Warner's Clint Eastwood DVD collection contains 34 films and Richard Schickel's new documentary The Eastwood Factor.
By Lee Pfeiffer
There have been precious few film critics with the reputation of Richard Schickel. If he seems an omnipresent aspect of virtually every classic film discussion, it's because he represents the Golden Age of movie criticism. Schickel's long and impressive career has made him a legend in his own right, but his talents extend beyond writing. He's also an award-winning filmmaker. Schickel has occasionally found inspiration in his long-time friendship with Clint Eastwood as the basis for documentaries. His TV special that chronicled the making of Unforgiven was the first in-depth look at how Eastwood approaches filmmaking. Now, Schickel has created a new documentary- The Eastwood Factor - that is available as part of Warner Brothers' new DVD collection dedicated to the iconic star and director. The set contains every film Eastwood has made for Warner Brothers and Schickel's documentary provides the perfect companion piece. The film takes Eastwood on a trip down memory lane, with visits to the Warner's studio lot where he made so many movies. To commemorate the release of the documentary, Warner Home Video arranged an exclusive interview with Richard Schickel.Â
CR: When you first saw the Sergio Leone trilogy in the
1960s, you weren’t very impressed with the films or Eastwood…
RS:Â When I first saw
those films, I didn’t care for them but I now care for them very greatly. Historically
they became incredibly important in the western film genre. I also just like
the movies: they’re smart, they’re
funny, they’re weird. They’re extraordinarily good movies, but I didn’t notice
that at the time because in those days I was a traditionalist.
CR: When did you first meet Clint Eastwood?
RS: In 1976, after the release of The Outlaw Josey Wales. The friendship just developed the way
friendships do. There was nothing magical about it. When I first saw Josey Wales, I thought it was a terrific
movie. I liked the theme of the movie:
the rescue and reconstruction of troubled and hard-pressed people. I had missed
the whole Dirty Harry factor
initially after Pauline Kael had said it was fascist. I think I was kind of misled by that. Instinctively, I liked the movie, but then I
thought “I shouldn’t like this
movie!†(Laughs). I revisited the
film not too long after that and found a lot of virtue in the character.
CR: Ironically, in recent years, you’ve become sort of a
Boswell to Eastwood’s Dr. Johnson.
RS: I don’t know about that. I just like the guy and he
likes me. We get along in a casual, male bonding sort of way. That isn’t to say I don’t admire many of his
films. Unlike most actors, he greatly expanded his range and work in films like
Tightrope and especially with Unforgiven. He also did movies that were
not very commercial like Bird and White Hunter, Black Heart. More
recently, he’s undertaken movies that most directors of his age wouldn’t think
about undertaking – even if they were able to. It’s a classic example of an
older man doing his best work. It’s
certainly unusual in the movie business. Most older directors fall into silence
or irrelevance. Eastwood doesn’t just
screw off. He chooses fairly difficult topics. He proceeds with them in a
rational way. He’s not subject to
“celebrity follies†of one sort or another.
CR: It’s interesting that, like John Ford, Eastwood has acquired somewhat of a stock
company he prefers to work with.
RS:Â Yes, Joel Cox has
been editing for him for twenty years. The same with the cameraman Jack
Green. Eastwood talks about that. He
says it’s much easier to work with someone you’ve known for many years. You
don’t even need to communicate verbally- you just point your finger or give a
nod and the guy knows what to do. When
you’re on one of Clint’s sets, you’re not aware of him doing any heavy duty
directing.  He’s there for the actors, if
they have a question or something like that. He believes that if you have the
right person in the part, you really don’t have to do very much.
It's rather ironic that the most impressive and insightful Quentin Tarantino interview we've seen in a long while should come on MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show. Maddow generally doesn't deviate from her nightly opinion program about political issues - and she admits to Tarantino that she's never seen one of his films in its entirety because of the violent content. Nevertheless, Tarantino, who is deprived of his penchant for dropping four letter words, is far more articulate and interesting than when he does indulge in that habit. In an extended and intelligent discussion of Inglourious Basterds, the Oscar-nominated director traces the origins of the film to the days of the Old West. He explains that he has been fascinated by the concept that a much smaller group of fighting men can terrify large armies if they use sufficiently brutal tactics. He cites the Apache's ability to fight the U.S. Cavalry to a standstill for years using this method. He also says he watched many Nazi-era propaganda films produced by Goebbels in researching his movie. He correctly points out that, while some of these contained horrible anti-Semitic messages, the majority were feel-good, Hollywood-like musicals and costume dramas because the Nazi propaganda minister fancied himself a major film talent. To watch click here