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Filmmaker Michel Haznavicius
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In an e-mail interview, filmmaker Michel Haznavicius tells DNA about the films that inspired his Oscar-nominated B/W silent film, The Artist, set in the 1920s.
Which were the B/W silent films that you borrowed from while making The Artist?
There were many. FW Murnau’s films, particularly Sunrise, which was considered to be the most beautiful film in the history of cinema for a long time, and City Girl, were a huge influence. Frank Borzage’s films, which are in the same vein even though they’ve dated more. At first I watched anything that I could find, the Germans, the Russians, the Americans, the British, the French, but after all, it’s the American silent cinema that nourished me the most, because it suits me more and it is the one that imposed its reality right away. The Crowd by King Vidor is a moving example.
What were some the of technical aspects that you had to keep in mind while making the film? Also, what kind of research went into recreating the era correctly?
The direction, the framing, the cutting could only be the continuation of the screenplay. We didn’t have dialogues to count on. For lighting, I spoke to Guillaume (Schiffman) as soon as I got the idea for the film. I gave him tons of films to watch, find out about the techniques, cameras and lenses of the time. The idea was the same for all: do some research, nourish ourselves, understand the rules thoroughly in order to be able to forget them at the end. Research was not so much for historical accuracy, but as a springboard to the imaginary, like foundations for a house.
How did you convince your producers to back a film with such an offbeat theme?
First, it was because they have a slightly schizophrenic relationship with French cinema and because in this famous debate between art and industry, France holds a unique place. Then because of the fact that this project was very different: a silent film, in black and white, about Hollywood. Quickly, everybody realised there was great work for all the trades: for the set designers, costume designers, make-up artists, electricians... everyone.
You managed to get some impressive actors like James Cromwell and John Goodman in supporting roles. Did they need a lot of convincing?
With John Goodman, things moved very quickly. I sent him the screenplay, he read it and we met and he said to me, “I have never seen a movie like that and I want be part of it.” A few days later, it took three minutes to settle it in his agent’s office. With James Cromwell, I was the one who was being interviewed. He liked the screenplay and the project and asked to meet me. We met, he asked me questions for an hour and a half, precise questions asked in a precise way, we started to understand each other little by little, to appreciate each other and in the end he said, “OK, I’ll be your lady.”
Your earlier films too were an ode to films (the spy genre), and so is The Artist (silent films). Do you plan to continue paying tribute to cinema in all your films?
I like to shoot beautiful things. My two previous movies were set in the ‘60s, the other one in the ‘50s, and this one (The Artist) is in the ‘20s. This is a period that’s very cinegenic. The cars, the props, the suits, the haircuts, the dresses, everything, and it gives you pleasure to compose frames with that material. The music, I really love jazz, so for me, when you have good materials and nice things, it’s very pleasant. My next movie will be somewhere else in a different period. I have some things in the works but nothing concrete yet. It will be something from today’s era, I think.
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