After a string of hospitalisations for long COVID, Paul Schrader had a realization.
바카라If I'm going to make a film about death,바카라 Schrader told himself, 바카라I'd better hurry up.바카라
The health of the 77-year-old filmmaker, whose films and scripts have covered half a century of American movies, from 바카라Taxi Driver바카라 to 바카라First Reformed바카라, has since improved. But that sense of urgency only increased when Russell Banks, a friend of Schrader's since he adapted Banks' 바카라Affliction바카라 into the 1997 film, began ailing. Banks died in 2023.
Schrader resolved to turn Banks' 2021 novel 바카라Foregone바카라 into a film. At the time, he imagined it would be his last. But Schrader, who's been as prolific as ever in the past decade, has said that before.
In 2017, he surmised that 바카라First Reformed바카라 was his final cinematic statement. Then he made 2021's 바카라The Card Counter바카라. And, after that came 2022's 바카라Master Gardener바카라.
바카라The irony is every time you think, 'Well, that's about it,' you have a new idea,바카라 Schrader told The Associated Press in an interview at the Cannes Film Festival. 바카라And you have to write the new idea and make the new film. 'OK, God, put that thing on hold. I'll be back to you when I've finished my film.'바카라
Schrader, chuckling, adds: 바카라I'm going to start a new company called Post-Mortem Cinema.바카라
On Friday, Schrader was to premiere his Banks' adaptation, now titled 바카라Oh, Canada바카라, at Cannes. It's his first time back in competition in 36 years. And, particularly given that he's joined this year by Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas 바카라 all of them central figures of the fabled New Hollywood 바카라 Schrader's Cannes return comes with echoes of the heyday of '70s American moviemaking. 바카라Taxi Driver바카라, which Schrader wrote, won the Palme d'Or here in 1976.
Schrader, though, allows for only so much nostalgia.
바카라It's gotten aggrandised in the collective memory. There were a lot of bad films. There were a lot of bad players,바카라 Schrader says of the '70s. 바카라However, it was the birth of the self-starting movement in cinema. So people like George and Francis and I, all film-school graduates like Marty, we all started our careers in this environment. That was a kind of a golden moment, but that doesn't mean all the films were golden.바카라
바카라Oh, Canada", which is seeking a distributor, is a kind of bookend to one of the films from that era: the 1980 neo-noir 바카라American Gigolo바카라. Schrader reteams with Richard Gere decades after 바카라American Gigolo바카라 made Gere a star. Until now, Schrader says, the two hadn't much discussed reuniting.
바카라Richard had been developing some mannerisms that I wasn't entirely comfortable with as a director, and roles I wasn't comfortable with,바카라 Schrader says. 바카라I was thinking more in terms of Ethan (Hawke) and Oscar (Isaac).바카라
But the idea of 바카라Oh, Canada바카라 as a kind of spiritual sequel to 바카라American Gigolo바카라 appealed to him. In the film, Gere stars as a revered Canadian filmmaker named Leonard Fife who, nearly on his deathbed, grouchily sits for an interview with documentary filmmakers.
His wife (Uma Thurman) watches on as Leonard tells his life story, seen in flashbacks with Jacob Elordi playing the younger Fife, in the 1960s. We have the impression that Fife, who fled to Canada during the Vietnam War, is speaking more honestly than ever before.
바카라I thought the dying Gigolo 바카라 that put some spin on it. People are going to be interested in that, even though it's not the same character at all,바카라 Schrader says. 바카라I could see that he had come out of retirement. He needs this, therefore he'll do it for nothing.바카라
Schrader approached Gere with a few stipulations.
바카라I said, 'I'll send it to you on three conditions: One, that you read it right away. Two, that I get an answer in two weeks. And, three, that you understand my financial parameters,'바카라 Schrader says. 바카라He agreed. I said the same thing to (Robert) De Niro. Bob said, 'Well, I agree to the first two but not the third one.'바카라
바카라So I didn't send the script to Bob,바카라 Schrader says, laughing.
Since the 2013 film 바카라The Canyons바카라, which he directed from a Bret Easton Ellis script, Schrader has found a way to make the economics of independent filmmaking work for him.
바카라People thought that was all a kind of desperate career failure, but it was a glimpse into a new world. It was a trial run of how you do a film yourself," says Schrader. 바카라After that, I knew that you could make a film and get final cut. You could say to an investor: I'm not going to make you rich 바카라 get that dog out of your head. But I think I'm going to make you whole. And I'm going to give you a credit and I'm going to put you on a red carpet somewhere. You could put your money into toasters or tires, or you could put it into this film.'바카라
The significant caveat to that, Schrader says, is that he came up in the old system of Hollywood. He's not sure the same strategy could work for someone less established in today's digital landscape.
바카라I got my head above the crowd when there was only 400 people in the room,바카라 he says. 바카라Now there's 40,000 people in the room.바카라
