Posted on 03/07/2006 6:28:34 AM PST by ex-Texan
Movie legend Sir Anthony Hopkins has criticised film bosses for making "condescending" films
"Audiences aren't so mindless as movie-makers think", he told the Radio Times magazine.
The Hollywood star's latest film, The World's Fastest Indian, is a true story about a New Zealander motorcyclist who broke the land speed record.
Sir Anthony said of the movie: "No sex or violence, and that's refreshing.
"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."
The Silence of the Lambs star added that he would not put up with "tyrannical" directors any longer, adding: "I don't take this acting business seriously ... I enjoy acting more now than ever because I treat it as an enjoyable hobby.
"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've worked with directors who are tyrannical and sadistic - but no longer. I'd rather do something else."
Sir Anthony, who became a US citizen in 2000, said he would never make a stage comeback.
He said: "I won't return to theatre work. It's monotonous, too much like being in prison, standing on stage in tights.
"I admire actors who can do it, and I'm sure they have a great life, but I can't stay in any one place for too long, or settle into that grey, sombre atmosphere of the Waterloo Road on a wet Wednesday afternoon.
"There's something so depressing looming across the muddy Thames from that concrete breeze block, with the smell of stale coffee, and thinking, 'Oh, God I have to do another matinee', and the luvvies and the darlings.
"They're all right, but I have better interests than sitting in Le Caprice talking about the problems of being an actor."
Tony Scott's Domino. A decent plot, great cast, ruined by "McG" style 3 second scenes, and a camera that never sat still.
The style doesn't require actors to act, all they have to do is "be" for a few seconds, before the camera moves to something else.
Sir Hopkins is dead on.
Wow, a major film actor who tells the plain truth and doesn't take himself too seriously. Is that refreshing or what?
Especially if they have British or Irish stars.
I watched The Godfather series again recently with the closed captions on.
It was very helpful in following all the many characters and plot twists.
Don't beat yourself up too badly.
Aniston did something quite different in "The Good Girl," where she played a baddie.
.....no to mention the "dark" scenes where you can't make out anyone's faces....what is up with that????
"Most of the current actors have one character that they recycle again and again for every project - they have no depth at all." Ah, the Jack Nicholson school of acting.
What hits me when I see the ads for this movie is the cross is the symbol used for the evil people.....Automatic no go for me.
I only wish I knew this about 'Ultraviolet' also before seeing it this weekend. Waste of my time and money and spent 2 hours being mad after the movie(not to mention that the movie also stinks even without the anti-Christian imagery)!
I watched the first 1/2 hour of it (The Shining). Got up and left the theater because absolutely NOTHING had happened.
It seems to me that the Brits are less susceptible to the star syndrome than Americans are. Give me a good British movie any day.
I hope the movie was better than the book, which sucked.
Kubrick is slowly ratcheting up the tension - helped along by unforgettable performances by Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duval. By the end of the movie, plenty has happened!
My son speaks well of V For Vendetta, which he characterizes as a graphic novel, which I figured out is a big comic book. He is also sure that the movie will stink.
I'll take your word for it. I enjoyed the book, by the way.
I prefer books to movies anyway.
They can't even spell. They turn letters around on words and fail to see teh problem or correct them. Teh apple doesn't fall from from teh tree.
Yep, they did publish it as a graphic novel, although it was originally published in a comic book installment format. The story is haunting and scary and desperate and I just can't imagine they're going to capture it properly. That said, I'll probably still go see it :)
I've been watching the Jeremy Brett/Edward Hardwicke/David Burke Sherlock Holmes shows from British TV from the mid-80s thru mid-90s, and they have very good camera work; they linger on a scene and let you soak it up. And the language is mostly straight from Arthur Conan Doyle, so is first rate. Brett's Holmes is a bit too mannered for some, but I think he does a good job of modernizing the role without making it "camp" - it is, I think, true to the original, but slightly odd and quirky, which Holmes was. It goes a bit beyond the sort of straightforward Joe Friday approach that Basil Rathbone (who I also liked) brought to the role. And Burke and Hardwicke both bring more substance to the character of Watson than did Nigel Bruce, although Bruce was lovable in his own way.
Thank you for the brief bio on Sir Anthony Hopkins. My spirit has always like the spirit of this man, and I have admired his acting ability, sensing that he is a true purest. I've known very little of his personal background, and reading this thread, I have not been disappointed. Soft spokken, Sir Anthony is an honorable man, so few of which appear on the screen these days. My library proudly contains the CDs of his films.
THe camera work that bothered me most (That would be a cool Oscar category) was in Bad Boys 2 when they are in the house and the camera keeps circling between Will & Martin and the bad guys on the other side of the wall. It gave me motion sickness and caused me to miss the dialog.
Who am I kidding? Dialog, in Bad Boys 2?
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