Page 74 - Studio International - March April 1975

'the actors' ? JH I think what happened here is South of France with Mo, his
JH I got to know them very well, that, firstly, you know, I've been a assistant, and photographed Mo
as you can expect, over the period cameraman for many years. I at the edge of the pool, as if he
of three years that the movie took generally act intuitively. If I shoot were Peter, just as a basis for
to make. It wasn't as if I was something in a particular way it is doing the picture again. And
going in there with a feature film because that is how I like it. In within two weeks he had actually
crew, although we were making a this particular film, the way I saw completed it. He also managed to
feature. It was just David Mingay things just matched the way that get Peter, as is shown in the movie,
and myself, and maybe another David Hockney does his own to pose for him in the park. The
person if we were shooting sound. compositions, though I can't painting went to New York for
We would just go as friends and remember being incredibly aware the exhibition with a day to spare.
maybe hang around all day until of it. The way that David Hockney KG-Y The dream sequences,
the right mood was established paints something at right angles - which are not presumably
and we could impose a bit of square on - as you say, is a trick, I recreations in any sense, have a
filming. suppose, of his that is very different role then. Can you
effective and makes it look very
KG-Y What about the sequence explain how they come about?
where he cuts the small paintings traditional. I do it a lot myself and
think I did it even JH Well, we went to Los Angeles.
up? You must have prepared that.
before I had heard of David Hockney, but it's After my initial filming with Peter
JH That's genuinely authentic
difficult to criticize your own in 1971, he refused to be filmed by
but, I admit, I made him delay
compositions. me again until November 1972. I
his hacking them up until I was asked him to come to California. I
ready. It took place at the time we DM There was an idea which we said 'I would love to film you in
filmed it. I made him reserve it for discussed at an early stage of the the pools.' And he said 'All right,
me. When they were acting, filming that Hockney's painting if you'll pay for me to go over.
they were not really acting at all. had a modern and photographic The day after we arrived we DeMille. Of course, I patently
They were just being themselves look about it and was to a certain hired a car and drove into wasn't, but we shot a lot in two
with perhaps one line of extent like colour supplement Beverly Hills looking for things to trips to America, one with David
dialogue from me - and that's all. photography... film. We knew we had to do in New York, one with Peter in
KG-Y There's a sequence where JH I don't agree with that. The something in a swimming pool Los Angeles and a lot round
you do seem to have met some paintings are not tricks like because David Hockney was David's flat where I erected lights
resistance - when, after the colour supplement photography, painting one. We went to a gallery permanently when he was doing
opening of the exhibition in New which is fake and unreal. When I first and somebody said that the Peter and the pool picture. I
York, David Hockney goes to see take compositions I don't exclude Betty Freeman had a painting of could then go to his studio
Henry Geldzahler who is sitting as an area in the frame. I don't go in David's, of herself. So we went off whenever I wanted and very
in the composition of the tight to exclude the background in the car, as you do in Los discreetly do a bit of filming. I was
composition of the painting. but instead show virtually Angeles, and we arrived at this also lucky because he didn't
Hockney takes one look and everything. I put a person against wonderful woman's house - she's object at all as he wanted to finish
storms out.... a background to show both. The a patron of the arts. We saw this his painting and the lights helped
JH That particular sequence I background and the environment incredible picture of Betty him work up to twenty hours a
remember very well. It is an are both as important to me as the Freeman among the animals, day. So I also helped him finish
invented sequence. I was told to person within them. I think it is among the stuffed beasts. The the picture.
