplans,butthenthesearethrownawry

andwhatyouendupwithonscreenisthecumulative productofthousands of decisionsmadeon the spurof the moment.You’remakingthese

decisions likeaGatling gun.That’s thereason whyadirector cannot work undertheinfluence ofalcohol oranyotherkindofdrug:thejobjust

demands absolute mentalclarityatalltimesandthedecisions areirrevocable.Youcanwritedrunkorstonedandthenextdaylookatit andsay, ‘Hey,that’sthirtypercentterrific —nowI'llmakeitsixtypercentterrific,’

butyoucan’tdothatasadirector.

KJ:Butthecomparative visualanonymity ofLightofDaydoesn’t seemlike theproductofmiscalculation; itseemstohavebeendeliberate. PS:Well,thisisa Kammerspiel, aboutunflashy peoplewholiveunflashy lives,andI didnotwantanincongruous visualstyle.JohnBailey, who’s

beenmycinematographer onfourfilms, wasworking withmeonthefilm

andeverydaywewerefinding ourselves insituations whereIwassaying, ‘Lookatthisshot.Westartslowlyacrosstheceilingreadingthegraffiti, thenwecomedownandeveryone thinksthey’reupsidedownandthen theyrealizethey’reright-side up.Wouldn’t thatbeaterrific shot?’And Johnwouldsay,‘Yes,itwouldhavebeenaterrificshotforMishima, but we’renotmakingthatmovie.’ Ilearneda lessonfromLightofDay,whichwasthatIhadbeengrowing filmbyfilminmyvisualintelligence. Ihadprogressed frombeingaperson withaliteraryvisiontobeingsomeone withavisualvision,andwiththat filmI triedtobackoff,Itriedtosuppress mynewliteracy. Iwouldnever againmakeafilmwiththatkindofmeat-and-potatoes style.Imean,there arescenesin a filmthatyouwouldshootin a meat-and-potatoes style because it’stheonlyrealwaytodothatscene,butIwouldneverconceive of anotherfilmwiththeapproachIusedonLightofDay.

TheDirector: BlueCollartoTheComfortofStrangers189

PattyHearst KJ:ThelastthingonecouldcallPattyHearstisvisually anonymous —the firsthalf-hour orsoofhercaptivity isshotinanextraordinary styleofhalflightpunctuatedwithpainfulmomentsof brightness. Wasthat style implicitinNickKazan’s screenplay, orwasit something youdeveloped yourself? ps:I developed it myself,thoughtherewassomething inthescriptthat

triedtokeeptheSLA® anonymous forthefirstforty-five minutes. Myfirst reactionwasincredulity —OK,great,youcandothatinascript,buthow doyoumakeamoviewheretheSLAaren’tseen?ButthenIdecided totake himathisword,andsoforthefirstforty-five minutes youdon’tseethem. Onceyoulockintosomething likethattheotherdecisions comefastand

furious; theslowpartisthelocking in.Thedefinitive problem withPatty Hearst—and thisisthereason thatotherdirectors turned theproject down

—isthatitdealswithapassive protagonist. Moviesareaboutpeoplewho do things.Thenumberonefantasyof the cinemais that wecando something —wearerelatively impotent inourownlivessowegotomovies towatchpeoplewhoareincontroloftheirlives.PattyHearstviolates the

cardinal ruleofcinema.

Atlantic, whofinanced thefilm,didn’tseethisproblem; theyjustlooked at it fromtheoutsideandsawkidnapping, bankrobberies, shoot-outs. Whattheydidn’tseeisthatthemaincharacter haslittleornothingtodo

withthis;she’sjustavoyeur, anobserver. SoI hituponthesolution of abusing herinthesamewaythattheSLAabused her,which inturnmeans thatthefilmshouldabusetheaudience. Ifyouabusea character enough, eventually yougetintotheconcentration-camp-guard syndrome —you don’tcareaboutthevictimanymorebecauseyouseeonlytheirdegradation;they’vebecomea non-person. SoI setoutto createa stylethat

abused theaudience. Those whoarecritical ofmeliketosay,‘Schrader’s wilfully perverse. He

assaultshisaudience because hedoesn’twanttomakepeoplefeelgood.’ Butyouneversetoutasaprinciple toabuseanaudience; onthecontrary, youwanttoentertainthem.Butifyou’reconfronted withaproblemand

theonlyworkable solution is this,thenyouexecute it. Maybethe perversity comes ofdeciding toexecute theproject ratherthanjustwalk awayfromit.

KJ:Someoftheearliersequences arebasedonPattyHearst’s memories, fantasies andfears,particularly herclaustrophobic dreadofbeingburied

190 Schrader onSchrader

38 PattyHearst(1988):NatashaRichardson asthecaptiveheiress:‘The solutionwastoabuseherinthesamewaytheSLAabusedher.’

TheDirector: BlueCollartoTheComfortofStrangers191

alive.Doesthishavesomebearing onthefilm’s portrayal oftheSLAasa groupwhose politics werelargely basedonself-aggrandizing orparanoid fantasy? ps:Yes.TheSLAlikedtopretendthattheywereahugemovement, butin facttheywerea tinycult.InmymindIassociated themwithanothercult

thatcameoutofOakland attheverysametime— James Jones’s sect.Inthe caseofJones youhadawhite messiah withablackflock which degenerated intoa suicidecult;hereyouhadCinque,a blackmessiah withhiswhite following whichdidthesame.I feltthisat thetimetheeventswere happening. TheSLAcertainly hadnoconnection withanyLeftpoliticsI

everhad.

KJ:There’s agooddealofblackhumourinthewaythefilmtreatstheSLA zealots,particularly themarriedcouple,Tekoand Yolanda,whoare constantly squabbling witheachother;they’realmostlikea MrandMrs TravisBickle. ps:Yes,butwithouttheluxuryof takingtheirpointofview.I would actuallyhavebeenwillingtomakethatfilmfromCinque’s pointofview, andIthinkitwouldhavebeenaveryexciting, incendiary film,endingwith thisoperaticorgyof suicidalglorywiththehouseburningdownand everyone throwingtheirarmsoutyelling‘Cinque!’ Isuspectinfactthat’s

howIwould havewritten itifIhadinitiated theproject, buttherewould havebeennopleasure inwriting thatbecause itwouldneverhavebeen

made. | Thescriptaspresented tomewasentirely fromPatty’s pointofview,and Ijustsaid,‘OK,that’svalid.Let’slookattheworldthroughthisperson’s eyes.Let’snotwinkattheaudience; let’sjustfollowitthroughandletit takeussomeplace interesting.’ KJ:Thefilmseemsentirely sympathetic toher.. . Ps:That’stheconceit: Itookherpointofview,period.AsIsay,inpersonal termsI couldjustaseasilyhavetakentheopposite viewpoint, butIthink there’ssomething tobesaidforfollowing justonepointofview,especially

ifit’sanunpopular one.Iknowpeople couldeasily say,‘Well, here’s aguy whostartsoffmaking BlueCollar inthedefence oftheunderdog andends up makingPattyHearstin defenceof theoverdog,’ butthatwasjust something Ihadtoswallow. Inaway,PattyHearstissortofthereverse of TravisBicklebecauseTravisis an underdogwhomilitatesagainstthe worldandPattyisanoverdog againstwhomtheworldmilitates. Ihadvery

mixed feelings aboutherduring thecaseandduring thefilm-making, andI stilldo.

Schraderon Schrader

39 PattyHearst:surreallighting effectsinsidetheSLAsafehouse.

TheDirector:BlueCollarto TheComfortofStrangers 193

KJ:Thefilmisverygoodatconveying herfeelings ofdisorientation andthe

uncertainty orplasticity ofcharacter thataccompanied them. Ps:Inonesensethereseemsto menodoubtthatshedidbecome a

revolutionary, butwasshePattyHearstwhenthathappened, orwasshe someone else?It’sa genuine conundrum and I realized veryearlyonthat thereisnosolution.Ifyouaskthequestion‘Didsheordidn’tshe?’,the answerisyesandno,allthetime. Incidentally, Idon’tthinkittakesfifty-seven daysofsolitarytochange someone’s personality; abouttendaysisallittakes.Thegovernment has doneresearch intothisandconcluded thatyoucan’treallyexpectevena trainedcombatsoldiertoenduremorethanabouteightortendaysunder thoseconditions. Theproperwayto preparea soldierforthatkindof treatment istoinculcate himwithcertainresidual valuesthathewillretain whilehesubmits hismindandbody,andpreparehimnottofeelbadabout submitting, sothatwhentheconditions ofduressarealleviated there’sstill apersonality left. KJ:You’ve saidthatCatPeople,theonlyotherfilmyou’vemadefroma scriptyoudidn’twrite,provedtobeoneofyourmostpersonal, andmany

ofthescenes inPattyHearst seemtodovetail withyourotherobsessions — there’stheclaustrophobia, theBressonian ending.. . ps:Oddlyenough, whenIwasfirstgiventhescriptI didn’twanttoreadit becauseIassumed it wouldbesomesortofexploitative TVdrama,but thenI lookedat it andthought,‘Oh... Oh...’ Therewasa purely

pragmatic reasonformaking thefilm,whichwasthatthedepression brought aboutbythefailure ofLightofDaywasrathercrushing, because it wasbothapersonal failureandacareerfailure.SoIwasveryanxious toget backinthesaddle,andthiswasa filmthattheywouldgreenlightjustas soonasadirectorsaid‘Yes.’ Iagreedtodoitforaverylowfeeandonavery smallbudget,butthoseeconomic restrictions eventually became freedoms,

because asmyperception ofthefilmbecame moreandmoreidiosyncratic andlesscommercial, andthepressure wasputonmetodosomething more conventional, Iwasabletosay,‘Look,I’mdoingthisfilmfornomoneyon ashortbudget;undertheseconditions IamgoingtomakethefilmIwant. Givemeadecentsalary,givemethreemoreweeksofshooting andI’llmake

yourmovie andI’llmakemymovie andthenyoucanchoose, butunder theseconditions I’mgoingtomakemine.’

KJ:Presumably therewasalsohostilityto theideaof castinga British

actress,NatashaRichardson?

Ps:Yes,alsobecause shewasmoreorlessunknown inAmerica atthetime.

194 Schrader onSchrader

ButI’dseenherinGothic andIauditioned herandIjustcouldn’t imagine anyotheractressenduringthat passiverolefor morethanforty-five

minutes.I couldn’tburnNatashaout;inthefilm’ssecondhourshestillhas

something togive,andattheveryendofthemoviewhenshespeakstoher fatheryoureallywantto hearwhatshehasto say.Therewasalsoher

physical similarity toPatty,buttherealthingwasthatenormous sense she hasofasecretreserve; shehassomething special thatshewilldivulge toyou inherowngoodtime.It’sthesamequalityhermotherhas.

KJ:DoyouthinkthatPattyHearstis yourmostfullyfleshedwoman

character?

Ps:I wouldthinkso,yes.TheJoanJettthingwas alittle toomuchofan

ideologyontwolegs;sheexpounds a principleat theexpenseofcharacter

complexity. AndNastassia inCatPeopleisamalecreation. ButNatasha’s partwasreallyafemalecreation. Andthat’sentirely downtoher—credit

wherecredit’s due.

KJ:WhatdoestherealPattyHearstthinkofthefilm? ps:Inmyexperience, peoplewhohavefilmsmadeaboutthemusually turnonthefilms,butsheloveditandcametoCannestohelppromoteit. Ironically, thefirsttimeI showedittohertherewasonesceneshereally hated.Shesaid,‘Allyouwantedtodoismakemelooklikea richbitch whodeserved everything thathappened tome.’Andyouknowwhatthat scenewas?It wasthelastscene.Shehadno difficulty beingputupon mercilessly fortwohours,buttheonesceneinthemoviewhereshestands onherownfeet,shehated.Whatthatrevealsis,I think,herabilityto survive andherabilitytoassumea subservient, daughter’s role—she’sfar morecomfortable beingthe victimthanbeingindependent, whichis probablyhowshegotthroughtheordeal.I saidto her,‘Patty,I cannot makea filmwherea characteris constantly puton andnevergetsthe chancetosayherownpiece,andtheseareallthingsthatyouhavesaid; yousaidtheminyourbook;you’vesaidthemtome.’Shesawthepoint, butshe’sstilluncomfortable withit. KJ:I supposeitmusthavestruckyouearlyonthatthere’sanotherwellknownfilmabouta member oftheHearstfamily.. . ps:Yes,andthatwasalwayssomething tobeassiduously avoided. Patty saysinherbookthatthemembers oftheSanFrancisco SLAwantedtogo andseeCitizenKaneandsherefused,becauseshedidn’twantto be arrestedwalkingoutofthatfilm.AndI wasn’tgoingto getarrestedfor copying thatfilm.

TheDirector:BlueCollartoTheComfortofStrangers195

40 PattyHearst:‘TheMishima shot’. 41 Mishima: ‘Thoselittleglowing roomssimulate thewriter’svision.’

196 Schrader onSchrader

KJ:Oneofthemostunusual scenes inthefilmcomes whenthelawyers are

discussing Patty’scaseandyoushootthemfromabovesothatitbecomes clearthattheroomthey’rein isa smalllitstageandthey’reotherwise surrounded bydarkness. It’sverylikecertainshotsinMishima, suchasin the‘Runaway Horses’ sectionwherethemilitary conspirators arearrested.

