Back in the saddle again

Wednesday, May 8, 1996

It’s been almost thirty years since audiences first received
John Schlesinger’s influential film, ‘Midnight Cowboy.’ His newest
film, ‘Cold Comfort Farm,’ offered the director a chance to escape
the pitfalls of Hollywood filmmakingBy Emily Forster

Daily Bruin Contributor

Filmmakers know how to reach for the top of the ladder of
success, but few know what to do when they start sliding down. For
many, losing a place at the top of Hollywood’s totem pole can be
devastating, but some directors like two-time Academy Award winner
John Schlesinger figure out how to leave the games behind.

"I did a comedy a few years ago, ‘Honky Tonk Freeway,’ and it
was a disastrous failure," says Schlesinger. "I don’t think it was
properly evaluated. It wasn’t given a chance. It was a shattering
experience."

Schlesinger’s critically reamed "Honky Tonk Freeway" is a far
cry from what he refers to as "the old days," when Schlesinger was
regarded as one of the greatest directors in Hollywood. Almost 30
years after his seminal work, "Midnight Cowboy," Schlesinger sits
back in a suite at the Four Seasons to discuss his latest work
"Cold Comfort Farm." Defying the hot day with a black suit,
Schlesinger’s grandfatherly face, impeccable British accent and
cool, Zen-like disposition make him a cross between a butler and
God. But just like the eccentric people he portrays in his
character-driven films, Schlesinger is even more than he appears.
And he makes it clear that although in the past he may have let
Hollywood jerk him around, today he is taking hold of the
reigns.

"I had some bitter experiences here (in the United States) with
things that were set up and then fell through," says Schlesinger.
"I figured this was the moment to leave when I found ‘Cold Comfort
Farm.’"

Although making the film of British novelist Stella Gibbons’
early 20th century work of the same title could offer little
financial incentive to Schlesinger, it did provide an opportunity
to escape from the pitfalls and ploys of Hollywood film making.

"I’ve done films like this before where it’s possible to do
things with freedom, not always thinking ‘Is this going to go
over?’" says Schlesinger. "It’s like in the old days when nobody
asked questions of a film and didn’t preview films. If I’d
previewed ‘Midnight Cowboy’ or ‘Sunday, Bloody Sunday,’ they’d
never have ended up on the screen as they were. I’m quite certain
of it."

Relatively new conventions like previews have made moviemaking a
nuisance for Schlesinger. These screenings are done while the film
is still coming together, and in the eyes of this seasoned
director, the judgments studios make based on these previews are
not fair.

"I loathe previews," admits Schlesinger. "It’s work in progress,
after all, but you can’t keep the results of a preview private. The
people who organize it are on the phone immediately saying it
didn’t go well or it did go well so it has to have some other
release date. There’s all this information assimilated from
previews, but I just hate them."

As Schlesinger considers other projects, he cannot help but
remember a time when he had the freedom to use whatever characters
he wanted.

"When we made ‘Sunday, Bloody Sunday,’ the distributors thought
I’d had such a success with ‘Midnight Cowboy’ that they’d let me do
what I wanted to," recalls Schlesinger. "It was the only time in my
life where I could do ‘Sunday, Bloody Sunday’ (a film about a young
male designer who is torn between a male and female lover). I don’t
think they really read the script and when they saw it, there was
some profound embarrassment."

Schlesinger can no longer make controversial films like "Sunday,
Bloody Sunday," but he can still make films that please him.
Although his experience with "Honky Tonk Freeway" left him in
despair, he is about to tackle another comedy for Universal.

As he searches for stories all over to find his next project, he
find himself drawn to American tales.

"I keep my eyes and ears very well open and America is rich in
stories, rich in characters," says Schlesinger. "Life is lived more
on the outside here than it is in Britain. In Britain we’re a
little more buttoned up but I think America is so full of things
that I’m endlessly fascinated."

FILM: "Cold Comfort Farm" opens this Friday.

Rufus Sewell and Kate Beckinsale (bottom left picture) star with
Ian McKellen (below) in John Schlesinger’s (left) "Cold Comfort
Farm."