get to Henry Geldzahler's flat at the same in a David Hockney scene on the canvas was actually Nobody really believed the
8.00 in the morning because the painting. The background, the out in the back yard - a kind of film was worth a shit until it was
couch was going at 9.00 to be environment, is equally important trompe l'oeil. The canvas was like completed. It was called 'A
re-covered. I was in a panic to as the person within that a two-dimensional reality. There Bigger Waste of Time'. They'd say
think something up - which I did. environment. But colour film were these stuffed heads which her 'Oh, God, you're not still making
We arrived at 8.00. Henry had photography and colour husband had brought back from that bloody thing are you'. You
assured me that everyone would supplement photography is very Africa and which she had exiled can't convince people that you are
be up, but of course no-one was selective with an out of focus to the garden, whilst keeping all doing something wonderful and
up. (Nobody was ever up. fore-image, then a face in the the art in the house. The heads you just get on with it. It is quite
Sometimes we waited for about an middle stretching back and an out were all round the swimming pool frustrating doing something over
hour on David's doorstep.) I had of focus background. It's certainly and it looked fantastic. I thought three or four years. It's very
to get David up and he was in a phony. You don't know where a it was marvellous and I said wearing. Only David Mingay and
lousy mood for he had a bit of a person is within that background. 'Right 'we shoot tomorrow'. I I really believed in it. And I had
hangover and didn't want to do You cannot geographically concocted the dream that night to work at the same time just to
anything that day. The couch was understand the image. I never do and the following day we shot it. keep me going for this film. We
going in about an hour and I that and I don't think that David KG-Y You shot the film over a did it entirely on our own and the
thought that for once I would Hockney ever does it either. long period. What was the actual strength was that there was no
have to force him. I had KG-Y The film is centred around pace? producer interest telling us what
practically to get into the bed to the one painting isn't it? It is couldn't be done because it
coax him up and eventually did obviously the peg upon which a JH In 1970 we didn't shoot very wasn't commercial or insisting
persuade him to put some clothes lot hangs. Did you set out with an much. We shot pictures in the that we finish tomorrow. I gave
on. But he was very passive and I gallery, we shot David painting. up trying to work inside an
overall shape in mind?
had to get David to look a bit In 1971 we tried to shoot a lot. I organization as did David Mingay
JH It was said that that one went to France, for instance, for [the BBC] so that we could be
angry or puzzled and narked for painting was the most important eleven days. I didn't want to be
when David walks through the thing in David Hockney's life at there eleven days. David was independent.
door and sees Henry, Henry DM There are costs that you can't
that time. And I suppose I do there on holiday and wasn't there
Geldzahler doesn't react and the believe it was. It took a long time- when I arrived. It was one of the cut down on, especially in the
consequence is that David walks latter stages, like laboratory and
six months and two weeks. The most miserable periods of my life.
out and slams the door. So you dubbing and these costs are very
whole tension of the movie centres He'd gone off to Spain and was to
are right about that sequence. penalizing. You take a very
round that painting. It said be back the next day. And of
David was too passive. I had to severe financial risk.
'Peter's left David. David tries to course, he wasn't. He was back
shoot the sequence five times and
paint Peter once again and eleven days later. Meanwhile, the JH On the other hand, the film
used the fifth take. By the fifth because he's so upset all the time rains came. Hailstones went wasn't shot like a present-day
time David was furious that he documentary, cinema direct or
because Peter has left him he can't through people's houses and
had to do it so many times and get on with his paintings. They're through my car. Eleven days later cinema verité style. We didn't just
responded against it. But it was turn on a button and shoot. We
not coming easily enough'. If you David arrived, hot from his
one of the few times that I had to asked David Hockney about it, he journey. He took one look at me knew more or less exactly what we
shoot more than three takes. would say that it was purely a and said 'Oh God! Not you!', wanted and we only pressed
KG-Y Could you say something technical problem and that he walked out and hours later went that button when we knew we
about clearly contrived sequences couldn't get the perspective back to Spain. And I was left were going to get it. So
like the episode where the bicycle correct. But in my view there was without a foot of film in the consequently, there aren't a great
is being driven round the corner, an emotional problem going on. camera. We came back and I number of takes. The shooting
where it doesn't look like any In fact, after six months he had didn't shoot anything for six ratio is three and a half to one,
feature film I can think of - the had enough and slashed the months. David obviously felt bad, which is extremely low, not 15-20
camera situated immediately in painting because he couldn't go because he had invited me. He as in some documentaries.
front of the cyclist and square any further. But he suddenly got became very friendly and joked a KG-Y The film has had a good
ahead of him. himself together, flew off to the lot about me being Cecil B. reception at festivals hasn't it?
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