PS:Infact,whenwewereshooting PattyHearst weusedtorefertothatas theMishima shot.ThereasonIdiditinMishima wasthatI wanted to

createa senseoftheauthor’seyeandoftheseeventsexistinginlimbo. Thoselittleglowingroomssimulatethewriter’svision.InPattyHearst thereisonlyonesceneinwhichsheisnotaparticipant; everyothersceneis

fromherpointofview.Butit’simportant atsomestagetogetasenseof

howtheoutsideworldviewedher,soI struckupontheideaofusingthe littleglowingroomagain,whereallthesemen—importantly, men—are walkingarounddetermining herfate.I likedthedevicea lotinMishima andI wasalittle surprisedthatnoonehadknockedmeoffonit, soI

decided toknockmyself off.

KJ:Howwasthefilmreceived intheUS? Ps:It gotverygoodreviews, butit cameandwentquickly.Therearea numberofreasonsforthat:itwasanart-house filmdumpedintoa massaudience circuit,withareleasing patternpredicated ontelevision advertis-

ing,andAtlantic hatedthefilmbythistimeandtooknotelevision advertising. Thisislikethekindofwhiningeverydirectordoeswhenhis

filmfails—‘Gee,itwasn’tmyfault,itwasn’ttheaudience’sfault,itwasthat

damnstudio.’Thetruthofitsfailuremayliecloserto thatproblemof having a passive protagonist, andtotheunconventional stylistic mannerin

which I treated her.Itcouldhavebeen a nicelittlerespectable film,butthe company thatfinanced itdidn’thavetheluxury ofreleasing anicelittle

respectable film.Shortlyafterwards theywereboughtoutbya children’s videocompany, whichseemsonlypoetic.

TheComfortofStrangers KJ:InFebruary 1989youwerepreparing a filmbasedonyourscreenplay ForeverMine.Whatbecameofthat? ps:Myactorfellout.Iwasafteranotheractor,butIwasnotveryconfident

aboutgetting him,and I feltthatthestudio wasgoing tobequickly cooling

ontheproject.Bycoincidence myagentcalledmethesameweekandsaid howwouldyouliketodoaHaroldPinterscriptinItaly?Itoldhimtosend

TheDirector: BlueCollarto TheComfortofStrangers197

42 Schrader andhiscinematographer, DanteSpinotti, onlocation forThe

Comfort ofStrangers.

198 Schrader onSchrader itby,Ireadit,likeditimmediately andrealized itwasjustthetypeofthing

thatIcoulddoquitewell.SothenIwenttoColumbia andsaid,‘Ihopeyou

don’tmindterriblyifIdoanotherfilmfirst,’andtheywereverygracious andsaid,‘Ofcourse,Paul.’

KJ:WhydidyoufeelTheComfort ofStrangers? wasthesortofsubjectyou

coulddowell? PS:Because ofthemoralcomplexity inlanguage andbehaviour. Pinter’s

characters arealwayssayingonethingandmeaningsomething slightly different. Therearelayersofnuanceandinnuendo andseemingly inexplicableactionsandeventswhichareinfactveryexplicable ina non-prosaic fashion.I’mveryattractedtotheideaofapsychological liferunningjust underthesurfaceofnormallifeandmotivating thenormallifeinsubtle ways:itgoesbacktowhydoesTravistakethegirltothepornomovie? It

seemingly doesn’t makesense, butofcourse itdoesmakesense. Thisscript

is fullofthatkindofcomplexity. It alsoofferedtheopportunity to do something whichhadquiteaglamorous polishonit,astylistic sheen,andI hadn’treallymadeanything stylishforawhile.Iwaseagertodoitagain, notonlyformyselfbutalsoforthosepeopleintheindustry whomayhave

forgotten thatIwascapable ofmaking thistypeoffilm.

KJ:BoththelanMcEwannovelandthePinterscripthaveverydefinite identities. Howdotheybecome a Schrader film? Ps:Well,thefirstthingtheybecome isanAmerican film,whichIthinkwas

thereason thescriptwasoffered tome.AtonepointPinter hadwanted a

Britishdirector,butthefeeling oftheItalianswasthatifyoucombine this screenplay witha Britishdirectoranda Britishcastit startsto havethe statelydistancethatisthehallmarkofwhatisconveniently calledBBC drama.OneofthenicethingsaboutthePinter—Losey collaborations*° was

thattheyhadveryBritish scripts butveryAmerican direction. Americans — thisisveryglib,butIthinktrue—arebasically moreimpatient. Theywant togettheshowgoing,theywanttomovealong,theyliketomove alittle fasteron theirfeetas artists.Sothat kindof American energyand restlessness whenproperlycombined withthisveryunderstated British

writing canbeadynamic collaboration.

KJ:Howhaveyouevolved a visualstyleforthefilm? ps: I hadto decidewhatto do withVenicebecausethereis a sortof postcardVenice thatflashes througheveryone’s mindassoonasthename is mentioned. So,numberone,I neededto getaroundthatsothatyou

couldn’t justcloseyoureyesandseethemovie beforeyougotintothe

TheDirector:BlueCollarto TheComfortofStrangers 199

cinema. ThatVenice isoneprimarily ofwhitestoneandwhitelightand water.Thesecondconsideration wasthatthepeculiarity ofthestory

seemedmoreproperlysetina moreexoticenvironment. It’sthekindof storythat,ifsomeone toldyouthishadhappened inParisorRome,you’d say,‘Thatsoundsbizarre,’butif theysaidit hadhappenedto themin Tangiersor Cairoyou’dsay,‘Yes,ofcourse,thatkindof thingwould

happen there.’ Thesolution waseasyenough because itwasrightathand,

whichwasjusttoturnVeniceslightly onitsaxisandpointittowardsthe East,whereinfactitpointedformostofitshistory.Todayitisregarded as anItaliancity,butformostofitsvitallifeitwasthelinktotheOrient.It was muchmorecloselylinkedto Byzantium,to Constantinople,than it

wastoRome. Soitwasasimplemattertochoosethoselocations inVenice whichhad thehallmark ofByzantine cultureincolourandinarchitecture, andthento carrythatschemeonintothelightingsothatithasthefeelofIstanbulor Cairo.Themajorset,thePalazzo, whichwebuiltatthePathéStudios here inRome,isdecorated asifithadbeenredoneseveral hundredyearsagoby a manwhowasintheLevantine trade. KJ:Sooneofthemainreasonsforshootingat thePathéStudioswasto controlthevisualstyle? ps: Yes.Also,in Veniceall the grandpalazzosare protectedor are museums, andyoureallycan’tshootin them.Weshotoutsidein the courtyardofthePalazzoBarbaro,butweweren’tallowedtoshootinside anditwasn’tevenuptotheowner.Itwasaquestion ofthestability ofthe building. TheHistorical Commission wouldn’t haveallowedus. KJ:Whatwerethe principalchangesPintermadewhenwritingthe screenplay? Didyouaddanyfurtherchanges ofyourown?

ps:Harold madeacouple ofinteresting andIthinkessential changes. The

McEwan novelisaterrificbookbutIthinkalittleone-dimensional. Ithasa themeand it ridesthe themehardand singlemindedly. Its themeis essentially thatno amountof civilization canpaperovertheanimosity betweenmenandwomen.Iamnotsurethatthethemeisentirelycorrect

and,secondly, Idon’tknowifit’senough tosustain a complex drama; it needssomeotherthemerunning through it.WhatHarolddidisthathe

tookthecharacter ofRobertandheusedhimtobookend thefilm.Thefilm beginsbyhearingRobert’s voiceanditendswithRobertspeaking tothe police.Byelevating thecharacterofRobertinthiswayheintroduced a

second theme which liesrightunderneath McEwan’s theme — the persistenceofchildhood andtheinability toshakeoffchildhood experiences.

200 Schraderon Schrader

That’smuchmoreRobert’scharacter. He’sa manwholivesinthepast. Andsowhenever McEwan’s themegetsalittlethinthenewthemestartsto growupfromunderneath itandthatmakesa delicious combination.

kJ:There’s ahintinthenovel fromRobert's wifethathismemories ofhis father’s sadism maybeexaggerated orevenpurefantasy. Hasthatelement beenremoved? ps:HaroldhadtakenthatlineoutofthescriptandI suggested heputit backinbecause I don’twantcompletely todisregard thatpossibility. The

wayChrisWalken isplaying it,thereisa lotofambiguity aboutthe character. Chrisisusinganaccent which isa littlebithereandthere:it’sa

littleBritish, itgetsalittleGerman, alittleItalian.. .itmovesaround.This is a guy who has bouncedaround a lot and he may not be entirely

forthcoming aboutfactsinhislife.

kJ:Howdidyougoaboutcasting thefilm?

ps: Youhadto havefourrealactors,youjustcouldn’trelyon screen personalities wholookedrightandhadbox-office viability. Youneeded peoplewhohadstageabilities,thecapacityto readanygivenlinein a numberofwayswithequalvalidityandtoplaythenuances inandoutofa scene.Theotherconsideration wasthatit wasJuneandwehadto start shootinginSeptember. Soitwasa caseofthebestactorsavailable atthe time.

ForthepartofMary,NatashaRichardson jumpedimmediately tomind because I hadworkedwithherandIknewherabilityandIalsoknewthat shewantedtoplayamoreglamorous role.Ihadtomakeamends forwhatI

haddonetoherinPattyHearst interms oftheresolutely unglamorous way

sheisportrayed inthatfilm.RupertEverettwasobviousforthecharacter ofColinbecauseColinisanextremely handsome man,somewhat narcissistic,whoessentially isthebattleground overwhichthedramatakesplace. ForCarolineIwasthinkingeitherofMaryBethHurt,mywife,orHelen Mirren.I talkedit overwithMaryBethandwedecidedit wasprobably betterforusnottoworktogether. ForRoberttherewasonecriticalchangeIhadtomakefromthebook. Thecharacter ofRobertisdescribed thereinamuchmoresleazymanner: openshirt,goldchainwitharazorblade. . .it’sjustnotcredible onscreen thatMaryandColinaregoingtotakeoffwiththisguy.ChrisWalkenwas

rightatthetopofmylistforthepart.I’dknown himforsometimeand|

knewhewantedtodoapartlikethisandhehastherighttheatrical skills. ThewayheplaysRobertisasarealVenetian gentleman whodressesina fortieswhitedouble-breasted suitandhasallthehauteurofaristocracy and

TheDirector: BlueCollarto TheComfortofStrangers201

43 TheComfortof Strangers(1990):NatashaRichardson as Mary, Christopher WalkenasRobert,RupertEverettasColin.

202 Schraderon Schrader

thecongeniality ofanestablished familyman.Hedoesn’tappeartobea

hustler. Thenumber oneissueontheagenda wasforChrisjusttoplaythe charm,playthecharmandleteverything elsecomebehind.AsChristold me,he wasshootinga filmthissummerandtheyshotsomelightup underneathhimandhesaidtothedirector,‘Idon’tneedtobemadetolook

evil.I candothatonmyown.’

kJ:We’ve discussed thewaysinwhich yourfilmsoftenprogress towards

a transcendental moment.Willthat be true of The Comfortof Strangers? ps:No,I thinkit’smoreofanexploration ofpersonality, behaviour and morality. Pinterhasbeenveryattentive tothisprojectandIthinkhefeels quitepossessive aboutit,rightlyso.It’sthekindofpiecehemightwellhave writtenasanoriginal— it hasa lotofcharacter similarities, ithasaction similarities tohisplays.Venice hasalwaysbeenimportant inhisplays,one ofthecharacters isverymuchlikeoneinBetrayal, there’sa bitofactionin it whichis rightout of TheBirthdayPartyandso on. Sohe’smore possessive ofitthanhewouldbeofTheHandmaid’s TaleorTheFrench

Lieutenant’s Woman whicharenotreallyPinterpieces, whereas The Servant isalsoverymuch a Pinter thing. Partofmyjobinthisistobetrueto hisqualities. Pinterisnota bigonefortranscendence, he’snotevena big oneforresolution, soanyattemptofminetoruninthatdirection wouldgo againstthestrengthofthepiece.

kJ:Atwhatstagedoyouworkoutthewayinwhich eachscene isgoingto

beshot? ps:Certainshotsoccurtoyoufairlyearlyonandsometimes youactually shootthem,butusuallyitcomesoutofgeography, outofyourlocations andyoursets.It’sawfully hardtoseeashotintheabstract; youdon’treally

seetheshotsuntilyouseethespace.You’ve chosen yourlocation fora

certainshot,andtheactorsgetthereandtheyblockitinsuchawaythat youcan’tgetyourshotandthenyoueitherhaveto talktheminto reblocking itoryouhavetobagtheshot.

kJ:Youletyouractorsdotheirownblocking?

ps:Ohyes,yes,I meanyouhavetoletthemfindtheirwayaroundthespace andseewhat’scomfortable. Youtellthemhowyouseeit,onepersonhere, theotherthereandyousay,‘Nowlet’splayaround . . .’andtheydoitone wayandyouaskthemtodoitanotherwayandyoutrytotakethebestof

whatthey’re doingandgetintothekindofplansyouhadmadebeforehand.Venice ofcourse wasverydemanding inthisway,because youhadto

TheDirector:BlueCollarto TheComfortofStrangers203

44 TheComfortofStrangers: Schrader demonstrating howColinshould bestrangled... 45 ...and Christopher Walkenactingontheinstruction.

204 Schrader onSchrader

establish yourlighting pattern months inadvance because youhavetolight frompeople’s housesandyouhavetogetpermission fromthem. KJ:Somanyofyourdecisions aremadeontheday?

PS:Yes.Iwasinterested inreading inScorsese onScorsese thatMartysaid hebegan storyboarding afterbeing firedfrom afilmbecause hewasdoing

insufficient coverageandhewasdetermined notto makethatmistake again.I’veneverstoryboarded. I trieditonceortwicebutI alwaysfound

thatonceyougetintothespace youalways seesomething moreinteresting thanyouhadplanned.AndIhave a suspicion thatalthoughScorsese says

hestoryboards, infacthemoves andliveswiththemoment. Otherwise

you’renot alive.Youcan’treallystoryboardanythingexceptaction

sequences.

