September 8, 2005
In Venice, Steven Soderbergh said, regarding European audiences and why they're better than Americans,
"They are much more likely to change the shape of their thinking to fit the art they're watching instead of trying to cut the art down to fit the shape of their thinking."
I've been meaning to put it so succinctly myself for ages. In fact, the sentiment is so perfectly stated that it rendered my lengthy deconstruction of the perspective it describes completely pointless, which is why this post is ending now and not three paragraphs down, as it originally did.
But to continue on a different subject: there are so many films at Venice (and, starting this week and in the weeks to come, Toronto and New York) that I want to discuss - and link to reviews of and share my expectations for - that I think, to avoid excessive rambling, I'll just say nothing, aside from the fact that Drawing Restraint 9 keeps sounding better with every bewildered review it gets; and that Brokeback Mountain's trailer, despite being one of the worst I've seen in ages, is proof that it will actually be an incredible experience; and also how the three hour German documentary on monastic life, Die Grosse Stille, sounds far more appealing than it does daunting; and how the spaceboy in me can't wait to see Herzog's Wild Blue Yonder; and that I thought Vincent Gallo was going to be playing Jesus in Abel Ferrera's Mary, but that seems to not be the case; etc, etc etc. This is worse than Cannes.
Posted by David Lowery at September 8, 2005 3:47 AM
Comments
I'm not sure Soderbergh's comments are fair. He's talking at the Venice Film Festival, not at a multiplex in Paris or wherever; how does he know what the average European does or doesn't change when one goes to the movies? (It's not like you have to expand you mind to watch much of Soderbergh's work anyway, as good as I believe some of it to be.) The aphorism itself is good (though he's trying to channel Godard in real life as he did in the cinema with Ocean's 12), but substitute "European audiences" for "discerning festival audiences" and "American audiences" for "the vast majority of mainstream audiences" and I think it'd be infinitely more accurate.
Posted by: Matt at September 8, 2005 7:47 AM
One of my original (deleted) paragraphs was about whether his comment wasn't a little too divisive. I myself always am quick to lambast American audiences, but is it fair? I concluded that, while it is a mass generalization, there's also proof enough to substantiate it - the sustenance of Jarmusch's entire career being my favorite example (that Tsai Ming Liang gets his financing from Europe being another).
Then, as I remember writing it, I asked the reader to excuse me while I stepped up on a pedestal to claim that "so many Americans think they know everything, including what's good for them. They have no idea."
But then, as noted, I decided that, in the context I was considering it, the specifics of the audience were irrelevant to the citation itself.
Posted by: Ghostboy at September 8, 2005 8:32 AM
That is a perfect quote from SS. I might even have it tattooed on my chest. He's phrased it in a way that I've never been able to.
I'm with you on Die Grosse Stille - it's now #1 on my "most-want-to-see-in-2005" list.
Posted by: Filmbrain at September 9, 2005 11:52 AM