i'm the genius behind me, maybe i shouldn't have said it
And finally, another salvo on one more side in the morality of writers debate. From the interview at the end of the book.
JL: If you can be an influence on young people with something that's meaningful, I believe in it. Sometimes I have been accused of being morally theatrical. I hate that. I'm moral. Whether it's theatrical or I'm walking with my dog. I like to think I'm moral. There's a wonderful line: "I care about the demise of a man because I'm involved with mankind." My involvement is genuine, it's sincere. I feel that if you're given a special place in this life, you can't walk into a small room and close the door with it. I think that's wrong. Because it'll be of no consequence to yourself or anyone else, unless you use that gift. Use it how? To get another gift? No, you use that gift to spread the word that made you the recipient of the gift. So I'm kind of idealistic, mid-Victorian, completely old-fashioned like that. That's the way I am, that's the way I think.
I think that for years we have recognized the author by what he writes. An author will always --- you will do the same, Chris --- a writer tips his mitt. If a writer would like to be completely anonymous about the character and fabric of the man, don't write, 'cause you can't hide in writing. I just believe it. I'm sure there are people who will tell me that I'm crazy --- "Oh, well, what about J.D. Salinger?" That was J.D. Salinger. J.D. Salinger was Holden Caulfield. Don't tell me that was a fictitious character out of the mind of his deep deep imagination. Bullshit. He was Holden Caulfield.
So what my writings, in my conscious mind, were: I needed to balance the comedy. I always got to the point where I needed to settle the audience. And more importantly, to see that he [Lewis's character] is of some consequence and not a fool. If they see him of some consequence, everything he does will be that much funnier, and everything he does will be that much more real, and the foolish and silly and mischief, and all of those things that come down the pike in a film, will be accepted as valid because of that exposition early on. You can wait till almost the middle of the movie to do it. To protect that last four reels or five reels.
CF: Like you do in The Errand Boy. (at the very end of the clip and into the next one.)
Or, I would add, like in The Patsy.
All right, enough. Putting the book carefully and mostly lovingly on the shelf now.
*sighs happily*
JL: If you can be an influence on young people with something that's meaningful, I believe in it. Sometimes I have been accused of being morally theatrical. I hate that. I'm moral. Whether it's theatrical or I'm walking with my dog. I like to think I'm moral. There's a wonderful line: "I care about the demise of a man because I'm involved with mankind." My involvement is genuine, it's sincere. I feel that if you're given a special place in this life, you can't walk into a small room and close the door with it. I think that's wrong. Because it'll be of no consequence to yourself or anyone else, unless you use that gift. Use it how? To get another gift? No, you use that gift to spread the word that made you the recipient of the gift. So I'm kind of idealistic, mid-Victorian, completely old-fashioned like that. That's the way I am, that's the way I think.
I think that for years we have recognized the author by what he writes. An author will always --- you will do the same, Chris --- a writer tips his mitt. If a writer would like to be completely anonymous about the character and fabric of the man, don't write, 'cause you can't hide in writing. I just believe it. I'm sure there are people who will tell me that I'm crazy --- "Oh, well, what about J.D. Salinger?" That was J.D. Salinger. J.D. Salinger was Holden Caulfield. Don't tell me that was a fictitious character out of the mind of his deep deep imagination. Bullshit. He was Holden Caulfield.
So what my writings, in my conscious mind, were: I needed to balance the comedy. I always got to the point where I needed to settle the audience. And more importantly, to see that he [Lewis's character] is of some consequence and not a fool. If they see him of some consequence, everything he does will be that much funnier, and everything he does will be that much more real, and the foolish and silly and mischief, and all of those things that come down the pike in a film, will be accepted as valid because of that exposition early on. You can wait till almost the middle of the movie to do it. To protect that last four reels or five reels.
CF: Like you do in The Errand Boy. (at the very end of the clip and into the next one.)
Or, I would add, like in The Patsy.
All right, enough. Putting the book carefully and mostly lovingly on the shelf now.
*sighs happily*