Director's Weekly Post Production Blog WEEK 81 Saturday May 23rd...

As I write this I am on a train to Monaco for my annual pilgrimage. I doubt if Lewis can win this year but you never know.

The meeting last Sunday regarding “The Power” was a huge success. Our main equity partner was a warm jovial fellow with which I shared many common interests. In theory we then had 100% of the finance once we got approval from the board of EM media. I was feeling great.

The premier of Von Trier’s “Antichrist” on Monday was amazing. The film’s prologue at first I thought was terrible. In the next sequence I finally got it and was hooked. At times the guy next to me had his head in his hands unable to watch what was unfolding. At other times the woman behind me compulsively giggled unable to control herself. At least twice the whole audience winced or sighed or exhaled out of shock. It was like a tidal wave hitting them in the face such was its power at times. The film was utterly compelling and wonderfully disturbing, and in the end I loved it.

At the end there was a dedication to Andrei Tarkovsky. It was fitting as the film is a kind of anti – mirror with more than one shot having a nodding reference to Solaris and Nostalgia. I clapped from the dedication all the way through the credits and for 15 minutes afterwards. Five times the audience stopped applauding and five times I provoked them into continuing. I shouted “Bravo” and “Maestro!” until I could barely speak and my hands were red raw. If blood had flowed down my arms I would neither have cared nor noticed.

Afterwards I walked in a daze to the Grand Hotel to meet some people. It reminded me of how I felt upon seeing “The Idiots” in Cannes many years ago - although this film is much better. I wouldn’t say it is as good as “Europa” of “Breaking the Waves” but I’d put it third in the films that he has made. In a rush of euphoria I stayed out until 3am that night even though I had to get up early for the important meeting with EM media. It was my latest night of Cannes.

At 5am I was awoken by a phone call. Stupidly I hadn’t put my phone on silent. When I saw the number I immediately knew what it was about. It was an 01438 number. Stevenage. I immediately knew it was about my father. When I called back I found out he had been taken to hospital again with breathing difficulties.

In the middle of the EM meeting I got another call - this time from his best friend. He told me that the doctor had said “He won’t be coming out this time.” As I hung up the phone I turned to the woman from EM media. She said “I have bad news. The board don’t want to do the film.”
Tears started to form in my eyes. I looked at her. She looked at me. Tears started to form in her eyes too. She said “I am so, so sorry. I can see you are upset”
I guess she had never had a response like that before. The timing was impeccable.

The reason for the decision was that our film is too controversial, too taboo in subject matter and the board, even though they acknowledge the project’s viability, could not approve it. The funny thing was that we had the meeting in the aftermath of the shock still being felt on La Croisette from Von Trier’s film. Some people apparently absolutely hated it. The press went to town against it. “What fools” is all I can say to that.

So we were back down to 75%. Later I called the hospital directly and they told me that my father is actually not that bad. In fact they hoped he would be out in a few days!

The last four days have been a whirlwind. There is firm interest from at least 5 Sales Agents for DEP and probably another 3 who are vaguely interested. The next stage is to show them a completed film - I understand by text that Caroline has been unable to pin Molinare down on a day for checking the de-spotting. I can see I will have to chase that when I get back but least now it has finally been completed.

On Thursday night I saw the Haneke’s film “The White Ribbon”. It’s a departure in a way - back to the German language, two and a half hours long in black and white and about a pre-World War I Austrian village. To me, the film is a harsh critique of Austria as a whole - what is wrong with the country and how it can never forget its history. I suspect that many Austrian’s may even be ashamed of the film and what it says. But I loved the film - particularly the relationship between the spectacled school teacher and the shy governess. Beautiful stuff. Like the Von Trier, it is also a masterpiece but in a quiet understated way. It was gratifying that the two films I most wanted to see failed to disappoint. Despite “Funny Games” it might even be Haneke’s best film! I hope it wins the Palm D’Or if “Anti-Christ” cannot.

Finally, right at the end of Cannes, we managed to find the missing 25% of the finance of The Power by relocating from Nottingham to Belgium. Now we just have to close all the finance. Regarding the subject matter, our Belgian co-producer told me “Belgians are not worried about things like that!”

I am now on a train heading back to London from Cornwall, currently rushing past Dawlish. I have been in the South West for the last three days with the writer and producer of my Cornish project. Many times I have done this trip in the last five years but this one feels by far the most positive.

Cannes this year also was positive and even better, kind of magical. It had so many up and downs but ended up being one of the best I’ve had for years. In some ways it was even more enjoyable than when “Boston Kickout” or “The Poet” actually screened there!

I got back on Monday midday and after dropping my luggage at home I went straight to visit my father. He was fine, in good spirits, a marked contrast to the last time he was taken into hospital and was unconscious for weeks. I had to leave Wednesday morning for Cornwall and what with things to do before I left, I still haven’t unpacked from Cannes yet. I hope to do that this weekend.

After getting back from Monaco on Sunday I had dinner with The Ginger Beacon and his girlfriend Courtney. In the middle of it, Jonnie texted to say that Haneke had won the Palme D’or. We all simultaneously shouted “Yes!!! Haneke!!!” It was pure joy. The icing on the cake for me was that Charlotte Gainsbourg also won best actress. If the jury were braver both films would have shared the top prize but as someone said “If that had happened there would have been riots in the street.”
“I would have been there rioting against the rioters!” was my reply.

At the end of the dinner, The Ginger Beacon asked “Are you still 4 weeks away?”
I replied “I think we are now 3 and a half!”
“Yeah yeah” was his only response. He didn’t believe me.

I have called and e-mailed Andrew Dearnley since I got back but I hadn’t heard a thing. So this morning, while on the train, I called and called until eventually I got through. The impression that I received from Caroline while away was instantly shattered along with the positive feelings I have experienced since the end of Cannes. I asked about the review but instead he said that although he could give me a review that there is nothing to review. What he had told Caroline was that the de-spotting sessions had been completed (that’s sitting down and finding the spots) not that the actual de-spotting was complete - a horrific misunderstanding. I’ve already done those sessions three times. It’s a stage that if the actual cleaning had been done properly would not need to be repeated again and again and again as it seemingly has been.

The problem now is the actual cleaning of spots. They just don’t seem to be able to find any time to do it. By the end of next week it will be a whole 6 months, a half a year gone by, doing the de-spotting. That is incredible. On Boston Kickout and The Poet for instance it took two weeks apiece I am getting sick to death of this now, plunged back into the abyss. It’s like déja vu, like we are entering a similar situation to what we had at Midnight Transfer. It took 7 months to grade the picture there and that process was the most unhappy experience in post production I have ever had - mainly because no-one there cared about our film. It’s something I don’t think I will ever be able to forgive Deluxe for.

The reality is that yet another film has taken our time thanks to their wealth and our poverty. As luck will have it, it’s a film that was shot a whole 6 months after our film was shot. It feels terrible to be passed by, to be at the mercy of the market, to see someone pass us by. A tragedy really.

Will we be 7 months doing the de-spotting? Will it take longer? Will it ever end?