I remember the day vividly and how proud Russell felt to be an actor. Something clicked in him as he gave his last speech, and he was so happy.
I remember the day vividly and how proud Russell felt to be an actor. Something clicked in him as he gave his last speech, and he was so happy.
David kept nagging me, saying that he fully believed in the project. I read it twice more, then finally sat down with Michael to discuss the film.
I phoned Joe Roth, who was head of the studio at the time, and told him how beautiful the film was, and that I was fully ready to support it, that Michael's work was wonderful and I imagined that Daniel would feel the same. He listened quietly and read between the lines.
Sometimes I'll turn the channel and there's the movie and I can honestly say that those last few minutes always fascinate me. It's one of the rare instances when image, music, and drama work effectively.
It was exactly what was released two months later with the exception of a couple of reaction shots which we went back in to get. I liked the movie very much and asked him what the studio's problem was. I felt that he was at a point where they might have worn him down.
There came a point in time when Michael was under a great deal of pressure to alter the film in a way that was just disturbing to him. I had not seen the movie, yet. He phoned me in July of '92 to look at his version.
I know that Michael met with the studio again and drew the line. In any event, Joe Roth was very proud of the film and the studio had a happy ending.
I remember feeling that Michael was extremely sensitive when it came to that moment. Most directors are and they usually rely, at least in my experience, on the actress to take over. And Michael is a gentleman.
A lot of people in the movie industry tend to run and hide from it like ostriches. Movie industry people are definitely in denial right now, but you do become desensitized to violence when you see it on the screen so often. Let's face it, violence exists
© 2020 Inspirational Stories
© 2020 Inspirational Stories