Paul Schrader

Started by Mr. Brown, August 12, 2003, 06:44:02 PM

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Mr. Brown

August 12, 2003, 06:44:02 PM
Hey peoples, this looks like a comfy place. I'm a 24 year old screenwriter and filmmaker from the Netherlands. When i get the chance i will schowcase my latest short.

Anyhoo, what do you all think of Paul Schrader as a writer/director. Personally i think THE COMFORT OF STRANGERS may be his best directorial duty, as for screenwriting, of course TAXI DRIVER.

chainsmoking insomniac

#1
August 13, 2003, 08:17:31 AM
Hello.  Thanks for starting this thread.  I think Paul's the best of the best, especially when it comes to screenwriting.  But anyhoo, I don't know how familiar you are with some of his other work, but if you haven't seen them, check out American Gigolo and his recent Affliction.  Great shit.
"Ernest Hemingway once wrote: 'The world's a fine place, and worth fighting for.'  I agree with the second part."
    --Morgan Freeman, Se7en

"Have you ever fucking seen that...? Ever seen a mistake in nature?  Have you ever seen an animal make a mistake?"
 --Paul Schneider, All the Real Girls

SoNowThen

#2
August 13, 2003, 09:05:55 AM
Auto Focus. Great fucking movie.

Schrader is one of my heroes of all time. My favorite writer for sure.

But don't see Touch, it was a goof he made right around Affliction. I try to pretend it never happened.

I hope everyone here has seen Blue Collar, though. Brilliant.
I wanna see Hardcore (his 2nd film), but it's not avalable anywhere. Mac -- I'll bet you know if it's coming to dvd or not...
Those who say that the totalitarian state of the Soviet Union was not "real" Marxism also cannot admit that one simple feature of Marxism makes totalitarianism necessary:  the rejection of civil society. Since civil society is the sphere of private activity, its abolition and replacement by political society means that nothing private remains. That is already the essence of totalitarianism; and the moralistic practice of the trendy Left, which regards everything as political and sometimes reveals its hostility to free speech, does nothing to contradict this implication.

When those who hated capital and consumption (and Jews) in the 20th century murdered some hundred million people, and the poster children for the struggle against international capitalism and America are now fanatical Islamic terrorists, this puts recent enthusiasts in an awkward position. Most of them are too dense and shameless to appreciate it, and far too many are taken in by the moralistic and paternalistic rhetoric of the Left.

Derek237

#3
August 14, 2003, 12:29:33 PM
I haven't seen a single Shrader directed movie yet. I've seen the Scorsese movies he's written like Taxi Driver, Bringing Out The Dead, etc. and I've actually taped American Gigilo off TV uncut but right before I was about to watch it, the VCR ate it up! I really, really want to see Auto focus though.

MacGuffin

#4
August 14, 2003, 03:43:11 PM
Quote from: SoNowThenI wanna see Hardcore (his 2nd film), but it's not avalable anywhere. Mac -- I'll bet you know if it's coming to dvd or not...

Great movie. I'm waiting for that one too. But haven't found any info about it making it's way to DVD.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

soixante

#5
August 15, 2003, 12:08:29 AM
Schrader is the greatest screenwriter of all time.  In a mere four years (1976 to 1980), he wrote Taxi Driver, Obsession, Rolling Thunder, Blue Collar, Old Boyfriends, Hardcore, American Gigolo and Raging Bull.  He also directed Blue Collar, Hardcore and American Gigolo.  His record has been spotty post-Raging Bull.  Affliction is a return to his 70's form, and Auto Focus was solid.

There is a book called Schrader on Schrader, from Faber Books, which I believe is out of print, but if you can get a copy of it, read it.  Any interview with Schrader is worth reading.  He's a highly intelligent, articulate guy who is never dull.  Usually, highly creative people are not articulate about the creative process, but Schrader certainly is.

The stuff he did in the 70's was built to last.  Watching Blue Collar recently, I was struck by how well it captured what was going on in the late 70's, with manufacturing jobs going offshore, unions becoming increasingly corrupt, and workers becoming disillusioned.  A year after Blue Collar came out, Norma Rae tackled union issues in 1979.  However, Blue Collar holds up better.  Its unflattering portrait of unions is much more realistic than the simplistic melodrama of Norma Rae.

One thing I love about Schrader is how he tackles very serious issues, but doesn't resort to overheated melodrama like Oliver Stone or Spike Lee.

Schrader, perhaps better than anyone else working in the 70's, understood how the ideals of the 60's counter-culture came crashing down.  Hardcore and American Gigolo, for all their surface allure, show the emptiness of the sexual revolution.

There is a vein of Calvinist sexual repression running through his work -- especially in Taxi Driver, Hardcore and Raging Bull -- that is rather singular in American films.  Like Scorsese, Schrader had a very strict religious upbringing, and it continues to effect his work.
Music is your best entertainment value.

SoNowThen

#6
August 15, 2003, 08:46:09 AM
Yeah, I've read Schrader On Schrader. It's by far the best __ on  ___ book I've seen.

