Tweet
JEWISON LAMENTS CORPORATE NATURE OF TODAY'S FILMMAKING
Beverly Thomson
CTV Television, Inc., Canada
April 21, 2009 Tuesday
GUESTS: NORMAN JEWISON, WRITER AND DIRECTOR
THOMSON: Legendary Canadian film director Norman Jewison was honoured
in Los Angeles this weekend for his more than six decades of work
in show business. The event also marked the 20th anniversary of his
Canadian Film Centre. Cher, Enhanced Coverage LinkingCher, -Search
using: Biographies Plus News News, Most Recent 60 Days Faye Dunaway
and Carl Reiner all turned out to celebrate Jewison, who began in
live television in the '50s, quickly moving to the success of films
like "The Cincinnati Kid" and the Oscar-winning "In the Heat of the
Night". He went on to direct a number of hits, including "A Soldier's
Story", "Moonstruck", and "The Hurricane".
[Taped segment begins]
THOMSON: You have had many awards before, not the least of which was
an Oscar in recognition of your work. But what was it like to sit on
stage and chat with Faye Dunaway and Cher once again? Because it's
been a while since you've seen them.
JEWISON: It was like a high school reunion. To see Carl Reiner who
I worked with -- he wrote one of my first pictures. I directed his
first screenplay.
The thing is, I don't see people too often. So, it was like a wonderful
reunion of old members of your family almost, you know?
THOMSON: But they have such enormous respect for you. And even in
the stories of Cher saying and Faye Dunaway saying -- I mean, they
feel that you are an actor's director.
JEWISON: Well, she called me a curmudgeon.
THOMSON: Yeah, at the time. [laughter]
JEWISON: Oh yeah. Well, I think that's what makes good relationships,
good films. It's when the actor trusts the director, and the director
trusts in turn the actor. So, you get that kind of mutual respect
for each other.
And also every actor I've worked with knows that they were chosen.
THOMSON: When was it growing up that you knew that you wanted to do
something in that business?
JEWISON: I started out as an actor and a writer and it wasn't until I
got to the CBC in Toronto that I really had the opportunity to write
a television show. And I started at the bottom. I was a floor director
and worked my way up. And I never really thought about making movies.
It was when I was doing -- I had the opportunity to do "The Judy
Garland Show". That was her first big show on television. It was Frank
Sinatra and Dean Martin. And I was out here doing that. I was living
in New York at the time, after I left the CBC. And Tony Curtis came
to a reversal. And he said, "Have you ever thought of doing a movie,
kid? I'd like to send you a script."
THOMSON: But then when you did get that break there's a moment --
and you talk about it in your autobiography -- where I think Tony
puts his arm around you and walks you around the set, saying this is
the camera and --
JEWISON: Right. [laughs]
THOMSON: It must've driven you crazy!
JEWISON: He was introducing me to the crew. And all these grizzled,
Hollywood veterans were there, looking at me, this schmuck from New
York, this kid. And he said, "Now, Norman, this is a camera. And this
is the mic. This is the boom." But he broke the ice.
THOMSON: I want to mention just a couple of names of the so many great
names that you've worked with, and that you in part discovered. So,
tell me a little bit about Cher at the time, when you first got to
know her for "Moonstruck".
JEWISON: Well, she didn't want to do the film because she didn't
see herself as Loretta Castorini. She kept saying, "I'm not from
Brooklyn. I don't have the accent." She was worried about the
Italian-Brooklyn accent. She just didn't see herself in the part. And
I told her, I said, "Well, you look Italian to me and everybody else."
THOMSON: [laughs] Did you?
JEWISON: "I know that you're part Armenian and part Cherokee Indian
and whatever. But if you don't play Loretta Castorini you'll regret
it for the rest of your life."
THOMSON: Steve McQueen?
JEWISON: Steve McQueen was a loner. There was nothing better for
Steve than to get on a motorcycle and drive out into the desert.
He was affected by the moon, I felt. And so, whenever there was a
full moon coming up -- I was always watching the lunar calendar so
I could shoot around him. Because when we would come to a full moon
all of a sudden he'd disappear.
THOMSON: Of all your achievements, I probably don't have to say of what
you're most proud, because you would probably say the film school. And
celebrating 20 years that you're giving back. And what you've seen --
I think 17 or 18 films have come out of the film school, the Canadian
film school. What drove you to give back? I mean, you were busy enough.
JEWISON: When I came back to Canada I realized there was no centre for
advanced film studies. And there was the British Film Institute and the
Cinematheque in Paris and there was an Australian film institute. Even
Israel had a film centre. Canada didn't have one.
And so, that's what drove me, I think, to try my best to establish
a place where we could nurture young talent.
THOMSON: When you look back over the years, six decades of filmmaking,
being involved in the industry, you've seen an enormous amount of
change over the years. You know, even in terms of its size surely
would be one aspect. But also the attitude has changed. For the better,
do you think?
JEWISON: I don't think Hollywood right now is interested in the
art of filmmaking or telling stories. And I think that's kind of
sad. Everything is bottom line here in America at the moment. And
especially the studios. Because the studios are now owned by
multinationals, multi-global corporations. So, everything is part of
a corporate thinking. And that's bad for art if you think that film
is an art form. And I do.
Film is forever. Like books and like great sculpture and great
paintings, film is there. Forever, really. And especially with the
digital reproduction.
And it's such an important aspect of our lives. It's probably the most
important art form in the last 50 years. And it expresses the soul
and passion of people. Their fears, their joys and their sorrows. And
they're all there on film.
And that's why I think it's important for Canada also to have a
thriving film industry of its own.
