Bunuel_Luis_My_Last_Breath

With my usual abruptness, I replied that I was his assistant andnot Gance's, that I didn't much like Gance's movies (except forNapoleon), and that I found Gance himself very pretentious."How can an insignificant asshole like you dare to talk that wayabout a great director!" Epstein exploded (there are certain horrendouslines that, once spoken, one remembers forever), adding thatas far as he was concerned, our collaboration had just come to anend. (Which was true, and I never did get to the Dordogne.) Amoment later, he calmed down somewhat and drove me back toParis in his car."You be careful," he said to me. "I see surrealistic tendencies inyou. If you want my advice, you'll stay away from them."I still worked in the studios, wherever and whenever I could. Atthe Albatros, I had a bit part as a smuggler in Jacques Feyder'sCarrnenÑEspagn oblige. I also remember Peinado and Vines playingguitarists in the same film. During a scene with Don Jose, Carmenwas sitting motionless at a table, her head in her hands. Feyder toldme to do something, anything, some kind of gallant gesture. I did,but unfortunately the one I chose was an Aragonianpizco, a real hardpinch, which got me a resounding slap from the star.Albert Duverger, who also worked on both Un Chien andalou andL'Age d'w, introduced me to Etikvant and Mario Nalpas, two directorswho were making a film with Josephine Baker called The Sirenof the Tropics. I must confess it wasn't one of my nicer memories; thewhims of the star appalled and disgusted me. Expected to be readyand on the set at nine in the morning, she'd arrive at five in theafternoon, storm into her dressing room, slam the door, and beginsmashing makeup bottles against the wall. When someone dared toask what the matter was, he was told that her dog was sick. Iremember Pierre Batcheff standing next to me when we heard thisexchange."Well, I guess that's the movies," I remarked."That's your movie," he replied drily, "not mine."I couldn't help but agree with him, and from that time on wewere great friends. He even played a part in Un Chien andalou.