Posted by Killer versus Nibbles at spider-te041.proxy.aol.com on June 30, 2000 at 12:35:57:
Kevin-
On vacation from the doldrums of office life and reading Peter Biskind's "Easy Riders, Raging Bulls." As a hugs fan of yours, I can't help but place View Askew in the context of this book. While it is a piece on 70's American film, the connection to the here-and-now of mainstream (and independent) film-making is an underlying focus...considering how many of the filmmakers and protegees have turned out. Also, the book conveys that every generation's auteurs have conterparts from a previous generation.
Anyway, I have a couple questions for you regarding your thoughts on this period and it's connection to View Askew. Hope I'm not reaching here.
Much of the book revolves around this notion of Francis Coppola as the "king" of this generation. He ran his Zoetrope stable far from the eye of Hollywood with his flock of filmmakers (Lucas, Murch, Spielberg, etc.). In constant battle with the studio system, he was hoping to create a counter to the traditional product. Yet, his prior self-classification as "auteur" was only accepted by the masses when he directed The Godfather...a film he did not want to do.
-While there are obvious aesthetic differences between yourself and Coppola, do you feel that, in terms of idealism, View Askew is like Zoetrope?
-Do you feel like a "king" in the way that Coppola was depicted?
-Although I adore all your films, would you make an entirely mainstream film (one that you didn't want to do) in order to gain mass acceptance as a filmmaker?
-Validify the reception of your current fanbase to the rest of the country?
-Or, do you feel, that this already happened?
Another current in the book is the association of all these filmmakers (i.e. Lucas, Scorsese, DePalma, Rafelson, Ashby, Bogdanovich, Spielberg, etc.) to one another. They would throw ideas off each other, work closely together, and use many of the same actors. While there was fierce competition, there was a mutual respect between all. It was a community; a company that, at many times, shared profits, experience, and
-Do you feel that the film community, at this juncture, is too competitive to share these idealistic values and goals?
-Or, are many of your contemporaries already open to this communal filmmaking?
While its obvious that many of these filmmakers crashed and burned since the 70's, their mark is impenetrable if you look at the list of films from this period.
-What films, specifically from this era, have influenced you as a writer?
-If you look a number of film from the late-90's (i.e. Chasing Amy, Being John Malkovich, Out of Sight, Breaking the Waves, Pulp Fiction), do you feel that this period (in 20 years) may be regarded as highly as the one mentioned above?
-Is it likely that many of your contemporaries will carry on the "crash-and-burn" ideology of the 70's?
Although that may be a rhetorical question (and it is likely that not many will survive in 20 years), what you see and hear first-hand everyday provides an insight to the film-making community. One that many of us are not privy to see.
Thats bout it. Thanks for your time.
Killer Vs. Nibbles
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