|
 Paul
Schrader’s First Reformed got a some strong reviews when it came out and won
some major independent awards but Schrader has made recent comments that suggest
the Academy Awards will pause before joining the parade. During an appearance at
the BAFTA Screenwriters Series in the UK (via Deadline), he said that people
complaining that films today aren’t as good as they were in the 1970s are
half-wrong. He told the crowd it’s not the film’s that are the problem, it’s the
audience: “There are people who talk about the American cinema of the 1970s as
some halcyon period. It was to a degree but not because there were any more
talented filmmakers. There are probably, in fact, more talented filmmakers today
than there was in the ’70s. What there were in the ’70s were better audiences.
When people take movies seriously it’s very easy to make a serious movie. When
they don’t take it seriously, it’s very, very hard. We now have audiences that
don’t take movies seriously so it’s hard to make a serious movie for them. It’s
not that us filmmakers are letting you down, it’s you audiences are letting us
down.” And on his Facebook page Schrader posted that he wants to make a film
with Kevin Spacey, even with the sexual misconduct allegations made about him:
“I was sent a script yesterday. A very good script which screamed Kevin Spacey
for the lead. I told the producer I’d direct it if they would make it with
Kevin. The producer responded that that was not possible. I believe there are
crimes in life but no crimes in art. Spacey should be punished for any crimes
his actual person created. But not for art. All art is a crime. Punishing him as
an artist only diminishes art. Put Celine in jail, put Pound in jail, punish
Wilde and Bruce if you must, but do not censor their art.” |
