{"id":14272,"date":"2012-02-07T14:55:06","date_gmt":"2012-02-07T14:55:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/?p=14272"},"modified":"2012-02-08T17:20:35","modified_gmt":"2012-02-08T17:20:35","slug":"steven-spielberg-at-la-cinematheque-francaise-costa-gavras-serge-toubiana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/2012\/02\/07\/steven-spielberg-at-la-cinematheque-francaise-costa-gavras-serge-toubiana\/","title":{"rendered":"Steven Spielberg at La Cin\u00e9math\u00e8que Francaise"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/Steven-Spielberg-at-La-Cinematheque-Francaise-with-Serge-Toubiana-and-Costa-Gavras.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-14273\" title=\"Steven Spielberg at La Cinematheque Francaise with Serge Toubiana and Costa Gavras\" src=\"http:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/Steven-Spielberg-at-La-Cinematheque-Francaise-with-Serge-Toubiana-and-Costa-Gavras.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"280\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Last month <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Steven_Spielberg\">Steven Spielberg<\/a><\/strong> sat down for <a href=\"http:\/\/www.arte.tv\/fr\/6308642.html\">an hour long discussion<\/a>\u00a0with <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Costa_Gavras\">Costra-Gavras<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.cinematheque.fr\">Serge Toubiana<\/a> at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cinematheque.fr\/\">La Cin\u00e9math\u00e8que Francaise<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>It was part of the European press tour for <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/War_Horse_(film)\">War Horse<\/a> but the length and quality of the conversation made it much more than the usual press junket and red-carpet sound bites (where time is limited).<\/p>\n<p>What made it extra special is that the two guys asking the questions really know their stuff.<\/p>\n<p>Costa-Gavras directed two of the best political dramas ever made in <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Z_(film)\">Z<\/a> (1969) and <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Missing_(film)\">Missing<\/a>\u00a0(1982), whilst Toubiana was was the long time editor of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cahiersducinema.com\/\">Cahiers du cin\u00e9ma<\/a> (1981-1991) and is currently director of La Cin\u00e9math\u00e8que Fran\u00e7aise.<\/p>\n<p>Spielberg <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.cinematheque.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/dedicaceblog.jpg\">wrote after the event<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Not since Cannes in &#8217;82 have I been so moved by an audience of lovers. I will never forget today!&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>As you can imagine it was a pretty fascinating conversation, which formed part of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cinematheque.fr\/fr\/dans-salles\/hommages-retrospectives\/fiche-cycle\/steven-spielberg,434.html\">the Spielberg season<\/a> they are currently running, which lasts until March 3rd.<\/p>\n<p>Although the questions are asked in French, Spielberg had an earpiece through which quick translations were made, so the conversation flows pretty well.<\/p>\n<p>They never discuss it, but Costa-Gavras&#8217; <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Z_(film)\">Z<\/a> (1968) &#8211; one of the great films of the 1960s &#8211; was a major influence on Spielberg&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Munich_(film)\">Munich<\/a> (2005).<\/p>\n<p>Here is the English version:<\/p>\n<p><object id=\"playerArte\" width=\"560\" height=\"317\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http:\/\/download.macromedia.com\/pub\/shockwave\/cabs\/flash\/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" \/><param name=\"allowScriptAccess\" value=\"always\" \/><param name=\"quality\" value=\"high\" \/><param name=\"src\" value=\"http:\/\/download.liveweb.arte.tv\/o21\/videoweb\/flash\/arte-tv\/player.swf?videoId=4839&amp;admin=false&amp;mode=prod&amp;embed=true&amp;autoPlay=false\" \/><param name=\"allowfullscreen\" value=\"true\" \/><param name=\"allowscriptaccess\" value=\"always\" \/><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http:\/\/www.macromedia.com\/go\/getflashplayer\" \/><embed id=\"playerArte\" width=\"560\" height=\"317\" type=\"application\/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"http:\/\/download.liveweb.arte.tv\/o21\/videoweb\/flash\/arte-tv\/player.swf?videoId=4839&amp;admin=false&amp;mode=prod&amp;embed=true&amp;autoPlay=false\" allowFullScreen=\"true\" allowScriptAccess=\"always\" quality=\"high\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" pluginspage=\"http:\/\/www.macromedia.com\/go\/getflashplayer\" \/><\/object><\/p>\n<p>(<a href=\"http:\/\/www.arte.tv\/fr\/6308642.html\">Click here for the French version<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Spielberg starts speaking at around 03.36 and the conversation covers the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The &#8216;secret of his success&#8217; and the &#8216;nervous energy&#8217; that keeps him making movies<\/li>\n<li>Why he made <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt1568911\/\">War Horse<\/a> and how he directed the horses<\/li>\n<li>The influence of <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/John_Ford\">John Ford<\/a> (e.g. the landscape and choosing <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediacollege.com\/video\/shots\/wide-shot.html\">wide-shots<\/a> over <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Close-up\">close-ups<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>How