Anthony Hopkins Lashes At Hollywood For Making "Condescending" Films

He's not saying what you think. He's not actually knocking Hollywood's didactic, "issue-movie" version of entertainment. Perhaps he's hinting at that, and working up the courage to say something about it; but perhaps not.

Either way, he's talking good sense. I've been long annoyed by the shaky-camera quick-cut bullshit Hollywood has been doing for a while now, and all the various photographic tricks (pushing the film towards one color, because really, people want to go to see a movie in which the entire fucking world looks yellow or greenish all the time) rather than, get this, just clearly photographing actors and actions and scenery.

He also talks about politeness.

He's a cool guy.

Movie legend Sir Anthony Hopkins has criticised film bosses for making "condescending" films

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"I'm also tired of the camera moving all over the place, with car chases so cut and edited you don't know what's happening.

"It's condescending. Audiences aren't so mindless as movie-makers think."

He added: "If you look at The Shining or Fargo, they photograph it and let actors tell a story. That's the old-fashioned way. I hope it comes back."

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"I can't get caught up in the self-importance. People bow to your every wish and you forget where you come from and what you're doing," he told the magazine.

"I recently worked with two actors who wouldn't come out of their trailers for some reason.

"Can you figure that out? It's insanity. Or they complain because their trailers aren't big enough.

"Bulls***. It's a job, like any other, so don't make a big deal. Be polite, treat the crew with respect and don't think you're different.

I don't know his politics, but the temperament there -- "don't think you're different," his annoyance at a post-modernish style of filmmaking in which the medium (the shots, the editing, the film processing) becomes more important than the message, the story -- seems pretty conservative.

posted by Ace at 12:56 PM

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