Cinema Canada (Dec 1974-Jan 1975)

It seems to me it’s easier to learn how to control cameras and select shots than how to deal with people and get performances from actors and evaluate material. That’s Hirsch’s approach right now, and I think it’s correct. I can understand his saying, “It’s all shit”? in order to try to start somewhere and make it better. That’s perfectly valid. Hirsch is shaking up that institution! Have you seen the changes? I feel them within the Corporation, within the Drama Department. I don’t see the results yet, but there hasn’t been time for that to happen. Shows we are producing now are not going to come out until next season. Hopefully, that’s when you’ll see the results. Is there anything terribly controversial I can answer for you? Do you feel any obligation to work within the Canadian film industry and help it get off the ground? No. I’m happier when I have an opportunity to do it here because I feel I’m contributing something more than just doing another picture. But do I feel an obligation to fight to try to make it happen in Canada? No. I’m a director. I’m not a politician and I’m not a businessman. To me, that’s secondary. I have no energies to waste on that. Doing a film is more important than straightening out a country’s attitude towards a business. That’s all it is. I’ve had an opportunity to do one for Canada, and I hope to hell it does well so that it helps the industry. I’m happier doing it here because that means that the business world, the government, and the attitude of this country towards an industry is ready to support my contribution. I am therefore ready to support theirs. I don’t think it would be difficult to get Canadian financing for Norman Jewison to make a movie here. It’s probably more difficult to get financing for Bloomfield to do a film here, so why the hell should I hang around? When we all get this attitude, and go and make films everywhere else and start winning reputations elsewhere — then the industry is going to have a real boom. Why shouldn’t I go away and come back with a reputation that makes financing for me to make a movie easier? And it’s easier for me to do that elsewhere. We’re talking about the same end. We want to make movies. Businessmen want to make them to make money. We want to make them because that is our means of expression, our livelihood. Ill direct anywhere I can. How does the state of the Canadian industry look to you? The big thing we’ve got going for us now is the CFDC. The CFDC is in a position to do a hell of a lot of good, but in certain areas they’re behaving in a totally stupid fashion. They try to evaluate the script and the business people involved. They'll give money to a tough producer because they know he’ll bring that film in On Budget, On Time. And they end up with a pile of shit that was brought in On Time. A director and a producer have to come in together. If that relationship is no good, nothing is going to happen. The CFDC should look at who the director is and who that producer is — it’s none of their business what is being made. They put as much money into skinflicks and straight exploitation flicks as they put into something that might be good — so who the hell are they to create a standard? That’s bullshit! They fancy themselves as business agents. They’re not. Their survival is as touch and go as the rest of us, and they’re not filmmaking oriented. They do a very clever thing in order not to have prejudice on script reports — they take the name of the director and writer off the script and hand it to somebody who says (and we had comments like this on one of the reader’s reports for Child ...), “I’m sorry but I’ve never done this before, but I’ll try since you’re paying me to do it.” That is absolute idiocy! If Fellini or Truffaut came to me and said, ‘Here. I want to direct a telephone book...” I'd say, “Let’s get money! I’ve got Fellini!” You know? I can watch a Truffaut or Fellini film and make a rapid decision to become a tailor, because I feel there is so much further to go when I see something of theirs. I came out of seeing Bergman’s Cries and Whispers thinking, ‘“‘Possibly a tailor, maybe a carpenter. .L)” Cinema Canada 47