Cinema Canada (May 1980)

_—_—_— oo ——— SSSESSSSSSSSSSSFSSSSSSSSmmfsese Gordon Pinsent came to national prominence in the mid-sixties as our television MP, Quentin Durgens. A few years later he showed us he was as good a uriter as he was an actor by writing and starring in The Rowdyman and recently, in A Gift to Last. But he is not only acclaimed as ascreenuriter and an actor ; he has made his presence felt in the industry as a man of integrity and intelligence — a performer committed to the development of Canadian film and theatre. On the occasion of his most recent award, a Genie for his performance in Klondike Fever, Cinema Canada took the opportunity to talk to him. Pinsent considered the once and future Canadian film industry and his place in it. “T feel that ’'ve made a very big commitment here, and happily so. It took very little thought, really, because it’s nice to be part of something big. It’s bigger than ever, and it looks as though it’s going to be a fact. “But I’m no longer interested in just putting time into a way Of life that does not have somethingat the other end of the tunnel. “Speaking for myself as a performer, when | face an opportunity, I ask myself, ‘Is it going to benefit me? Can | improve? Can I learn? Are we going to make it work for us? And am I going to be part of it all? Or am I simply going to grab mine off the top?” “T want to be part of a viable industry, but I don’t want us to bog ourselves down doing only a kind of material that will not work for us — that will not prepare us for something else.” The capital cost allowance, and the resulting boom in “tax shelter films” has not been an unmixed blessing. Too many producers are concerned only with the tax advantages to be found in film, and not at all with the quality of the movies that they turn out. “We still have the problem of producing as opposed to producing! We need those private sector type people who are interested in making good films — telling our stories — instéad of just hiding money. In my own life, I have been approached by people who, I have every reason to believe, in my closeted writer’s scope, are only interested in hiding money. “Well, [know how much work, and you know how much work goes into writing a screenplay, and attempting to get something off the ground. It’s a great strain and a lot of worry. “But isn’t it funny, if you are in the creative end, that they can see you coming — these people that can’t create worth a damn themselves — they can see you coming and they think, ‘How can we best use that man’s integrity? How best to take that late innocent from Newfoundland and his precious time? Wonder if it's worth anything? Let’s go get that Porky Pig! Give him a good shake, and see how we can use him! ’ “Tm feeling extra paranoid these days because I’m doing good stuff, and here it will sit, unless J get out and sell it. We don’t have those people in the middle that say, ‘Give me that! Let me run with it!’ Charles Lazer is a free-lance screenuriter and producer currently working in Toronto and Montreal. “Nobody says it’s easy to get things produced. But some things should be easy, and one of them should be access to people who can produce. And I don’t just mean send ittoa producer because I happen to know one and you don’t. There should be a ‘gimme’ attitude here, so that we as factory workers can get our work done and ship it out, get it back, work on it again — so that we have some sort of feeling that we’re all part of it. “T've got three or four scripts, right now, and I know if] were to go down and spend a couple of sleazy weeks on Sunset Boulevard, I could make a deal. And this is what people are going to do, because we don’t have creative producers here who are going to help us get things going. I can’t possibly go around thinking my stuff is not worth doing, so I have to find ways to do it. It’s as simple as that. “Right now I'm working on a three-pronged project: a stage play, a film, and maybe a book. It’s not Jaws, but it will make a wonderful play for someone. Oddly enough, it’s set in California, about a Canadian who goes down there to work in this industry. The theme being, ‘Is there life after ambition?’ I’m working desperately to get that ready for the Toronto Theatre Festival. “I won't produce. In a way, I’m insulted if I have to produce. That’s putting together some muscle that doesn’t come naturally to me. It’s one thing for me to say I’m happy with the day’s work that did — I’m happy with the finished script. But I'd like a phone call that says, ‘So are we. Let’s go out and do it!’ Custom House Brokers and Forwarding Agents Get the Picture? You will if We Handle it We Know Your Problems AIRSPEED BROKERS (1962) LIMITED 40 University Ave. Toronto, Ontario M5W 1L2 (416) 977-3344 Members of Canadian Film And Television Association Cinema Canada/21