|
|
| VIFF 2007 Interview – I Served the King of England director Jiri Menzel |
I Served The King of England at VIFF 2007 |
by Jason Whyte
“This is a grotesque story of one young little Czech man in the course of the tragic history of one small nation in the middle of the Europe. So as the history in the Europe coincided in a tumble way from the moment of peace between two wars , through the Hitlers onfall to power, invasion and following occupation of Czechoslovakia to the onfall of communism , in the same way as in the history coincide erotic escapades of one little diligent waiter with his grotesque and tragic moments of his life.” Director Jiri Menzel, director of “I Served The King of England” which screens at this year’s Vancouver International Film Festival.
Is this your first film in the VIFF? (Or the first film you have) Do you have any other festival experience? If you’re a festival veteran, let us know your favourite and least-favourite parts of the festival experience.
Films, on which I have been working participated during the last forty years on many festivals, most of them I visited personally. I have been also quite often a member of international juries. Apart from others I have been several times in Montreal and Toronto.
With my theatre I have been also on the International theatre festival in Quebec. Personally I feel much better on the small festivals, which are organized by enthusiasts and movie funs, than on a big International film festivals, richly sponsored, where I am missing that special family atmosphere of real friends and film funs.
Could you give me a little look into your background (your own personal biography, if you will), and what led you to the desire to want to make film?
It is a comical story, but I ended up in the film more or less by accident. Originally it was not my intention to make movies. I wished to work in the theatre, but I was not admitted to the theatre school. Then I wanted to work in the television studio, thinking that it is very close to the theatre and may be they would accept less talented candidate. So I applied for exams to the Film and TV school (FAMU). I passed exams and they accepted me. I was a student of the workshop headed by professor Otakar Vávra, who taught me how to make movies and for my first feature film I was awarded by American Film Academy with Oscar. In the same way, by accident, I have got a chance to act as an actor. The first Czech Oscar winner Jan Kadár picked me up as non-actor to his film. His film was very successful and it gave me a lot of other chances to play in many films of my Czech and also foreign colleagues. I also had a role in a Costa Gavras film.
Growing up, you were no doubt asked the eternal question “When I grow up I want to be a …” Finish this sentence, please!
When I grow up I want to be first of all the stoker on a steamship, the waiter. I do not remember the other tempting professions, then when I was growing I wished to be a journalist, but in a socialist Czechoslovakia this was not a very credible profession. I finally prevailed in my love to the theatre. Since my 15 years I wanted to be the theatre director.
While you were making the movie, were you thinking about the future release of the film, be it film festivals, paying customers, critical response, and so forth?
Whenever I was working on a film I knew that if I want to make a good movie, I can not divert myself with foolish considerations about festivals and critics. For me was always the most important the viewer and also the cognizance (mind), that I am not obtaining the goodwill of viewers in a unworthy way.
How did this project come to fruition? If you could, please provide me with a rundown, start to finish, from your involvement.
The history of the issue of this film is long and may be interesting in the same way as the film by itself. At the very beginning was the novel of outstanding Czech writer Bohumil Hrabal. It was for political reasons firstly published abroad and brought to its author a lot of troubles with communist regime. The quality of the novel attract later a great interest to obtain copyright for filming and started distasteful wrangles between those, who wanted to obtain rights.
Thanks to my previous films based on Hrabal´s texts and thanks to my personal friendly relation with Hrabal I succeeded to get the copyright for one producer, who after the writer´s death sold out these rights behind my back to the commercial TV. This caused that incident on the film festival in Karlovy Vary in 1998. Several years later and after many peripety the last owner of copyrights offered the shooting of this film to me.
What was the biggest challenge in the production of the movie, be it principal photography or post-production?
The challenge as itself starts with the first and the following versions of the script. It follows in preparations, then in principal photography and in post-production. This is a process which never ends.
Please tell me about the technical side of the film; your relation to the film’s cinematographer, what the film was shot on and why it was decided to be photographed this way.
