Screenwriting news and in-depth analysis from a devoted, yet mysterious, student of the craft.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Sydney Pollack, 1934 - 2008
I admired the hell out of Sydney Pollack. He was the shadow man of directors. He was never the kind of guy that would impose his own visual stamp on a film like a Scorsese or a Spielberg. With Pollack, story and characters always came first. When you watch one of his films, you walk away with vivid memories about the characters and the story, and you may not realize this came from the same man who gave you Three Days of the Condor or Tootsie or Out of Africa.
In the wake of his recent death, there has been a litany of articles about him, but in a time like this, I’d rather spend time with the man himself. I’d rather watch his films or hear HIM talk in interviews. Thus, I’d like to share the video above, probably one of the best interviews available on the web where he spends roughly 40 minutes talking with Charlie Rose about not only The Interpreter, which he was promoting at the time, but he also spends time talking about the craft of filmmaking, and about 70’s films, and about how difficult it is to do a comedy or write a screenplay, or the difficulties of a thriller.
Hope you enjoy it.
-MM
One of my favorite directors. He will be missed.
ReplyDeleteA lot.
Unk
What Unk says.
ReplyDeleteMe three!
ReplyDeleteAnd again I would like to profess my undying love for Three Days of the Condor.
Unk & Pat - He's one of mine, as well. I just loved him as a person. He was very charismatic.
ReplyDeleteEmily - I love that film, too! The most shocking thing to me about it is how the protag indulges in some very unsympathetic behavior toward Faye Dunaway, who is playing an innocent bystander of all things. You'd never see a protag act like that nowadays.
-MM
The scene from Tootsie with him and Dustin Hoffman in the restaurant is classic. An all-time fave! "I begged you to get therapy!"
ReplyDeleteHe was was of my favorites too. He made beautiful, thoughtful, intelligent films. When watching one of his movies you always felt the story & char's came first, not his ego.
ReplyDeleteI loved him as an actor too. The scene in the Russian Tea Room is classic.
But my fave is in Husbands and Wives after he takes his younger g/f to a party and is embarrassed by her behavior. They have this fight outside and he's mortified as he's trying to get her to leave..."Get in the car...Just get in car... get in the fucking car!"
He ends up crashing into the parked cars.
Pat - Yes! That's classic! I haven't seen that film in years. In fact, I'm going to start re-watching all of his films.
ReplyDeleteLaura - Hehehe... I have forgotten that moment. As an actor, I loved when he played corrupt sons of bitches. He had this way of being authoritative about the corrupt old man, as in his presence in Michael Clayton or Eyes Wide Shut. He said in the vid that he took parts as an actor so he could spy on other directors and study their methods. Sneaky bastard.
Hehehe...
-MM