That's Sergio Leone above. It's one of my favorite pictures of him. You could argue that it's demeaning because it portrays him as an out of shape little man who doesn't need to be taken seriously, but I see it differently.
I actually like the way he looks here. It gets across the point that film is a mysterious, alien medium that can only be accessed by creative people who have a knack for it, and who approach it humbly and in a spirit of fun. I also like it because the eyes reveal intelligence and passion and...worry. Creative people worry a lot.
Anyway, there's a new book on Sergio Leone: Christopher Frayling's "Once Upon a Time in Italy." It's not a great book, but it's hard to write great books about intuitive filmmakers. Maybe that's why there's no book devoted solely to Clampett, who was the most intuitive cartoon director ever.
Frayling tells his story with a series of interviews. Here's (below) an excerpt where Leone reveals how he created his stories:
Wow! He says that fairy tale stories work best in realistic settings. Interesting...very interesting, at least for live action.
The interview with Morricone is fascinating. He says that some of the themes in "For a Few Do
llars More" were written for previous clients who made non-western films. Leone discovered them in Morricone's reject pile. Can you believe that!!!???? Of course they were rewritten for Sergio.
The excerpt above is from "Good, the Bad, and the Ugly."
6 comments:
Since you like Sergio Leone so much, what do you think of Raoul Walsh? I think he directed some pretty powerful movies, especially White Heat. Always wanted to see The Roaring Twenties.
I once sat at a table in a NY restaurant next to Sergio Leone. He had two voluptuous blondes, one on either side and wore his large, Panama hat through the meal. He was a large guy in ann off-white linen suit.
I make it a rule never to bother celebrities when I see them (which is often), but I sure was tempted that day. I didn't.
leones movies are amomg my favorite simply because each one of them says so much about the human character, our lust, our greed, our loyalty, our friendships, he really drives home point that ultimately we are alone, but our character, our knack for survival that really drives us foward.
Off topic: Found this really NSFW movie trailer from 1966. I'm wondering if you've watched this movie before. I'm really curious now because I found this film by listening to The Opie and Anthony Show on Sirius XM.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xi0laf_mondo-topless_sexy
Greetings Eddie!
I would totally love to interview you for "Worked w/ Ralph Wednesdays" on Fuck Yeah Ralph Bakshi! Would you be interested?
My 1st interview was w/ Jim Smith, which you can check out here: http://fuckyeahralphbakshi.tumblr.com/post/20466491998/fyrb-is-pleased-to-announce-another-new-feature
Nothing crazy, just a quick and simple email interview. If you're interested hit me up at my personal email addy: jeauxj (at) gmail (dot) com and i'll send you more details!
I'm a big fan of your work, and in particular the Mighty Mouse years which I grew up watching. solid stuff you guys were doin' back then.
Looking forward to hearing back from you Eddie!
Take care!
All the best,
Jeaux Janovsky
Michael: Haw! I don't usually bother celebrities either.
Roberto: Yikes! Daily Motion puts up stuff that's more explicit than YouTube.
Jeaux: Sure. I loved working for Ralph and I have a great deal of respect for the guy. I'll be busy for a few days, but I'll get back to you.
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