KJ:Isitthatability toliveinthemoment which makes adirector adirector? ps:Well,therearemanysidestobeinga director —youhavetobeabig

poppaandyouhaveto be a financialconniverandyouhaveto be a salesman andanarratorandalotofthings,butintermsofseeinganevent andfindingthedramaticpresentation ofit,thatreallyisakindofseat-ofthe-pantsoperation.I reallydo believein thisnotionof the ‘floating rectangle’. Therearecertaincharacters ina scene,twopeoplearetalking, andthenthere’sanothercharacter,he’soff-screen andhe’sholdingthe floating rectangle. Howhemovesthisrectangle determines alotaboutthat scene.Youcanpretendthatyoudon’texistandjustsetyourrectangle down and do master,two-shot,over,over,single,single.Butthat still

is a statement —in thatcase,thattherectangle isn’tveryimportantfor

thatscene.Somescenesyoudo shootthatwaybecause youdon’t wanttheaudience tobeterribly awareoftherectangle. Otherscenes just demandit.

KJ:Somedirectors saythatthepartoftheirjobtheyenjoymostisediting. Is thatyourexperience?

ps:There’s amaxim ofTruffaut’s: “When I’mwriting Ilikedirecting best,

whenI’mdirecting I likeeditingbest,whenI’meditingIlikewritingbest.’I thinkmostdirectors wouldagreewiththat.ButIactually dolikedirecting. I canbe awayfromit a littlelongerthansomeothersperhaps,but I wouldn’tbehappytoletmorethantwoyearsgobywithoutdirecting. It

hasafewirreplaceable pleasures. Oneisthecommunal pleasure ofbeing in charge ofanartistic group, ortroupe. Yourownlittlegypsy band,andall thecommunal warmth thatcomes fromarriving onthesetinthemorning andsayinghellotopeopleandknowing abouttheirpersonallives.Having

TheDirector: BlueCollartoTheComfortofStrangers205

thatextended family isverypleasurable, particularly forsomeone whohas

beena writerinthepast.It’sa verywelcome antidotetothesolitudeof writing.Andthenthere’sthiskindofon-the-spot rushthatyougetfrom directing whichyouusually havefirstthinginthemorning whentheactors

areoutthereandtheystartblocking thescene andthenforfifteen ortwenty minutes you’resuddenly alive.They’re moving around,you’removing

around,youwatchthescenefromoneside,youwatchitfromanother,you crawlrightbetween themandwatchit,youwatchitfromadistance, you walkthiswayandthatwayandyouhavethemdoitoverandoveragain andyouseeall kindsof differentthings.Suddenly afterfouror five

rehearsals likethisyoustepbackanditcomes tomindandyousay,‘OK,

thisisit.Wedothisshot,whichcutstothisshot,whichcutstothatshot.. . eightset-ups.’ Andthentherestofthedayyoumonitorthosedecisions whichweremadeintheheatofthemoment inonecreative burst.That’sthe mostexhilarating partofthedayforadirector.

Moreandmore] findthatIcutinthecamera. IshootthecutsandIdon’t

shoota mastera lotoftimes.Thefirstruleofdirecting isalwaysshoota master,butoftenifyougetinvolved insomeveryinteresting blocking, then thereisnomaster,peoplearenotintheplacewhereyoucanactually havea master.Theonlyreasonto dothemasteristo havesomething youcan showtheeditor.Asyoumakemoreandmorefilmsyougrowconfident enoughjusttoshootthecoverage. Youdon’tevenbothertoshootdialogue fromananglewhenyou’renotgoingtobeatthatangle,andtherefore you wedyourself toaneditingpattern.Thisissomething Isaidtheotherday.I shotoneratherinteresting moveandthenIdidsomecoverage, butInever covered theareaofthemove.Thescriptsupervisor saidtome,“Theactors neverdidthedialogue thatyoudidduringthatratherpeculiar move.’ And I said,‘Iknow,I wanttobemarriedtoit,Idon’twanttohavethechoiceof notusingit.Idon’twanttohavetheoptionofbeingcowardly intheediting room.’ Notes 1 JohnBoorman’s Deliverance (1972):aviolent, nightmarish adaptation ofJamesDickey’s novelaboutfourAtlantabusinessmen whogoofffora weekend’s canoeing tripinthe Appalachians. 2 AsGeorgeC.ScottexplainsinHardcore,TULIPis‘anacronym . . . T standsfortotal depravity: allmen,throughoriginalsin,aretotallyevilandincapable ofgood:“Allmy

works areasfilthy ragsinthesightoftheLord.” Ustands forunconditional election: God haschosen alimited number ofpeople tobesaved, theelect, andhe’schosen them fromthe beginning oftime.L isforlimitedatonement: onlya certainnumberofpeoplecanbe atonedandgoto heaven.I isforirresistible grace:God’sgracecannotberesistedor

206 Schraderon Schrader

we

denied.And P isfortheperseverance ofthesaints:onceyou’reingrace,youcannotfall fromthenumbers oftheelect.’ Ford’sTheSearchers (1956)starsJohnWayneasEthanEdwards, aConfederate veteran

whosetsoffonanobsessive search forhisyoungniece(Natalie Wood) aftersheis

abductedbyComanches. Amongthemanyfilmstoalludeto TheSearchers areGeorge Lucas’sStarWars(1977)and MartinScorsese’sMeanStreets(1973).

am

TheHerowitha Thousand Faces(1949)isprobably themostwidelyreadofmanyworks oncomparative mythology bythescholarJosephCampbell (1904—1987). Ithashadan unsualdegreeofinfluence onSchrader’s generation offilm-makers, notablyGeorge Miller (MadMaxII, 1981)andGeorgeLucas(whoproduced RonHoward’s Willow,1988). Michelangelo Antonioni’s L’Eclisse (TheEclipse) (1962)isthethirdofa trilogywhich beginswithL’Avventura (1960)andLaNotte(1961).ThefilmstarsMonicaVittias Vittoria,wholeavesherloverRiccardo (Francisco Rabal)andbeginsa short-lived affair withPiero(AlainDelon).Schrader’s reference is to Antonioni’s austereportrayalof Romanstreetsandbuildings, aswellastohiscooltreatment ofthesecharacters, whohave generally beendescribed as‘alienated’. Evenbeforehisritualsuicide, in1970attheageof45,Mishima wasthemostcelebrated of

allmodern Japanese writers. Hiswork,which included fifteen novels, thirty-three plays andmany otherbooks, earned himcomparisons intheWest withSartre, Proust andGide.

Mishimahimselfconsidered thathisfinaltetralogy, TheSeaofFertility(1970),which includes thenovelRunaway Horses,washismasterpiece. Although MikioNaruse(1905—1969) beganhiscareerasadirectorinthe1920s,heisstill bestknownin theWestforthefilmshe madeduringthe 1950s,includingOkasan (Mother)(1953)and Ukigumo(FloatingClouds)(1955). KenjiMizoguchi (1898—

1956) isconsidered bysome critics tobethegreatest ofJapanese directors, despite thefact

Io

thatonlya handfulofhismanyfilmshaveeverbeenshowncommercially intheWest. AmonghisfinestworksareUgetsu Monogatari (1953)andSanshoDayu(1954). TheSymbionese Liberation Armywas,asSchrader’s filmshows,infactnomorethana handfulofself-styled ‘revolutionaries’. AfullaccountofPattyHearst’s kidnapping canbe foundinherbookEverySecretThing(byPatriciaCampbell HearstwithAlvinMoscow, Methuen,London,1982;reprintedasPattyHearst,CorgiAvon,London,1988);this volumewasthebasisofNickKazan’s screenplay. SeealsoFilmography. JanMcEwan’s TheComfortof Strangers(JonathanCape,London,1981;Picador, London,1982):seeFilmography forfurtherdetails. HaroldPinterandJosephLoseycollaborated onthreefilms:TheServant(1963),froma novelbyRobinMaugham, Accident (1966)andTheGo-Between (1971),fromL.P.

Hartley’s novels. Pinter alsotooksmall acting partsinthefirsttwofilms.

Coda:StagePlaysandOtherConsiderations SCHRADER: Berlinale’ isa stage playI’vejustwritten abouttheBerlin Film

Festival; it’ssortofaNoisesOff-type comedy aboutthemachinations ofa festival jury.Theheroisadirectorwhoacceptsaninvitation tobeonthe juryattheverylastminutebecause hisnewfilmhasflopped. Whenhegets there,hefindsoutthatcompetition isboilingdowntoanAmerican film

which hasbeenhighly praised andaRussian filmthathedoesn’t like.One oftheotherjurymembers isanoldfriendofhis,anex-friend fromthedays whentheywerebothcritics,andhe’sa champion oftheAmerican film.But thedirectorhasn’tseentheAmerican filmanddoesn’twantto seeit because heknowsit’sapersonal attackonhimproduced byhisex-wife. It

goesonfromthere.

JACKSON: Comedy isa newdeparture foryou.Didyouwriteit because youthinkofyourself asbeingtooserious? Ps:Yes.ComicreliefisreallyallI’dwrittenbefore,butIwassurprised how

easyIfoundittowritestraight comedy. Thetrickofitisthatcomedy is muchmorecharacter-oriented thanstory-oriented.

KJ:TheclashesbetweenthedirectorandhisoldcriticfriendinBerlinale offeran occasion forsomescathingobservations aboutthestateoffilm

criticism atthemoment. Doesthatreflect justa moment ofill-temper, or doyoutendtobelieve thatcriticism isinabadway?

ps:Yes,I do,andit’snotnecessarily thecritics’ fault.Peoplearen’treally readingsomuchanymoreandtheycertainly don’treadseriouscriticism. Iftheaudiences weretherethenthecriticswouldemergeagain,butit’s veryhardforthemtodaytocreateareading publicforthemselves, sothey justendupeitherasconsumer guidesorasTVentertainers.

Criticism haslostitsmandate, andI suppose inonesenseyoucould

tracethatbackto thestructuralist criticism fad,whichwaswhencriticismreallymovedoffthestreetsandintotheacademies; but in fact thatmovement wasonlyreflective of thefactthatit wasdyingonthe streets.

208 Schraderon Schrader

KJ:Butwhenyouwrotecriticism youbelieved thatyouwereactually

changing thekindoffilmsthatweregoingtobemade? ps:Yes,andIthinkwewere.

KJ:AtanotherpointinBerlinale there’saninteresting argument inwhich thedirectordefendsthepresentHollywood system,whichmightseem surprising givensomeofyourexperiences. ps:Well,I’vejustcomebackfrom afestivalofmyownfilmsatDartmouth whereIendedupdoingthesamethingIdowhenever Igotothesefestivals in NewDelhior Havanaor Dublin,whichis to waxveryeloquent defending thesupply-side economics of Hollywood —thatbaddoesn’t

driveoutgood,thatinfactgoodcomes frombad,andthemorebadmovies aremadethemorelikelyitisthatgoodmovies willbemade,andthattotry todictatequalityisstifling. Thegreatestthingaboutmovies isthattheyareatrulypopularart,and youcan’tdictateto a popularart;youjusthaveto letit livein allits perverse permutations. SoIgooffonallthesepolemical tangents andtheninvariably someone fromtheaudiencesays,‘Wellthen,howcomeyourownfilmsaren’t Hollywood?’ AndI say,‘Well,I’vealwaystriedto be a Hollywood director.’ WhenIgobacktoLAandtalktomyoldfriendswhoarenowin thestudios,I sayto them,‘Hey,I’mjustlikeyou—I’ma Hollywood

director. AllI wanttodoisentertain people andmakea fewbucks,’ and theysay,‘No,you’renota Hollywood director,’ andI say,‘Yes,I am, believe me!’ KJ:Justa littledisingenuousness there? ps:Maybe,yes.Andobviously that’sreflected inthefilmsI’vedone,that

unease withbeingeithertoocorrupt ortoopure.Trying somehow tobe bothatthesametime.

KJ:Another aspectofthatBerlinale speechisthatitcomesinthecontextof anargument aboutHollywood’s domination oftheworld’s cinemas.

ps:Yes,where yougetintothatdamned imperialist, colonialist argument whichIthinkisjusta bunchofhooey. Myresponse tothatisthatit’sa grossmisreading oftheroleAmerica playsinworldcinema. Therereally isn’tanAmericannationalcinema.Americancinemafromtheget-gowas

alwaysaninternational cinema, foundedbyRussian andGerman Jewsto creategoyentertainment fortheworld,andtodayit isstillintentionally international. Whenever youhaveastoryconference you’realways talkingaboutafilm

Coda:StagePlaysandOtherConsiderations209

fortheworldmarkets; you’re nevertalking aboutapurely domestic film.

Americans evenmakefilmsthat theyknowwillnot farethat well domestically, likethe ChuckNorrisfilms,becausetheywilldo well internationally. Ofcourse,American filmsaremadeinthelinguafrancaof

cinema, English, sothatwhenever people inthevarious national cinemas gettothepointwhere theywanttobecome international directors, aPeter

WeiroraWimWenders oraBernardo Bertolucci, theyleavetheircountries andcometo America,wheretheinternationalfilmsaremade.

KJ:Thattoucheson an area whichis raisedby the screenplay for

Gershwin, which isthethought thatthough Gershwin derived hismusical

inspiration fromavarietyofnationalbackgrounds, thesynthesis isamusic thatispurelyAmerican. Doyoufeelthatyourownfilms,whichhave lookedto FranceandItalyandJapanfor theirinspiration, havedone something similar?

