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Post by Tyler Smith on Nov 14, 2011 16:30:23 GMT -5
Friend-of-the-show Jason Eaken and I were talking about Clint Eastwood the other day, after I saw J. Edgar. We discussed his directorial style, which is very laid back, instinctive, and organic. He doesn't like to overdo things. Many people, including me, consider this a good thing. Unfortunately, it often leaves Eastwood at the mercy of the script. Sometimes, the script is good, as in Unforgiven. Other times, not so much, like in Hereafter. We concluded that Eastwood might be a little too content to let the film direct him, when it should be the opposite. He is, I think, still a very sensitive and attentive director. His films always look good and he can create a strong sense of place and time, but, as far as content, I think he is only as good as the material he has to work with. He is a little too reluctant to shape it. What do you guys think of Eastwood as a director?
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Post by Mladen on Nov 22, 2011 4:56:41 GMT -5
Interesting... Through a variety of reasons, I haven't seen all that many of his films he's directed (Gran Torino, Mystic River, Space Cowboys & Unforgiven are all I can recall seeing of the recent batch).
Perhaps its the films I've seen, but his approach seems very naturalistic when adapting a script. Production design and cinematography, while obviously well handled, almost seem to disappear. Compared to other directors, Eastwood seems a little bit more confident to not embellish the scenes with fancy effects, distracting music (mostly), etc. Maybe its his age, but I feel like he's past the point of trying to impress us or prove himself. Its clearly intentional, I get the feeling he wants us to be as involved with the characters as possible without being aware of the 'film', or fingerprints on the director.
His approach seems to favour and allow freedom for the actors, and the script as you mention. In cases where the actors aren't up to scratch (Gran Torino), I'd say it fails somewhat.
He reminds me a bit of a symphony conductor. A manager of a skilled and capable orchestra, there to do the original material justice. Rather than as an idiosyncratic composer who wants to control every aspect of the production and mark his 'voice' onto the project. Its quite an old-school approach in many ways.
I can't help but assume he's like this in the rest of his life too, down to his taste in food, clothes, his home, etc.
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