The_Film_That_Changed_My_Life

164 Arthur Hiller
hope I put in things that the writer didn’t think of; I hope the actors put in
things that I didn’t think of, of course. I think that’s what I love about movies.
They are a group activity. All these creative juices come together, into
the pot, and out comes this new little baby, the movie.
Do you think there is any specific lesson or idea that Open City left you
with that you strive to bring into your own films?
Hiller: I think it’s been there since I saw the film, but it may have been in
me before that. It’s what they call an affirmation of the human spirit. I’ve
always liked that sort of realistic feel. When I did Hospital, I wanted the feeling
that the audience was peeking around the corner.
So I did a lot of it handheld. I kept saying to the operators on certain
shots, “Messy good, messy good.” Which is very hard for the operator to
hear. They’re trained to be good and they can’t be messy. Then you’d say,
“But I want that.” Deep down the camera operators were afraid that other
operators would look at it and say, “You’re messy.” So I’d have to create
shots that they couldn’t do well, or I’d go handheld. And a lot of it is done
that way. So I think it’s always neorealism that has stuck with me. And
even when I’m . . .
Even when you’re what?
Hiller: I was just thinking that even when I’m working what I call the
normal way, I’m not happy. I don’t do farce. Now you may say Silver Streak
was farcical or—
At least some of it was satire.
Hiller: Or The In-Laws. Yeah, but it’s rooted in reality. As long as I could
root it so that the audience feels it could happen, then I’m OK. Like when
I was offered that film Stir Crazy, and I said I just didn’t feel comfortable.
Then they offered me more money, the whole thing, obviously because they
were happy with Silver Streak. I just found it too loose for me, too farcical.
It did very good business, I think over a hundred million. When my wife
and I saw it, I enjoyed it very much. We came out and she said, “Well, how
do you feel now?” I said, “I feel the same.” She said, “It made a hundred million
dollars.” And I said, “Well, I still feel the same.” I thought if I had done