Bunuel_Luis_My_Last_Breath

Hollywood Sequel 191"But you don't understand!" he cried. "If I did that in Hollywood,everyone would think I was going to pieces. They'd say I wason the skids, and I'd never make another movie!"It was a sad conversation, because he was absolutely serious.In the course of my career, however, I did make two "American"movies that I happen to be very fond of-The Adventures of RobinsonCrusoe in 1952 and The Young One in 1960. The producer GeorgePepper and Hugo Butler, the screenwriter, who spoke fluent Spanish,first proposed the Robinson Crusoe idea to me. In the beginning Iwasn't very enthusiastic, but gradually, as I worked, I became interestedin the story, adding some real and some imaginary elementsto Crusoe's sex life, as well as the delirium scene when he sees hisfather's spirit. The shoot took place on the Pacific coast of Mexico,not far from Manzanillo. Frankly, I followed orders from the chiefcameraman, Alex Philips, an American who lived in Mexico andwho was a specialist in the close-up. Crusoe was the first Eastmancolorfilm in America and as such, a sort of guinea pig. It took us threemonths to make (a record for me), partly because Philips waited along time before giving me the green light. The rushes went off toHollywood at the end of each day.When all was said and done, Crusoe was a very successful movie,with a budget that came in under three hundred thousand dollars.I have strange memories of the shoot-like the time we had to killa little boar, and the sensational exploit of Crusoe's stand-in, anAmerican swimmer, who sliced through those colossal waves in theopening scenes. Ironically, despite the fact that it was an Americanfilm, shot in English, co-produced by Oscar Dancigers, and a boxofficesuccess, all I managed to get out of it was the derisory sum often thousand dollars. Financial negotiations irritate me, and I hadno agent or lawyer to advise me. (When they found out what myshare of the pie had been, Pepper and Butler offered me 20 percentof their percentage of the profits, but I refused.)As unlikely as it may sound, I've never been able to discuss theamount of money offered to me when I sign a contract. Either I