PS:Well, yes,andthat’sreally thestrength ofAmerican culture ingeneral: itsreadiness toassimilate different cultures andracesandproduce somethingnewanddifferent. YougotocertainpartsofEuropeandyouthink, ‘Nowondertheirmoviesaresodull—theydon’thaveanyblacksandthey don’thaveanyJews.’BlacksandJewsarethepeoplewhohavegiven American cultureitsenergy, andthenewimpulse inAmerica isthatweare

progressively becoming aHispanic nation. Ithinkthegreatchallenge and

greatexcitement nowistotrytoincorporate theHispanic sensibility into ourown.Hollywood hasalwaysbeena littleuncomfortable withthat particular market,butIthinkthere’snowreallyanintention totrytobring

itin.

kJ:Berlinale isn’tyourfirstplay;youalsoworkedona playabout

psychoanalysis. Whatwasthehistoryofthat? ps:Alongone.Ittookawholeyearofmylifearound1982.I wastryingto writeitfortheNationalTheatreinBritain,atthesuggestion ofPeterHall. SoI didresearch,Iwentto graduateclassesinpsychoanalytic theoryat

NewYorkUniversity. Itwasgoingto beaboutthisRussian woman, Sabina Spielrein, aschizophrenic, whohadbeenapatient ofJung’s and hadhelpedhimformulate thetheoryoftheanima.Junghadanaffairwith

herandshehada breakdown,andthenshewentontoViennaandbecame

a discipleof Freud’s,and thenwentbackto Russiato do her own

therapeutic work,butended upbeingkilled inapogrom.

TheplayisreallyaboutthedialoguebetweenFreudandJungasseen throughthevesselofthiswoman.It’ssucha greatstorythatittookmea longtimeto realizethatit justwasn’tworking.Ikeptstruggling withit

210 Schrader on Schrader

overandoveragain,butIcouldn’t findanything newororiginaltosay.It usuallyjustendedupbeingsomesortofdefence offeminism ora simple

account oftheoriginofpsychoanalysis, andthosethemes justweren’t freshenough. KJ:Willyoueverfinishit? Ps:Idon’tknow.I havemyroughdraftandIhaveallmyresearch, soyou

nevercantell.AllI havetodoisonedayfigure outwhatitisI’mtrying to say.Iwroteoutalistoftwenty-one possible themes fortheplayonasheet ofpaperandI couldn’t getbehindanyofthem. Theplaycameaboutbecausesomeone hadgivenmeSpielrein’s book, TheSecretSymmetry, andIwasveryattractedtoit,butdecided thatithad to bedoneasa playratherthana moviebecauseit’ssotalky,allabout lettersandconversations. PeterHalllikedtheroughdraftandwasreadyto

takeitintoworkshops, butIjustdidn’tthinkitworked, andthough I’m arrogantenoughtogo,asa screenwriter, intotheNationalTheatreand if I’mconfident aboutwhatI’vedone,whenI’mnot takeon everyone intoashit-storm. Thatcommunity isnotgoing confident it’slikestepping to wantto acceptyou,andwhygothroughallthatpainandagonyand

lackofmoney ifyou’re notabsolutely confident aboutwhatyou’ve done? KJ:Youobviously haveaninterestinFreud,andyou’ve referred tobeingin analysis, butsomeofyourcriticalwritings andearlyinterviews arerather hostiletoFreudian readings, suchastheattemptbyCahiersduCinémato seean OedipalthemeinHardcore.

PS:Iguess it’sbecause Ithinkthings likethataresubtext, andthemoment

youallowit to becometextthenyou’renotreallydoingwhatyou’re supposedto be doing.Moviesshouldreflectthe truthof thingslike psychoanalysis on a paralleltrack,noton thesametrack,becausethe momentyou’reonthesametrackthenyou’reillustrating dogmarather

thanexploring truth.Andforafilm-maker thereisnodogma sosacred that

itmustbeadheredto.Ifyou’regoingtodoa filmwithaFreudian context thenyouhavetohavethefreedom tocometoanunFreudian conclusion. KJ:Berlinale isalsofullofpraiseanddisparagement foranynumberof

contemporary directors, whether directly named orunderthindisguises. You’ve explained thatthedirectors whomeantmosttoyouasacriticwere

Bressonand Renoirand so on, but whoare thedirectorswhohavebeen

importanttoyousincebecoming a film-maker yourself? PS:I’vealreadymentioned Bertolucci inthecontextofAmerican Gigolo, and obviouslyhe hasbeenthemajorinfluence. I’vestolenfromThe

Coda:StagePlaysandOtherConsiderations211 Conformist repeatedly, notonlyinGigolobutinCatPeople,wherethe

camera isatanangleandassomeone opens ananimal cageitskews back; that’sascene fromTheConformist where Trintignant goestohismother’s

house.Thenshortlyafterwards inthatscenethere’sa lowshotwherethe cameraismovingandalltheleavesarewhirlingup;I usedthatshotin Mishima, inthe“Temple oftheGoldenPavilion’ sectionwhereyouseeall

theredleaves. ThereareotherfilmsI’vestolenfrom,likeNicRoeg’s Performance,

whichisveryinvigorating visually —ifyoueverneedsomething tosteal, that’sa goodonetocheckupon.There’s a sceneinthemiddlesectionof Mishima wherethegirlputsa mirrorontheboy’schestandreflectsher ownbreast—that’stakenfromPerformance. Thenthere’sVertigo, the green-light scenewheretheherorecognizes thatthetwoKimNovaksare

thesame, andL’Eclisse, which I’velikedtostealfrombecause it’ssostrong architecturally. And,ofcourse,there’sWelles.

KJ:Whatwouldyousaythesesourceshadincommon, ifanything? ps:Theunderlying thingof it all,whichformygeneration startswith

Bertolucci, istheideaoftheunmotivated camera. Byandlarge, inthefirst

halfof thehistoryof moviesthecameramovedas actionor character dictated;itmovedtofollowa character, itmovedtoleadwithanaction, andsoon.ButstartingwithBertolucci weseea reallystrongcaseofthe unmotivated camera,thecameramovedonitsown.IfTrintignant was walkingawayfromyouinthehallway, thecameramightbepullingback

ratherthanfollowing him,andifhewasinoneroomthecamera might moveoverto thenextroomandwaitforhimtocomeratherthanmove whenhedid. Iremember inTaxiDriverthere’sa scenewhereDeNiro’sonthephone andMartypansawayfromhim,dolliesa littlebittowardsthedoorand

thentheconversation continues off-screen untilit comes backagain.I askedMartywhyhedidthatandhesaid,‘Oh,itwasjusttoopainful to

watchhim—I wantedto looksomeplace else.’That’stheunmotivated camera,and I thinkfor a lot of Americans the firsttimetheyreally understood howdeliciously thatcanworkwasinTheConformist. KJ:Whatisyourpresentperspective onthegeneration, yourgeneration, of film-makers wholearnedfromBertolucci? ps:There’s ageneral senseofdisillusion. Wecameupfullofpissandvinegar andpoliticization, andwereallyfeltthatweweregoingto createa new brandofmovies. Now,ifyoulookatthefilm-makers ofmygeneration — WalterHill,PhilKaufman, JohnMilius,GeorgeLucas,Spielberg —byand

212 Schraderon Schrader

46 TheConformist: whirling leavesoutsidethehouseof Trintignant’s mother. 47 Mishima: leavesoutsidetheTempleoftheGoldenPavilion.

Coda:StagePlaysand OtherConsiderations 213

largeyouseea kindofmiddle agecreeping in,a kindofestablishment attitude anda lackofeagerness totakerisksandchallenge andupset.

Youstartto bemoanthatandyousay,‘Whyhavesomanydirectors loweredthebanner?’, butthenyoulookatthefilmsofthegeneration that hasfollowed usandyouseeevengreatertimidityandevenmorecraven

sensibilities. Soasdisillusioned asI sometimes feel,I stillthinkthatmy generation wasadamnsightmore interesting thantheonethat’scomeup afterit.

Kj:TheLastTemptation ofChristandPattyHearstdon’tstrikemeas timidfilms.

ps:No,I guess not.Thefiresaren’tburning ashighastheywere,butthe coalsstillglow. KJ:Andmanyofthemastersofworldcinemaweremasters atanadvanced age—Ozu,BressonandDreyeraregoodexamples —sotherecan’tbe

anything wrong aboutmiddle ageperseforadirector. ps:No,butthisisacaseofbecoming thebackbone ofanindustry. You’re MovieBrats,Inc.;thisattitudeismoreprevalentamongexecutives and agentsthanit is amongdirectors.Youwilloftencatchthemsaying— implicitly ifnotexplicitly —‘Ipaidmyduesinmyyoungyears:nowI’m goingtogetrich.’

KJ:DoyouthinktherewillbeanotherwaveofMovieBrats? Ps:I’mnotsure.Ourswasthefirstfilm-school generation, thefirstgenerationthatcameupcognizant offilmhistoryandwherewestoodinrelation to it. Previous generations hadcomeupfromtelevision, or journalism, or theatre,andforthemit wasbringinganotherdiscipline to film,but

formygeneration itwasstanding inthetradition ofwhathadgonebefore.

Butamajorchangehashappened. WhenIwasafilmstudentitwasstill possible toencompass whatwasthoughtofasallfilmhistoryinyourstudy; youcouldactuallylearnallworldcinema. It’snotpossible forastudentto dothattoday;there’s justtoomuchthathasgonebefore,andhewouldhave

tostudyfortenyearsjusttoarriveatthepointI wasatafterthreeyears.

Therearesomanymorenationalcinemas, liketheChinese, tostudy,and therehavesimplybeensomanymorefilms.Fora youngstudenttoday, Bonnie andClydeisasfarawayas,say,Casablanca wasformewhenwasa student. KJ:Doyouthinktherewasaweakness inthefactthatyourgeneration had notcomefromotherdisciplines?

214 Schrader onSchrader ps:Thereisdefinitely adownside, eveninthebestofuslikeSpielberg and Scorsese. Youcouldcertainlylookat someofourfilmsandsay,“These moviesarejusttooself-referential. Theyaremovies aboutmoviesandnot

movies aboutlife.’ Iexperienced someofthiswhenIwentbacktoteachatUCLA. Colin

Youngwasthefirstheadofafilmschooltointroduce anundergraduate film programme, buttwoorthreeyearslaterhecametoregretthisbecause the qualityofthegraduates starteddroppingenormously. Theproblemwas

thathewasgetting ageneration ofstudents whoinstead ofbeing interested inexistential philosophy wereinterested inClarence Brownmovies.

KJ:Soyouthinkthatyourownbackground intheology andliterature wasa positiveadvantage? ps:Absolutely, andwhenever I geta chanceI persuade studentswhoare

interested infilmstostayawayfromfilmmajorsandtakea hard-core undergraduate major inatraditional liberal-arts subject, because intheend

nothingwillstandyouinbettersteadformaking films.Youcanlearnabout filmslater,butyou’renevergoingtohavea chancetoreadtheclassics or psychology orphilosophy thewayyouwouldincollege, becausethatis

where themould iscut.Ifyoudon’tcutthemould with a liberal education youarealessinteresting person, and a lessinteresting film-maker. KJ:Throughout thisinterview you’vebeenveryclear-minded, methodical andanalytical aboutwhatyouhavedoneandwhy.Doyouthinkthatonthe wholethosepowersofanalysis havebeenyourgreatstrength,orarethey

things which haveinhibited you? PS:Ienjoy beinganalytical; I’manalytical aboutmyself andaboutothers,

butwhenyouwritea scriptyoureallytrytosetthataside.WhenIwritea newscriptthesedaysItrynottobeanalytical, andwhen] directitItrynotto beanalytical, andonlywhenthatisalloverwillI beabletolookbackand

analyse whatI’vedone.Itgoesbacktowhatweweresaying aboutthe dichotomy between a creative sensibility andacritical sensibility. Youhave

torideyourinstincts, you’ve gottogetthecriticoutsidetheroomandclose thedoor. Notes 1 HistoryhasturnedthepageonBerlinale; 1doubtifit willeverbestaged.Theplay’s underlying metaphor istheBerlinWall—enoughsaid.ps,March1990.

