June 11, 2004

Today is the day to hit someone with a folding chair.

Buy my book!

Today's interviewee is an independent producer and filmmaker who has directed over 20 subtle, absurd films, including "Henry Fool," "Amateur," and "No Such Thing." As one friend of his says, "He's sort of like the approachable art student: he's making things you feel like you might not be getting his whole intent, but you're enjoying the process." While he films and directs, he also teaches filmmaking at Harvard. He recently released an album of the music that he wrote for his films...wouldn't it be interesting if all directors had to write their soundtracks?

The Hal Hartley Interview: Just Under Twenty Questions

How did you come to put together "Possible Music"?
The recordings mount up over the years. Many people write in and ask where they can get it. An older compilation of music from the earlier films went of circulation. It seemed like the time to put together a new batch that represented the over all sound and how it changes over the years.

Tell us about your musical education: have you taken classes or gone to music school?
I took guitar lessons in my local music store when I was around 12 or 13 for about two years, I think. In high school I hung out with some older guys who were in a nearby music college. I took a 12 week night class in sight reading and music notation in 1996 to brush up on that, just before I made Henry Fool. I think I have always just played music and picked up tips along the way.

Do you think that the focus on soundtracks in popular films has gotten to be too strong, or is that impossible?
Sometimes music in movies seems to be there because the story isn't compelling in itself. I think sound is much more evocative than images - it conjures different feelings in every different person. I think this is why it evolves and changes so much faster than what we do with images.

What are some of your favorite film soundtracks?
Mark Knopfler's soundtrack for "Local Hero", Peter Gabriel's "Passion" (for Scorcese's "Last Temptation Of Christ"). Bjork's music for "Dancer In the Dark". Prokovief's music for "Alexaander Nevsky"...

What have you been listening to lately?
David Bowie, Radiohead, Bjork, Belle & Sebastian, Neil Young ("On The Beach", finally out on CD), Autechre...

As a viewer, what's your favorite genre to watch?
Slapstick.

Would you describe your films as dark comedies or is that what they're described as?
I think they're comedies. Not dark. Optimistic, in fact. Though they tend to dwell on the less than comforting realities of this world we share.

How do you choose music for a film? Do you hear a song first and decide to use it or have a certain type of song in mind as you're making the film and then seek it out?
I usually just make the music myself. But in certain cases, like "The Book Of Life", I sort of collect music beforehand and think about while shooting.

You've said in interviews that you're not interested in creating mainstream films. Which have you made do you consider the most approaching mainstream, and which is the least?
The Unbelievable Truth and Henry Fool, I think. Sometimes what I do just happens to be in step somehow with what a wider audiences is paying to see.

You've also said in an interview, "My job is all about finding the right balance between exuberance and restraint." Why do you want to find a medium and not explore the extremes?
The extremes tend to be one dimensional.

What did you learn in film school? How necessary is a formal film education to a successful filmmaker?
I was happy to get a rigorous training and a lot of practical exercise in the various crafts associated with making films at the same time as acquiring a liberal arts education. But I guess it depends on what one means by a "successful filmmaker".

A lot of your films are dialogue-centric. Do you ever steal dialogue from real life?
Yes. And, when it can't be avoided - when it's just too good - from novels, articles, other movies, speeches... But I guess that's all real life too.

Was No Such Thing originally called Monster? Why was the title changed?
It was originally called Monster. We could not get the right to use the word as a title because Disney had a project called "Monsters Incorporated" and insisted (if you can believe this) that my movie would threaten their ability to make money from their animated feature.

When Francis Ford Coppola got involved, you say that it went from being a $1 million movie to a $5 million. What was that extra $4 million spent on and how would the movie have been different in its original form?
I don't think it would have been that different at all. The 4 million seemed to be spent on lawyers and test screenings etc. I probably would not have been able to cast Helen Mirren and Julie Christy. The make-up for the monster might have had to be simpler.

What are some of your favorite monster movies?
Herzog's version of Nosferatu. Kubrick's "The Shining". Bride Of Frankenstein.

In an interview, you say "I go through periods of concentrating my directing on certain actors because the pieces tend to grow one out of another, or our work on them overlaps." Can you give any examples?
I think its more that I am writing all the time and when I'm working with an actor his or her personality or persona starts to effect how I write characters.

Do you have any cinematic guilty pleasures?
No. If it's pleasurable I don't feel guilty.

Henry Fool is a movie about influences. I'd feel cliché asking you who your influences are, so do you know if you have influenced anyone? (And feel free to wax on who your influences are as well if you like, but I didn't ask.)
Everything influences me, in that whatever I see is an opportunity for me to more accurately define what it is I want to make and what I feel no desire to pursue. There are certainly films that positively inspired me when I was younger. Classic American farces by Howard Hawkes and Preston Sturges. Engaged, essay-like films by Godard. Lyrical realism like Herzog and Terrence Malick.

How does it feel to be the 96th person interviewed for Zulkey.com?
Wild.