|
|
|
KATJA VON GARNIER on 'BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE'
Interview by Michael J. Lee, Executive Editor
for Radio Free Entertainment
January 22, 2007
The traditional story of Romeo and Juliet takes a lycanthropic twist in Blood and Chocolate, the tale of a lupine shapeshifter named Vivian (Agnes Bruckner) who falls in love with a human (Hugh Dancy) despite being betrothed to Gabriel (Olivier Martinez), the strict and stringent alpha male of the pack who puts his species' long-standing laws above all else. Outraged by Vivian's straying from their rules and risking the pack to exposure to mankind, Gabriel moves to eliminate her new romantic interest.
In this exclusive interview, director Katja von Garnier (acclaimed for her 1997 film Bandits, about a quartet of female convicts who form a band in prison) talks about her unique approach to Blood and Chocolate, and reveals some fun facts about herself. (Incidentally, in an amazing stroke of coincidence, Katja pointed out that the Los Angeles Times, on the day of our interview, was running a story about a hunter in her native Germany threatening to eradicate the wolf population in a local forest.)
|
The Interview
|
RadioFree.com: When you first approached this project, did you feel the horror motif could be another way to tell a drama story?
KATJA: Yeah. I still think that I haven't done a horror film, including Blood and Chocolate. [laughs] I wanted to make Romeo and Juliet with wolves. So that love story, to me, was the center of it all. And then I was really drawn to working with wolves. And I thought it would be interesting [for] me as like an "anti-genre" person to come in and look at it with those glasses, and look more at the characters and what I would do with it in regards to Romeo and Juliet with wolves.
When someone asked me to describe it, the first thing I thought of was Romeo and Juliet...
With a better ending, though! Or not "better," I shouldn't say...With a "happier" ending.
Have you found many horror films with your sort of "anti-genre" approach?
You know, that's the kind of research I haven't done. [laughs] I was more looking at the symbols of wolves in Native American lore--that's what I looked for, or the legend of the werewolf. I was looking at that kind of stuff. But I didn't want to really look at other horror films, because I didn't want to make one. Although, however, having said that, I loved Wolfen. I don't know whether you characterize that as a horror film, but I loved that movie.
Why did you select Native American lore as the basis for your foray into wolf mythology?
Just because I have a great book that has symbolism of animals in Native American lore. And what I read there about wolves [was] how different they are from their reputation, and that they're really very shy and intelligent and very spirited creatures. It was really interesting what it said, and what it symbolized--the wolf as the teacher. And I exposed the actors to that kind of philosophy, and I really wanted that to be part of our film.
I noticed that you had a shot of the traditional statue of a mother wolf with Romulus and Remus. How did you come to incorporate that icon of Roman mythology?
Well, see, in Romania, that statue is in every city. It's part of their culture, and the wolf is their symbol. As descendants of the Romans, they have that she-wolf statue in every city.
Did you specifically choose your shooting location of Bucharest, Romania because of this symbol, or was it a fortunate coincidence?
I really wanted that statue. I don't know whether we came up with it once we picked Romania...I don't know the sequence of events, but I know that was a very important aspect of having that in there, originating with the legend and having shape-shifters...And I loved the idea of actually not making it a curse. Why does it always have to be a curse? I loved the idea of it being an ability, a choice, a mindset--that people would have to take a leap of faith to transform, conceptually, figuratively, and visually, as well as physically.
It's interesting that disparate cultures can have the same themes and symbols in their storytelling traditions...
See, that's the amazing thing about movies. I think we all speak the same emotional language. Movies, I think, transcend language--like a look, or a feeling of loss or fear is something that, no matter what culture you're from, every human is going to understand, right? So I think emotional response is where we all unite.
|
|
As a director who wasn't looking to do a horror film, how did you first get involved with this project?
Lakeshore sent it to me, especially [producer] Gary Luchasee at Lakeshore. They had seen Bandits years before, and we almost had done a movie together. And they sent it to me, which I was psyched about, and grateful that they thought of me. And I read it, and I really responded to it. And I thought, "Hmmm...It really depends on what they want to do with it." And in our first conversation, he invited me to do all the things that I actually wanted to do with it. He said there's a potential for something more elegant and different. And then I thought, "Okay, that's what I want to do with it."
What were some of the logistical difficulties you ran into transitioning from the planning stages to the actual shooting?
The hardest thing is to get wolves to stand still and to just look--really hard thing to do. I had no idea, right? So that was really interesting...And then certain transformations that I had to adjust a little bit along the way. Of course, I [would] sit in my living room and listen to music, and with my storyboard artist, come up with the hunt sequence very precisely, like months before we have the location, or know the wolves, or the actors even...Those kind of [things], I tried to stick very close to, but then you kind of have to adjust along the way. You have to be flexible. It's sometimes tough for me, but you kind of have to. [laughs]
Was anything easier than expected?
It's interesting...Wolves are very unpredictable. There are things that we thought, "Oh God, how on earth are we going to get them to do that?" For instance, take apart the confessional door while the camera's inside. How do we get them to attack the camera that they're actually afraid of? They did it. No problem! They totally went for it.
Was this your first time directing animals?
To that degree, yes. And with that depth, absolutely.
At least it sounds like they were fairly cooperative with you...
They were amazing. They were miraculous, yeah!
How much are you involved with the website katja-von-garnier.com?
Not at all. It's a fansite.
Really? Wow, I thought it was your official site...
I know, it's pretty amazing what he does. My brother has contact with [the webmaster]. I think he's unbelievable. I think I should hire him. [laughs] And there are years where I don't do anything, and he's still doing that. It's unbelievable. He's amazing. And you know what's so funny, too? He's so fast...I sent my brother the [Blood and Chocolate movie poster] when I had the design of the poster, and I said, "Don't send it on to anyone yet, because it's not final." And then he spoke to [the webmaster] and my brother said, "Okay, I'll give it to you once it's official." But he's so fast, he had access to it before my brother got it from me or anything! [laughs] Sometimes he knows stuff before I even know it! He's incredible. Sometimes my family, they haven't heard from me for a long time...My brother sometimes goes on the site to see what I'm up to. [laughs]
Do you personally use the internet a lot?
Starting to. I'm really lazy with it, but yes, I do.
What kind of project are you looking to do in the future?
I want to do a music film again with dance and everything, because I love that. And it was so much fun and so rewarding when we did it with Bandits. And then also I'm looking at like a love magic realism--you know, like the magic in every day life. Like Field of Dreams type of stuff.
On a dance musical, would you handle the choreography yourself?
I would have a choreographer for it. I mean, I love to move and I love to dance...I would have a say in it sometimes when I have an idea for a move. For instance, on Bandits, we had a choreographer, and they would make certain suggestions, and then I'd pick and choose. But I would have a choreographer for the actual dance moves, yes.
Do you have a dance background yourself? Can you really bust a move if you need to?
[laughs] I can do some stuff. I don't keep it up. But I used to dance a bit when I was 19, 20, yeah. But I did like gymnastics on a horse.
When I first entered this room, you were on the piano. Do you play it to any great extent?
No, I just felt like I wanted to just create some sound just now. I play a little bit of a campfire guitar. But no, unfortunately not. But I love music! And sometimes I would come up with melodies and stuff. And it was a joy to see our actors in Bandits creating the music, and sometimes I would put my [two cents] in. So that's why I said it was very rewarding to do a music film, yeah.
Thanks for your time, it was a pleasure meeting you.
Thank you, it was a pleasure talking to you, too.
|
|
|