Coda:StagePlaysandOtherConsiderations215

48 PaulSchrader onthesetofTheComfortofStrangers, 1989.

Filmography As director or writer/director 1970

ForUs,CinemaistheMostImportantoftheArts

Schrader describes hisUCLAstudentprojectas‘amediagamefilm,apuzzlefilm.It’shardto describe. Whathappens isthatthere’sastudentdemonstration atUCLAwhichisreportedin themedia,andthenthestudentstakeoverthemedia,andthenthemediatakesoverthe

students. Sothere’s a flip-flop pointofview. Thetitleisaquotation fromLenin.’ Production company: UCLA Written,produced anddirected: PaulSchrader Cast:Jean-Marie BernardandUCLAstudents Super8 mm IOmins 1977

BlueCollar

ThreefriendsworkinginaDetroitcarfactory—Zeke,Smokey (bothblack)andJerry(white) —steal$600of theirunion’sfunds.Theyare stunnedwhenthe localunionpresident announces thatthesumstolencouldbeashighas$10,000.Thefriendshavealsostolena notebook whichcontainsincriminating evidence aboutillegalloans.Theyaredivided: Jerry

advocates exposing thecorruption, butSmokey proposes blackmail. Theirplansare discovered. Smokey is‘accidentally’ killed inthefactory’s paintshop;theambitious Zekeis boughtoffwithajobasshopsteward.Increasingly terrified, JerryturnstoBurrows, anFBI agent,forhelp.WhenJerryandhisescortarriveat thefactoryto pickuphisgear,heis spurnedbytheotherworkersandattackedbyZeke. Production company: TATCommunications forUniversal Producers: RobinFrench,DonGuest,DavidNicols

Screenplay: PaulSchrader, Leonard Schrader, based onsource material bySydney A.Glass

Cinematography (colour): BobbyByrne Editor:TomRolf Music:JackNitzsche, RyCooder Production designer: Lawrence G.Paull Cast:RichardPryor(ZekeBrown),HarveyKeitel(JerryBartowski), YaphetKotto (Smokey), EdBegley Jr (BobbyJoe),HarryBellaver (EddieJohnson),GeorgeMemmoli (Jenkins), LucySaroyan(ArleneBartowski), LaneSmith(Clarence Hill),CliffDeYoung

Filmography217 (JohnBurrows),BorahSilver(DogshitMiller),ChipFields(CarolineBrown),Harry Northup(Hank),andothers 114mins 1978

Hardcore

(InUK,TheHardcoreLife)

JakeVanDorn, aprosperous furniture manufacturer inGrandRapids, Michigan, seeshis daughter Kristen offtoCalifornia foraCalvinist convention andishorrified whenhehears thatshehasgonemissing. Hetravels toLosAngeles andhiresa private investigator, Andy Mast,whoreturnsto GrandRapidswitha reelof pornographic filmfeaturingKristen. VanDorn takesupthesearchhimself byposingasapornographic filmproducer and,withthe helpofaprostitute, Niki,tracesKristentoSanFrancisco wheresheisinthehandsofRatan whomakessnuffmovies. WhenMastandVanDorn finallyfindthem,RatanisshotbyMast

andKristen leaves withherfather. Production company: A-Team forColumbia

Producers: JohnMilius,BuzzFeitshans Screenplay: PaulSchrader Cinematography (colour): MichaelChapman Editor:TomRolf Music:JackNitzsche

Production designer: PaulSylbert

Cast:GeorgeC.Scott(JakeVanDorn), PeterBoyle(AndyMast),Season Hubley(Niki),Dick Sargent(WesDeJong),LeonardGaines(Ramada), DavidNichols(Kurt),GaryRand Graham(Tod),LarryBlock(Detective Burrows), MarcAlaimo(Ratan),LeslieAckerman (Felice), CharlotteMcGinnis(Beatrice), IlahDavis(KristenVanDorn), PaulMarin(Joe VanDorn), andothers 108mins

1979

American Gigolo

JulianKayisa highlypaidgigoloinLosAngeles. Asa favourto a friend,LeonJaimes,he agreestoanassignment withamarriedcouple,theRymans, whichtakesasado-masochistic turn.Healsobecomes involved withMichelle, thewifeofa Californian senator.WhenMrs

Ryman ismurdered, suspicion fallsonJulian. Therichwoman whocould provide himwith analibirefuses toacknowledge him,andJulianrealizes thathehasbeenframed. Heis

imprisoned, andhispositionlookshopeless untilMichelle defiesherhusbandandcommits herselftoJulian’sdefence, finallyconvincing himofherlove. Production company: PierreAssociates forParamount Producers: FreddieFields,JerryBruckheimer Screenplay: PaulSchrader Cinematography (colour): JohnBailey Editor:RichardHalsey Music:GiorgioMoroder Visualconsultant: Ferdinando Scarfiotti Cast:RichardGere(JulianKay),LaurenHutton(Michelle Stratton),HectorElizondo (Detective Sunday),NinavanPallandt(Anne),BillDuke(LeonJaimes),BrianDavies (Charles Stratton),K.Callan(LisaWilliams), TomStewart(MrRyman), PattiCarr(Judy

218 Schraderon Schrader Ryman),DavidCryer(Lieutenant Curtis),CaroleCook(MrsDobrun),CarolBruce(Mrs LucilleSloan),andothers 117mins 1981

CatPeople

IrenaGalliercomestoNewOrleanstolivewithherbrotherPaul,fromwhomshehasbeen separated sincechildhood. Paulspeaksoftheirstrangefamilyheritageandhisbeliefthathe andIrenabelongtogether. Terrified, sherejectshisadvances. Thatnight,transformed intoa blackleopard,Paulattacksa prostitutebeforebeingtranquillized andcapturedbyOliver, curatorofthelocalzoo.Oliversubsequently meetsIrena,isattractedtoherandoffershera job.Thecapturedleopardwoundsa keeper,escapesandchangesbackintoPaul,who

explains toIrenathattheycanmateonlywitheachothersincesexwithahuman changes themintobeasts.Aftercommitting furtherslaughter, Paulisshotdead.Oliver,nowawareof thecurse,makeslovetoIrenawhilesheisbound.Hehasa newadditiontothezoo... . Production company: RKO/Universal Producers: JerryBruckheimer, CharlesFries

Screenplay: AlanOrmsby, basedonthescriptforCatPeople (1943) byDeWitt Bodeen Cinematography (colour): JohnBailey(NewOrleans), PaulVomBrack

Editors: BudSmith, Jacqueline Cambas, NedHumphreys, JereHuggins

Music:GiorgioMoroder Visualconsultant: Ferdinando Scarfiotti

Cast: Nastassia Kinski (Irena Gallier),Malcolm McDowell(Paul Gallier),John Heard

(OliverYates), Annette O’Toole (Alice Perrin),RubyDee(Female), EdBegley Jr(JoeCreigh), ScottPaulin(BillSearle), FrankieFaison(Detective Brandt),RonDiamond (Detective Ron Diamond), LynnLowry(Ruthie), JohnLarroquette (Bronte Judson),TessaRicharde (Billie), PatriciaPerkins(taxidriver),BerryBerenson (Sandra), FaustoBarajas(Otis),andothers 118mins 1985

Mishima: ALifeinFourChapters

I. BEAUTY On25November 1970,thenovelist Yukio Mishima prepares tocarryouta

political provocation attheJapanese armyheadquarters inTokyo.Aflashback showshimas a frail,shelteredchildlivingwithhisgrandmother. Ashe growsintoadolescence he is sexually arousedbya pictureofStSebastian andchallenges a bullyatschool.Hedreamsof dyingfor the Emperorin the war but liesabouthishealthto avoidconscription. (In Mishima’s novel,Temple oftheGoldenPavilion, ashystuttering templeacolyte triestomake

lovetoagirlbutfindshimself rendered powerless bythebeauty ofthegolden pavilion. He finally makes lovetoaprostitute andloseshisstutter butdetermines todestroy thepavilion bysetting firetoit.) 2. ARTMishimadrivesto theheadquarters withhissupporters. Aflashback showsthe beginnings ofhiscareerasawriterandhisobsession withremaking hisownbody.Heshows offhisphysiquebyposingforphotographs, including oneasStSebastian. (InMishima’s novel,Kyoko’s House,a youngactordesirestoimprove himself throughbody-building. He

meets awoman towhom hismother isindebted andsheoffers tocancel thedebtifhewillsign hisbodyovertoher.Theaffairbecomes intensely sado-masochistic andtherearehintsof suicide.) 3. ACTIONMishimaandhisfollowers approachtheheadquarters. (InMishima’s novel, RunawayHorses,a youngcadethasformed a cellswornto purgeJapanof itsmodern

Filmography219 corruptions byassassinating leading figures. Thecellisbroken upbypolice.) Aflashback shows Mishima engaging inparamilitary activities withhisprivate army. (Thecadetescapes,

assassinates a businessman, andpreparestocommitseppuku.) 4. HARMONY OFPENANDSWORDMishimaandhisfollowers tieandgagtheJapanese generalandthenMishima addresses theassembled troops,exhorting themtoreturnJapanto itsoldpurity.Greetedwithjeers,hesetsaboutcommitting seppuku(ineachofthethree

stories theprotagonists reachtheirdestructive orsuicidal ends). Production company: Zoetrope/Lucasfilm/Filmlink International

Producers: GeorgeLucas,FrancisCoppola, MataYamamoto, TomLuddy

Screenplay:PaulSchrader,LeonardSchrader,ChiekoSchrader.Sectionsbasedonthenovels,

TempleoftheGoldenPavilion, Kyoko’s HouseandRunaway HorsesbyYukioMishima Cinematography (colour/black andwhite):JohnBailey

Editor: Michael Chandler, Tomoyo Oshima Music: Philip Glass Production designer: EikoIshioka

Narrator:RoyScheider Cast:25 NOVEMBER 1970:KenOgata(YukioMishima), MasayukiShionoya (Morita), JunkichiOrimoto(General Mashita) FLASHBACKS: NaokoOtani(Mother),Go Rijo(Mishima, age 18-19),Masato

Aizawa (Mishima, age9-14),YukiNagahara (Mishima, age5)

TEMPLE OFTHEGOLDEN PAVILION: Yasosuke Bando(Mizoguchi), HisakoManda (Mariko), NaomiOki(girl),MikiTakakura(girl)

KYOKO’S HOUSE: KenjiSawada(Osamu),SachikoHidari(Ozamu’smother),Reisen Lee(Kiyomi),SetsukoKarasuma(Mitsuko)

RUNAWAY HORSES: ToshiyukiNagashima(Isao),HiroshiKatsuno(Lieutenant Hori),NaoyaMakoto(kendoinstructor) 120mins 1985

TightConnection

Apromotional videofortheBobDylansong. Producer: AlanPoul

Screenplay: PaulSchrader

Cinematography (colour): MakotoHishida Cast:BobDylan,MitsukoBaisho, MaryJaneAdams 6mins

1987

LightofDay

Cleveland, Ohio.JoeRasnickandhissisterPattiareleadperformers ina groupcalledThe Barbusters. Joeworksina localfactory,Pattihasanillegitimate four-year-old sonandisat loggerheads withherreligious mother.WhenPattistealssomeelectrical equipment Joeis confronted at workbythevictim’s brother-in-law andhasto borrowmoneyfromtheir mother.Afterbeinglaidoffatwork,JoetakesTheBarbusters ona touroftheMidwestin winterbutthetourendswhenJoeisshockedatPatti’sshoplifting. TheBarbusters breakup

andPattigoesontheroadwithaheavy-metal bandinstead. Theirmother istakenilland

provestohaveincurable cancer.Pattireturnsfroma concertandhasanemotional reunion withhermother.AtthefuneralitseemsthatPattiwillnotputinanappearance untilsheis

220 Schraderon Schrader confronted byJoe.Afterpayingrespectsto hermother,PattijoinsJoeandthere-formed Barbusters onstage.

Production company: TaftEntertainment Pictures/Keith Barish Productions. Inassociation

withHBO Producers: DougClaybourne, RobCohen,KeithBarish,AlanMarkPoul Screenplay: PaulSchrader Cinematography (colour): JohnBailey Editor:Jacqueline Cambas, JillSavitt Music:ThomasNewman, BruceSpringsteen andothers

Production designer: Jeannine Caudia Oppewall

Cast:MichaelJ. Fox(JoeRasnick), GenaRowlands(JeanetteRasnick), JoanJett (Patti Rasnick), MichaelMcKean(BuMontgomery), ThomasG.Waites(Smittie), CherryJoens (CindyMontgomery), MichaelDolan(GeneBodine), PaulJ. Harkins(BillyTettore),Billy Sullivan(BenjiRasnick),JasonMiller(BenjaminRasnick),and others 107mins 1988

PattyHearst

4 February1974.PatriciaHearst,nineteen-year-old granddaughter ofWilliamRandolph Hearst,iskidnapped bytheSymbionese Liberation Army.TheSLAfirsttrytouseherasa bargaining counterforthereleaseoftwocomrades, thendemanda food-distribution scheme forthepoor.Pattyiskeptblindfolded andsubjected tosexualandotherkindsofabusebyher

captors. Afterfifty-seven daysofcaptivity sheisoffered thechoice ofgoing homeorjoining theSLA;doubtful thathercaptors willreally letherleave alive, sheoptstostay.Renamed Tania,shejoinsthemina bankraidandbecomes notorious. TheSLAdecamps toLos Angeles. Duringa shoppingexpedition, Patty,TekoandYolandaarealmostcaughtby securityguards.Theyfleetoa motelandarehorrified toseeTVcoverage oftheSLA’ssafe housebeingstormed. ThetriogoontheruntoPennsylvania andSanFrancisco. InSeptember 1975theyarecaught.Pattymaintains thatheractionswerecarriedoutunderduressbutis

convicted andsentenced toaprison term.Visited byherfather, shetellshimthatshebelieves hergreatest crime wasinbecoming alivinginconvenience totheworld’s assumptions about

her. Production company: AtlanticEntertainment/Zenith Producers: ThomasColeman, MichaelRosenblatt, MarvinWorth,JamesBaubaker, Linda Reisman

Screenplay Nicholas Kazan, basedonthebookEvery Secret ThingbyPatricia Campbell HearstwithAlvinMoscow Cinematography (colour): BojanBazelli Editor:MichaelR.Miller Music:ScottJohnson Production designer: JaneMusky Cast:NatashaRichardson (PatriciaCampbell Hearst),WilliamForsythe(Teko),Ving Rhames(Cinque), FrancesFisher(Yolanda), JodiLong(Wendy Yoshimura), OliviaBarash (Fahizah),DanaDelany(Gelina),MarekJohnson(Zoya),KittySwink(Gabi),Peter Kowanko(Cujo),TomO’Rourke (JimBrowning), ScottKraft(Steven Weed),JeffImada (neighbour), ErmalWilliamson (Randolph A.Hearst),ElaineRevard(Catherine Hearst), andothers 108mins