he fell down a hole during shooting<\/li>\n<li>Researching <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/World_War_I\">World War I<\/a> at the <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Imperial_War_Museum\">Imperial War Museum<\/a> in London<\/li>\n<li>Why he didn&#8217;t use CGI horses and<\/li>\n<li>Patience as a working tool in working with animals and children<\/li>\n<li>The importance of casting and listening to actors<\/li>\n<li>Using <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wide-angle_lens\">wide-angle lenses<\/a> in shooting horses and the Devon landscape<\/li>\n<li>His regular &#8216;chameleon collaborators&#8217; (e.g. <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/John_Williams\">John Williams<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Janusz_Kami%C5%84ski\">Janusz Kaminski<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kathleen_Kennedy_(film_producer)\">Kathleen Kennedy<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>Why his editor <a href=\"http:\/\/flickeringmyth.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/cutting-edge-conversation-with-film.html\">Michael Kahn<\/a> persuaded him to edit <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Lincoln_(2012_film)\">Lincoln<\/a> (2012) on an <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Avid_Technology\">Avid<\/a><\/li>\n<li>He will still shoot on <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/35_mm_film\">photographic film<\/a> for the\u00a0foreseeable\u00a0future<\/li>\n<li>How he selects film projects<\/li>\n<li>Shooting 3 films in 12 months (The Lost World, Amistad and Saving Private Ryan)<\/li>\n<li>Why John Ford never shot <a href=\"http:\/\/production.4filmmaking.com\/cinematography1.html\">coverage<\/a> to prevent studio interference<\/li>\n<li>How he got <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Final_cut_privilege\">final cut<\/a> after Jaws (1975) and why it is sometimes dangerous<\/li>\n<li>How Duel (1971) was <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Duel_(1971_film)#Production\">inspired by an issue of Playboy<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Why some of the best writing is now in US cable television (e.g. Boardwalk Empire, Modern Family etc.)<\/li>\n<li>Why he cast <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fran%C3%A7ois_Truffaut\">Francois Truffaut<\/a> in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)<\/li>\n<li>How Spielberg helped translate the title of <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Small_Change_(film)\">L&#8217;Argent de poche<\/a> to Small Change<\/li>\n<li>Crazy Hollywood sayings like &#8216;product&#8217; and &#8216;taking a lunch&#8217;<\/li>\n<li>The influence of <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/September_11_attacks\">9\/11<\/a> on <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Minority_Report_(film)\">Minority Report<\/a> (2002) and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/life\/movies\/news\/2005-06-30-war-of-worlds-911_x.htm\">War of the Worlds<\/a> (2005)<\/li>\n<li>Why he became more interested in news and world events after becoming a parent<\/li>\n<li>At 51:32 Costa-Gravas says something which leaves Spielberg speechless in admiration &#8211; can any French speakers translate?<\/li>\n<li>The danger in having too much confidence and why a lack of it can be essential<\/li>\n<li>The work of the <a href=\"http:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/vhi\/\">Shoah Foundation<\/a> and how some survivors had never talked about their experiences before<\/li>\n<li>Why he shoots on schedule<\/li>\n<li>His work as a producer and studio head<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div>UPDATE: 08\/02\/12: Richard Brody has provided a translation via Twitter:<\/div>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-in-reply-to=\"167284093661360128\">\n<p>@<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/filmdetail\">filmdetail<\/a> &#8220;Serge said the word &#8216;wonder&#8217; [\u00e9merveillement]&#8230;You are still the filmmaker who proves that wonder is possible in the cinema.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Richard Brody (@tnyfrontrow) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/tnyfrontrow\/status\/167292135517859843\" data-datetime=\"2012-02-08T17:02:07+00:00\">February 8, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&gt;\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cinematheque.fr\/\" target=\"_blank\">La Cin\u00e9math\u00e8que fran\u00e7aise<br \/>\n<\/a>&gt; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.arte.tv\/fr\/6308642.html\">Arte.TV page for the event<\/a><br \/>\n&gt; <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.cinematheque.fr\/?p=822\">Serge Toubiana&#8217;s blog about the event<\/a> (in French but use <a href=\"http:\/\/translate.google.com\/\">Google Translate<\/a>)<br \/>\n&gt; Find out more about <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Imperial_War_Museum\">Steven Spielberg<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Costa-Gavras\">Costa-Gavras<\/a> at Wikipedia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last month Steven Spielberg sat down for an hour long discussion with Costra-Gavras and Serge Toubiana at La Cin\u00e9math\u00e8que Francaise.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14274,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[413,16],"tags":[2425,73],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14272"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14272"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14272\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}