I have been working with cinematographer Jaromír Šofr on most of my films. His main contribution was his work with light, because it determines the most important thing for the film – its atmosphere. In the film we are talking about it was basic aspect – the diversity (variety) of action levels demanded significant visual setting apart of different sequences of the film.
Talk a bit about the festival experiences, if any, that you have had with this particular film. Have you had any interesting audience stories or questions that have arisen at screenings?
I have to confess that after so many years my experience from many festivals fused into one, more or less pleasant impression of meetings with interesting people, filmmakers and film funs, from cognition of interesting places on our planet, but I can not tell you separate stories because by themselves they are not so interesting. Questions from the audience were sometimes unwittingly comical because they emerged from the unawareness of absurd world under rule of communists.
Who would you say your biggest inspirations are in the film world (directors, actors, cinematographers, etc)? Did you have any direct inspirations from filmmakers for this film in particular?
Since my student years I have been under the influence of the giants such as Jean Renoir, René Clair and primarily Charlie Chaplin and many others.
How far do you think you would want to go in this industry? Do you see yourself directing larger stories for a larger budget under the studio system, or do you feel that you would like to continue down the independent film path?
I have learned to make films always for someone based on order: for the studio and then for a producer. I do not have ambitions and courage to make my own independent film for someone else’s money.
If you weren’t in this profession, what other career do you think you would be interested in?
Theatre direction. Although I have worked in the theatre business for more than forty years.
Please tell me some filmmakers or talent that you would love to work with, even if money was no object.
Unfortunately most of my favourite filmmakers are not alive. But I would like to act in Woody Allen’s films. I would like to observe him from near.
Do you think that you have “made it” in this profession yet? If you don’t believe so, what do you think would happen for that moment to occur?
I have been always working in my best way. But I am not thinking about maximum and minimum.
How important do you think the critical/media response is to film these days, be it a large production, independent film or festival title?
I do not know how it works anywhere else, but in my country it is the influence of critics are mostly opposite. Their opinions are in most cases different from the opinions of the audience and I think we can say, that ordinary viewer does not take critics seriously. As per some not very firm criteria of some critics it is also possible to conclude that may be they are writing for the big distribution companies what they need, because they hired them.
If your film could play in any movie theatre in the world, which one would you choose?
The thing is that not the film is choosing the movie theatre, but a movie theatre is choosing concrete film.
Do you have an opinion on the issue of “A Film by (Insert Director Here)”? Is this something you use? Many people collaborate to make a film yet simultaneously, the director is the final word on the production.
Film is and always will be a collective piece of work. Good film director may succeed to imprint to the film his “handwriting”, but without perceptive and helpful colleagues he will not manage. I know about my colleagues around me that their share on my films is enormous. I say very often that they made the film and I am traveling with it around the world to the film festivals.
What would you say to someone on the street to see your film instead of the latest blockbuster playing at the Cineplex Scotiabank Megaplex?
Do not waste your time with foolish things, go and see something sizeable. “I Served the King of England” will amuse you and enlighten you.
No doubt there are a lot of aspiring filmmakers at film festivals who are out there curious about making a film of their own. Do you have any advice that you could provide for those looking to get a start?
I would recommend them just to start, and do it with humbleness and without thinking about festivals. With current technology you can tell film stories spending just a few dollars.
And finally…what is your all time favourite motion picture, and why?
“A Day in the Country” by Jean Renoir. He taught me what the most important things in a film are.
The 2007 edition of the Vancouver International Film Festival runs from September 27th to October 12th. Hundreds of films from all over the world are being screened over 15 intense, film loving days. For more information on this film, when it is scheduled to screen and information on many other films this year, point your browser to viff.org. – Jason Whyte, efilmcritic.com
link directly to this feature at http://hollywoodbitchslap.com/feature.php?feature=2271
originally posted: 10/01/07 02:47:56
last updated: 10/03/07 14:39:20
![[printer]](/images/icon/printer.gif) printer-friendly format
|
 |
|
Articles 
subscribe to this feed