Filmography221 I990

TheComfort ofStrangers

AyoungEnglishcouple,MaryandColin,goonholidaytoVenicetotrytopatchuptheir failingrelationship. TheymeetRobert,arichVenetian gentleman whorunsa barasahobby, andhiswife,Caroline, whoisdisabled. Despitefinding theoldercoupledisagreeable, Mary andColingradually fallundertheirinfluence. Ina finalmeeting, Maryisdrugged andColin killed.Thepolicecaptureandinterrogate Robert. Production company: ErreProductions Producers: AngeloRizzoli, MarioCotone,LindaReisman, JohnThompson Screenplay: HaroldPinter,fromthenovelbyIanMcEwan Cinematography: DanteSpinotti Editor:BillPankow Music:AngeloBadalamenti Production designer: GianniQuaranta Cast:Christopher Walken(Robert), NatashaRichardson (Mary),RupertEverett(Colin), HelenMirren(Caroline)

As writer

1974 TheYakuza

HarryKilmer isanex-GI whostayed inJapanafterthewartolivewithhismistress, Tanaka Eiko,untilher brother,Ken,returnedfromthe Philippines. Whenthe daughterof an American shippingmagnate,GeorgeTanner,is kidnappedbya yakuzagangster,Tono, Kilmeragreesreluctantly totravelbacktoJapanandrescueher,knowing thathewillhaveto relyonTanakaKenforhelp.Acknowledging hisdebttoKilmer forsavingEikoafterthewar,

Tanaka helpstorescue thegirl.Kilmer iswarned thattheunderworld willseekrevenge on Tanaka; meanwhile Tanner makes adealwithTono,agreeing toco-operate withhimina plantomurder Kilmer. Kilmer’s hostandEiko’s daughter arekilled inanattempt onhislife. Inresponse, Kilmer persuades TanakatoallowhimtojoininanattackonTono,spurredon bytherevelation thatEikoisinfactTanaka’s wife.Theattackissuccessful, butTanakakills hisnephew,Spider,andcutsoffhisownfingerasa penanceinaccordance withtheyakuza code.AshepreparestoleaveJapan,Kilmerrealizes thathemustdothesameforTanakato

atoneforthewrong hedidhimbyliving withhiswife. Director: Sydney Pollack

Production company: WarnerBrothers Producers: ShundoKoji,Sydney Pollack, Michael Hamilburg Screenplay: PaulSchrader, LeonardSchrader, RobertTowne Cinematography (colour): OkazakiKozo,DukeCallaghan Editors:FredricSteinkamp, ThomasStandford, DonGuidice Music:DaveGrusin Production designer: Stephen Grimes Cast:RobertMitchum(HarryKilmer), TakakuraKen(TanakaKen),BrianKeith(George Tanner), KishiKeiko(TanakaEiko),OkadaEiji(TonoToshiro), JamesShigeta (Goro),Herb Edelman(OliverWheat),andothers II2 mins

222 Schraderon Schrader 1975

TaxiDriver

TravisBickle takesupdriving a taxiinNewYorkinsearchofanescapefromhissleeplessness anddisgust withthecorruption hefindsaroundhim.Afterfailingtobeginaromance withthe beautifulBetsy,whoisworkingontheelection campaign ofpresidential candidate Charles Palantine, Bickle’s pent-uprageleadshimtobuyaset ofguns.Whiletraininghimself touse

them,hemeetsa teenage prostitute, Iris,andbecomes determined torescue herfromher sordid profession. Foiled inhisattempt toassassinate Palantine, hegoestoIris’s roomand killsthemenwho‘own’her.Failingtocommitsuicideafterthisritualact,Bicklebecomes a herointhepress,andreturnstodrivinga taxi. Director:MartinScorsese Production company: Columbia Pictures

Producers: Michael Phillips, JuliaPhillips

Screenplay: PaulSchrader Cinematography (colour): MichaelChapman

Editors:MarciaLucas,Tom Rolf,MelvinShapiro

Music:BernardHerrmann Visualconsultant: DavidNicols Cast:RobertDeNiro(TravisBickle), JodieFoster(Iris),CybillShepherd (Besty), Harvey Keitel(Sport/Matthew), StevenPrince(Andy,thegunsalesman), AlbertBrooks(Tom), PeterBoyle(Wizard), LeonardHarris(Charles Palantine), Diahnne Abbott(woman atconcessionstand),FrankAdu(angryblackman),MartinScorsese (manwatching silhouette), andothers I13mins 1976

Obsession

NewOrleans,1959.Michael Courtland’s wife,Elizabeth, anddaughter, Amy,arekidnapped andheldto ransom.Michaelispersuaded bythepoliceto tracethekidnappers througha schemeinvolving fakemoneybuttheplanappearsto backfire andAmyandElizabeth are killed.1975:Michael joinshispartner,Robert,onabusiness triptoFlorence wherehemeets awoman,Sandra,wholooksexactlylikethelateElizabeth. Sheaccompanies himhomeand agreestomarryhim.Ontheeveofthewedding shedisappears andhereceives areplicaofthe

original ransom note.Trying topaythedemands, hecontacts Robert tosellouthisinterest in

theirpartnership, onlytofindthatheiscarrying fakebillsagain.SandraisinfactAmy,who wassenttoItalybyRobertin1959andhasjoinedRobertinswindling Michael asanactof revenge,believing thathehadknowingly condemned herandhermotherto death.But MichaelkillsRobertwhenthelatterboastsofhistriumph,andisjoyfully reunitedwithhis daughter. Director:BrianDePalma Production company: YellowBirdFilms Producers: RobertS.Bremson, GeorgeLitto,HarryN.Blum Screenplay: PaulSchrader, BrianDePalma Cinematography (colour): VilmosZsigmond Editor:PaulHirsch Music:BernardHerrmann Visualconsultant: AnnePritchard Cast:CliffRobertson (Michael Courtland), Genevieve Bujold(Elizabeth Courtland/Sandra

Filmography223 Portinari), John Lithgow (Robert LaSalle),Sylvia ‘Kuumba’Williams (Judy), Wanda

Blackman (AmyCourtland), PatrickMcNamara (thirdkidnapper), Stanley J.Reyes(InspectorBrie),andothers 98mins 1977

RollingThunder

SanAntonio,Texas.MajorCharlesRanereturnshomeaftersevenyearsina Vietnamese

prison camptofindthathiswifewants todivorce him.Stillmentally disturbed, heisattacked inhishomebyfourmeninsearch ofthemoney hehasbeengiven asacivicaward. Rane withstands torture,including themutilation ofhishand,butwhenhiswifeandsonreturn home,thesongivesawaythemoney’s whereabouts. Thementhenkillhiswifeandson.After beingdischarged fromhospital,RanetracksthemendowntoMexicoandwipesthemoutin a combatattack. Director:JohnFlynn

Production company: American International Pictures

Producers: Lawrence Gordon,NormanT.Herman Screenplay: PaulSchrader, Heywood Gould Cinematography (colour): JordanCronenweth Editor:FrankP.Keller Music:BarryDeVorzon Cast:WilliamDevane(MajorCharlesRane),TommyLeeJones(JohnnyVohden), Linda Haynes(LindaForchet),LisaRichards(Janet),DabneyColeman(Maxwell), JamesBest (Texan),CassieYates(Candy), LukeAskew(Automatic Slim),Lawrason Driscoll(Cliff), JordanGerler(Mark), JamesVictor(Lopez), andothers 99 mins 1978

OldBoyfriends

Afterthebreak-up ofhermarriage, psychologist DianneCruisesetsoffonajourney intothe pasttorediscover oldboyfriends. InColorado shefindsJeff,themanshealmostmarriedafter college, whoisnow a film-maker. Justastheyseemtobefallinginloveagain,Dianneleaves

forMinneapolis tofindherhigh-school sweetheart, Eric,andseekrevenge forthewayhe humiliated herbyclaimingheras a sexualtrophy.Meanwhile Jeffsetsoutto traceher

through aprivate investigator. Dianne moves ontoMichigan, where shefindsthattheboy shelovedin childhood, Lewis,haddiedinVietnam.Shestrikesup a friendship withhis

disturbed younger brother, Wayne, whohasbeenfrozen inchildhood byfeelings ofguiltover Lewis’s death.Dianne’s attemptto recreateherfirstlovecausesWayneto haveanother breakdown. Shefleesinconfusion, iseventually foundbyJeff,andmovesinwithhimandhis daughter. Director:JoanTewkesbury Production company: EdwardR.Pressman Productions

Producers: PaulSchrader, Edward R.Pressman, Michele Rappaport Screenplay: PaulSchrader, Leonard Schrader

Cinematography (colour): William A.Fraker Editor:William Reynolds Music:DavidShire Cast:TaliaShire(DianneCruise),RichardJordan(JeffTurin),JohnBelushi(EricKatz),

224 Schrader onSchrader KeithCarradine (WayneVantil), JohnHouseman (DrHoffman), BuckHenry(ArtKopple), BethelLeslie(MrsVantil), JoanHotchkis(Pamela Shaw),andothers 103mins 1980

RagingBull

NewYork,1941.Middleweight boxerJakeLaMotta,managed byhisbrotherJoey,forsakes

hiswifewhenhefallsforteenager Vickie, whom hemarries buttreatswithconstant jealous suspicion. Byfollowing underworld advice, LaMottabecomes worldchampion whenhe

beatsMarcelCerdanin 1949.LaMotta’sincreasing weightproblemandobsessional rages leadhimtobeatuphiswifeandJoey,believing bothtohavebeenunfaithful. Aftera brutal defeatby‘Sugar’ RayRobinson, LaMottaopensa nightclubin1956.Vickiefinallyleaves him,andheisarrestedforsoliciting minorsandsenttojail.BackinNewYorkin1958,he

unsuccessfully attempts tomakeupwithhisbrother, andsixyearslaterisfoundgiving recitations inaclub.

Director:Martin Scorsese Productioncompany:UnitedArtists

Producers: IrwinWinkler, RobertChartoffinassociation withPeterSavage

Screenplay: PaulSchrader, Mardik Martin, fromthebookRaging BullbyJakeLaMotta withJoseph CarterandPeterSavage Cinematography (black andwhitelcolour): Michael Chapman Editor:ThelmaSchoonmaker Production designer: GeneRudolf

Cast:RobertDeNiro (JakeLaMotta),CathyMoriarty(VickieLaMotta),JoePesci(JoeyLa

Motta),FrankVincent(Salvy),NicholasColasanto(TommyComo),TheresaSaldana (Lenore), MarioGallo(Mario), FrankAdonis(Patsy), JosephBono(Guido), FrankTopham (Toppy), LoriAnneFlax(Irma),CharlesScorsese (Charlie), DonDunphy(himself), Mardik Martin(Copawaiter),MartinScorsese (Barbizon stagehand), andothers 129mins 1986

TheMosquito Coast

Disgusted withmodern civilization, Allie Fox,handyman andobsessive genius, setsofftothe Mosquito Coast ofCentral America tofound hisownsociety. Despite finding thatthevillage

hehasboughtisnomorethana fewbroken-down shacks,Alliesoonclearsthejungleand constructs a giganticice-making machine, ‘FatBoy’.Ina nearbyvillagehefindsthreemen, apparently prisoners, andshowsthemhowtoescapetohistown.Theyproveto bearmed mercenaries and,whenhefailstopersuadethemtoleave,AllietrapstheminsideFatBoy.

Theytrytoshoottheirwayoutbutthemachine explodes, causing widespread devastation. Fox’s shattered family setofftowards avillage onthecoast, butastheyproceed upriver his sonsincreasingly resenttheirfather’styrannical andeccentric behaviour. Whentheycome uponamission, theboysrebel.Allieisshotwhilesettingfiretothechurchanddiesontheraft ashisfamilyheadbacktotheseaandsotoAmerica.

