Friday, February 25,21
AGGIELIFE
Friday, February 25, 2000
THE BATTALION
Page 3
SS
WITH
THE BAIT
Director
John Frankenheimer!\
Q
What sort of budget did you have on this picture? It
seemed a little smaller, for example, than Ronin.
1 don’t know why you would think it was smaller. We had
everything we needed to do this pieture. We didn’t compromise
anything. I really never even worry about a budget in a picture be
cause so much of the budget in pictures is wasted money. In real
ity, any movie you do, you are out there trying to get the most of
what you can get out every day. You are struggling to get the shot
and get it as quickly as you can.
Q
How much did you have to work with Ben and Gary
to get their great chemistry?
OLLANUEVA Thk IUttai.iov
nbee 2000 Festi-
tck Awareness
IFERENCE
:U DENTON OVERNMEN!
RUDDER TOWER
AND MSC
LARGEST STUDENT
CONFERENCE IN
THE NATION
FEBRUARY 26-29
TO DISCUSS
ISSUES FACING
UNIVERSITIES
STUDENT
GOVERNMENT
LEADERS FROM
ACROSS THE U.S,
INTERVIEW BY MATT MCCORMICK
AND KYLE WHITACRE
The Battalion
John Frankenheimer is one of the last ofhis kind. A feature film
director who actually got his start directing live television shows
in the’50s, Frankenheimer went on to direct cinematic classics
such as Birdman of AIcatraz and The Manc hurian Candidate.
After a long run as one of I lollywood’s most successful direc-
1MS, Frankenheimer lost his edge. I le went through a dark period
in his life, and many ofhis films Hopped.
Then Frankenheimer reemerged with the critically-acclaimed
Ronin. Now the 70-year-old director is try ing to regain a firm
footing in Tinseltown with release of the upcoming adventure-
thriller Reindeer Games, starring Ben Affleck, Gary Sinise and
CharlizeTheron. In an interview with the director, Frankenheimer
spoke with The Battalion about his career and his new movie.
Q
What really attracted you to Reindeer Games?
They are both good actors. The parts were well written, and
that has a lot to do with it. They took off each other quite well.
They got along very well; there was not any one-upmanship on
this picture. It was a lot of hard work. We rehearsed a lot, so yeah
we worked on all those values.
I thought maybe we shouldn’t have it [the intro] because I
thought it would tip the movie. 1 thought maybe we should just
start out in prison. 1 cut the pieture like that first and tested it. I
thought, “Be honest with the audience. Show them at the begin
ning, that this is not going to be some cute little movie.” I put it;
back and I think it works. It puts a spin on the whole movie.
Q # Was it a challenge to tell that type of story in this
# movie?
The main thing I had to do was really make sure of two
things. One, I really had to tell the story honestly. I could nev
er wink at the audience. It had to be really direct and everything
had to be super realistic that this could happen. The real chal
lenge in this picture is there was so much subtext in each scene
that you have to get. There are so many other things going on
with these characters.
I loved the script. I read the script, and 1 thought how well writ
ten it was, how smart. I thought the characters were terribly well
written, well shaped and well fonned. Particularly Ben and Char-
lize had characters who changed from beginning to end. I liked
the dialogue.
1 thought the dialogue was very good, and 1 liked the humor.
1 thought the humor was wonderful. That's one the reasons 1 cast
Ben, and I wanted to get the humor of this thing — ancl [Ben] is
able to do that.
I liked the whole background—Northern Michigan, the w in
ter and the snow. I liked the fact that it was kind of this dirtball
American type of guy. It was a real departure from Paris and Nice
w hich was where my last movie was.
Q
• Where did the title Reindeer Games come from?
Q
In Ronin as well as [Reindeer] Games, there seemed
to be a lot of backstabbing going on. Are you at
tracted to more of the dark side of your characters?
If you talk to Ehren Kruger, the writer, he says he started off
with a title and then he wrote a story. 1 le came up with it. Origi
nally, the picture was supposed to come out around Dee. 10, but I
just plain wasn't ready. When 1 told Bob Weinstein that I couldn’t
have the picture ready for Dec. 10, he then felt he had to change
the title because he didn’t think that coming out that far after Christ
mas that he could use Reindeer Games. We all liked the title.
I come from Hollywood. That’s a way of life. I am kidding,
and I am not. But, no it is not intentional. I think that it is a part of
this kind of genre.