It's out of print???
Those who say that the totalitarian state of the Soviet Union was not "real" Marxism also cannot admit that one simple feature of Marxism makes totalitarianism necessary:  the rejection of civil society. Since civil society is the sphere of private activity, its abolition and replacement by political society means that nothing private remains. That is already the essence of totalitarianism; and the moralistic practice of the trendy Left, which regards everything as political and sometimes reveals its hostility to free speech, does nothing to contradict this implication.

When those who hated capital and consumption (and Jews) in the 20th century murdered some hundred million people, and the poster children for the struggle against international capitalism and America are now fanatical Islamic terrorists, this puts recent enthusiasts in an awkward position. Most of them are too dense and shameless to appreciate it, and far too many are taken in by the moralistic and paternalistic rhetoric of the Left.

jasper_window

#7
August 15, 2003, 09:10:17 AM
Anyone seen Forever Mine?

SoNowThen

#8
August 15, 2003, 09:13:48 AM
Nope.

Anybody seen the one he did with Michael J Fox? That's another one on my list of must-sees...
Those who say that the totalitarian state of the Soviet Union was not "real" Marxism also cannot admit that one simple feature of Marxism makes totalitarianism necessary:  the rejection of civil society. Since civil society is the sphere of private activity, its abolition and replacement by political society means that nothing private remains. That is already the essence of totalitarianism; and the moralistic practice of the trendy Left, which regards everything as political and sometimes reveals its hostility to free speech, does nothing to contradict this implication.

When those who hated capital and consumption (and Jews) in the 20th century murdered some hundred million people, and the poster children for the struggle against international capitalism and America are now fanatical Islamic terrorists, this puts recent enthusiasts in an awkward position. Most of them are too dense and shameless to appreciate it, and far too many are taken in by the moralistic and paternalistic rhetoric of the Left.

jasper_window

#9
August 15, 2003, 09:47:11 AM
Yeah, Light of Day.  I saw it a long time ago when I was younger and I didn't like it much then.  Light Sleeper is another good one.  Auto Foucs is great, so is Affliction.  "I'm gettin to feel like a whipped dog.  Some day I'm gonna bite back."  Great stuff!

SoNowThen

#10
August 15, 2003, 09:50:50 AM
I think I could pick up Light Sleeper for cheap on dvd. Worth a blind buy?
Those who say that the totalitarian state of the Soviet Union was not "real" Marxism also cannot admit that one simple feature of Marxism makes totalitarianism necessary:  the rejection of civil society. Since civil society is the sphere of private activity, its abolition and replacement by political society means that nothing private remains. That is already the essence of totalitarianism; and the moralistic practice of the trendy Left, which regards everything as political and sometimes reveals its hostility to free speech, does nothing to contradict this implication.

When those who hated capital and consumption (and Jews) in the 20th century murdered some hundred million people, and the poster children for the struggle against international capitalism and America are now fanatical Islamic terrorists, this puts recent enthusiasts in an awkward position. Most of them are too dense and shameless to appreciate it, and far too many are taken in by the moralistic and paternalistic rhetoric of the Left.

jasper_window

#11
August 15, 2003, 11:11:36 AM
If you like schrader's stuff, yes.  But I'd feel bad if you bought it and didn't like it.

SoNowThen

#12
August 15, 2003, 11:17:38 AM
I'd feel bad as well. Money is tight nowadays.


plus i can't stand susan s, but for schrader i will give her a chance...
Those who say that the totalitarian state of the Soviet Union was not "real" Marxism also cannot admit that one simple feature of Marxism makes totalitarianism necessary:  the rejection of civil society. Since civil society is the sphere of private activity, its abolition and replacement by political society means that nothing private remains. That is already the essence of totalitarianism; and the moralistic practice of the trendy Left, which regards everything as political and sometimes reveals its hostility to free speech, does nothing to contradict this implication.

When those who hated capital and consumption (and Jews) in the 20th century murdered some hundred million people, and the poster children for the struggle against international capitalism and America are now fanatical Islamic terrorists, this puts recent enthusiasts in an awkward position. Most of them are too dense and shameless to appreciate it, and far too many are taken in by the moralistic and paternalistic rhetoric of the Left.

jasper_window

#13
August 15, 2003, 11:22:23 AM
Quote from: SoNowThenI'd feel bad as well. Money is tight nowadays.


I hear that.  enjoy!

Ernie

#14
August 15, 2003, 11:24:29 AM
Raging Bull is his best work imo. He's definitely a gifted writer and storyteller, no questions. I'm not into his directing as much as his writing. After seeing Auto Focus, I haven't really been going out of my way to see his other stuff. I didn't like it that much. I thought it was a big disappointment really, cause it looked fucking gorgeous from the poster to the trailer...I couldn't wait to see it. But, ultimately, it was just a letdown...Willem Dafoe (also gifted of course) ended being the whole movie, he was the only good thing about it. Greg Kinnear is a great actor, don't get me wrong but I think he could have been a lot better. A lot could have been a lot better in that movie imo.

Anyway, I look forward to him collaborating with Scorsese again...that I would love to see. I really wanna see The Last Temptation of Christ in the meanwhile too, I think he wrote that, right?
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