Director:PeterWeir Production company: TheSaulZaentzCompany Producers: SaulZaentz,JeromeHellman Screenplay: PaulSchrader, basedonthenovelbyPaulTheroux Cinematography (colour): JohnSeale

Filmography225 Editor:ThomNoble,RichardFrancis-Bruce Music:Maurice Jarre Production designer: JohnStoddart Cast:HarrisonFord(AllieFox),HelenMirren(Mother),RiverPhoenix(CharlieFox),

JadrienSteele(JerryFox),HilaryGordon(AprilFox),RebeccaGordon(CloverFox),Jason

Alexander (clerk), DickO’Neill(MrPolski),AndréGregory(Reverend Spellgood) 119mins 1988

TheLastTemptation ofChrist

JesusofNazareth, whosecarpentry skillsareputtomakingcrosses fortheoccupying Roman force,istormented byvisionsofa specialpurposeinHislife.Reviled forHisweakness by Judas,a Zealot,andMaryMagdalene, a prostitute whowasa childhood friend,Jesussees

manifestations ofSatanandisconvinced Heshould nowpreach God’s message. Joined by Judas,thenMary,andthenmoredisciples, Hedelivers theSermon ontheMount, butJohn

theBaptisttellsHimHemustgointothedeserttospeakwithGod.Afterresisting temptation, Jesusreturnswithanewanger,performs miracles, raisesLazarus fromthedead,andleadsan assaultontheTemple inJerusalem. Telling JudashemustbetrayHim,Jesusisarrestedbythe Romansandcrucified. Onthecross,anangelappears,tellsHimGodhassparedHim,and

apparently offers Jesusa normal lifeasafamily man.ButwhenPaultellsHimaboutthe crucifixion andresurrection, andJudasaccuses Himoffailing thecause, Jesusaccepts His destinyandcrawlsbackontothecross. Director:MartinScorsese Production company: Universal Pictures Producer:BarbaraDeFina

Screenplay: PaulSchrader, based onthenovel byNikosKazantzakis Cinematography (colour): Michael Ballhaus

Editor:ThelmaSchoonmaker Music:PeterGabriel Production designer: JohnBeard

Cast: Willem Dafoe (Jesus),Harvey Keitel (Judas),Paul Greco (Zealot), StevenShill

(Centurion), VernaBloom(Mary,MotherofJesus),BarbaraHershey(MaryMagdalene), RobertsBlossom (Aged Master), BarryMiller(Jeroboam), GaryBasaraba (Andrew Apostle), IrvinKershner (Zebedee), VictorArgo(PeterApostle), MichaelBeen(JohnApostle), Paul Herman(PhilipApostle), JohnLurie(JamesApostle), LeoBurmeister (Nathaniel Apostle), AndréGregory(JohntheBaptist), HarryDeanStanton(Saul/Paul), DavidBowie(Pontius Pilate),andothers 163mins

Bibliography Brady,John,TheCraftoftheScreenwriter, Touchstone: SimonandSchuster, NewYork,

(1981)

Monaco,James,American FilmNow,NewYorkZoetrope/Oxford University Press,New York(1979,revisededition1984) Schrader, Paul,Transcendental StyleinFilm:Ozu,Bresson, Dreyer,University of California Press,LosAngeles andLondon(1972) Thompson, David,andChristie, Ian,eds,Scorsese onScorsese, FaberandFaber,London

(1989)

Thomson, David,Overexposures: TheCrisisinAmerican Filmmaking, William Morrow andCompany, NewYork(1981) Thomson,David,Suspects,Seckerand Warburg,London(1985)

Selected Interviews andArticles 1976 FilmComment,Vol.12,No. 2, March/April1976

Interview withSchrader aboutTaxiDriverandothertopics,byRichardThompson 1977 Cineaste,Vol.8, No. 3, Winter1977-8

Interview withSchrader aboutBlueCollar,byGaryCrowdus andDanGeorgakas 1978

FilmComment, Vol.14,No.4,July/August 1978

Interview withSchrader aboutscreenwriting

Positif,No.213,November 1978 Interview byMichelCimentandMichaelHenry,withfilmography byMichelCiment CahiersduCinéma, No.294,November 1978 Introductory notesbySergeToubiana, interview bySergeToubianaandLiseBloch-

Morhange

1979

FilmComment, Vol.15,No.1,January/February 1979 Schrader selectshis‘Guilty Pleasures’

Bibliography227 FocusonFilm,No.33,August1979

Interview aboutdirecting Hardcore andBlueCollar, bySaulKahan 1982 FilmComment,Vol. 18,No. 2, March/April1982

Interview aboutthemakingofCatPeople,byDavidThomson American Film,Vol.7,No.6,April1982

Interview aboutCatPeople

CahiersduCinéma, No.334/335, April1982 SchraderinterviewsScorseseabout Americancinemaand theircollaborations

CinemaPapers,No.41,December 1982 Assessment ofSchrader’s films,withfilmography 1984 SightandSound,Vol.54,No.4,Autumn1984 Location reportonMishima byTonyRayns 1985 American Film,Vol.10,No.5,March1985 Production reportonMishima Stills,No.20,June/July 1985 Interview aboutMishima and‘BornintheUSA’(i.e.,LightofDay)byDavidThomson Positif,No.292,June1985 Interview aboutMishima 1986

FilmQuarterley, Vol.39,No.3,Spring 1986 Interview aboutMishima 1988

FilmComment, Vol.24,No.4,July/August 1988 Interview aboutPattyHearst Premiére, August1988

‘Shot byShot’: analysis oftheHibernia Bankrobbery sequence inPattyHearst, with

interview, byStevenLevy Listener, Vol.120,No.3092,8 December 1988 Interview aboutPattyHearstbyGrahamFuller

1989 American Film,July/August 1989 ExtractsfromanAmerican FilmInstitute‘Dialogue onFilm’interview SightandSound,Vol.58,No.3,Summer 1989 CriticalarticleonSchrader’s careerinthelightofPattyHearst,byRichardCombs TheIndependent, 18November 1989 Location reportonTheComfortofStrangers, byKevinJackson

A note on the editor

Kevin JacksonisDeputyArtsEditoroftheIndependent. From1980to1982hetaughtinthe

English Department ofVanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, andhassince worked as aproducer anddirector ofradioandtelevision programmes fortheBBC. Hewrites regularly

forArenaandothermagazines, andwasscriptconsultant fortheChannel FourseriesGreek Fire.Heisnowpreparing a literaryanthology.

Index

Pagenumbersinitalicsrefertopageswithillustrations.

Absent-Minded Professor, The,5

AceintheHole,87,89 Actof Violence, 87 ActsoftheApostles, 59 Aged’Or,L’,78 Agee,James,xvi, 77

Age of Iron,58,59 AIP,121

BigHeat,The,86,87,89 BigSleep,The,82,84,86 Bikel,Theodore, 71 Blondie,164

BlueCollar,141-8; background,2; opening,157; theme,188, 191; 143, 146

Akin,Claude, 54

BlueDablia,The,82 BoDiddley,147

Alton, John,83,85,89,94

68 Bogdanovich,Peter,xiii

Aldrich,Robert,89,92 AliceDoesn’tLiveHereAnymore, 115 AmericanFilmInstitute,22—4,111 AmericanGigolo,157—66;influence,xi,

xii;names,155;pacing,110;Schrader on,xiii,29,30;themes,xviii,170; treatmentof sex,xiv; 109, 162, 165

American Revolution 2, 37 Antonioni, Michelangelo, xv Armani,Giorgio,158

Arnold,Gary,30 Arruza,48,51-2,56 Arruza,Carlos,51-3,56 Artsept,58 Atlantic,189,196 Auden,W.H.,57 AutumnLeaves,122

Bailey, John,188 Barrat,Pierre,59 BattleofAlgiers,57 Bazin,André,42,45,46,66 Beatty,Warren,151 BeautyandtheBeast,170 Bedoya, Alfonso, 78 Benny,Jack,163 Bergman, Ingmar,9, 22 Bergman, Ingrid,24,67 Berlinale, xviii,207—9, 210 Bernhardt, Elmer,104 Bertolucci, Bernardo, xv,209,210-11 BigClock,The,87 BigCombo,The,83,85,89

Boetticher, Budd, xvi—xvii, 33,45-57, BonnieandClyde,30,73,74,77,213 Boomerang!, 87 Boone,Richard,54 Borges, JorgeLuis,34,106 Borgnine, Ernest,72-3,75,79 ‘BornintheUSA’,166,184 Bowie,David,172 BoxcarBertha,135 Brahm,John,83,89 Brand,Neville,88 Breathless, 18,81 Brecht,Bertold,40 Brennan, Walter,36 Bresler, Jerry,70 Bresson, Robert:influence onSchrader,

Xll,XV,22, 33, TIO,116, 136, 160, 163,

164;AManEscaped,53;Pickpocket,

XVIl,XVHlil, 38-45, §7, I10, 116, 160,

164;Schrader’s writingson,xvi—xvil, 28;TheTrialofJoanofArc,54 Bridges, Jeff,115 Brooks,Albert,116 Brooks,Richard,77 Brown,Clarence, 21,214 Bruckheimer, Jerry,167 BruteForce,87

Buber,Martin,13 Buchanan RidesAlone,53 Bujold,Genevieve, 114 Bullfighter andtheLady,The,48-52 Bunuel,Luis,78

230 Index DarkPast,The,85 DarkWaters,86 Darrow,Clarence, 8 Darwin,Charles,158 Dassin,Jules,82,87,89 CallNorthside 777,87 CalvinCollege, 8-15,26,136 Daves,Delmer,68 Calvin,John,29,137,163 DeadlyCompanions, 68 DeadReckoning, 82 Campbell, Joseph,170 Camus,Albert,84,163 Decision at Sundown, 55 CannesFilmFestival,18 DefiantOnes,The,35 Carné,Marcel,81 DeHavilland, Olivia,71,87 Casablanca, 86,213 ‘Déja-Vu’, 115,121 147 CatPeople,166—72; characters, 175,194; Deliverance, DeMille,CecilB.,43 script,xix,193;sources,211;theme, Denby,David,30 30;visualstyle,xiv;168,169,171 Caught,87 DeNiro,Robert:RagingBull,131-3, 132; TaxiDriver,xii, 115, 119, 124, Cela,CamiloJosé,78

Cagney, James, 87,93

CahiersduCinéma,18,46,210 Cain,JamesM.,83-4 Callenbach, Ernest,68

Chandler,Raymond,83—4,86

Chaplin,Charles,57 ChicagoDeadline, 85 Chimes,9, 11 Chinoise, La,18 Cineaste,148 Cinema,xv,Xvil,17,19,47 CitizenKane,194

211

De Palma,Brian,113, 115

Detective Story,87 Devane,William, 123

Diaryofa Country Priest, 38,45,110, 163 Didion,Joan,115 Dieterle, William, 83

CloseEncounters oftheThirdKind,125— Disney,Walt, 5 6 Dmytryk, Edward,89 Cocks,Jay,136 D.O.A.,86,87—9, 88,126 Cocteau, Jean,34,170 Donlevy, Brian, 85 Dostoevsky, FyodorMikhailovich, xii,38, Coleridge, Samuel Taylor, 15 Columbia Pictures, 31,70—1, 121,151, 40,163 198 DoubleIndemnity, 84,85,86—7 Columbia University, 13 Douglas, Gordon,89,93 Comanche Station,54,§5 Douglas, Kirk,93 ComfortofStrangers, The,xx,196-202, Doulos,Le,81 197,201,203,215 Dreyer,Carl,xv,28 Communications Primer,A,102 Dunne, John,115 Conformist, The,xv,159,160,170,210— Durgnat,Raymond, 81,86 LL,222 Duvivier, Julien,81 Conte,Richard,87 Dylan,Bob,186 Coonradt,Peter,47

Coppola,Francis,160,180 Cornered, 82 Costa-Gavras, 177 CovertPeople,88,126 Crawford, Joan,122 CrimeandPunishment, 40,110,120,160 Cromwell,John, 89 Cromwell,Oliver,xiv, 2, 43

CryoftheCity,87 Cummins, Peggy,92 Curtiz,Michael,86

Dafoe,Willem,138,139 Dall,John,92 Damned,The,59,62 Dante,xvili,30,167 DarkMirror,The,86,87 DarkPassage,87

Eames,Charles,25,94-107;influence on Schrader, xv,xix,24—8, 33,158,166 Eames,Ray,25,95-107 EasyRider,xvi,16-17,33-7,80

Ebert,Roger, 30

Eclisse, L’,170,211 Edinburgh FilmFestival, ro Eisenstein, SergeiMikhailovich, 73 ElviraMadigan, 41 Enforcer,The,85

Erlanger, Philippe, 61

Everett,Rupert,200,201 Everyman, 55 Exorcist,The,167 Faces,16

FallenAngel,86 Farber,Manny,xvi

Index 231 Feldman, Phil,71 Fellini,Federico, 59,106 Fernandez, Emilio,78 FilmComment, xvi,19 FilmCulture,xvi,46 FilmQuarterly,19,68,69 Fink,HarryJulian,70 Fleischer, Richard,89 Fonda,Peter,16,34-7 ForceofEvil,87 Ford,Harrison,128,129 Ford,John,21-2,60,68,74,84,155 ForeverMine,xx,122,134,170,196 Foster,Jodie,116 Fox,Michael J., 185-6,187 Freud,Sigmund, 209—10 Freund,Karl,83 Fuji,180 Fuller,Samuel, 76,89,93-4 Galentine, Wheaton,103 Garnett,Tay,86

Gaslight, 86

Gentleman’s Agreement, 35 Gere,Richard,xiv,160—3, 162,165 Gershwin,1380, 209 Gershwin,George,xix, 128, 130

Gilda,86 Gilliatt,Penelope, 66 GimmeShelter,67 Girard,Alexander, 96 GlassKey,The,82,86 Glass,Philip,164,178 Glass,Sydney,141 GloryGuys,The,71 Godard,Jean-Luc: development, 29,59, 67,106—7; influence ofRossellini, 66; influence onSchrader, xiv—xv, 160; Masculine/Feminine, 18;ongreat movies,116;onwesterns, 76;spectacle tradition,40 Godfather,Part Two, The, 115

Goldwater, Barry,10 Gordon,Larry,121 GrabandGrace,§5 GrandRapids,Michigan, xiv—xv, 1-8, 156,175 Granger,Farley,85,92-3 Greene,Graham,86 Greer,Jane, 93

Gregory, Dick,11 Griffith,D.W.,21,84 Guarner,JoséLuis,64 GunCrazy,87,91 Hall,Peter,209-10

Halverson,Marvin, 53

Hammett,Dashiell, 83,86 Harcourt, Peter,46

Hardcore,149—57; shooting,131;sources, xv,1;theme,170,210;150,152 HargraveMilitaryAcademy, 6—8 Hathaway, Henry,82,87,89 HavanaColony,The,125,142 Hawks,Howard,21,46—7, 57,68,76,89, 106

Heard,John,166,168 Hearst,Patty,194 Heidegger, Martin,13 Heisler,Stuart,89 Hellinger, Mark,82 Hemingway, Ernest,77,83 Hendrix,Jimi,36 Hershey, Barbara,135 Heston,Charlton,70-1,136 Hill,Walter,21,141,148,211 Hinckley, John,Jr,xi,xviii,120 Hitchcock, Alfred,22,46,47,57,89,115 Holden,William, 72-6,79 Hopper,Dennis,16,34-7 HorizonsWest,47 Houseon92ndStreet,The,87 Hurt,MaryBeth,200 Huston,John,77—8, 89 Hutton, Lauren,xiv, 160, 165