Q
# Was it a struggle in telling this story to keep from re-
# vealing the plot twists too early?
Q
You decided to film the story in flashback though
there was some debate over using this technique.
Can you tell us w hy you chose to do that?
Ehren Kruger wrote this script so well that I did not have to re
ally worry about it. The script was really good. All I had to to do
was not try to get cute — not try' to get too smart. I had to tell it
See Frankenheimer on Page 4.
The Ballet Theater de Bordeaux to perform “Romeo and Juli-
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BY JEFF WOLFSHOHL
The Battalion
Though known for their famous declarations
oflove, "Romeo and Juliet" will not speak their
immortal lines at the MSC Opera and Perform-
iagArts Society's presentation of Shakespeare’s
dassic play but instead demonstrate them
through the art of ballet.
The lull-length ballet “Romeo and Juliet” will
be presented in three acts by the Ballet de L’-
Opera de Bordeaux with music by Sergei
Trokofiev and choreography by Tilt Harm.
Jeremy Byrd, OPAS chair mid a senior psy
chology major, said this ballet will be more eas
ily accepted because of the subject's familiarity.
‘“Romeo and Mid' is a story more people
are familiar with, and most ballets are about sto
ries that few people know,” he said.
Dr. Paul Parrish, president of the board of di
rectors for OPAS and a professor of English, said
this is an important program for OPAS.
“This is different than the rest of the season for
OPAS because it's a full-scale ballet," Parrish said.
“This is another example of transformation
of a story' intended for the stage,” he said.
The ballet is being presented differently than
the typical Shakespeare play, but Byrd said it is
still easy to follow.
“The storyline is the same,” he said. “The
only major difference is instead of vocals and
speaking lines, it’s all set to dance.”
Even though there is alteration of the original
version of “Romeo and Juliet,’’ Byrd said Shake
speare would have no problem approving of the
interpretation.
“I would think he would appreciate it being
told in different fonns,” he said.
Parrish said Shakespeare would be quite
comfortable in seeing other artistic renditions.
“Shakespeare was very' aware when he wrote
the play that it likely would be performed differ
ently than how he actually wrote it on the page,”
Parrish said.
Byrd said that students should try to take ad
vantage of this opportunity to see a ballet.
“Students can experience an art form that has
been around forever,” Byrd sard.
“The Ballet Theater de Bordeaux is one of the
world renowned ballet groups,” Parrish said.
“This brings an assurance of quality.”
The troupe was established in 1752 in France
and was invited to entertain many dominant fig
ures in history. The Emperor Luis Napoleon
(Napoleon III) restored the Opera House to bring
tlie company under his personal patronage.
Vladimir Skouratoff, a dancer of the Bolshoi
Ballet, became ballet master for the company in
1970 and restored the company to its great
Franee-Russo heritage created in the last centu
ry by previous ballet masters.
In 1990 the well-respected dancer Paolo Bor-
toluzzi was asked to become the artistic director
of the company.
Bortoluzzi created many new works for the
ballet, including “Fonnes,” “The Four Seasons,”
and “The Beauty and the Beast,” which have en
tered the company’s active repertory.
What: Romeo and Juliet
When: Friday and Saturday
7:30 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m.
■Hiii m
ler Auditorium
'i ‘Wit' W'Vjwi
International Week 2000
Relcom* New Mi„ enfliuiii!!!
Opening Ceremony:
IVISC Flag Room: IVloraday, February 28, 2000
Admission: Free
11:30 zV.IVI.
AN
ne
dy
ir tix!
26
eatre
ice &
: Office)
Cultural Display:
First Floor of tbe IVISC
IVTonday, February 28 2000 — 9:00 A..IV1- to 5:00 P-IV1.
Xuesday, February 29, 2000 — 9:00 A^IVI to 4:00 P.1VT.
Admission: Free
In ter national Buffet:
Second Floor of tbe IVISC: Wednesday, IVIarch 1, 2000
7:00 P.IVI to 10:00 P.JVX
Admission: $8.00
International Talent Show and Traditional Press Parade:
Rudder Auditorium: Friday, IVIarch 3, 2000 — 7:30 P.IV1 to 9:30 P.IVI*
Admission: $5.00
International Party and Award Ceremony:
IVISC 201: Friday, IVIarch 3, 2000 - 10:00 P. IM. to 1:00 A.IM.*
Admission: Free
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