Payne reflects on his life at the movies
NEW YORK – Alexander Payne is equal parts filmmaker and film buff.
The Omaha-born filmmaker, for example, found time while premiering his latest, “Nebraska,” at the Cannes Film Festival to see 10 other films (including the four-hour “Cleopatra” restoration). And he chased that with a five-day movie-going binge in Paris.
Payne, 52, who has an elegant manner to match his refined tastes, frequents film festivals. He habitually programs repertory theaters. He filled a recent sleepless night with F.W. Munrau’s silent classic “Nosferatu,” which he hadn’t seen. (“We all have gaps,” he says.)
With the release of his black-and-white, father-son road trip “Nebraska,” the director reflects on his life at the movies.
Q. Where did your love for movies begin?
A. Growing up in Omaha in the 1960s and ’70s, we could see foreign films all the time. … Then when we were teenagers, because it was in my neighborhood, we could walk to the university and see 16mm prints of second-run foreign films on Friday nights. At 16, we were watching “The Night Porter” and “Amarcord” and “Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie.” I was always in search of silent film.
Q. Some critics have questioned whether there’s sometimes an ironic distance between you and your characters.
A. Not in my heart. I find often, not always, that those who accuse me of making fun of the characters are themselves the most arrogant. Not always, but often.
Q. Was film school a joyful time for you?
A. Totally. I was six years in film school, so by the time I graduated, I had been in film school for a fifth of my life. To this day, my closest friends in LA are my film school friends and they remain the first audience to see my films during post. That was a very formative time for me. Plus, not only was I making movies, but I had constant access to the UCLA Film and Television archive. The main reason it took me six years to get out of film school was that I spent so much time in the auditorium watching movies.
Q. Do you watch films with your crew while prepping a film?
A. During pre-production, I have movie night at my house. We start about 10 or 12 weeks out with just a few of us, and by a week or two before shooting, my house is jammed packed with crew members. It’s pizza, salad, wine and beer. And that’s it. Sometimes during post, I do Friday night movie night with martinis.
Q. When “The Descendants” came out, you regretted that you weren’t making films quicker. “Nebraska” is coming out two years later, which is an improvement.
A. The thing is, I can make them relatively quickly if I just have the screenplay. The only holdup is the screenplay.
I want to be making two movies a year. I’m exaggerating, but certainly one every year, year-and-a-half. On the other hand, I want to speak only when I have something to say.