[Taped segment ends]
Beverly Thomson
CTV Television, Inc., Canada
April 21, 2009 Tuesday
GUESTS: NORMAN JEWISON, WRITER AND DIRECTOR
THOMSON: Legendary Canadian film director Norman Jewison was honoured
in Los Angeles this weekend for his more than six decades of work
in show business. The event also marked the 20th anniversary of his
Canadian Film Centre. Cher, Enhanced Coverage LinkingCher, -Search
using: Biographies Plus News News, Most Recent 60 Days Faye Dunaway
and Carl Reiner all turned out to celebrate Jewison, who began in
live television in the '50s, quickly moving to the success of films
like "The Cincinnati Kid" and the Oscar-winning "In the Heat of the
Night". He went on to direct a number of hits, including "A Soldier's
Story", "Moonstruck", and "The Hurricane".
[Taped segment begins]
THOMSON: You have had many awards before, not the least of which was
an Oscar in recognition of your work. But what was it like to sit on
stage and chat with Faye Dunaway and Cher once again? Because it's
been a while since you've seen them.
JEWISON: It was like a high school reunion. To see Carl Reiner who
I worked with -- he wrote one of my first pictures. I directed his
first screenplay.
The thing is, I don't see people too often. So, it was like a wonderful
reunion of old members of your family almost, you know?
THOMSON: But they have such enormous respect for you. And even in
the stories of Cher saying and Faye Dunaway saying -- I mean, they
feel that you are an actor's director.
JEWISON: Well, she called me a curmudgeon.
THOMSON: Yeah, at the time. [laughter]
JEWISON: Oh yeah. Well, I think that's what makes good relationships,
good films. It's when the actor trusts the director, and the director
trusts in turn the actor. So, you get that kind of mutual respect
for each other.
And also every actor I've worked with knows that they were chosen.
THOMSON: When was it growing up that you knew that you wanted to do
something in that business?
JEWISON: I started out as an actor and a writer and it wasn't until I
got to the CBC in Toronto that I really had the opportunity to write
a television show. And I started at the bottom. I was a floor director
and worked my way up. And I never really thought about making movies.
It was when I was doing -- I had the opportunity to do "The Judy
Garland Show". That was her first big show on television. It was Frank
Sinatra and Dean Martin. And I was out here doing that. I was living
in New York at the time, after I left the CBC. And Tony Curtis came
to a reversal. And he said, "Have you ever thought of doing a movie,
kid? I'd like to send you a script."
THOMSON: But then when you did get that break there's a moment --
and you talk about it in your autobiography -- where I think Tony
puts his arm around you and walks you around the set, saying this is
the camera and --
JEWISON: Right. [laughs]
THOMSON: It must've driven you crazy!
JEWISON: He was introducing me to the crew. And all these grizzled,
Hollywood veterans were there, looking at me, this schmuck from New
York, this kid. And he said, "Now, Norman, this is a camera. And this
is the mic. This is the boom." But he broke the ice.
THOMSON: I want to mention just a couple of names of the so many great
names that you've worked with, and that you in part discovered. So,
tell me a little bit about Cher at the time, when you first got to
know her for "Moonstruck".
JEWISON: Well, she didn't want to do the film because she didn't
see herself as Loretta Castorini. She kept saying, "I'm not from
Brooklyn. I don't have the accent." She was worried about the
Italian-Brooklyn accent. She just didn't see herself in the part. And
I told her, I said, "Well, you look Italian to me and everybody else."
THOMSON: [laughs] Did you?
JEWISON: "I know that you're part Armenian and part Cherokee Indian
and whatever. But if you don't play Loretta Castorini you'll regret
it for the rest of your life."
THOMSON: Steve McQueen?
JEWISON: Steve McQueen was a loner. There was nothing better for
Steve than to get on a motorcycle and drive out into the desert.
He was affected by the moon, I felt. And so, whenever there was a
full moon coming up -- I was always watching the lunar calendar so
I could shoot around him. Because when we would come to a full moon
all of a sudden he'd disappear.
THOMSON: Of all your achievements, I probably don't have to say of what
you're most proud, because you would probably say the film school. And
celebrating 20 years that you're giving back. And what you've seen --
I think 17 or 18 films have come out of the film school, the Canadian
film school. What drove you to give back? I mean, you were busy enough.
JEWISON: When I came back to Canada I realized there was no centre for
advanced film studies. And there was the British Film Institute and the
Cinematheque in Paris and there was an Australian film institute. Even
Israel had a film centre. Canada didn't have one.
And so, that's what drove me, I think, to try my best to establish
a place where we could nurture young talent.
THOMSON: When you look back over the years, six decades of filmmaking,
being involved in the industry, you've seen an enormous amount of
change over the years. You know, even in terms of its size surely
would be one aspect. But also the attitude has changed. For the better,
do you think?
JEWISON: I don't think Hollywood right now is interested in the
art of filmmaking or telling stories. And I think that's kind of
sad. Everything is bottom line here in America at the moment. And
especially the studios. Because the studios are now owned by
multinationals, multi-global corporations. So, everything is part of
a corporate thinking. And that's bad for art if you think that film
is an art form. And I do.
Film is forever. Like books and like great sculpture and great
paintings, film is there. Forever, really. And especially with the
digital reproduction.
And it's such an important aspect of our lives. It's probably the most
important art form in the last 50 years. And it expresses the soul
and passion of people. Their fears, their joys and their sorrows. And
they're all there on film.
And that's why I think it's important for Canada also to have a
thriving film industry of its own.
[Taped segment ends]