Press Conference: Resnais, Azéma, and Dussollier on “Wild Grass”
A grand master of French cinema meets the press
Flanked by actors Sabine Azéma, Anne Consigny, Emmanuelle Devos, André Dussollier, and Michel Vuillermoz and producers Julie Salvador and Jean-Louis Livi, French director Alain Resnais replied to questions from the international press about his new feature Wild Grass, presented in Competition. Highlights follow.
Alain Resnais on what inspired him to make the film:
“It’s based on a novel by Christian Gailly which fascinated me, hypnotized me, and I stayed as close to it as possible for the film. Gailly is a writer who specializes in raising questions which he then takes care never to answer. That’s what I’ve tried to reproduce in the film, with the idea that we’re all observing ourselves, analyzing ourselves, judging ourselves, but actually, we are never aware of our true motivations, our true drives, our real past. Certainly the charm of the book was its hesitant tone, its indecision.”
Alain Resnais on the concept of success:
“When you make a film, you always wonder if it’s going to be a success, but you never really have the answer. If I knew that by placing the camera on the left rather than on the right, using a tracking shot or keeping the camera still, I would attract a bigger audience, I’d do it immediately! Success is unpredictable. What I’m seeking is to shoot in such a way that the film produces an emotion. It may be comical or sentimental, but there must be this emotion, and I always ask myself if the emotion will suffice to keep the audience in the theatre for the whole film, whether they’ll be enjoying sitting in their seats. That’s my only preoccuption. I can’t foresee what will be commercially attractive or not… I’ve never been able to make a choice in a screenplay, to say if we do that, it’ll attract more people. I make my films as they come, perhaps with some vague reminiscence of the Surrealist school of automatic writing, by trying to allow the unconscious to speak. When I say that, though, my conscience as a self-taught filmmaker is telling me to shut up, that I’m out of my depth.”
Sabine Azéma on working with Alain Resnais:
“When I showed up to work on the set of La Vie est un roman, my first film with Alain Resnais, I never imagined that one day I’d be here in front of you, talking about the ninth or tenth film I’ve made with Alain. And also, it was a delight to be opposite André, who helped me practice for my auditions at the Conservatory. The reason we’re all together today is that something happens between André, Alain, myself, and also Pierre Arditi. It’s something mysterious that it should be possible to analyze. It’s also true that with each new film, new actors come along, and that’s a relief, too. It’s like a breath of fresh air – the cards are shuffled differently. And with each new film, you’re different. I’m not at all like the young woman who made La Vie est un roman – just look at my hair! You come to each new film with what’s been going on in your life in the months leading up to it. And Alain is different too… Working with him is the most beautiful gift that could have been given to me in my whole life.”
André Dussollier on working with Resnais again:
“It’s a new adventure every time, even though now Alain and I know each other well. The fact that the subjects change makes it seem like the first film every time. And Alain is so conscientious, so committed to the film, that it makes you want to surprise him. You don’t become lazy just because you know each other so well. It’s always a pleasure to work with him, again and again.”