Huxley,Aldous,22 Huyck,GloriaandWillard,115 Hyman,Ken,71 IBMMathematics Peepshow, 105 Ina LonelyPlace,87 India,58 Ishioka,Eiko,177

ITheJury,83,87,89

Jett,Joan,185-6,187,194

Johnny O’Clock, 87

Johnson, Ben, 72,75,79 Johnson,Scott,164

Jung,CarlGustav,48,56,209 Jurado,Katy,49 Kael,Pauline:influence, 18—20, 28,30;on PattyHearst,21;onSchrader’s style, 134;Schrader’s patron,xv—xvi, 13-15, 27, 28

Karlson,89 Kauffmann, Stanley,56

Kaufman,Phil,211

Kazan,Elia,19,35,87,89 Kazan,Nick,189 Kazantazakis, Nikos,135-7 Keitel,Harvey,116,144-5,146 Keith,Brian,70

Kennedy, Burt, 48,53,55

Killers,The,83,85,87 Killing,The,73,85 King,MartinLuther,6

232 Index Kinski,Nastassia,166, 169, 172, 194

KissMeDeadly,80,89,91-2

KissofDeath,82,87 KissTomorrow Goodbye, 80,84,87,89,

91, 93

McLaren,Norman, 101

MacMurray, Fred,86

Magnificent Matador, The,48,50-1 MajorDundee, 70-1

Kitses,Jim, 19-20, 28, 46-7, 56

MalteseFalcon,The,81,82,86 ManEscaped, A,38,41,§3,163

Koestler,Arthur, 158

Mann, Michael,160

Knight,Arthur,81

Mann,Anthony, 76,85,89,94

Kotto,Yaphet,144-7,146

ManWhoShotLibertyValance, The,68 Marcorelles, Louis,58,60

Kulik,Buzz,71 Kurosawa, Akira,73

MarvinLee,69,87 Masculine/Feminine, 18 MaskofDimitrios, The,82-3,86

Kramer, Stanley, 35,36 Kubrick, Stanley, 89 Ladd,Alan, 86, 130

LadyfromShanghai, The,85

L.A.FreePress,xv—xvi, xvil, 16—17,22,

23 Lake,Veronica, 86

Lancaster,Burt, 87 Lang,Fritz,22, 81, 83, 89

Lassalle, Matin,39 LastTemptation ofChrist,The,135-40; oppositionto, xi, 156; Scorsese’s

attitude,133;scriptlength,108—10; themes,xviii,3;4, 138 LastYearat Marienbad, 10 Laura, 82, 85, 86

Laven,Arnold,71

Leavis,F. R., 19, 28 Levy,Don, 103

Lewis,JosephH.,89,92,94 Lewis,Oscar,79

LightofDay:184-8;failure,193;music, XIX,164;Script,166;style,xv,xix; themes,29,122,127,149,170;187 LittleCaesar,91 Litvak,Anatole,83 Lodger,The,86 Lombardo, Lou,73 LongGreyLine,74 LongWait,The,89

Lorca, Federico Garcia, 34

Martin, Mardik, 131

Maté, Rudolph,88, 83, 89

Matthau,Walter,155 ‘Matthew ArnoldinL.A.’,15 Mayslesbrothers,67 MeanStreets,115 Medium, 64 MediumCool,80 Meeker,Ralph,92 MGM, 68, 71 MiamiVice,160

MildredPierce,84,86,86 Milius,John,115,141,211 Minnelli, Vincente, 21 Mirren,Helen,200 Mishima, 172-84;achievement, xix; devices,196;difficulties ofmaking,xi; experimental, 130;influences, 211;

music,164;theme, 127, 170; 174, 176,

179,183,195,212

Mishima, Yukio,172 Mitchum, Robert,86,93,112 Mizoguchi, Kenji,177 Monaco,James,xiii,xx Monterey Pop,17 Morgenstern, Joseph,35 Moroder,Giorgio,158,164,170 MosquitoCoast,The,127~8,129 MuddyWaters,147

Murder MySweet, 86

LosAngeles International FilmExposition, MySonJobn,37 g1 ‘Losers, The’,69 NakedCity,The,87 Losey,Joseph,89 NakedSpur,155 Lost Weekend,The, 86 Naruse,Mikio,177 Lovell,Alan,46 NationalAquarium Presentation, 103, Lubitsch, Ernst,46,47 105-7 Lucas,George,180,211 Nazarin,10,78 Lully,Jean-Baptiste, 41 Nelson,George,96 Lyon,Richard,68 NewLeftReview, 47 Newman, JohnHenry,15 NewRepublic, 58 McCarey, Leo,37 McCoy,Horace,83—4 Newsweek, 58,170 McCrea, NewYorker,58,66 Joel,68-9,75,79 McEwan,Ian, xx, 198—200 NewYorkFilmFestival, 57—8 McGraw,Charles,87 Nicholson, Jack,35,128

Index 233 Nitzsche, Jack,147,164 NoonWine,71 Norris,Chuck,209 ‘NotesonFilmNoir’,xvi,33—4, 80-94 Novak, Kim,114, 211

Oates,Warren,72, 75, 79

O’Brien, Edmond,72,76,88 Obsession, 114,115,167,170 O’Donnell, Cathy,92-3 Ogata,Ken,174,181,183 O’Hara,John, 83

OldBoyfriends, 122 Olvidados,Los, 78

OnDangerous Ground,87 OpenCity,66,67 Ophiils,Max,83,89 Ordet,10 Orphée,170 Oscarsson,Per, 71 O’Toole,Annette,168

Outof thePast,85,87,93,126 Ozu,Yasujiro, xii,28,173,177 Paisan,66 PanicintheStreets,87

Paramount,86, 125 Partisan Review,The,91 Pater,Walter, 15

Patte,Jean-Marie, 58 PattyHearst,189-96;music,164; structure,127;style,xviii,xix—xx; 190,

PrettyPoison,77 PrisedePouvoirparLouisXIV,La,24,

33,57-67,63

Professionals, The,77

Pryor,Richard,143, 144-7, 146

PublicEnemy,91

Quebecois, 121,122-5 Ow’est-ce queleCinéma?, iv,66 Quinn,Anthony,51 RagingBull,xviii,117,127,131-5,132 Rascoe, Judy,125 RawDeal,83,87 Ray,Nicholas, 87,89,92 Reagan,Ronald,xi,xviii Reisner, Joel,22 Renn,Katharina, 58 Renoir,Jean, xv, xvi, 22, 28, 58, 90 Resnais,Alain,18, 107

Restless Heart,The,43 Richardson, Natasha,xx,190,192,193— 4, 200,201 Ridea PinkHorse,82,87

RideLonesome, §4, §7

RidetheHighCountry,67-70,75 Rio Bravo,68

RiseofLouisXIV,The,24,33,§7—-67, 63 Rivette,Jacques,xvii, 66 RoaringTwenties,The, 82

Robards, Jason,71 Robbe-Grillet, Alain, 107

Robertson, Cliff,114,122 Roberts,Pernell,54,57 Rochemont, Louisde,82 Pennebaker, Don,17,60 Roeg,Nic,211 PenniesfromHeaven,130 Roland,Gilbert,49 Performance, 211 Phillips, MichaelandJulia,113-15,117, RollingStones,164 RollingThunder,121-2,123 T25 Rosemary’s Baby,170 Pickpocket: finalscene,xvii,160,164, Rossellini, Roberto,22,24,33,§7—67 165;influence onSchrader, xviii,110, 116,160;Schrader’s review,33,38-45; Rossen,Robert,89 Ross,Michael,88 theme,163;39,165 Rouch,Jean, 58, 66 PickuponSouthStreet,93 Rounders, The,55 Pinter,Harold,xx,196,198—200, 202 RoundEyes,130 Pipeliner, 31,110,141 RulesoftheGame,The,22 Pitfall,87 Russek, Jorge,78 ‘Poetry ofIdeas: theFilms ofCharles Rust,Richard,54 Eames’, xvi,33,94-107 Ruthless, 87 PointBlank,77 Ryan,Robert,72,85,87 Poitier,Sidney,36 Polanski, Roman,43 Sarris,Andrew, xvi,20,45-6 Pollack,Sydney,113,125 Sartre,Jean-Paul, xii,116,163 Porter,Katherine Ann,71 Satyricon, §9 Positif,19 Victor,89 PostmanAlwaysRingsTwice,The,85,86 Saville, Sawada,Kenji,181 PowersofTen,103-5,106

192, 195

Peckinpah,Sam,22, 33, 57, 60, 67-80

Preminger,Otto, 46, 83, 89, 182

Presley, Elvis,6, 7, 186

Scarface, 73, 85,91,9xv,158—60, 3 Scarfiotti, Ferdinando, 170—2

234 Index ScarletStreet,86

.

Schrader, Leonard:background, 5,111— 13,175;BlueCollar,142;Mishima,

172,175;Yakuza, xii,113 Scorsese, Martin: influences, 21,160;

Xvii—xvili, 134;theme,167,170; unmotivated camera,211;118,124,

154

TenCommandments, The,43 Tewkesbury, Joan,122

Theroux,Paul,128 TheyLivebyNight,83,85,87,92-3 Schraderon, 214; Taxi Driver, 115—20, Thieves Highway, 87 storyboards, 204;LastTemptation, xi, 135—40; RagingBull,131,133; 118, 211

ThirdMan, The,81

Scott,GeorgeC.,149,150,151,152,153, ThisGunforHire,82,86 157 T-Men, 83,85,87,94 ToHaveandToHaveNot,86 Scott, Randolph, 48, 53-75 68-9, 75379 Toho,180 Scott,Wilbur,48

Screen,19-20

Searchers, The,22,154,155 Sequence,19 Set-Up,The, 85, 87

SevenMenfromNow,46,53 Shepherd, Cybill,xii,119 Sherman, George,68 Siegel, Don,56,68,76,89,141

SightandSound, 19,58,59 Silvagni, 58 Siodmak, Robert,83,89

Sirk,Douglas,83 Sisters,113

Smithson, Peter,98—9 Smothers, Tommy,16 Snow,Michael,28 Socrates, 59 SoDarktheNight,86 Sontag,Susan,40

Spartacus, 6 Spectacle, 11 Spector,Phil,164

Spellbound, 86

Tops, 101-2, 103, 106

Toth,Andréde,89 TouchofEvil,81,89

Tourneur,Jacques,xiv, 93

Towne,Robert,71,113 Transcendental StyleinFilm:Ozu, Bresson, Dreyer,xvi—xvii, 22,27—9, 33, 136

Travolta, John,157,160

Treasure oftheSierraMadre,The,77-8 TriggerHappy,68

Trilling,Diana, 17 Trintignant,Jean-Louis,159, 211, 212

Truffaut,Francois, 58,66,204 Twentieth CenturyFox,121,184

TwoBaroque Churches, 102 TwoMules forSister Sara,56

Twoor ThreeThingsI KnowAboutHer,

160 Tyler,Parker,xvi, 19, 163

Ulmer,EdgarG.,83

Underworld U.S.A., 73,85

Spielberg, Steven,21,115,125—6, 211, 214 Spielrein, Sabina,209-10

University ofCalifornia, LosAngeles

Stack,Robert,49 Stanton,HarryDean,3,4 Steiner,Max,36,83

Vidor, King, 90

Spinotti,Dante,xx, 197 Springsteen,Bruce,184

UnionStation,83,87

(UCLA),xv, 11, 15, 16-22, 27, 158,

214

Vertigo,22, 114, 167, 211

Steppenwolf, 36

VillaRides,71 Viridiana, 10 Visconti, Lucchino, 59,62

Sting,The, 113

VonSternberg, Josef,47,81 Voyage inItaly,66

Stevens, George,I11 Stewart,James,114,155

StrangeLoveofMarthaIvers,The,86 Sturges, John,21 SunsetBoulevard, 85,87,89

VitaNuova,La, xviii,167

Wagner,Fritz,83 Wagner,Richard,173 Sypher,Wylie,107 Walken,Christopher, xx,200-2,201,203 Walker,Robert,34 Walsh,Raoul,21,87,89,93 TallT,54,55 Tashlin,Frank,46 Waltersdorf, Nicholas, 28 Taxi Driver, 115-20; criticisms,175; Wannel,Paddy,46 names,153,155;scandal,xi,120; Ward,David,115 script,Xli—Xxiil, III, 113,126;structure, Warhol,Andy,28

Support YourLocalSheriff, 55

Index 235 WarnerBrothers,72, 81, 85, 125, 130, 180

Warshow, Paul,13,30 Warshow, Robert, xvi,13,74,91 WarWagon, The,55

Wildin the Country,6, 7

Williams, Charles,55 Williams, Hank,xix,127,175

Wise, Robert, 89

Waxman,Franz,83

Wollen,Peter,46—7, 56 WomanintheWindow, 86 Wood,Robin,46

Weinberg, Herman,60 Weir,Peter,209

Wynn,Keenan,69

Washington Post,30

Wayne, John,35,154,163 Weld, Tuesday, 6,7

Welles,Orson,57,70,71,89,211 Wenders, Wim,209 ‘Westerner, The’,68,70

Wherethe SidewalkEnds, 86, 87, 89 Whitehall,Richard,68

WhiteHeat,86,87,89,93 Widmark, Richard,87,93-4 WildBunch,The,33,67-80,107,116 WildChild,58 Wilder,Billy,83,86

Worringer,Wilhelm,48 Writers’Guild, 141, 142

Yakuza, The,xii,112,113-15,121,173, 175

Yamamoto,Mata, 180 Young,Colin, 15, 22, 214

YoungMrLincoln,19 Youngblood, Gene,40 YouOnlyLiveOnce,82 Zinnemann, Fred,83